About two years ago, YouTube disabled the feature to edit or add “Automations” in videos. In place of that, End Screen Cards were introduced – these are interactive components that are capable of driving suggested videos, subscriptions, and inbound links to your site.

In as much as you have a related site that has got verified with your YouTube channel, you can then link to pages on your site and landing pages.

This was a significant feature for content marketers. It makes it possible to convert your viewers easily on your own landing pages and link them to other relevant posts outside the platform.

However, in the most recent update, the feature was made unavailable to channels that have not yet been monetized. Simply put, unless you’re an approved YouTube Partner Program member and you display Google Ads on your videos, you’re not eligible to leverage the external linking feature. You’ll still be having cards that have already been put in place on your YouTube videos, but you won’t be able to edit or add them.

With this latest requirement, YouTube has got enough information to determine how valid a channel is, and it helps YouTube ascertain if a channel is adhering to the Advertiser Policies and Community Guidelines.

This recent change has left many firms with the contemplation on whether to monetize their channels using the YouTube Partner Program or not. And looking at it literally, monetizing tends to have a positive impact on exposure as well as makes it feasible to continue driving traffic to your site using cards over and over again.