Everybody knows that YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world — second only to Google, its parent company. 8 out of 10 video search results are YouTube videos. And the platform is growing constantly. By applying a YouTube SEO Strategy, you will get more views and subscribers and this will ultimately drive up your rankings and your overall marketing strategy, no matter the type of video content you are producing.
What is the solution to increase the number of visits to YouTube?
Apart from video being distributed on social media groups, there is a particular sort of SEO service called Youtube SEO optimization, targeting specifically YouTube clips. The good part is that it is much easier to reach the top using YouTube videos than any other method. In other words, it is much more difficult to reach a high position in Google by optimizing one of your blog pages. This is because YouTube is a mega-authority right now in terms of searches, a highly accessed video portal and an informative source for all generations out there.
What is YouTube SEO?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the ever-changing practice of optimizing content that will rank highly in search engine results pages (SERPs). Since search is often the gate-keeper to your content, optimizing your website for search is necessary to attract traffic and grow the following target audience.
Subsequently, YouTube SEO involves optimizing your channel, playlists, metadata, description, and the videos themselves on Youtube.
To be noted: You can optimize your videos for search both within and outside of YouTube.
A key component to YouTube SEO is harnessing the power of your video’s text in the form of transcripts, closed captions, and subtitles. Here are some tips and tricks on how you can grow your Youtube channel and how you can get more subscribers on Youtube.
1. Identify a YouTube video keyword
The first step is to find keywords around which a video can be optimized. You can tell if a word is appropriate by doing a simple Google search. Notice if video results are displayed on the first page of Google. If no video can be found here, this means that you should look for another more appropriate keyword in this regard. However, if you find more video clips after this check, then we can go to the next step.
2. Test the difficulty level of the chosen video keyword
Even if you use a domain that has a lot of authority, this does not guarantee that you will reach the top. Just type that word found in a specific software tool to find out what the difficulty level is.
3. Check the # 1 positions on YouTube and Google for that video keyword
If that clip that now ranks # 1 on YouTube or Google didn’t meet the requirements and wasn’t a qualitative one, then it definitely wouldn’t have gotten there. Watch that video and examine the content, note down some key ideas from it. I’m not telling you now to plagiarize the content. Just look at the first position and it captures some main ideas such as:
- video length
- video resolution quality (full HD recommended)
- how relevant is that material to the chosen search term;
- sound quality;
- the title and how well it is optimized.
4. Build high-quality relevant video content
It’s time to get serious about designing this video. If you are shooting, it is advisable to have a full HD camcorder and make sure the sound is clear. If it is an informative guide, then go into as much depth as possible, giving your future visitors complete information. For example, you can present a tourist area, make sure the image and sound are flawless and you have caught exactly what is most interesting.
Equally important is the relevance of that material. Even if it’s good quality, don’t expect it to reach the top for an inappropriate keyword. Therefore, it is advisable to ask yourself: is this video a good answer for that keyword? It is very important to understand that each search term is particular. In each niche or domain, another tactic needs to be addressed, so you will need to find another strategy.
5. Post the video on YouTube and optimize it
After you’ve worked on your video and made the most of the tweaks, it’s time to upload it to YouTube. Write a paragraph telling the viewer what your video is about. Use two or three keywords without repeating them too much. And last but not least, add a CTA and a link to your web page! You should also include the video transcript in which your keyword is mentioned. Use your keyword first and some variations of it later. You can also add tags about other topics that your video covers. Don’t be afraid of using the same tags that your competitors are using. This way your video will be added to their suggested video sidebar.
How YouTube’s search engine algorithm works
YouTube explains their discovery and search ranking algorithm in two sentences.
,,Videos are ranked based on a variety of factors including how well the title, description, and video content match the viewer’s query. Beyond that, we look at which videos have driven the most engagement for a query, and make sure it’s easy for viewers to find those.“
Therefore keywords matter from both on-page and “in-video” perspectives. Matching search intent is critical. But the key ingredient to effective video SEO is high engagement.
How long does it take to see actual results of SEO optimization on Youtube?
You can expect good results if you apply our tips. Even so, the true results appear after a few months in general. Of course, it cannot be answered precisely because the context for each video is different. Now, if you have decided to start a new YouTube channel right now, these practices can help you a lot. However, if you want to grow an existing channel that you already have it, you will need to re-optimize those videos if possible.
Fortunately, there is a solution here. Get into traffic statistics and see what keywords the world is reaching you for. Subsequently, based on those phrases re-optimize your clips. This tip only applies when you already have traffic coming from Google or YouTube.
How many views can videos accumulate through SEO optimization?
It is another good question, but it is difficult to answer because there are many factors here. I think if you’re really persevering and you’re doing everything right, you can even exceed 100,000 views in just one clip. But, again, it depends on the industry you’re working in, the quality of the video clip itself, the context in which a certain video is published and many more others.
By the way, have you noticed that old musical videoclips, from the past, even if they would’ve been huge hits nowadays, have significantly less views than the actual ones? With the risk of annoying you, Despacito (2017) is no better than Lambada (1989) – sorry again, guys, but the first exceeded 6.4 B views, while the second “struggles” at 169 M views. Yet, if both were launched nowadays, we bet Lambada would’ve had more views. Just saying that the context of launching a video does matter.
Conclusion
In conclusion, no matter what SEO tip or tool you start with, a successful YouTube channel begins with very good content. Make sure your viewers have something of high-quality and relevant to watch when they find you.