YouTube is the largest online video platform and one of the most significant search engines. So it is essential to understand how to optimize your content to make your videos shine on the platform
. YouTube SEO involves strategizing for optimizing channels and videos to establish better placement in search results.
YouTube is home to over two billion active users, which is evidence enough of its massive popularity. Today, billions visit YouTube for information, a fact vouched by two billion monthly active users. Unless there is top-notch optimization in visibility, engagement, and traffic, your videos will sink deep into the digital mire of the YouTube universe.
So while making a YouTube video, remember that there will only be two outcomes for your channel. Either it will be in a head posting by featuring in top searches or get added to the long list of unpopular videos. Decide where your videos should get found.
1. Conduct Keyword Research first to make your videos shine.
Knowledge of YouTube SEO is paramount for any YouTuber trying to attract more views to their videos. By manipulating keywords in your tags, video titles, and descriptions, YouTube will index your content and associate it with user searches. Keyword research and analysis will help your videos appear higher in the search results and attract more viewers to your channel.
Knowing that keywords are prime for YouTube SEO, one should know how to choose the right ones. Such research into proper keyword finding will not just help you with filling fields after you record a video, but it will also help you in getting new insights or ideas for new content to post on your channel.
To begin with, a primary YouTube tool is the search bar autocomplete.
It helps creators by giving them ideas about keywords that are in high demand on the platform and thus have the potential to increase the number of views for their videos.
Once you’ve completed your keyword research, it’s time to benchmark. And yes, your competitors can help you with this too!
Start researching by visiting top performers in your niche. If they have a large and engaged audience, they probably use effective SEO practices and know how to use keywords.
Get an idea of the terms they use in their most popular videos. To do that, go to the videos tab on their channel. Activate the option to sort by the most popular videos. You will then be able to relate which keywords are best suited for your niche.
To get a closer look at the tags used in any video, you got to open the source code of any video and search for keywords within it. While at it, you can analyze your channel statistics to source new inspirations for new content or keywords to be a part of your future uploads.
The following tools get highly recommended to search for apt and leading keywords in any niche,
YTubeBooster is a broad spectrum tool developed using YouTube SDK, to manage your YouTube Channel within which one of the modules is dedicated to organic keyword research.
2. Choose keywords with excellent reach to make your videos shine.
It is human to get tempted. Hence people tend to come up with famous words. However, the flip side of such an approach is that such terms are highly competitive. You can’t expect to rank on page one or even two when brands that collab with influencers use the exact words.
So, begin with a search for ‘long tail’ keywords, especially if you are in a small business.
A better choice—especially if you have a small business—is to focus on so-called ‘long tail’ keywords. These are less popular search terms that tend to be more specific (and thus have less competition).
Check their fan following.
Long-tail keywords are usually longer-three words or more and represent a more specific search.
If you’re looking for a more specific way to search for content on Instagram, you can use the term “Instagram content marketing”. It will help you filter out any competitors who might be using the same or similar terms. By targeting your search even further with the term “content marketing Instagram Stories”, you’re more likely to get your video seen by those who matter most.
In all cases, the keywords chosen must be related to the niche because unrelated keywords connect users who are not looking for your type of content. Hence it is natural that their fallout will be soon and drastic as they don’t connect with their content. It will cause your channel to get negatively marked by YouTube, affecting your channel’s ratings and further scope for revenue generation.
3. Use good video title templates to make your videos shine.
After conducting thorough keyword research, you should have a good selection of terms. Here are some essential things to do:
Most importantly, include your keywords in the title. Title fixing is one of the essential facets of ranking for YouTube.
The title must closely reflect the user’s search terms for your video to rank well.
According to Briggs, there is a correlation between the position of videos in YouTube search results and possible platform ranking factors.
Regarding titles, they observed that the exact match of the keyword in the video title correlates with the first places of searches for the video title. Longer titles usually perform less well since the top positions are more objective. On average, the top 20 players have 47-48 characters in the title—the maximum being 100 characters. On average, the top 20 players have stuck to 47-48 characters in the title.—the maximum is 100 characters.
Keep your titles concise and to the point, including the exact keyword(s) you want to rank for. While these aren’t hard and fast rules, they’re worth considering since your video title is often the first thing potential viewers will see. It needs to give them a general idea of what the video is about and make them curious enough actually to click and watch it. A creative flair goes a long way in catching someone’s attention, so don’t be afraid to experiment!
4. Add Tags to the video to make your videos shine.
SEO for Google has changed over the years, and stuffing a page with keywords in the meta tags is no longer effective. Because it got widely used as a spamming technique, search engine no longer uses this as a ranking factor.
YouTube, on the other hand, still uses tags to rank videos. They help YouTube index the footage correctly and recommend related videos.
And those suggestions are also an essential source of traffic for your videos.
5. Write smart descriptions to make your videos shine.
The video’s description is an important field that must get completed when uploading the video. This text should provide detailed information about what the video is about.
If the description gets more detailed, the title can be more concise. You have up to 5,000 characters for this.
The description should fulfil two reasons. Firstly, it should persuade the user to watch the video as its initial portion appears in the search results. Secondly, it helps the video rank better in searches. So try to keep crucial information at the beginning of the text.
The description of your video not only tells potential viewers what your video is about but also helps YouTube’s algorithm figure out what your video is about so it can be appropriately ranked and suggested to other users. Therefore, it’s essential to include relevant keywords that represent the topics covered in your video.
Subscribing to your channel or downloading content from your website is desirable. Use your video description to add more information and engage with potential viewers in other ways—design catchy calls to action (CTAs). Try to use shortened links whenever possible to make it easier for people to take action.
Keep the minimum number of hashtags in the text, as YouTube completely ignores a video if the count is less than fifteen.
6. Edit the file name to make your videos shine.
YouTube SEO begins even before you upload your video. It helps YouTube identify what the video is about right away. When you save your video file, include the content’s primary keyword in the file name.
Avoid uploading a video with a file name like VID_94800805.mp4 (which is incomprehensible to YouTube). Use a descriptive title with the keyword, like how-to-do-youtube-seo.mp4.
7. Create transcriptions and captions for the video to make your videos shine.
The YouTube algorithm cannot read images and videos. It only discerns code and text. Creating transcriptions and captions is the best way to help it understand your content.
Transcription is the transformation into the text of what the video talks about. You can do this manually or use the YouTube tool that facilitates this work. You can also turn it into captions by adding timestamps to the transcript.
Apart from putting transcripts in captions, you can also set the transcript text in the video description. It will help viewers get more information about the video.
8. Make lengthy videos to make your videos reach out.
The Briggs study came out with two findings concerning the relationship between the length of the videos and their subsequent ranking;
- videos with content with less than 2 minutes tend to get poorly positioned;
- the average duration of the first five positions is 11min 44s.
So 10 minute long videos are worth the time investment
They fulfill the expectations of those looking for more in-depth and complete content.
9. Involve more CTR in search results to make your videos reach out.
Your click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of users who click on your video compared to all other videos that appear as search results for a given keyword. A high CTR means that your video was relevant to the keyword the user searched for.
To YouTube, having a high click-through rate is essential because it is one of the factors that determine how your video will rank in search results. You cannot directly influence your CTR, but you can increase the chances that users will click on your video by making sure that the excerpt that appears in the search results is attractive and relevant to the search.
There are three main things you can edit in your video summary:
- the title should include the main keyword;
- The title description must be persuasive in its first words;
- the video thumbnail should be attractive and add additional information to the other elements.
10. Increase audience engagement to make your videos reach out.
Link building is not a ranking factor for YouTube but for Google. It is because, with Google, link building refers to the relationships established with other sites and the backlinks you receive – which are not under the site’s control. With YouTube, on the other hand, everything related to optimization is within reach of the publisher himself. It refers to on-page SEO – meaning that link building would be less important of a ranking factor.
As a YouTuber, it’s essential to encourage your viewers to interact with your videos to improve your ranking on YouTube. While you can’t control how many likes or comments your video gets, you can encourage viewers to take these actions by asking them to do so directly or providing incentives. For example, ask viewers to like your video if they found it helpful or offer a giveaway for those who subscribe to your channel. Sharing is also a proven way to get more eyes on your content, so ask viewers to share your video if they enjoyed it. These factors play into YouTube’s algorithm, so the more engagement you can encourage, the better your chance of ranking high on the platform.
Comments are essential for several reasons. By answering comments, you make users feel valued and appreciated, encouraging them to comment more often. Secondly, it also shows Google that you are offering something of value to your audience if they stick around until the end of the video because a quick abandonment rate would result in a negative impact on your ranking. You can keep your audience engaged by providing bonuses or other incentives for anyone who watches the video until the end.
11. Promote channel and videos to make your videos reach out.
You can increase your video interaction in the following ways.
1. Optimize your videos’ titles, descriptions and tags to increase your YouTube visibility.
2. Use other marketing channels to promote channel and your videos outside the YouTube platform and increase your views. It could include social media platforms, email marketing, or even paid advertising.
3. Create engaging, SEO high-quality content that encourages viewers to watch your videos and interact with your brand.
Here are some tips for getting more views on your videos:
1. embed your videos in blog posts on related topics;
2. create product demonstrations and corporate videos to post on your website;
3. advertise your videos using email marketing and include a link in your signature;
4. distribute the videos on social media platforms;
5. respond to messages and comments from users with videos;
6. participate in Q&A sites (like Quora), groups, and forums,
7 Respond to users with videos from your channel.
12. Create custom thumbnails for your videos to make your videos reach out.
Have you ever found yourself choosing to watch a video on YouTube solely because you got drawn to the thumbnail image? If so, you understand just how important having a great thumbnail can be.
Primarily the first thing a user sees when they come across your video, your thumbnail image is critical in determining whether or not someone will click on your video. A well-designed thumbnail can result in increased traffic and watch times and ultimately lead to higher search rankings on both YouTube and other search engines.
Choose your thumbnails carefully to ensure your video stands out from the rest. Automatic options selected by YouTube once your video gets done uploading may not be appropriate as they are usually just out-of-context stills from the video. To avoid your video getting lost in the shuffle, creating and uploading your custom thumbnails (if your account is verified) is better.
13. Turn end screens and YouTube cards to your advantage to make your videos reach out.
If your audience wants to take a specific action after watching your video, include a clear call-to-action (CTA). It ensures that viewers take the correct action instead of missing the opportunity and helps reduce decision fatigue.
Of course, you can (and should) include verbal CTAs in your content, but essentially take advantage of the built-in features YouTube offers, like YouTube cards and end screens.
Finally, once the viewer has completed the video, end screens appear. They’re a great way to help people know what you want them to do next, like subscribing to your channel, checking out your other videos, or visiting your website.
Using interactive features, you can boost view times, improve engagement and subscriber lists, and raise your videos’ search rankings. So use them wisely!
14. Endeavor to create audience-retention videos to make your videos reach out.
As any experienced marketer knows, dwell time is essential for SEO. The longer someone spends on a website or page, the more it will appeal to algorithms and the higher it will eventually rank. The same goes for YouTube videos. Audience retention is a parameter that refers to the time spent by a viewer watching your video a viewer watches before moving on to something else. It has a significant impact on YouTube SEO.
You don’t need an expensive camera or exceptional production skills to create high-quality videos that people will want to watch. Just focus on making concise, engaging videos and delivering top value.
Split your videos into easy-to-digest bite-sized chapters. Script the introductions brief and begin right from the core of your topic to snag the viewer’s attention immediately.
15. Create high quality content to make your videos reach out.
Good optimization on YouTube (or anywhere, for that matter) is about having high-quality content. Anything you can do to make your videos more professional looking will give you a big boost.
Of course, nothing beats excellent content, but it’s still worth noting that YouTube users do appreciate videos that look well-made.
You don’t need an expensive video set-up to achieve this–just a smartphone or other device that can record video.
Lighting is an essential factor to consider when filming a video. You don’t need to burn pockets on expensive studio lighting – a few bright lights will do the trick. Experiment with different production techniques until you find a method that works well for you, and take any feedback you receive on your videos into account to make future improvements.
16. Analyze your analytics closely to make your videos reach out.
A significant part of your YouTube SEO success gets attributed to monitoring your analytics closely to see what strategies are working and where your videos could improve. Thankfully, YouTube provides users with an excellent built-in analytics function. Analyze the following essential metrics to make the most of it
- Watch Time
- Impressions CTR
- Card CTR
- Traffic Sources
- Unique Viewers
- Subscriber Growth
Conclusion
Thank you for reading! We hope you enjoyed this blog post about how to present your video content to stand out on YouTube. With these tips, you can be sure that your videos will have the best chance of being discovered and watched. If you have more questions about videos and video marketing, please do not hesitate to contact us anytime.
