SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it’s the process of improving your website to rank higher in search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. It helps you gain more traffic from these search engines by ranking well on their results pages. This way, you can get more visitors to your site.
YouTube SEO is simply using the right keywords and tags to help your videos appear on top of search results when people type certain terms into the search bar. The goal of YouTube SEO is to get as many views as possible. If you have a video with lots of views, then you will be able to attract more viewers.
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How does YouTube SEO work?
YouTube SEO works because there are millions of videos being uploaded every day. When someone types a keyword or phrase into the search box, they see all of the videos that match what they typed. They choose which one to watch based on how relevant the video content is to them. So if you want to rank high on YouTube, you need to make sure that your video matches the keywords that people use to find videos. Some of the ranking factors for popular videos are:
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- Target Keyword: Keywords are words that people use to find information online. You should include some of your most popular keywords in your title tag and description. These keywords also show up in the “related videos” section at the bottom of the page.
- Tags: Tags are little descriptions that go along with your video. For example, if you were making a video about soccer, you would put the word “soccer” in the description so that other users know exactly what kind of video they are looking at.
- Description: Your description should include your main keyword. Make sure that it includes the same number of characters as the length of your video.
- Video Title Tag: The title tag is the first thing that appears under your video. It is very important because this is the only part of your video that shows up before the viewer watches the entire video. Use your keywords in the title tag.
- Video Description: Include your main keyword in the description. Also, try to keep it between 100-200 characters long.
- Video Thumbnail Image: Upload custom thumbnails that represent who you are and what you do. Try to keep it around 1280×720 pixels.
- Videos: Keep your video quality high and long (around 10 minutes or more) and add closed captions. Closed Captions help foreign people understand your video.
- Links: Add links to your social media profiles and websites where your audience can learn more about you.
- Shares: Share your own videos on Facebook, Twitter, and other networks.
- Engagement: Engage with other users by commenting on their videos.
Step 1: Find keywords related to your niche
Now that we have discussed the basics of YouTube SEO, let’s dive into the actual research process. There are two ways to do keyword research: manually and through tools. Let’s look at both options.
Manual Keyword Research
The best way to figure out what keywords to target is to do a lot of research on your niche. Look at blogs, forums, news sites, etc., and read everything that interests you. Read articles that talk about your topic, but don’t just skim over them. Take notes and write down anything that seems interesting. This will give you ideas for future posts and topics.
Once you’ve done enough research, start typing these keywords into Google. Don’t worry about getting too specific yet. Just start typing random terms until you get a list of results. Start adding each result to a spreadsheet. If you’re using Excel, you can create a new column for each keyword and then type the URL of the video in the cell next to it.
Once you have a big list of keywords, sort them from highest to lowest. Then take a look at the top 20-30 terms. Do any of those seem like a good fit? Write them down and move on to the next step.
Tools for Keyword Research
There are many different tools available to help you with your keyword research. Some of the most popular ones are listed below.
- TubeBuddy: TubeBuddy is one of the easiest to use tools. Simply enter your keywords and click “Search.” A list of related videos will appear. Clicking on the titles of the videos will bring you directly to the video itself.
- Google AdWords Keyword Planner: This tool helps you determine which keywords to target based on how much money you want to spend per day.
- SEMrush: This free tool has a ton of features, including keyword difficulty, competition, monthly searches, global search volume, and more.
- WordStream: This one is similar to SEMRush, but it’s completely free. You can use its keyword suggestion feature to find new keywords, but you’ll need to upgrade if you want access to all the advanced features.
- Socialblade: SocialBlade is another great way to track your progress. Just type in your URL and select “YouTube” under the platform tab. Then, scroll down until you reach the rankings section.
Step 2: Publish a High Audience Retention Video
Publishing content consistently is key to success on YouTube. The first thing you should do after creating your channel publishes a high-quality video. It doesn’t matter if the video is funny, educational, inspirational, informational, whatever — as long as it’s well produced.
You should aim to post between 2-5 videos per week. Each video should be around 15 minutes long, though longer videos tend to perform better. Keep in mind that people only have so much time to watch videos, so keep yours short and sweet!
Get Your Audience Engaged
Now that you’ve created awesome content, the next step is to engage your audience. Use social media to interact with your followers, respond to comments, and share other helpful information.
The goal here isn’t to sell products or promote yourself, it’s simply to build relationships with your viewers. By interacting with your audience, they’ll feel connected to you and your brand. And when they trust you, they’ll be more likely to buy your products later on.
To get started, head over to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Share links to your blog posts, product pages, and other helpful content.
Promote your videos by sharing them anywhere you’d share an article online. Sharing on Reddit, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, and even WhatsApp will allow others to discover your work.
Add New Features As You Go Along
As you continue to grow your business, don’t forget about adding new features to your site. If you notice that certain areas aren’t performing as well as others, make changes there.
For example, if you’re having trouble getting views from mobile devices, consider optimizing for those smaller screens. Or if you see that some users are leaving before watching the entire video, add a call to action at the end.
Creating a successful YouTube channel takes dedication and hard work. But once you start seeing results, you’ll wonder why you ever doubted yourself.
