How you do YouTube SEO
YouTube is the world’s second-most-visited website!
40.9% of YouTube watch time happens on mobile, 70 % of what people watch is determined by what the algorithm recommends
Since YouTube is owned by Google, this means that YouTube videos appear more frequently in search results (SERPs) than videos from other sources.
With SEO, you can always make improvements, but on YouTube, you only get one shot.
Table of contents
Ranking factors
- Views – when a user sees 30 seconds, then it is a view
- Subscribers
- Audience retention – how many people watch your videos till the end and that is more important than clicks and views
- Engagement – get comments and replies to the comments
- Video quality – HD format
- Channel authority
- Relevance – the video should match a relevant query
How to rank on YouTube
It is very important that you upload the video correctly the first time. After the algorithm crawl the video for the first time and there are mistakes then it is difficult to correct afterward.
- Do keyword research
- Add video metadata
- Improve audience retention
- Provoke engagement
- Share video via your own channels
- Build authority
- Monitor your performance
Keyword research
- Find keywords from YouTube’s search bar or Google. Use a * to get more results
- Check video results in Google Trends
- Download TubeBuddy or vidIQ in chrome web store
Add video metadata
Metadata is not so important anymore, but it still prevents algorithms from misinterpreting the content and making sure that your video is ranked correctly. Metadata is the first thing the user sees when they come across the video. So, make sure the metadata is appealing, relevant, and clickable.
Metadata is:
- Headline (H1) – Title Tag – no longer than 60 Characters
- Description
- The image (Thumbnail)
Place the main KW in the H1 but do not overhype your H1, avoid click-baiting, and with ALL-CAPS titles. H1 with exact keywords does rank better.
Put keywords at the beginning of the description and add a call to action. Content length does not affect the ranking even though YouTube allows 5.000 characters and there are only shown 2-3 sentences in the SERP.
You can hide marketing information, like playlists, related videos, links to your homepage, and social media under the “show more” button.
#hashtags should be used in the description, so the videos can be found in a broad match and general associations.
Create a captivating image (thumbnails)
Create an eye-catching image, it is best not to use YouTube thumbnails. When creating a good thumbnail then consider:
- The picture includes a person, which makes it more attractive and “alive”.
- The text there doesn’t take up more than 30% of the picture, it makes the image more informative and doesn’t overwhelm it.
- This image looks professionally made, which raises credibility.
In terms of technical characteristics, the best practice is to upload an image that’s:
- 1280×720 pixels
- 16:9 ratio
- < 2 MB
- .jpg, .gif, .bmp, or .png format
Other small tips
Optimize your video tags and don´t use more than 10-12; the tags should be relevant to your video. They are similar to KW and are not hashtags.
When it is relevant, then use closed captions, so when a user is googling a topic, they can jump directly to that part in the video.
Creating timestamps
Creating timestamps for long videos does increase engagement. Do first make timestamps when:
- Your video has at least three timestamps listed in ascending order
- The length of one timestamp is equal to or exceeds 10 seconds.
The first timestamp starts at 00:00. By an intro, you can keep the name Intro. Name the timestamp after what it is about and use keywords.
Improve audience retention
Audience retention is the time a viewer is watching your video. To improve the time can you:
- Get the viewer’s attention straight away and go directly to the topic
- Do not stand still if possible and add special effects
- Add cliffhangers. Promote your next video at the end
- Don´t sound monotonous, variate your voice
Check at least once a month the watch time, so you know what to improve for the next video.
Engagement from viewers
If viewers are active with the comments and are clicking on other videos in your channel, then will YouTube algorithm start to recommend the videos to more people.
- Add a video link in the last frame of your video to encourage interaction. Place a video link so the viewers can subscribe or suggest another video
- Ask a direct question, so the viewers can give their opinion or ask a question
- Be active in comments, so the viewers are feeling a part of a community
- Add Cards to your video, so you can promote your brand. Cards are hidden under the small “i” icon in the upper right corner of a video
- Video cards – promote a video
- Playlist cards – promote a playlist
- Channel cards – refer to another channel
- Link cards – link to a website, promote merchandise from your video, and encourage the viewers to support the creation of video content
Share video via your own channels
Social media like Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram can be good advertising platforms for your videos. The more channels you share your video to, the better will Google rank it.
Crosspost means that the viewers are seeing your video on another platform and therefore is YouTube not counting it as a view. As long you have a link to your YouTube channel, then do you encourage the viewers to follow the link. It is best if you upload the video directly on the platform you are using and then a link to YouTube to see more videos.
Links are a ranking factor for Google but not the same way for YouTube, but link-building can boost your channel. Use the videos on your homepage, so you can rank in the SERP. Do outreach email campaigns and invite people to share your videos by highlighting links in the description and Cards.
If you want to post on Facebook then will they provide you with video optimization hints, so you can match ranking preferences.
The necessary parameters can be:
- length (not less than 3 minutes)
- quality (HD minimum)
- title
- description
- tags
- thumbnail
- closed captions, etc.
Build authority
One of the most important in search is brand recognition, therefore it is important to build a channel that the viewers can trust and you build up the videos in the same way so they can recognize your brand.
The way you can build up your channel so you get credibility and trust for your brand are:
- have a unique recognizable name
- add a high-quality channel icon to your videos
- add links and contacts to the header of your homepage or social media
- make a short trailer about you and/or your channel
- be authentic and original in your representation.
Monitor your performance
In the Reach report can you see general performance for your videos:
- traffic sources
- impressions
- clicks
- CTR
If you optimize your videos well, then will the CTR get higher. The average CTR is between 2% to 10% for half of all the YouTube videos, but not for videos with fewer than 100 views. CTR, as it’s a long-term metric.
The Engagement report shows you the top videos, top playlists, and top elements of the videos on your channel. Here, you can compare the optimization between your videos.
The Audience report shows your viewers’ interests and watching habits. Here, you get insights on how to rank your videos for the target audience.
Linking YouTube Analytics to Google Analytics will allow you to track transactions and conversions.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
YouTube SEO is about optimizing your videos so they can be found on both YouTube and Google.
By optimizing the title, description, and thumbnail, and creating content that your target audience is searching for.
Watch time, click-through rate (CTR), and engagement (likes, comments) are the most important factors.
Use relevant keywords, clear descriptions, and tags that match the user’s search.
1–4 times a month is realistic for most SMEs, as long as the quality is high.
Vester Marketing · Karina Vester Schultz
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Related services and next steps
YouTube SEO is one part of a broader digital strategy. Combine your YouTube presence with traditional SEO to ensure your videos reinforce your website’s search visibility, and with content marketing to repurpose video content as blog posts, guides and landing pages. An omnichannel strategy ensures YouTube works in coordination with social media and email marketing for a consistent audience experience.
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