YouTube Link Funnel (2025) — End Screens, Info Cards, Shorts Links

TL;DR
Shorts are great top-of-funnel, but YouTube explicitly says URLs in Shorts descriptions/comments aren’t clickable. Build a link funnel that uses native clickable surfaces: end screens, info cards (if eligible), related-video links, and channel profile links.

1 Know what’s clickable (official)

YouTube Help explicitly notes:

• URLs placed in Shorts comments and Shorts descriptions are non-clickable (anti-spam measure).
• In the “clickable links overview”, YouTube marks end screens as clickable, and related videos in Shorts as a clickable link surface.
• YouTube also notes: to add clickable external links, you must enable your channel’s access to advanced features.

2 End screens: your default “bottom CTA”

Per YouTube Help:

• End screens are added to the last 5–20 seconds of a video.
• The video must be at least 25 seconds long.
• You can add up to four elements for standard 16:9 (other aspect ratios may have a lower limit).

Instavar tactic: Write your CTA into the script so the end screen isn’t a surprise. Viewers should already know what to click.

3 Info cards: your “mid-video CTA” (and external links)

Per YouTube Help:

• Info cards can feature a video, playlist, channel, or link.
• YouTube notes you can add up to 5 cards to one video.
• For external website links, YouTube states the “Link” card requires being in the YouTube Partner Program, and your linked site must comply with policies (Community Guidelines and Terms).

Instavar tactic: Use one card early (set expectation), and one card late (capture intent).

4 A simple Shorts → Long-form → Lead funnel

Step 1: Shorts as the “hook”

• Publish Shorts that earn attention and qualify intent.
• Don’t rely on raw URLs in the Short’s description/comments (non-clickable).

Step 2: Use a clickable bridge

Pick one (based on your channel setup):

• Related video link in Shorts → send viewers to a long-form “explainer” video.
• Channel profile link → send viewers to the canonical landing page.

Step 3: Close with end screens and/or cards

• End screen: “watch next” + “subscribe” is a clean baseline.
• If eligible, add an external link info card to the offer page.

5 Official references

• YouTube Help — Sharing links with your audiences (clickable vs non-clickable): https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/13748639?hl=en
• YouTube Help — Add end screens to videos (timing + requirements): https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6388789?hl=en
• YouTube Help — Add info cards to videos (card types + limits): https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6140493?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop