YouTube was created in 2005 in San Mateo, CA and has been one of the hottest social media platforms. On YouTube, users are able to post all types of different videos from educational videos, entertainment, informative, etc. Despite its popularity, YouTube is facing competitive pressure from other social networks like TikTok and Instagram Reels. As a result, YouTube created “YouTube Shorts” which are basically just 1 minute videos/clips of whatever content a user would like to post. But, YouTube is still a major focus for marketers, given that its videos rank high in Google search resu
Search Engine Optimization 5 Tips & Tricks
Considering that most people know what YouTube is, I’d like to share a video that goes a little deeper into SEO and list a few tips that I’ve learned from research on how to gain more followers, more impressions/views and attract a larger crowd of users.
Here are a few key tips on improving your YouTube video search rank:
- Add Keywords to Video File Before Uploading
- Add Keyword to Video Title
- Polish Your YouTube Video Description
- Categorize your Videos through Advanced Settings
- Create a Custom Thumbnail that Relates to Title and Video Topic
1. Add Keywords to Video File Before Uploading
Before posting content on YouTube, it is important to add keywords to the video file name. The easiest way to find and identify quality keywords is to use YouTube SEO tools which you can find at the end of this blog or by finding your own tools through research.
Changing your video file name to a keyword that fits the theme or topic of your video is important because this will increase the chances of your video being seen by users searching for videos in the related topic. YouTube is not able to watch all content being posted but they view video file names and the codes that come with the video.
2.) Add Keywords to Video Title
When users are searching for videos on YouTube, odds are, they will be clicking on different videos solely based on the video titles. With that being said, it is extremely important to have an attractive title that is short (about 60 characters), clear, and concise because this will influence users to click or not to click on your video.
If you are able to include any keywords in your title in a way that sounds natural, then it is recommended that you add it into the title. BUT this is not a must. The major takeaway from this section should be to have a title thats captivating and related to the video topic.
3.) Polish Your YouTube Video Description
While considering what you would like to include in your video description, there is a couple things you should keep in mind.
First being the character limit which is 1,000 words max.
Secondly, unless a viewer decides to click “show more” on your description, they are only able to see the first 100 characters which could be a few sentences or lines of information under the video.
Lastly, remember that most viewers are clicking on your video to watch the video itself, not to read 1,000 words in your description.
With all things considered, the best way to write your description would be to add any information thats most important to you or to your video within the first 100 characters. You want to assume that a viewer won’t click “show more” on your description.
4.) Categorize Your Video Through Advanced Settings
After posting your video on YouTube, it is suggested that you add your video to a category or even multiple categories that may relate in some-way to your topic. Putting your videos in different categories will enhance your chances of the video being added to random playlists and can give you exposure to a larger audience.
You may want to consider how other videos are formatted in certain categories and which content creators are gaining the most views.
5.) Create a Custom Thumbnail That Relates to Title and Video Topic
A Thumbnail is the image that viewers see along with the title of your videos. Similar to video titles, it is encouraged that you take the time to make to create a custom and quality thumbnail that will be compelling to a possible audience. YouTube offers basic thumbnails/templates that users may use when posting a video but research has found that “nearly 90% of the best performing videos have custom thumbnails“.
Any custom thumbnail you create should be related to the topic and category of the video.
Teaching Social Media 