YouTube SEO exists. Here's a go-to article for your YouTube SEO efforts
YouTube SEO might sound new to many people because we all have grown up using Google, and we know how its SEO works. Whenever we search for a keyword, it shows us the most relevant blogs and articles based on its robust algorithm.
The YouTube algorithm also works similarly. When you put a query in the search bar, it shows you thousands of videos, with the most relevant ones on the top. Various factors affect the relevancy of a video. We will talk about it later in this blog.
You must have also noticed that when you put a query on google, it shows some YouTube videos on the first page of search results. Why does that happen? There must be something based on which google picks up the most relevant videos out of millions. Many SEO factors, including title, description, tags, people's response, and spoken words in the video, are reasons.
In this blog, we will discuss some top-notch ways to optimize your videos for YouTube search results. You will learn methods to get your video listed on the top search results.
Today's agendas:
Do impeccable keyword research
Add keywords in Title, Description and Tags
Speak up the Keywords frequently in your video
Use enticing thumbnails
Retain people for a longer time
Create playlists
Optimize your YouTube channel
Promote your videos on multiple channels
Embed videos in blog posts
Add multilingual subtitles
1. Do impeccable keyword research
There are various ways to keyword research—one being putting queries on the search bar and analyzing the suggestions that show up in the bar. For example, if you want to rank for guitar lesson videos, type 'guitar lessons' in the search bar. You will automatically see search terms like, 'guitar lessons for beginners,' 'guitar lessons for schoolboys, '‘best guitar lessons and so on, popping up. You can note these suggestions down based on their relevance for later use.
Secondly, you can also take ideas from your competitors' videos. Analyze videos that come on the top for a particular keyword. Notice how they have put the keywords in the title and description. You will majorly find the primary keyword at the beginning of the title and description. Take out 30 mins and follow the above strategies to find out the best keywords for your video, and you will be ready to go.
2. Add keywords in the Title, Description and Tags
Merely stuffing your title and description with keywords is not enough. You must also know how to put them correctly. Experts say that you have a higher chance to be found on YouTube if your primary keyword is at the beginning of the title and description. Although the algorithm keeps changing, based on hundreds of tests, this is probably the most solid tactic to rank on YouTube (or Google).
Also, try to make your title as catchy as possible because it's the second thing after the thumbnail that people look and you need to catch their attention there only. After adding your keyword(s), make sure you make your title look sweet and tidy—stuff as many keywords as you can in the tags but don't forget the relevancy. Your aim must be to let YouTube know which category your videos belong to and make it crystal clear for the algorithm.
3. Speak up the keywords frequently in your video
It might seem creepy, but yes, YouTube does track your voice and knows what you speak in the video. That's why we see videos getting banned or child restricted for using foul language. You need to be very careful while filming a video, ensure speaking keywords a couple of times. The video should be structured appropriately with an excellent introduction, middle story and conclusion. Avoid redundancy and speak in a flow. Add some fun and humour.
How does YouTube track our voice? YouTube has an inbuilt feature through which it automatically turns our audio into written text and then crawls over it just like google does. That is why top YouTubers recommend having a quality microphone so that YouTube can easily tack you word by word and increase your chances to rank higher. YouTube appreciates those who put extra effort into improving their quality and rewards them.
4. Use enticing thumbnails
You must have noticed the interface of YouTube. It is pretty similar to other social media sites. You have to slide and slide until you find something interesting. Thumbnails are the first thing that viewers see. They are the deciding factor for the audience to either click and watch the video or slide it up. So, make sure you don't ignore thumbnails as they are the deciding factor; no matter how valuable your content is, people will never click on it until you make them realize its value through the thumbnail and title.
Quality thumbnails are high in demand. Learn about colour psychology so that you can add colours relevant to the video's mood. Add images with baffling backgrounds that make people stop and think about them. You can also put something controversial but make sure it's not too sensitive.
5. Retain people for a longer time
YouTube wants its people to stay as long as possible on the platform. It's not just about YouTube. Every other social media site wants its audience to remain on the platform forever, and that's why they promote channels or accounts that can retain people for a longer time. If you take care of this thing alone, you don't need any other SEO or social media tip to get millions of views. YouTube judges a video on various parameters like video length, average watch time, likes, comments, shares, saves, etc.
It takes time for YouTube to identify suitable content and lousy content carefully. That's why sometimes we see videos getting viral after a year or two of publishing. Make sure your content is valuable, entertaining and engaging. Add laughter in between your videos, be creative and unique so that people can come again and again to watch your videos. Have a mindset of giving. People should gain something good by watching your content. If you are an entertainment channel, you have the responsibility to relieve people's stress; For motivational ones, you should evoke fire in people's asses and so on.
6. Create playlists
Playlists are essential, not just for views but for SEO as well. Playlists are handy; you don't have to search for similar content in the entire channel but can get it by merely clicking the playlist of your choice. YouTubers majorly leverage playlists to stock a bunch of lessons or information about a topic. Through playlists, you can garner some extra views that other YouTube channels could have fragmented or divided. You can also ask your viewers to visit your playlist and watch similar videos.
7. Optimize your YouTube channel
Give your channel a more professional look by adding excellent channel art with a relevant display picture and channel description. It is crucial to add keywords in the channel description to come up when people search for them. The appearance of your account should be beautiful and well structured. You can also create a small intro video of yourself and feature it on your channel's homepage.
Follow a theme, build your brand around it, and don't change it. You must have seen top YouTubers like Neil Patel and Canal KondZilla presenting themselves in a unique style that separates them from the other YouTube channels. People can quickly identify them by their quirky thumbnails without even reading a single word.
8. Promote your videos on multiple channels
How does promoting videos on social media can affect SEO? When you promote YouTube videos on channels like Quora or Facebook, you get quality viewers because if someone is clicking on a link to jump on another website, then the chances are that they'll watch the entire video and increase your average watch time. As we have discussed earlier, if you'll retain people on YouTube for a longer time, it will repay you by expanding your organic reach.
9. Embed videos in blog posts
Embedding videos is an excellent tactic to get some additional views. When you embed short videos on blog posts, people watch them because they don't have to leave the site. They can watch those videos from the blog post only. It will boost your engagement and brand awareness; if people find value in your content, they won't miss out on coming and subscribing to your channel. Top YouTubers do it regularly and advise people to do the same.
10. Add multilingual subtitles
Many YouTubers receive emails from different countries. People keep urging them to release videos with their native language's subtitles. And not just that, many people prefer to watch videos with subtitles, even if these videos are in their native language or second language, so they don't miss any part. Adding multilingual subtitles can also boost your SEO by listing your videos in other countries as more and more people will start watching them.