How to Optimize Your Youtube Videos to Boost Your Search Rankings
YouTube is the second most visited website in the world. Here's a complete guide to YouTube optimization, ranking factors, search volume, analytics, etc.
When you think SEO, naturally you think Google. Some of you might even think Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, or Baidu depending on your target location.
But the often-forgotten search engine when it comes to prioritizing your optimization efforts is YouTube According to Alexa's global traffic rankings, YouTube is the second most visited website in the world It's also arguably the second biggest search engine in the world that you haven't yet properly optimized for despite this very topic featuring at Mozcon over four years ago!
YouTube viewers watch a lot of video over 4 billion hours a month at last count. But the average household also watches several hours of video per day on their TVs. So for YouTube to become the most important media in more people's lives, we've got a lot of growing to do.” YouTube Creators Unlocking the potential within YouTube means you can access millions of viewers every day. This gives you a new channel for your promotional videos along with your more generally helpful content. In return, you can boost your overall online presence.
Below, we will see how TOP can help you optimize your videos to increase your YouTube rankings, create engagement and why should you promote and embed your branded videos in your website's Targeting your videos – Understanding searcher intent, keyword research, and video creation.
Optimizing your videos – Creating a branded presence, optimizing titles, tags and descriptions.
Promoting your videos – Getting real, engaged views on your videos, building links and embeds to your videos.
Source: searchenginewatch.com
#1: YouTube Keyword Research
The YouTube SEO process begins with video keyword research Here's exactly how to find the right keywords for your YouTube videos:
First, generate a list of keywords ideas.
Your first step is to generate a big list of potential keywords.
(In the next step I'll help you find the best keyword from your list.) One of my favorite strategies is to use YouTube's Search Suggest feature.
All you need to do is head over to YouTube and pop in a word or phrase… … and YouTube will hand you a bunch of keywords related to what you typed in:
These suggested keywords are GREAT.
Why?
Because these are terms that people actually type into YouTube.
So there's no need to wonder if they're popular or not. If YouTube suggests them to you, they definitely are.
You can also go to a popular video in your niche… and copy the same keywords that the video is optimized around.
As you probably know, keyword optimization is a KEY part of YouTube SEO. So if a video has lots and lots of views, chances are, that video is optimized around a popular keyword.
To execute this step, go to another channel in your niche.
Then, sort their videos by “Most Popular”
This will show you their videos that have generated the most views:
Next, choose a video from the list. Obviously, you want to pick a video that you can create an awesome video around (more on that in step #2).
But in general, if the video is in your niche, it'll work.
Finally, see which keywords that video is optimized around. This is easy.
Just check out the keywords that video uses in its title description video tags (To see a video's tags, I recommend the VidIQ Chrome extension . It shows you a video's tags right on the page.) You can also find some excellent keywords in your YouTube “Traffic Source: YouTube search” report. This report shows you all the keywords that YouTube users have searched for to find your videos.
In many cases, these are keywords that you already know about (because you optimized your videos around them).
But sometimes you'll find a handful of keywords that you never would have thought of.
For example, here's an example of a keyword I found in my “Traffic Sources” report:
This is a keyword I would have NEVER found using any other strategy. But I know that people are searching for it in YouTube, so it makes for a great keyword to add to my list.
Second, find the best keyword from your list Now that you've generated a list of keywords, it's time to choose the best one from your list.
Specifically, you want to target low-competition keywords.
This is ESPECIALLY important if your channel doesn't have that many subscribers yet.
If you swing for the fences and go after competitive keywords, your video is gonna get buried in the search results.
Instead, you want to find keywords that don't have a lot of competition.
How do you check?
All you need to do is:
Search for your keyword in Google.
And check out the “About results”:
This number represents the total number of videos on YouTube about that topic. The higher this number, the more competitive a keyword is. So you want to target keywords that have a low “About results” number.
(How low should you go? Every industry is different. So I can't give you a specific number to shoot for. Just focus on choosing keywords that have low competition relative to other videos in your niche.) For example, when I search for “YouTube SEO”, there are 15,000,000 results:
That's a lot.
So if I was just starting out, I'd try a few other keywords, like “YouTube ranking factors”.
Bingo! That keyword only has 20,900 results.
And that means that this keyword is MUCH less competitive.
Finally, a bonus tip: search for your keyword in Google.
Here's the deal:
Most views on YouTube come from within YouTube's platform.
But don't stop there. Your video can get 2-5x more views if you can ALSO get it to rank in Google.
How?
The trick is to optimize your videos around keywords that already have video results in Google.
You see, Google only includes videos in the search results for certain keywords.
Unlike a “normal” first page with 10 webpage results, Google sometimes reserves a good chunk of the first page for video results:
In general, Google tends to use video results for these types of keywords:
How-to keywords (“how to make cold brew coffee”)
Reviews (“beats by Dre review”)
Tutorials (“Setting up WordPress”)
Anything fitness or sports related (“Cardio kickboxing”)
Funny videos (“Cute animals”)
Why is this important?
Well, let's say you optimize your video around a keyword that doesn't have any video results in Google. In that case, you'll ONLY get traffic from people searching on YouTube.
But if you optimize for a video keyword, you'll also get targeted traffic to your video directly from Google's first page.
The question is:
How do you find these magical keywords?
All you need to do is search for one of the keywords you found in the last step.
Then see if any of the keywords you searched for have YouTube video results, like this:
Simple, right?
Once you've found a Video Keyword, it's time to see if there's any search volume for that keyword. Otherwise, you might rank in Google for a keyword that only gets 20 searches per month. That's not worth it.
So make sure target keyword gets at least 100-1k searches per month in Google (you can find this information using the Google Keyword Planner Why 100+ searches per month?
If you can get that video to rank in Google, then a lot of those searchers will click on YOUR video in the results.
That means you'll get more high-quality traffic to your video, and ultimately, your site.
Source: backlinko.com
#2. Insert your keyword naturally in the video title.
When we search for videos, one of the first things that our eyes are drawn to is the title. That's often what determines whether or not the viewer will click to watch your video, so the title should not only be compelling, but also clear and concise.
Although your keyword plays a big part in your video title, it also helps if the title closely matches what the viewer is searching for. Research conducted by Backlinko found that videos with an exact keyword match in the title have only a slight advantage over those that don't. Here's a linear representation of those findings:
So, while "using your target keyword in your title may help you rank for that term," report author Brian Dean explains, "the relationship between keyword-rich video titles and rankings" isn't always a strong one. Nonetheless, it's a good idea to optimize your title for this keyword so long as it fits naturally into a title that tells viewers exactly what they're about to see.
Lastly, make sure to keep your title fairly short -- HubSpot campaigns manager Alicia Collins recommends limiting it to 60 characters to help keep it from getting cut off in results pages.
Source: blog.hubspot.com
#3. Include the keyword in your video file
Super simple, but YouTube may use this as one of the ranking factors when it comes to showing your video in search results. If the file name you are uploading has the target keyword in it, your video will have a much better chance of being ranked and a much better chance of gaining more search volume.
When uploading a new video, you can see the filename. YouTube uses this to make sure the video is relevant, so ensure your file name is updated before you upload it!
Source:
wordstream.com
#4. Add a transcript to your video description
The video description is the best option for displaying your transcript on YouTube. The description field fits 5,000 characters, which is usually enough to fit a transcript for a dialogue-heavy, 10-minute video. If your transcript doesn't fit or you want to include other important information in the description, like a call-to-action, you can add a truncated version with a link to the full version on a separate web page.
Backlinko's research found no correlation between descriptions optimized for a certain keyword and the rankings for that term, keyword-rich descriptions are still a recommended best practice as they can help your video rank for related terms and appear as a “suggested video.” Transcripts can also boost engagement by making content quickly scannable.
Source: 3playmedia.com
#5. Optimize Your YouTube Tags
Tagging is one of the best SEO features that YouTube provides.
Tagging allows you to enter relevant keywords that help your videos get more views.
Use tags that are super relevant to your topic.
This is a perfect opportunity to use LSI keywords that are related to your focus keyword.
Don't use too many tags. Around 10 to 12 are enough.
#6. Check your Competitors Video Tags
Search any keywords and take the first four videos and analyze their tags targeting. There are two ways to check keywords.
Analyzing source code of the Video Page
Using TubeBuddy tool
Source: vjseomarketing.com
#7. Offer subtitles in multiple languages
Just as English captions make your videos accessible to more viewers, translations further expand your audience and increase YouTube SEO . YouTube's global reach is massive.
Only 16.4% of YouTube's site traffic comes from the U.S., and around the world, over 2 billion logged-in users watch YouTube every month.
Foreign language subtitles let international and non-native English-speaking viewers enjoy your videos. Search engines will also index your translated caption files and include your video in search results in those languages. This can be huge for a YouTube SEO strategy since you have a better chance of ranking higher for non-English keywords due to lower competition.
Source: 3playmedia.com
#8. Produce High Quality Videos
The first step towards optimizing your YouTube videos is making sure the content you upload is always top-notch. Here are some tips to optimize your video quality if you want to reap all the benefits YouTube video marketing has to offer:
Start your video production process by performing thorough keyword research. You can do this following the steps described in our SEO Keyword Research Template . For YouTube, we recommend you use video seo tools such as YT Cockpit Keyword Tool to run your research, instead of KWFin der .
Try to create longer videos. According to the latest quality content guidelines, longer videos are more likely to rank higher in YouTube search results pages.
Mention the target keyword in the video. YouTube has grown a lot and their crawler can now identify whether a video is focused on the topic described in the title by checking the automated captions offered by the same platform. Therefore, mentioning the keyword in the video will help YouTube rank your video when someone is searching for it.
Always tell people to subscribe, comment, and like your videos. You'd be surprised with the amazing effect it can have on viewers! Plus, all three are metrics YouTube uses on their algorithms to rank and recommend videos.
Reduce the bounce rate. If your viewers only watch only a few seconds of your videos, YouTube will associate your video with lower quality content – and thus, it will display it lower in the YouTube rankings. To reduce the bounce rate, front load your best content to the beginning of the video. Add transition effects, add unexpected changes, and make sure your graphics are entertaining. You need to keep people's attention – otherwise, they'll click on the next interesting video content.
Also, always remember to explain the value proposition in the first 10 seconds. This will keep your viewers more attentive and more likely to finish watching your video.
Source: clickminded.com
#9 Promote Your Video
We talked a lot about creating videos that maximize Audience Retention and user experience signals. Which is important.
But for YouTube to measure these signals, you need to get views on your video!
Here are some strategies you can use to get targeted views to your video:
Mention Your Video on Quora and Other Q&A Sites Quora , forums and other Q&A sites are some of the most popular sites on the web (in fact, Quora is one of the most popular sites online But if you try to go in there and spam your blog content, you're going to get banned. That's why you want to link to YouTube videos.
And not only can you get a high quantity of views… but the views you get from Q&A sites are high-quality too.
(In other words, high-retention views.) Think about it:
You're posting your video in a place where people are desperate for information on a given topic. So the people that watch your video will watch a good chunk of your video to help them learn more about that topic.
To execute this step, just search for a keyword that describes your video's topic. Then, find a question that you can answer.
When you find a question that seems like a good fit, answer the person's question as best you can. Finally, link to your video at the end of your answer.
Here's an example:
Link To Your Video In Your Email Signature People that email you (like your mom) generally like you.
And if you're like me, you get A TON of emails.
So when you add a link to your latest video in your email signature, you just set up a pipeline is high-retention views.
Embed Your Videos in Blog Posts Whenever you write a blog post (on your site or as a guest post for another site), think to yourself:
“Where can I embed a YouTube video into this post?” For example, when I mentioned
“The Skyscraper Technique” in this guide , I embedded a video to explain how the strategy worked:
This INSTANTLY got my video a few hundred high-quality views.
Use Playlists Playlists are one of the BEST ways to get more views on your videos.
After all, playlists automatically play every video in the playlist… which can lead to thousands of extra views every month.
Here's how to set them up:
First, look over your videos. And identify 4-5 videos that have a common theme or topic. For example, when I look at the videos I've published on my channel, I notice that I have quite a few that cover the topic: “link building”.
Then, create a playlist that includes that set of videos.
Finally, include that playlist on your channel page. Rinse and repeat until you have at least 3 playlists on your channel.
Speaking of your channel page… Optimize Your Channel Page An optimized channel can help your videos rank better in two ways:
First, your channel itself can rank in YouTube. Here's an example:
Second, a great channel page=more subscribers. And getting more subscribers can indirectly improve your rankings.
First and foremost, you want your channel page to look nice and professional. In fact, when I updated my channel page to look like this…
…I noticed an uptick in views and subs.
Also, include keywords in your channel's about section. Here's an example:
See how I use terms like “white hat SEO”, “link building” and “search engine optimization” in my channel description These are all keywords that I want to rank for on YouTube.
Obviously, you don't want to use keyword stuffing or any shady stuff like that. Just naturally sprinkle in words and phrases that you want your videos to rank for.
Source: backlinko.com
#10. Video thumbnails
When you have a verified YouTube account you are able to upload your own image for your thumbnail video. Which means that you can edit your image to make it stand out from other videos in your niche.
It is recommended to use high resolution image for your video thumbnail – width: 1280p and height: 720p.
However, it is important to know that there's a limit of of 2MB and the supported thumbnail image formats are .JPG , .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG.
#11. Embedding videos in blog posts
Creating some written content on your website gives you the opportunity to embed the YouTube video or recommend that readers watch your video to find more information. This creates another link between your site and the video for Googlebot Embedding videos in blog posts or landing pages is the most direct and advantageous way to integrate your content and YouTube videos.
When you include videos in your articles, your posts become more dynamic and engaging. Writing new articles, related to your video topic, can help you reuse the same video content multiple times. Presenting older videos to a new audience will help you gather more views, subscribers and engagements in general.
Source: searchenginewatch.com
#12. Find Your Optimal Video Length
You've probably asked yourself this at some point: “What's the perfect length for a YouTube video?” There's no single right answer here.
Minimatters found that the average length of the top ten most popular YouTube videos is 4 minutes and 20 seconds.
However, that might not be best for the type of videos you're making. Even more importantly, you should focus on what users want, not just YouTube SEO best practices.
If TED talks were that short, viewers would feel ripped off.
So it depends on the kind of content you're making. If it deserves depth, go with a longer video.
At the same time, don't make super long (or super short) videos just because.
Source: neilpatel.com
YouTube SEO Conclusion
YouTube isn't just for uber-famous superstars.
You can get in on the action, too.
Surprisingly, it is not that difficult. If you work hard to make videos that really help people, you'll watch the views roll in.
Then you can send that traffic to your website , or you can ask people to subscribe to your list for more content.
Every other business in the world is running Facebook and AdWords ads, and as a result, it's hard to stand out on those platforms.
YouTube is a different story. It's surprisingly easy to generate lots of views using the YouTube SEO tips I've shared with you.
You don't need a huge budget to start making great videos. You can produce a viral video using just the phone in your pocket and a free video editor.
The best channels stand out because they have something unique to offer.
If you have a unique value proposition of your own, and if you go the extra mile to create videos people love, you can become very successful on YouTube.
What's your best tip for standing out on YouTube?
Source: neilpatel.com
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