What is YouTube SEO? YouTube SEO is the process of optimizing your videos so that they rank higher in YouTube search results. This will help you get more views and traffic to your videos and, ultimately, to your website or blog.
Just like with regular SEO, there are a number of factors that come into play, including your video title, description, and tags. In addition, YouTube also looks at things like your video's engagement (likes, comments, shares, etc.) and whether viewers are watching the entire video or clicking away.
YouTube's algorithm will take all of these factors into account when ranking your videos. That being said, there are a few key things that you can do to optimize your YouTube videos for SEO.
How to Rank Your Videos in YouTube Search Results YouTube SEO is a complex beast, but I’ll break it down for you in this post. Here are some of the best ways to optimize your YouTube videos for greater visibility and exposure:
Conduct Keyword Research for Your YouTube Channel Start by conducting keyword research for your YouTube channel. Just like with regular SEO, you want to find keywords that people are searching for on YouTube.
Use a Compelling Video Title Your title is the first thing people see when they find your video, so make sure it's something that will grab their attention and make them want to watch. A good title should be short, descriptive, and to the point. It should give people an idea of what your video is about and make them want to learn more.
At the same time, your video title is also an important YouTube SEO factor. The platform uses it to determine what your video is about and how relevant it is to users' searches.
Write Smart Descriptions Your video's title is what will get people to click on your video and watch it. But once they've clicked, it's your video description that will convince them to stick around and watch it.
Your description should give viewers a brief overview of what your video is about, and it should be written in a way that entices them to want to watch it.
Edit Your Video File Name Your video file name is another important piece of metadata that you shouldn't neglect. When you upload a video to YouTube, the site will automatically give it a generic file name made up of a string of numbers.
But you can (and should) edit this file name to include relevant keywords that will help people find your video. To do this, simply rename your file before uploading it to YouTube.
Create Custom, Eye-Catching Thumbnails for Your Videos Thumbnails are small images that represent your video on YouTube. When someone is scrolling through a list of videos, your thumbnail, along with your title, is what will draw their eye and make them want to click on your video.
Use Annotations and Cards to Promote Your Videos Annotations and cards are YouTube's way of helping you promote your videos.
To add annotations and cards to your videos, you'll have to go to the "Video Manager" section of your YouTube channel.
Add Tags to Your YouTube Videos YouTube allows you to tag your videos with up to 500 characters of text. These tags help YouTube understand the content of your video and match it with related searches.
Tags can be anything that describes your video. Some popular tags include:
Your name or channel name The video topic Keywords and phrases from the title Related topics Names of other YouTubers
Create High-Quality, Engaging Videos Creating engaging, high-quality videos that can hold your viewers’ attention is no small feat. But with a little planning and effort, it is achievable.
Offer Subtitles in Multiple Languages Consider adding subtitles to your videos. This will make them more accessible to a wider audience and help you reach people who don’t speak your native language.
While English is the most popular language on the internet, you should also offer subtitles in Spanish, French, Mandarin, and Hindi (depending on where your target audience lives).
