Getting your video ranking on YouTube takes more than an incredibly elaborate video. Here are 10 things you can do to get started with YouTube SEO.
He spent hours shooting videos for his YouTube channel, taking multiple takes to ensure perfection.
You've spent a lot of money on your screenwriter and video editor.
The final result is surprising.
You know YouTube viewers will love it.
Enthusiastic, you post it on your channel and wait.
Nothing happens.
What is happening?
Why don't people find your video, like it, and subscribe by the thousands?
The answer is simple: you skipped YouTube SEO.
Here are ten best practices that will change things.
These 10 things are super simple and will only take you a few minutes.
1. Find the Right Keywords
Paid keyword research tools can give you valuable insights into the best keywords to optimize your videos.
A great YouTube specific keyword research tool is vidIQ.
You will be able to view all kinds of stats with this tool, including current videos, related terms, and more.
For serious YouTubers, this is the best SEO tool to use.
But if you're not quite ready to shell out the $ 39 a month for a paid vidIQ subscription, there's an easier way to get in.
Just go to YouTube and start typing an industry-specific keyword into the search field at the top of the page.
For example, if you like content marketing, enter it in the search field.
What you will get is a list of keyword suggestions related to your search.
What's great about this list is that it's made up of terms that people on YouTube actually use.
Take out your pen (or open your notes app) and write down all of these tips.
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Then, go back to the search field and add an additional word to your keyword.
For example, "content marketing for".
The results you will get will be different.
Use your imagination.
Write variations of your keywords and write down all suggestions.
Eventually, you'll get a huge list that you can refine later on.
2. Find Your Competitors’ Most Popular Videos
Your competitor is targeting a similar audience to yours, which means it's a great idea to see which videos your audience loved.
To find out, visit your competitor's page and click Sort by in the right corner above their videos.
Choose Most Popular.
Check out their most popular videos and find out which keywords they used to optimize them.
For example, this is Adrienne's most popular video.
From the title and description, we can guess that the keyword you chose was "yoga for beginners".
3. Make Sure Your Keywords Are Low Competition
If your YouTube channel is new, you don't want to face giants who already have 100,000 followers.
To avoid this, make sure your keywords aren't difficult to rank for.
One way to do this is to use a tool like KWFinder.
Let's say you have chosen the keyword "content marketing for nonprofits".
Enter it in the KWFinder search field and you will see that your keyword difficulty score is 31 (a very good score since you want to get a number below 40).
If you aren't subscribed to a paid keyword research tool, you can go to Google and guess which keywords have high or low difficulty scores.
All you have to do is type your keyword into the search field and note how many results it shows.
For example, let's try "content marketing"
Oops!
Two billion hits are too high, which means there's too much competition for that keyword.
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Try another keyword.
Excellent! Much less competition.
4. Optimize Your Videos for Google Search
Have you ever done a Google search and got a video as the number 1 result?
I bet you did.
For example, if you type "how to cook pasta" in Google, you get this.
The key is to optimize for Google by using keywords that already have YouTube video results.
This is because Google chooses to rank the video in its search results for certain (not all) keywords.
So, if your video is a review, tutorial, or something related to sports, optimize it for Google search.
5. Optimize Your YouTube Video Like You Would a Blog
What do you do when you optimize your blogs for search?
Simple: Add your keyword in the title, subtitles, body, and meta description.
It's not that different from YouTube videos.
Here are three places you should use your keyword:
- The title of your video: Place your keyword as close to the beginning of the title as possible.
Something like this.
- The description of your video: Your description is like your H2. As you did in the title, mention your keyword as close to the beginning as possible.
- Your video tags: In the left menu, select "video" and choose the video you want to add tags to. Add your tags, focusing on your keyword.
6. Magnetize Watchers with Your Videos
According to YouTube, audience retention is a huge ranking factor on the platform.
What does public loyalty mean?
It means that people love your videos enough to watch them all the way through. When that happens, it sends a signal to YouTube telling you your video is great.
As a result, your chances of appearing in search and suggested locations increase.
So how do you get viewers to stick around until the end of your videos?
Entertain them, of course.
Here are three tips to help you:
- Let Watchers Know They’re in the Right Place
At the start of your video, give viewers a quick rundown of everything you'll be covering.
For example, if you're showing them 10 tips for rock hard abs, telling them will keep them sticking to the last point.
- Skip the Long Intro
Your viewers clicked on your video for a reason, and it's not to get to know you or how you feel today.
They want to solve a problem, get a question answered, or have fun.
So, skip the long talk about yourself.
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Get into the core of your content as soon as possible.
- Keep Watchers Curious
In the middle of your video, give readers an idea of what's to come next.
Make them curious.
For example, you might say, "In a moment, I'll tell you the number one secret I learned about rock hard abs. Not what you expected!"
7. Encourage Watchers to Comment on Your Video
Let me ask you something.
When was the last time you commented on a YouTube video?
If you think about it, you can probably still remember what video it was.
And let me guess: it was a video you loved.
Now here's the question
Feedback is important.
When people leave comments on your video, they don't just make you happy ...
...they also tell YouTube that their content is great.
So encourage them to comment.
- Don't just tell them to comment.
Say "please leave your comments below!" is not sufficient. Encourage people to comment. For example, you can ask them to share their experience or give their advice on your topic.
- Make sure each video achieves a goal.
It doesn't have to be an elaborate goal. It can be "making my viewer smile" or "teaching my viewer to play the B chord on the guitar".
- End your video on a high note.
The ending is the most important part of your video. It is when observers decide whether to comment or not. To increase the chances of them leaving one, make them feel wonderful. End with encouragement. If they've come to learn how to get rock hard abs, tell them you're 100% sure they can.
8. Say Your Target Keyword in Your Video
Yup!
YouTube creates an automatic script of your video.
This means that if you say your keyword in your video, they will notice it.
9. Promote Your Videos Everywhere
Optimizing a YouTube video is like optimizing a blog post. The more eyes on your content, the higher your chances of ranking!
So, do your best to promote your videos.
For example, go to Quora and link your video to answer related questions.
Obviously don't spam.
Mention your video when you solve a problem or shed light on a problem.
You can also link to your videos on your blog, in your emails, and in your social media posts.
The more views you can get for each video, the better!
10. Optimize Your Channel’s Page
Optimize your channel page well and you'll increase your chances of appearing in YouTube search results.
Just like this.
When your channel appears here, you'll get more views, more subscribers, and even better YouTube rankings.
So how do you optimize your channel page?
- Make it look great.
- Describe what you do with specific keywords.
Here's an example of a well-optimized channel page...
...and channel description.
Optimizing Your YouTube Video for SEO Isn’t as Hard as it Seems
There are over 2 billion YouTube users, which means you shouldn't overlook this huge platform when marketing your brand.
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The big news?
It is not that difficult.
The key is to know what your audience wants and to create content they like, look through to the end, and comment.
Then make some changes to your keywords and share your videos.
You will see amazing results.
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