If you’ve ever promoted your business, blog, social media, or other products and content online, you probably know how important search engine optimization, or SEO, is for your success.
As the biggest video platform globally, YouTube is fantastic for elevating visibility. YouTube SEO differs slightly from other search engines like Google since it’s specifically for videos.
That being said, the platform has its own best methods for SEO optimization.
I’ll give you some tips and tricks to help you boost your SEO ranking on YouTube. Let’s get started!
1. Find & optimize keywords
Taking advantage of keywords is one of the most crucial parts of the SEO process.
Neglecting keywords will make your SEO suffer. However, misusing keywords can leave you with similar results! Therefore, researching and generating a list of keywords will help get you on the right track.
Once you’ve determined what your keyword is, you must incorporate it into your content. Below are a few ways you can do this.
Video Titles & Descriptions
Optimizing video titles is similar to written content in that the main objective is to include focus keywords.
Making your title easy to understand with a clear topic also plays a factor in YouTube SEO. Use descriptions to expand more on your content, but be sure to include your keyword here too!
Tags & Categorization
Tags aren’t exactly a top priority, but they can help. However, if you decide to use tags as a way to support SEO, use them correctly!
It’s common to assume that more tags equals more visibility, but this isn’t entirely true. Just including a few keywords to help YouTube and Google learn what your video is about is most effective.
First, use your focus keyword as your first tag. For example, if your target keyword is “YouTube SEO,” then use that.
Then, consider tagging a few variations of this phrase, such as “YouTube search engine optimization.”
Lastly, you might extend a tag or two that are related to your other videos’ content.
Once you upload a video, you can categorize it under “Advanced settings.”
Selecting a category is another way to group your video with similar content on YouTube. This way, it pops up in different playlists and gains exposure to more viewers who identify with your audience.
Subtitles & Closed Captions
Finally, enabling subtitles and closed captions can strengthen your SEO ranking because they’re crawlable by search engines!
YouTube supports automatic captioning, but it can be flawed. You can edit those captions, or you can add your own. Either way, be sure the captions are precise.
2. Create attractive thumbnails
Thumbnails aren’t particularly considered in YouTube SEO, but they can still have a major impact on your ranking nonetheless. Many people will view videos just from looking at the thumbnails!
Good thumbnails get more clicks, and that means better SEO.
Your thumbnail should stand out and tell viewers what your video is all about.
3. Increase audience engagement
Having an actively engaged audience will help your content gain more exposure and popularity.
To encourage engagement, ask your audience to:
- Comment on your videos
- Subscribe to your channel
- Share your videos on social media
You can also boost your SEO ranking on YouTube by creating playlists, as I previously mentioned, so viewers are more likely to continue watching more of your content.
Plus, building keyword-rich playlists can strengthen your YouTube SEO.
4. Produce quality content
This might seem like a no-brainer, but many creators aren’t aware that the content and quality of their videos play a leading role in their SEO rankings.
After all, if your content isn’t high-quality, your views will remain low. And (surprise!) with low views, it’s highly likely that your videos won’t appear anywhere near top search results.
Use these pointers to improve the quality of your content and boost your SEO ranking on YouTube:
- Invest in equipment like tripods, cameras, lights, backdrops, and microphones
- Create effective introductions, conclusions, and transitions
- Add music, sounds effects, graphics, animations, and more
- Structure your video and stay on topic
- Edit extensively and ensure there are no mistakes
5. Hire The Right SEO Company
Optimizing your YouTube channel to increase visibility and organic traffic is thus essential. An experienced SEO company can assist in identifying and optimizing keywords to target. In addition, they can develop compelling thumbnails for videos while developing strategies to increase engagement through optimization of video length and promotion on social media.
Partnering with an SEO company can also give you valuable insights about your target audience and competitors, which can help shape content strategy and yield better results over time. All-in-all, working with one can save time, increase visibility, and facilitate sustainable growth on YouTube.
Now that you know the nuts and bolts of YouTube SEO, you’re ready to hack it and use it to your benefit!
Good luck, and happy YouTubing!
Additional articles you might be interested in:
- How To Create An Effective YouTube Channel Intro Video
- How To Become A YouTube Personality
- 10 Tips For Starting A Business YouTube Channel
- 5 Rapid Ways To Gain Subscribers On YouTube
- How To Keep Your YouTube Channel Interesting
- How To Collaborate Effectively With Other Influencers On YouTube
- 11 Reasons SEO Is Crucial For Business Growth
- How To Master SEO As A Beginner
- 5 SEO Tools Every Online Business Owner Should Have
- 11 Tips On How To Get Blog Traffic Using SEO
- 10 Most Common SEO Mistakes Entrepreneurs Generally Make
- 5 Things You Need To Know About SEO
- How To Accelerate Your Online Marketing Campaign With SEO Content
- How To Write Irresistibly Clickable Headlines
- 5 Simple Ways To Get On The First Page Of Google
Bridget Baltazar is a blogging intern at LadyBossBlogger. She currently attends the University of Iowa and is studying communication studies, human relations, and environmental sustainability.
Leave a Reply