Summary
As a Youtube content creator, the journey to rank higher on Youtube comes with many challenges. Fortunately, Youtube SEO can make it easier for you to gain viewers.
Basically, it is the process of optimizing Youtube channels and videos to increase their rankings. This is because search engines include an algorithm that helps determine how videos appear in the site’s rankings.
Youtube SEO’s key component is to control the video text’s power in the form of closed captions, subtitles, and transcripts. Also, it is vital to focus on using the relevant keywords that will increase your viewer count and SERP ranks.
Want to learn how to get a higher ranking for your youtube videos? If so, you are in the right place! After looking at the most viral videos, it is easy to expect that their channels are already popular with many subscribers.
However, every user of Youtube once started with no subscribers and views. So, how can my single video about any subject matter gain millions of views?
My answer to this is a no-brainer. Knowing about the basics of YouTube search engine optimization (SEO)!
Applying this strategy improves your video’s and channel’s ranking in every user’s search results. Youtube is one of the largest search engines and the Internet’s biggest video platform.
So, it’s important to learn and understand how to add content. In addition, it means if I want more people to see my videos, I have to optimize each of them!
You can also make it possible to rank higher on Youtube after knowing how, and this is what we’ll be talking about in this article!
Keep reading to learn how to rank higher on Youtube and get your first viral video this 2022!
Advantages of Youtube SEO
Like other SEO techniques, Youtube SEO can help every brand reach a wider audience and improve their online video engagement and presence.
Youtube SEO Helps Create New Ideas for the Video Content
The first stage in SEO is keyword data analysis. Use the Ahrefs keyword explorer to capture Youtube search data. It contains the metrics from Youtube searches.
SEO tools also provide search data to help content creators capture consumers’ attention while giving them overviews about their Youtube searches in a specific industry and brand.
YouTube SEO has an Impact on Video Engagement Metrics
Channel subscribers, videos likes and comments, estimated watch time, and views are included in the engagement metrics. They define the ranking of Youtube videos.
Videos with high engagement metrics will rank higher than those with low metrics. Youtube SEO can impact the metrics by looking at the video attributes like transcripts, description, and title.
Optimizing these can allow videos to become more visible through keywords. An example is when one client changed the descriptions and titles with updated video tags.
It resulted in a 70% growth of total subscribers with a 120% increase in the average watch time.
Keep reading everything in the list carefully if you want to increase traffic and your Youtube subscribers.
Create Interesting Thumbnails
Video thumbnails and titles are the first things a viewer sees clicking on a video. These matter because visual information is processed a thousand times faster than texts. So, customizing it is a great idea for people to see your video in search results.
Although Youtube automatically generates a thumbnail for your video, it will be very random. You have to make it unique to catch people’s attention. Here is a good example of a good custom thumbnail:
- Include texts
- Use a good image
- Choose font style wisely
- Contrast the text with background
Optimize the Title
Your video title should be compelling and says, “Click me!” Perhaps your video is a tutorial about something. Is it entertaining? You have to inform them what they will watch. Most high-ranking videos use a keyword with a promise to teach something to the viewers.
A simple “Instagram Hacks” title won’t do the trick and won’t be enough to gain views. You should think deeper and let the viewers know about the topic you will share with them.
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Examples of a good Youtube video title:
- “The 10 Best YouTube Titles”
- “Top Tips For Your YouTube Titles”
Tips for writing video titles that can gain views:
- Keep it under 60 characters
- Don’t use clickbait headlines
- Make it persuasive
- Ensure it matches with the thumbnail
- Use brackets
Image source: https://mktoolboxsuite.com/youtube-titles-that-get-views/
Use Focus Keywords
Having focus keywords for your videos can help with its rankings. Every search engine works by matching the viewer’s search terms with the most relevant searches. Youtube also works this way. If you look up the past Youtube videos, watch them and pinpoint the topics.
You should know the video’s focus and what keywords to use. Using keyword research tools can also help you choose the most used search terms.
Optimize Video Descriptions
After optimizing your title, the next thing to do is optimize your descriptions. A title’s objective is to catch the potential viewer’s attention.
You can go more in-depth with the description. Your video description’s first 125 characters will be displayed.
So, it is recommended to include the most relevant keywords in the beginning. Keep it engaging because the readers will read it too.
A carefully optimized description will easily understand your video content and place it first on the target audience.
Image source: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/youtube-description-template
Add Closed Captions
You should add closed captions to your videos for people with hearing difficulties. This is a bonus for Google and YouTube to help boost your SEO.
Although YouTube can automatically provide video captions, it’s usually full of errors. So, you have to upload and manually edit them to make them SEO-friendly and index your video captions.
Add the Right Tags
After having keywords in your description and title, it’s also good to include them in the “tags” sections. These tags are for references only, so the viewers can’t see what you added.
You can incorporate as many keywords as you want, as they don’t have to be specific.
Image source: https://backlinko.com/hub/youtube/tags
Have an Engaging Script
Creating a well-written and engaging script gives you higher chances of being spontaneous and natural. At the same time, you can ensure you don’t lose viewers as the video goes on.
Speakers and markets are only given ten seconds to get the attention of their viewers and fully engage them before losing the chance. In addition, they aren’t fully engaged in the first thirty seconds.
So, it is important to write short scripts with a snappy intro. It should get to the important points right away and inform the viewers why they should keep watching.
Start Making Longer Videos
Posting longer videos on YouTube outperform videos with shorter duration. You can see it for yourself by typing any phrase on Youtube, and the high-ranking videos that appear are quite lengthy.
The video length also contributes to the ranking. It’s because the longer a viewer watches your video, the more engaged they are.
Also, it gives a higher chance to see more advertisements.
However, this doesn’t mean you should try hard to post long videos. Having comprehensive and long videos that are still engaging can boost your ranking.
Get Social
Another way to get a higher YouTube rank is by spreading your video’s existence through other platforms and social media accounts. So, start sharing it in every place you can think of, like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Encourage Engagement
The reason why almost every Youtube ending has statements like “Subscribe for more” and “Please leave a comment” is that these kinds of engagements can boost your SEO.
Every video’s like, comment, and subscription sends a message to YouTube that this user found your content engaging, so YouTube will start showing them more content of yours.
Keep Viewers Watching
Having a good and informative video with all the right descriptions, titles, and keywords isn’t enough if you can’t get people to keep watching your video.
Viewer retention is important because watch-time is a part of YouTube SEO. You should have visually entertaining videos to keep people watching. This means sitting in front of the camera and talking aren’t enough in some situations.
You can also add some animations and make an effort in video editing to keep your viewers watching. Telling them about the video and how you will teach them can help you get started.
Lastly, keep in mind the watch times of your past videos. It can help you determine the specific video styles and topics your viewers enjoy better.
Youtube SEO is the Best Way to Rank your Youtube Videos
So, there you have it! The best way to rank your YouTube videos is through applying SEO strategies.
YouTube is a competitive platform for content sharing. So it is important to remember that there are many ways to rank your videos and boost your YouTube SEO.`
Click HERE to learn more about other services and information that can help you in your YouTube rankings.
Let me know in the comments section if you use SEO or other strategies for your youtube videos!
Want more SEO tips and tricks? Check out these blogs to learn more.
