YouTube SEO: How to Get Your Videos to Rank Higher on Search Results
Ever heard of PewDiePie or Markiplier? Do you have kids who love to watch Ryan ToysReview?
Well, these are only the most viewed YouTube channels of all time, with Ryan ToysReview leading the pack at 22.41 billion lifetime video views as of June 2018. PewDiePie is a close second; no wonder he earned over $12 million from making videos back in 2015.
While other YouTubers are not earning millions yet, the platform remains as a lucrative opportunity for them. This is why many now want to start a YouTube career, but it isn’t as easy as clicking upload.
There are tons to figure out first: how to use YouTube SEO, how to rank on YouTube, how to create great content.
In this guide, we’ll talk about SEO and how you can rank high in the search results. Read on and start getting more views.
Do Your Keyword Research
The backbone of any SEO strategy is keyword research. Successful SEO for YouTube channel campaigns start with choosing the right keywords, which should pass the following criteria:
- relevant to your content
- leads your viewers to what they’re looking for
- leads them to valuable content
When you already have an idea for your video, start with looking for a keyword and then creating content based on it beit-mirkahat.com. Enter your idea into YouTube’s search bar and use its autocomplete function to see the top phrases people are searching for.
Keep in mind, however, that while these suggestions have a high search volume, they also have high competition. Play around with keywords, think hard about the right search term that will get people to your video, and make sure that it’s relevant to your channel. If you’d like to create a video based on a trending topic, think of how you can relate that to your channel’s genre.
Stay away from clickbait, either. When your video shows up in the search results, the visitor will expect that they will see what they’re looking for. Don’t use a keyword with expectations that you don’t intend to follow through.
Lastly, ensure you can create a video based on the keyword that’s worthwhile to watch. If your chosen keyword passes all three criteria, go ahead and make the video.
Create a Video That Will Capture Your Audience
You would have already known who your target audience is by now, so remember to keep your video friendly to that certain population. As time passes on, you might find that you’ve gained a huge number of viewers that you didn’t target. In such a case, reassess your strategy to keep those numbers and possibly get more from the same demographic.
YouTube favors videos that are entertaining and useful to their audiences. When people like your content, you can be sure that YouTube will like it, too, and so it will rank higher in the search results. That’s why a good content is a huge part of any marketing campaign, of which you can read more here.
Keep the following things in mind when creating a video for both the audience and YouTube.
Prioritize Quality
The idea is to get people to click and view your video, but what’s even more important than that is to make them stay through the whole thing. How do you do that?
By making a quality video that:
- gives them what they want
- answers their questions
- entertains them
- is visually appealing
Give them what you promised to give them in your title, and remember to provide it in a way that will entertain them. A video that satisfies the visitors’ questions won’t guarantee high rankings and increase viewership. You have to make the information easily understood and pleasant to watch.
When explaining things, use props or visuals. Don’t forget the background music to avoid being dull.
YouTube and its users also like HD quality videos as well as high-quality audio. This is why successful YouTubers invest in high-end equipment and even a studio.
If you don’t have much of a budget, some affordable gadgets or even phones can provide decent videos. Use them wisely and learn editing skills to keep the flow smooth and engaging.
Don’t Make It Too Short or Too Long
Say what you want to say, show what you want to show, and that’s it.
However, doing that might make your video too short. We recommend uploading videos that are at least 10 mins long, which would make your viewers stay longer and keep them engaged. Make your videos longer by adding substantial content, and make sure you stay away from fillers and unnecessary pauses.
On the other hand, some content creators also often make the mistake of dragging on and making their videos too long that it should be.
A common error is making the intro too long instead of getting to the point of the video. People like instant things, so if they don’t get what they came for in an instant, they’ll be looking somewhere else.
Another common error is interjecting stories and such. This might work for some videos (e.g. vlogs), but it will certainly shoo away viewers for other types of videos, like informational ones.
Mention Your Keywords
Saying your keywords a few times within your video is good for YouTube SEO. This works like in writing articles for Google SEO; throw in a couple or more partial matches as well.
Remember to keep it natural. Don’t say your keyword forcefully for the sake of saying it. Incorporate it into your script and you should be fine.
Encourage Interaction
You know those call to action segments at the bottom of each article? Do that for your videos as well.
Add a short portion in your video asking viewers to like the video or subscribe to your channel. It can be a simple voiceover on a custom end screen, which can also include suggestions on what should they watch next, a promotion of other channels, or promotions of your merchandise and other ventures.
YouTube also has this nifty feature called Cards, which you can use to initiate a poll, provide a link, or other stuff depending on the type of card. Viewers can access it by tapping the encircled “i” button at the top right of the screen. What’s great about it is that it works on mobile apps as well.
Optimize the Metadata for YouTube SEO
Now that you have a video, it’s time to upload it but not before you optimize it. Here are the latest optimization trends of YouTube SEO for 2018 to keep in mind.
Keyword in the File Name
Before you upload, replace the file name with something more SEO-friendly. Use your keyword as the file name to help Google and YouTube locate your video as a relevant source for that certain search term. For higher chances, use your title as the file name sans the punctuations.
Keyword in the Title
A good title has 3 characteristics: enticing, descriptive, and keyword-rich. It should make the viewers want to click the video, and it should also give them a pretty good idea of what they’re getting into.
Use your primary keyword as well plus some secondary keywords. Make it sound natural and don’t overdo it, though.
It’s also a good idea to keep your title concise and short. YouTube typically displays 70 characters or less of the title in the search results. Although it allows up to 100 characters, keeping your title within 60 to 70 characters ensures that the video platform will display it in full.
Detailed Description with Keywords
A video description is similar to the title, albeit longer. It should entice the viewer and it should detail what the video is all about. About 2 or 3 sentences should suffice for a good description with at least one link to your website or to a content related to the video.
Include the keyword in the first sentence, so Google and YouTube can use it as the meta description. You may also include timestamps, a few sentences of summary, and resources.
Adding Tags
Tags help classify videos, which makes it easy for users to find what they’re looking for. Remember to add some tags; you don’t need to go crazy, just add those that are relevant.
For SEO purposes, they can help YouTube understand the content of your video better.
Using a Custom Thumbnail
The thumbnail is what users see in the search results; it’s sort of a sneak peek to your video. When you finish uploading the video, YouTube generates 3 random screencaps from which you can choose your video’s thumbnail. If you’re a verified user, however, you can upload a custom thumbnail.
Successful YouTubers design their videos’ thumbnails that can capture the attention of viewers and entice them to take a look. It’s kind of like the title but in visual form. Creative ones work great, as well as those that display text in big letters.
Uploading a Transcription
Transcriptions are good for YouTube SEO as well as Google. Search engine crawlers will be able to better understand the video’s content as crawling videos doesn’t work the same as when they crawl a text.
For this, you’ll have to transcribe your video manually (if you have a script, this task will be easier) or hire someone to do it for you. Try using YouTube’s automatic captions; they may be accurate if you speak clearly.
Keep Improving
Don’t worry if you don’t get it the first time. You’ll keep improving in both content creation and YouTube SEO as time passes on.
Need more SEO tips? Visit our blog and learn more about digital marketing, such as writing a guest blog for SEO.