Many company owners and video makers struggle to get their videos ranked on YouTube in order to gain more views and exposure. This is due to their lack of understanding of what is required.
You’re reading this because you want to learn how to get more views and subscribers on YouTube by ranking your videos high.
But did you know that YouTube SEO can help you rank your videos higher on YouTube’s parent search engine, Google?
Yes, you certainly can! Let’s look at what YouTube SEO is and what elements to consider while optimizing for YouTube SEO.
To begin with,
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? SEO is the practice of improving a website to make it easier to locate using search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
Let’s get started with our key focus point now that we’ve defined SEO.
YouTube SEO is the process of optimizing your videos on YouTube so that people may easily find them using the YouTube search engine, resulting in more traffic (views) and subscribers.
Although there are aspects that influence how your videos rank high on the YouTube search engine, YouTube SEO provides your video an edge over other videos in your category. Let’s look at a few of these elements:
FACTORS AFFECTING YOUTUBE SEO
KEYWORDS: These are words or phrases that you use in the file name and description of your video on YouTube to help people locate it.
TAGS: Tags are similar to keywords in that they serve to describe the categories of your video. As a result, when users search for a certain word that comes under a tag category, your video is more likely to appear for that query.
DESCRIPTION: You’ll need a description for your video, but not just any description. However, if you include keywords in your description, people will be able to locate you.
VIDEO Duration: The length of your video has an impact on your YouTube video SEO; the longer your video is, the better (videos above 5 minutes tend to perform better)
BACKLINKS: These are links from other websites or blogs that point to a video on YouTube that you wish to rank highly in the search engine.
How YouTube’s search engine algorithm works
In two phrases, YouTube describes its discovery and search ranking system.
The ranking of videos is determined by a number of variables, including how well the title, description, and video content fit the viewer’s query. We also look at which videos have had the highest engagement for a query and make sure they’re easy to access for viewers.
Yes, keywords are important from both an on-page and an “in-video” standpoint. It’s crucial to match search intent.
However, high engagement is a necessary component of effective video SEO.
They want you to spend as much time as possible on their platform (even if it’s not on your own videos). That’s because more video views mean more ads are shown, which means more money for Alphabet Inc.
Most importantly, they want you to increase video interaction, and they’ll reward you with increased visibility. Likes/dislikes, comments, CTR, audience retention, average watch time, end screen clicks, card clicks, and so on are all metrics that may be measured in YouTube analytics.
What’s the bottom line?
Your prospects of ranking your YouTube videos for a meaningful term are close to none if you can’t captivate your audience.
Here are some YouTube SEO tips and tricks for the year 2021:
- Keyword Research on YouTube
- Titles and descriptions for YouTube videos
- Create Interesting Videos
- Thumbnails that catch the eye
- Utilize Keywords When Speaking Optimize your Channel Page Optimize your Playlists
- Closed Captions should be used.
- Use a keyword in the filename.
- Use YouTube Stories and Posts.
- Embed Video SEO
- Use Social Media to Spread the Word About Your Video
- Encourage people to leave comments and subscribe to your YouTube channel.
- Make the Most of Your Email List Keep an eye on Time Report
- Make certain that your keywords have a low level of competition.
YouTube Keyword Research
If you work for an SEO company, you most likely use tools like Google Adwords, Ahrefs, and SEMRush to conduct keyword research for SEO. YouTube Keyword Research, on the other hand, is a little different. There is no such thing as a dedicated Keyword Research tool for YouTube.
So, how exactly do I conduct YouTube keyword research?
Keyword Suggestions
First and foremost, open a spreadsheet and make a list of all the Keyword ideas associated with your video. For example, if my video is titled “YouTube SEO,” I could include keywords such as “YouTube SEO,” “YouTube keyword research,” “YouTube video SEO,” “SEO for YouTube,” and so on.
For this, you can also use Google Keyword Planner.
Use Youtube Suggest
Once you’ve gathered all of your keyword ideas, go to YouTube and start typing. YouTube will suggest keywords based on the search term you enter. For this, you can also use Google Keyword Planner.
Optimize YouTube Titles
If you work for an SEO company, you already know how important it is to optimize a page’s title and description in order for it to rank higher in search results. YouTube SEO is no exception.
Conduct thorough keyword research and include all of your primary and secondary keywords in the titles and descriptions of your videos.
Length of Title
The character limit for a YouTube title is 100. However, after 70 characters, dots(…) are displayed. According to research, the best practice is to keep the YouTube title under 70 characters.
Use keywords at the beginning of your title.
Make sure your most important keyword is at the beginning of the title. The YouTube algorithm prioritizes keywords near the beginning of the title.
Use numerals in the title.
It is a well-known fact that video titles with numbers such as “5 Ways to…” or “6 Best Things…” are given higher priority by the YouTube search engine.
Optimize YouTube Descriptions
Make detailed descriptions
Most people make the mistake of not writing good descriptions for their YouTube videos. Some people only write a line or two and don’t even include their primary keywords.
The character limit for YouTube Descriptions is 5,000 characters, including spaces. That’s right, 5000 characters! You don’t want to pass up such an opportunity.
In the description, include links to your website
One of the most important points that SEO agencies offering YouTube SEO services overlook is the inclusion of links to their website in the description.
If you have a website, include links to relevant pages in the YouTube video description. This will encourage the user to visit your page and will also help you obtain a backlink.
#hashtags should be used in descriptions
Tags may or may not be used to rank your video. However, it will undoubtedly aid your target audience in locating you. This, in turn, will aid in the discovery of your video and increase user engagement.
Use tags that are relevant to your videos, not those that are trending! Using irrelevant tags will get you in trouble and may result in a penalty. Make use of the #hashtags wisely.
Produce engaging videos
User Engagement is one of the most important ranking factors in the YouTube search engine. Along with optimizing your titles and descriptions, you should also pay close attention to the quality of your videos.
No matter how well your videos are SEO-optimized, if they do not result in user engagement, they are unlikely to rank higher.
Make sure you understand your target audience before creating videos that will appeal to them. The ultimate goal is to keep your user engaged, resulting in more likes and shares. And, in the end, higher rankings!
Thumbnails that catch the eye
This is where your imagination comes into play. Put yourself in the shoes of the user and consider which thumbnail would persuade you to watch the video.
Your thumbnails should catch the user’s attention and set you apart from the competition. DO NOT USE CLICKBANK TITLES. Some people make a thumbnail that isn’t even in the video. You might get that click, but if the user is dissatisfied, he will immediately leave.
YouTube does not appreciate this and will ensure that you do not rank for those keywords. So make sure you create Thumbnails that are both interesting and relevant to your video.
When speaking, use keywords
Abracadabra! This is a hidden technique you can use to help rank your YouTube videos. Have you ever watched a video and turned on the auto-generated subtitles? When you listen to songs or videos, YouTube displays auto-generated subtitles, even if the person who uploaded the video did not upload subtitles. All of this is possible because of their speech recognition technology.
YouTube can hear *cough* what you’re saying by using this technology. Essentially, it converts your voice into words and understands those words. Now imagine YouTube using this technology to pick up all of the important primary keywords that you speak. Your ranking will undoubtedly improve.
Improve your Channel Page
This technique, which is frequently overlooked, will undoubtedly benefit you. In addition to optimizing our videos, we must also ensure that our channel page is well-optimized. Have you ever noticed how a YouTube channel can rank for certain queries? The optimization of your YouTube channel page is critical, particularly for competitive keywords. To rank higher on YouTube, conduct proper keyword research and optimize your YouTube channel page.
Strengthen your Playlists
Your playlists, like your YouTube channel page, must be optimized. First and foremost, do not post videos on your channel at random. Especially if you have videos on a variety of topics.
For instance, suppose you have a channel that demonstrates Digital Marketing Services. SEO, SEM, SMM, Email Marketing, and ASO services are just a few examples.
Use Closed Captions and Subtitles
People who upload videos are given the option of including subtitles and captions in order to reach a larger audience. It is designed for people who are deaf or have trouble hearing. This feature is critical because your captions will include your primary keywords. Use this to your advantage in terms of both reaching out to your audience and improving your rankings.
This is where using keywords while speaking comes into play. Make sure your captions and subtitles are accurate and avoid keyword stuffing.
Use a keyword in the filename
Shush… Coming soon: a top-secret tip. Use keywords in the file names that you upload. Yes, you read that correctly. Consider this: YouTube will know what your video is about based on the filename. As a result, make sure to use your primary keyword as the filename.
If I want to upload a video to YouTube SEO, I’ll name it “YouTube-seo.mp4” rather than “sefsdhsgsd444.mp4”. That makes sense, doesn’t it?
Use YouTube Stories and Posts
YouTube has recently added a few new features for its users. YouTube Stories and Posts are two features that can be very useful for YouTube SEO. You can upload Stories to YouTube in the same way that you can on Instagram. You can also include polls in your posts.
Embed Video SEO
If your YouTube videos directly promote your products or services, embedding them into your blog posts is always a good idea. This can be done on your own site as well as on guest posts. This is one of the few YouTube SEO tips that is subtle but has a big impact. For starters, it exposes your video to a much larger audience, many of whom will become organic viewers. Second, you can embed your YouTube videos wherever you want. Blog posts, on the other hand, are the best medium for doing so.
Use Social Media to Spread the Word About Your Video
One of the most important aspects of YouTube SEO is to promote your videos on social media channels. Optimizing your YouTube video is a lot like optimizing your blog. The more views you receive, the higher you will rank.
Encourage people to leave comments and subscribe to your YouTube channel
The amount of engagement your video generates on YouTube is significant. As a result, it’s always a good idea to encourage your viewers to like and comment on your videos, as well as subscribe to your channel.
When viewers like or comment on your video, it tells the YouTube algorithms that your content is of high quality.
Utilize Your Email List
Email lists are an extremely effective form of marketing. Make the most of your email list by sending the YouTube link to your new videos to everyone on the list. You can send thousands of emails in a matter of seconds and effectively increase the number of views on your videos in a matter of days!
Examine the Watch Time Report
The total amount of time users spend watching any video is referred to as their watch time. To put it into perspective, half completion of a ten-minute video ranks higher than full completion of a two-minute video. As a result, you should check your watch time reports on a regular basis to see which videos receive the most attention.
Make certain that your keywords have a low level of competition
This is one of the YouTube SEO tips and tricks that are particularly important for new YouTube channels. You don’t want your videos to compete with those of popular channels.
To avoid this competition, make sure to use keywords with low keyword difficulty in your meta and descriptions.
Conclusion
The size of the YouTube audience is enormous. If there is a search engine that comes close to Google’s, it is YouTube’s. The YouTube search engine can help your brand grow, which can lead to conversions further down the funnel.
YouTube SEO may appear to be a simple task. Optimize your titles and descriptions, make a few tweaks here and there, and you’re done. But there’s more to it than that. Strategic keyword research, as well as the creation of playlists centered on your keywords, can be a time-consuming but rewarding process. To be honest, there isn’t much technology involved in YouTube SEO.
The main challenge, however, is User Engagement. We emphasize this because it is a deciding factor when it comes to Ranking. Make an investment of time and money in creating a proper setup, including high-quality cameras, microphones, and other equipment. You only need to focus on creating videos that are appealing to users. If your video is flawless, YouTube SEO will be extremely beneficial to you.