Getting set up to make money online with YouTube

1. Set up a Google account. If you don't yet have a Google account, then go ahead and set one up. You'll need it for use with YouTube and AdSense.

2. Sign up on YouTube. You should be able to just sign into YouTube with your Google account once it's created, but if not, then go ahead and set up a YouTube account per the information they request.

3. Sign up for Google AdSense. Once again, you should be able to log into AdSense with your Google account. but getting set up with AdSense means you'll need to submit much more information, like your address, phone number, SSN/TIN, and more. Make no mistake that Google is paying you whatever you make from ads, so they need to send you tax information on your earnings each year, etc. Also, I'm not sure if it's still the case today, but when I signed up for AdSense, they mailed a card which contained a code to my physical address so as to verify it. I had to call a number, enter the code on the card, etc. The whole process took about a week. Oh, and if the AdSense site doesn't seem to work when you visit it, then disable your ad blocking software/add-ons.

4. Upload a video or two. While you're waiting for the card Google sends to verify your address, this is a good time to upload a video or two so you can start building a history with the site. The videos don't need to be public; they can be unlisted or even private. You'll need to have videos present in your account so you can activate monetization.

5. Enable monetization on your videos. When logged into your YouTube account, click "Settings," then, look for "Monetization" towards the bottom of the left-hand sidebar. Once you click that, there should be an "Enable My Account" button you can click. If you don't see it yet, then you don't quite have enough of a history with YouTube. That's okay, though, because it doesn't take long, and getting set up with this is far easier now than it was even earlier this year. Anyway, once you have monetization enabled, all you'll need to do is link your AdSense account and that's it!

6. Bookmark this post and revisit it often. Once you get all set up and you're ready to take things to the next level, make sure you revisit this post! There are plenty of ideas herein that you can revisit to come up with new ideas for content, videos, etc.