We all know people are watching lots of videos these days. So, how do you get YOUR videos seen on a massive platform like YouTube?
Don’t worry, it’s not about sneaky tricks.
The secret is playing nicely with YouTube’s system (its algorithm). This is what YouTube SEO is all about – making sure your videos are exactly what YouTube wants to show people.
The good news? It’s worked wonders for HubSpot’s own channel. We’ve got a ton of subscribers and rank high for important searches.
Ready to jump in? Here’s how to Learn YouTube SEO and Optimize Your Videos:
- Think like YouTube: Their goal is to show people the most relevant videos. That means your stuff must match what people search for.
- No tricks needed: This isn’t about spamming keywords or weird hacks. It’s about understanding how YouTube works and doing things their way.
How Do Videos Get Ranked on YouTube?
It’s all about pleasing the YouTube algorithm! Think of YouTube like a giant library where it wants to give you the perfect book (or video) to answer your question. So, if you search “how to tie a tie”, it won’t show you a video about shoelaces – it’ll only show videos that are truly relevant.
The secret ingredient is “Watch Time”. To make your videos rank higher, the trick is understanding how your audience searches and thinking about how long they watch. YouTube loves it when people spend lots of time watching your video – it means you’re making awesome content!
So, you need to create videos that keep people glued to the screen. Try a little trick: Tease something exciting at the end to make people stay all the way through!
Learn YouTube SEO and optimize your videos to make them rank. If you can use the words your viewers are searching for, and keep them watching, you and YouTube will be best friends in no time.
Is YouTube video optimization worth the effort?
Definitely! Think of it like this: when you optimize your website for Google, you get better search results, right? Same idea with YouTube! Optimizing videos helps them rank higher, which means more people will find and click on them.
Google themselves recommend making your videos as discoverable as possible. So, if you’re creating awesome videos that help people, you’re already on the right track. Optimizing them is just that extra step for maximum visibility.
Remember, having a bunch of videos just for the sake of it isn’t enough anymore. They need to be top-notch and easy to find, just like a well-written blog post! YouTube is a major player now, so optimizing for it is just as important as optimizing any other piece of content you put out there.
So, what exactly is YouTube SEO?
It’s all about helping people find your videos when they search on YouTube. You’ll use keywords in your titles, descriptions, and playlists – all that good stuff to make sure the right people find your content.
Let’s break it down – YouTube SEO is like:
- Regular SEO but made specifically for YouTube’s way of doing things.
- Putting the right labels on your videos so YouTube knows what they’re about and who to show them to.
YouTube Ranking Strategy
If you want your YouTube channel to be on top of the searches, you’ll need a rock-solid plan. There are two important parts to this plan. First, you need to figure out how YouTube’s search system works.
Once you understand that, you can start making smart choices about who your videos are for, the overall style of your channel, and what you want to achieve with your content.
How YouTube SEO Works
Think of YouTube as a smaller version of Google designed just for videos. When you search YouTube, it works hard to find the videos that are the perfect match for what you’re looking for. How does it do that? Let’s break it down:
The YouTube Brain: YouTube has a super-smart system (the algorithm!) that figures out what videos to show. It learns from your search history and what you usually like to watch.
Video Popularity: YouTube likes videos that people watch all the way through, get lots of likes, and are shared often. It will place these videos higher up in the search results.
Words Matter: YouTube can’t watch videos like us, but it can read! This means your video’s title, description, and tags play a big role. Using the right keywords in these places helps YouTube understand what your video is about and when to show it in the search results.
Optimizing your videos with the right keywords and making them super engaging helps YouTube know when to show people your awesome content.
Choose a target audience
A lot of creators start by just picking a topic and making videos, then try to gain viewers. But as you grow, you also face more competition. It used to be okay to make a channel about broad things like “product reviews” or “tech.” Now, to stand out, you need a tighter focus.
So, who are the specific people you want to reach? Here’s how to figure that out:
- What do you know about these people?
- What brings them to YouTube?
- Do they hang out on other social media sites too?
- What gets them excited and makes them stick with a channel?
- Are there other creators you could team up with to reach this crowd?
Plan Your Content
Coming up with loads of ideas for your YouTube channel is easy if you’re passionate about the topic. The tricky part is turning those ideas into awesome videos!
A great content plan isn’t just about what videos you’ll make and when. It’s about figuring out everything you’ll need for success – things like amazing footage, clear audio, catchy titles, and interesting descriptions. Let’s say you want to make a surfing video – where are you going to get those epic wave shots?
If you can’t film them yourself, you might need to figure out another way to find cool videos to use. Building your own skills in editing and animation, or finding talented people to help, is a great way to level up your content.
Sometimes you must be creative and find ways to make great stuff even without all the fancy resources. Checking out what your competitors are doing can help you get inspired – how long are their videos, and where are they sharing them to get noticed? There are free templates online on how to plan your YouTube content.
Set Goals for Success
YouTube has a bunch of cool stats you can use to see if you’re hitting those big goals you set. General numbers are awesome for spotting trends or if YouTube changes something, but it’s way better to track stats that match your specific targets.
For example, do you want more viewers? Focus on how many people subscribe, how often your videos pop up, and if people stick around to watch. If you want people to interact, count those likes, comments, shares, and how long someone watches.
Aiming to send people to your website? Pop links in your descriptions, track where the clicks come from – then you can make videos that are even better at hitting your goals.
Find the Right Keywords
Picture this: you want to find the perfect video, so you head to YouTube and start typing in the search bar. As you type, YouTube helps you out by suggesting a bunch of different search terms – just like Google does! These suggestions are super important for anyone who wants their videos to get found.
To make your videos easy to discover, think like a viewer. What would they search for? Use those terms, and similar phrases, everywhere you can: in your video’s filename, its title, the description, and the tags.
Kate Ross, who handles SEO for Irresistible Me Hair Extensions, puts it this way: “YouTube SEO is like leaving a trail for viewers to follow. Put your keywords in strategic places to help YouTube understand what your video is all about.”
For example, if you made a video called “Free WordPress Themes,” that exact phrase needs to be in your title, description, and hashtags. That way, your video is super likely to show up when someone searches for those free themes!
Start Making Your Videos Shine with YouTube SEO
Video is a super powerful way to connect with your audience, whether you’re a business or a creator. It’s time to boost your video’s visibility!
No matter which YouTube SEO: How to Optimize Videos for YouTube Search tips you try, remember that awesome content is the heart of a successful channel. Make sure you’re giving your viewers something amazing and relevant to watch.
By putting some effort into optimizing your videos, you’ll help more people discover your content and build that sense of community. This can even lead to more sales and a stronger connection with your audience. So, what are you waiting for? Start optimizing and watch your YouTube channel.