One popular way to grow your brand is through YouTube. However, you want to be in the top search results.
Yes, you do, but how do you accomplish this? You do this with YouTube SEO, as they have created an algorithm to rank content for each search.
Luckily, we are here to help you overcome the challenge of optimizing your videos to appear at the top.
What is YouTube SEO?
Okay, before we show you the best tips for finding your videos on YouTube, you need to take a step back and understand YouTube SEO.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a strategy for optimizing your content, such as an article, website, or video, to improve your page position and user experience on search engines.
SEO entails the design, programming, and relationship with other sites that affect your content production so that the SERPs consider your page the best option to display in results when users search for something.
Still, you want to rank on Google, one of the primary search engines in the world, as Google organizes information so that everyone can find it. For this reason, they have developed algorithms to identify pages offering the best experience.
Furthermore, they eliminate content that has plagiarism, other hurtful practices, and spam from the search results. So, to understand SEO for YouTube better, you also find search engines within other places on the internet, including social media sites.
The same applies to YouTube, which has a search system for users to find content they like. But this brings us to the following question.
Will SEO Work For YouTube?
YouTube cannot be placed in a single category, so you might feel that using SEO does not matter. On the one hand, it is an extensive information hub and a search engine.
YouTube is also a social media platform. But yes, SEO for YouTube works. Many brands have witnessed improvements in rankings using both traditional and platform-specific tactics.
These include creating chapters, keyword research, and captions to provide SEO-optimized descriptions.
YouTube SEO: How Does It Work?
Did you know that Google bought YouTube? Yes, they did, and they use similar search engine intelligence to offer users the best experience when searching for content.
Here you can check out how the YouTube search algorithm works:
<iframe width=”928″ height=”522″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/hPxnIix5ExI” title=”'The Algorithm' – How YouTube Search & Discovery Works” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
When you type in your search term, the robots explore all the channels and videos to deliver the best results. The algorithm evaluates many factors to determine the best outcome.
Like Google, it will examine your search and browsing history, and is essential for customizing your result page. However, if you publish content on YouTube, you must know that the algorithm also provides channel engagement and optimization measures to rank your results.
For instance, if you correctly fill in your description fields, title, and tags, you can be found better than others. If your channel receives loads of comments and likes, it also positions itself much better, as you provide good engagement.
Great, but why does this happen? We found that the platform understands that your video delivers valuable information and experience to your viewers. Google’s algorithm also understands this, as they belong to the same company.
Following YouTube SEO practices is a great idea, as these apply to both Google and YouTube.
YouTube SEO Guidelines And How Videos Rank
One thing we found when working on YouTube is that you must not think of it as a separate entity, as it follows similar SEO practices to Google.
So, apply the same logic to your video creation as your blog content. You can break things down into segments to ensure your video flows and help your viewers understand what you want to communicate.
Doing this helps you create incredible videos to boost your other SEO efforts. As mentioned previously, YouTube considers different factors when grading your videos. It will consider how well your video performs and how popular your channel is with followers and subscribers.
Even click-through rate, average view duration, dislikes, and likes play a role. Another critical factor is how you personalize your video for each user. If your visitor watches similar videos, your video can be recommended on their homepage.
YouTube Uses Keywords
When you use the YouTube search bar, it is like any other search bar, similar to Google. When you type something like YouTube SEO, it uses the keyword to find the content you want to see.
For this reason, keywords are essential for driving traffic to your content. So, as important as keyword research is in picking the right one, you must brainstorm the keyword types that will help your channel be found.
Do not focus on the highest-ranking keywords; consider how to find and specialize in niche keywords that match your brand and goals.
Video Quality
You do not want to watch a low-quality video; the same applies to your videos. You must provide high-quality videos to build followers, or your SEO will decrease.
So, use a high-quality camera or your phone camera to produce quality videos to upload. Ensure that your camera can record HD or 4K resolutions and that your tape is 1080p or even higher to show on YouTube.
Also, ensure you select the same frame rate when uploading them and leave your video unlisted until you want to publicize your HD video.
21 Tips To Optimize Your Video
1. Do Keyword Research
Researching keywords is essential for YouTube SEO. The platform will identify your video’s subject, index your content, and associate your video with user searches.
Learn from us, as you need to apply these principles to specific fields like your description, title, and tags. To attract more viewers, it is best to identify the keywords that work best for your video.
For your video keyword research, you can use a YouTube tool, as seen in the image here:
This facilitates user searches based on what people search for the most. Furthermore, it can help you develop highly demanded keyword ideas and increase your viewing potential.
Another way is to check your competitors by visiting their channels in the same niche. They follow good SEO practices if they have a good audience with many views. You can review their terms by checking the video tab and sorting the popular videos.
You can also check the tags used for the video by right-clicking on the source code and looking for the keywords. You can also analyze the video channel statistics within your traffic source analysis.
You can also use the following tools to search for keywords: Google Trends, Keywords Everywhere, or VidiQ.
2. Use Keywords With a Good Reach Potential
Now that you have a list of keywords, you must pick the best ones for your video. Still, please do not choose the most popular terms on search engines, as they attract competition and make it challenging to compete primarily with big brands.
So, choose long-tail keywords instead. They are less competitive and can quickly help you gain a good position. For example, content marketing is a top-ranking keyword that is also competitive.
Instead, you can narrow it down to Instagram Content Marketing, filter out competitors, or use a more specific term like Content Marketing or Instagram Stories. Still, always choose keywords related to your content.
3. A Good Video Title Is Important
Great, now that you have your selection of terms, what is next? You must use those terms in your video title to be indexed and ranked.
Your title needs to be as close as possible to the search terms. For instance, if you have a Rock Content video that discusses brand building, the main keyword in the title must be brand building and appear at the start of the title.
Also, do not provide long titles, as they can perform worse. Keep your title to 48 characters and a maximum of 100 characters.
4. Tag Your Video
Nowadays, stuffing your meta tags with keywords makes no sense. Search engines no longer use keywords as a ranking factor because of spam. However, using tags to rank your video on YouTube is still important. YouTube uses tags to identify and index your video. You can use up to 120 characters in the provided field, but we recommend using six to eight words.
5. Write a Great SEO Optimized Description
The description of your video is essential, and you fill it out when you upload it. Here, you provide information about your content. As concise as your title needs to be, the same applies to the description, but you can use up to 5000 characters.
The description can help you rank as it persuades users to access your video as it appears in the search results. But keep your essential info at the start of your text. To help write a great description, check out our YouTube Description Generator Tool.
You can add CTAs in your text, such as an invitation to subscribe to your channel or download your website content using short links. You can even add hashtags that generate links for your followers to find new content.
6. Edit Your File Name
One thing we found about YouTube SEO is that it starts before you upload your video. So, when you capture your video, edit the file name to include your primary keyword. Change your file name to something like how-to-do-youtube-seo.
7. Create Captions and Transcriptions For Your Video
One important note is that YouTube only reads your code and text, not images or videos. So, you must create captions and transcripts for the algorithms to understand your content.
A transcript transforms your video into text. You can use the YouTube tool or do it manually. It is essential to add timestamps that you can turn into captions. This allows your users to follow your video even if they cannot hear the audio, which helps people with hearing impairments.
You can place the transcript text in your video description to give your viewers more information about the content.
8. Make Long Videos
It is a fact that videos with a duration of less than two minutes rank poorly, while ones with a duration of 11 minutes or more rank better.
So, provide your viewers with a more in-depth video of your content, as videos less than two minutes long are more superficial.
We are not saying to stick to the number but to find a time to provide guidance; relevance is also better than length.
💡 Read our article on how AI can help you with your content marketing here.
9. Increase Your CTR
The click-through rate is also necessary. To achieve a high CTR, you must use a keyword that users search for and make your excerpt relevant and attractive in the search.
For this, you can edit your title to include your main keyword, add your description to make it persuasive in your first words, and add your video thumbnail to attract visitors.
10. Boost Your Audience Engagement
While the tips above help with your search engine optimization (SEO), you must also consider your off-page SEO. So, it all comes down to link building to other sites.
Thus, when it comes to YouTube, it all boils down to video engagement, from receiving comments and likes to help increase your video viewing and encourage users to share it. Always encourage your viewers to like, subscribe, share, or comment with lines like giving a thumbs-up.
Answering comments will help your content rank, but answering them is always worthy of mention. Lastly, keep your viewers engaged until the end, as it allows Google to assess if you offer something worthy.
11. Promote Your Videos
By now, you should know how to increase your audience, but to do so, you must attract more viewers.
Optimizing your title, tags, and description will increase your visibility, but you must also promote your content. You can do this with the following tips:
- We recommend embedding your video in a blog post relevant to your topic.
- You can create product demonstrations and videos to post to your website.
- Promote your videos via email or distribute them on social media.
- Always respond to your viewers’ messages and participate in Q&A sites, forums, groups, and more.
The important thing is to keep it relevant to add value.
12. Create Video Custom Thumbnails
A video thumbnail is essential. It will be the first thing your visitors see when they stumble upon your listing, and it can make or break their decision to click through.
So, choose your thumbnails carefully or use YouTube’s suggested automated option. Still, we recommend not going this route as everyone does this, and you do not want your video to get lost.
Be creative and choose one that illustrates your topic to help it stand out.
13. Take Advantage of YouTube Cards
When someone views your video and wants them to do something in return, you must tell them directly so they can complete the right action. You can do this by including verbal CTAs in your video, but we recommend using YouTube’s built-in features like end screens and YouTube cards.
The cards you find preformatted as visual notifications appear in the upper-right corner of the video and are interactive. They encourage users to explore playlists, videos, links, and more. You can add five per video, so use them to prompt users to complete the task.
Once a viewer has finished watching your video, the end screen appears. This screen best lets the viewer know what to do next. For example, you can ask people to check out other videos and subscribe to your content.
14. Video Categorization
We found that the more you can tell about your content on YouTube, the better your video gets recommended. So, make use of categories to get more views.
It helps the platform categorize your video into specific search categories, such as animals, music, gaming, and more. With the right category, YouTube can find your desired information, which is another excellent way to optimize your content.
15. Video Playlists
You want to make it easy for viewers to find your content, as it is better for your SEO. So, organize your uploads into playlists to remove the guesswork of finding and watching your content. One great way to do this is to use the keyword you used in your description and title in your playlist.
16. Team Up With Influencers
A great way to be seen on YouTube is through influencer marketing and the platforms filled with many popular influencers that are a perfect fit to get your brand out there. With their loyal supporters, they, too, can become your loyal fans. Still, choose them carefully by ensuring an overlap between their audience and yours.
17. Art and Logo Optimization
As with thumbnails and title cards, you need a great logo, which is helpful. With it, you can build a strong brand identity. Create fantastic artwork for your channel, as it can grab a visitor’s attention. Your custom graphics and logo tell a lot about your brand.
18. Think of Hosting Live Q&A Sessions
Today, users want to connect with brands intimately and personally, and hosting live Q&A sessions is a hit. It produces a higher engagement rate and boosts your overall watch time. It helps to drive interactions like subscribing, likes, and more. It makes your audience feel heard and valued. So, make use of the feature in your live streams.
19. Capture High-Retention Videos
The longer a person watches your video, the more valuable it is for the algorithms to rank your content. Here, audio retention is a metric measuring how long a person watches your video before they move on.
You want your retention rates to remain close to 100% to achieve the best YouTube SEO. So, focus on creating great videos that are engaging and deliver value. Splitting your videos into chapters is a great way to make it easier for your viewers.
20. Watch Your Analytics
The best way to see if your YouTube SEO is a success is to monitor your analytics. With it, you can figure out what is or is not working with your videos and where to improve. The fantastic thing is that YouTube has built-in analytics, and it measures the following metrics:
- How long a person watches your video?
- It measures the impressions of CTR from when people decide to check your content out to see it on the homepage.
- The CTR card is similar to the YouTube cards you include.
- The traffic source is where a person finds your content.
- The number of unique viewers viewing your video over a fixed period.
- Your subscriber growth from location and periods to individual videos.
Watching those metrics gives you an idea of what works with your viewers.
Wrap-Up: YouTube SEO
YouTube SEO can help you be found online, and following the above tips can improve your search rank and user experience.
Consider using creative titles, subtitles, transcription, tags, descriptions, etc. When you provide users with the best experience, the algorithms notice and rank you higher in the search engines.
Implement these SEO techniques and use our YouTube description tool to write an SEO-optimized description that stands out.
