SEO tips for YouTube content

The basics of Youtube SEO

YouTube SEO refers to the process of optimizing your YouTube videos and channel to rank higher in YouTube’s organic search results and be more recommended to other users. This often includes optimizing your video and meta descriptions, thumbnail, transcript, tags, links, CTAs, etc. 

With over 2 billion logged-in users monthly, this platform offers tons of opportunities, as such when YouTube SEO is done correctly, it can help you boost your rankings and increase brand exposure, views as well as traffic to your website.

The YouTube algorithm works in such a way that it determines which videos will be recommended to users based on their interests and your video’s performance. 

While Google doesn’t spell it out, here’s what we know about the factors that impact how YouTube ranks a video:

• User watch-time
• If users click on your video to watch it after seeing it on their feed
• If users interact/engage with your video (likes, comments, sharing, etc.)
• How well does your video’s description and meta description matches the user’s query
• The user’s previously watched videos (topics and channels)
• How many videos the user has watched from your channel

SEO Tips for Youtube 

Longer and well-thought-out descriptions

While your video title is very important, the description is actually where you need to include those exact-match keywords and other contextual information for the algorithm. We recommend that you follow a simple structure: 

1. A quick opening statement about your video
2. A summary of the content description
3. Segmenting your video by adding timestamps and the topics
4. Call to action (subscribe to our channel, like our video, know more about us, etc.)
5. More information about your company or work if necessary

Say your target keywords/phrases

By default, YouTube transcribes the dialogue of uploaded videos to make them accessible to all, but there is one point of debate around the accuracy of those captions files.

In recent years, experts have believed that YouTube would only index a video’s captions file if it was a “custom” captions file, meaning a separate transcription was uploaded from tools like Rev.

whether you choose to upload your own captions or use the automatic ones, you should make a conscious effort to at least say your target keywords or phrases out loud in your video.

If the phrase is clear in your dialogue, the algorithms know what you’re talking about and have a better chance of displaying your content to your target viewer.

You may even get picked up for a “featured clip” in Google search results.

Get them engaged!

Get better thumbnails

The clickthrough rate is very important for Youtube. That means that when a user sees your thumbnail on their feed and they don’t click it, the clickthrough rate will be lower and Youtube will understand that your video isn’t that appealing. That’s why you need to make thumbnails that entice the user without being too clickbaity: because if that happens, the user surely clicks on the video, but he will not watch the video all the way through, decreasing your watch time per video and the users won’t trust your content anymore. 

Strive for engagement

There’s no shame in asking the users to engage with your content. Ask them to comment on your video, like it, etc. Try being creative, for example, ask them to comment if they’ve been through a similar situation you describe in your video. And if they comment, try interacting with them to prompt more comments.

Also, as a fun fact, YouTube doesn’t admonish dislikes or any comment with negative sentiment. Controversial videos often perform very well.