For two weeks, an autonomous agent treated 34 URLs in YouTube video descriptions as working doors to a product page. According to creator Sungsoo Youn’s September 2026 account, 33 of those videos were Shorts—and the URLs in Shorts descriptions are not clickable. The counts and traffic observations are Youn’s own report, not independently audited channel analytics; the platform rule is documented by YouTube.
The mistake: a URL in text is not necessarily a route viewers can use
Youn says the agent added a product-page notice to 34 video descriptions and reported all 34 URLs as working routes. The agent had retrieved durations for 60 channel videos through the YouTube Data API; 58 were three minutes or shorter. Youn also says daily ledgers recorded views but no arrivals at the product page during the two-week period.
Those figures describe one creator’s case, not a general conversion rate for Shorts or YouTube. The important distinction is narrower: a URL can be present in a description without being an interactive link. Counting URL strings therefore does not establish that viewers can click through.
Are URLs in YouTube Shorts descriptions clickable?
No. YouTube’s current clickable-links overview identifies URLs in Shorts descriptions and comments as non-clickable. Link behavior depends on where the URL appears, not simply on whether the text looks like a web address.
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YouTube announced the change in August 2023. In a post dated August 10, Meaghan of TeamYouTube wrote: “Starting on August 31st, 2023, links in Shorts comments, Shorts descriptions, and links in the vertical live feed will no longer be clickable – this change will roll out gradually.” The announcement cited risks including malware, phishing, and scams. It is useful historical context; YouTube’s current Help page is the reference for present-day behavior.
What the creator changed in the workflow
Youn says the agent first proposed rewriting the notice or moving the link higher in the description. Those changes would alter the wording or position of the URL, not make a Shorts-description URL clickable. The reported correction was to add a SHORTS_DESCRIPTION_LINKS_CLICKABLE = False rule and remove the “move the link” experiment from the candidate list.
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This is Youn’s account of a case-specific implementation, not an independently tested software recommendation. Its practical point is that a workflow should distinguish between finding a URL and confirming that the platform exposes it as a clickable route.
Documented ways to send viewers somewhere clickable
| Route | Destination | Clickable? | Requirements and visibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shorts description or comment URL | External URL | No | YouTube lists URLs in these locations as non-clickable. |
| Related video on a Short | Another eligible YouTube video | Yes | Requires advanced feature access. The selected video must be public or unlisted and comply with Community Guidelines. Viewers see a clickable link below the channel handle. |
| Channel profile link | External site | Yes | A channel profile can showcase up to 14 links. The first appears near Subscribe; viewers can choose to view more for the rest. |
To send viewers to another YouTube video
YouTube’s related-video instructions for Shorts say creators can attach a related video after upload. This route stays within YouTube and points to the creator’s own eligible video; it is not a replacement for an external product-page link.
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To send viewers to an external site
YouTube’s channel-profile guidance allows up to 14 profile links. The first is displayed prominently near the Subscribe button, while additional links are available when viewers select the option to view more. YouTube’s external links policy applies to these destinations.
Affiliate links still have to follow YouTube policy
YouTube says affiliate content itself does not violate its Terms of Use, but excessive affiliate content on a dedicated account may violate spam policies. External links directing viewers to content prohibited by Community Guidelines are not allowed. These policy statements do not establish that any particular affiliate program or campaign is available or eligible.
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Measure the route, not just the URL
Youn’s case shows why a link audit needs to check the viewer’s actual interaction: where the URL appears and whether YouTube makes that location clickable. Before interpreting a lack of arrivals as a copy or placement problem, first establish that the chosen platform route supports a click. A URL in text and a usable click path are different states.
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