What is YouTube Optimization?
When you upload a video to YouTube, it’s given a unique alphanumeric code called a”video ID.” This video ID represents your specific video on the website. Optimization is the practice of improving the chances of getting attention for your videos by using keywords effectively in order to be found more often. By optimizing your content, through appropriate keyword selection and overall content structure, you increase the total number of views you get on each video. Optimizing your YouTube videos can lead to increased income from advertisements placed prior to or during each video.
The best reason to boost your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) through YouTube optimization is that it will help you rank better in searches on YouTube itself as well as other major search engines like Google. Videos that are optimized tend to get noticed more often, compared to videos that are not optimized and can help you build a larger audience for your channel.
A single video can be optimized in more than one way, which is why the term”YouTube optimization” is rather ambiguous. There are ways to optimize a video by optimizing the title, description, tags, and even the content. Optimization can be done manually or through software.
The Two Main Ingredients:
- Keywords
Interesting title + Optimized description = higher view count!
Well, not quite that simple. Keywords are what help people find your videos when searching online. If you’re able to use the right ones, then you’ll get more views on YouTube and attract an audience that is interested in your topic. You can then provide them with even more information while keeping them watching for longer periods of time if they like it.
How to choose relevant keywords?
Think about what people would search when looking for a video similar to yours. You want to make sure that whatever words or phrases someone types in when looking for a specific topic, your video will appear as one of the top few results they see. This means adding relevant keywords to help people find your video, which depending on what they are searching for could be multiple possibilities.
2. Tags
Tags also help people find your videos, and like keywords, they can bring up a variety of related topics.
What are the most important tags to consider using?
YouTube suggests that you use at least one or two main tags which are included in the title but shouldn’t overdo it. It’s advised that each tag include not more than two words. This is because if someone types in”cheese” as a search term, there will be lots of results associated with “cheese”, so they might pick out popular ones to view instead. If you have too many different variations of the word cheese, for example,”cheese recipes”, “gourmet cheese”, etc., this could become overwhelming for them to sort through.
How to optimize your videos for better search engine rankings
1. Make sure your video is in HD
Videos in high definition tend to rank better on YouTube and other search engines than lower-quality videos. To make it easier on viewers, upload your videos in the highest possible definition you have access to.
2. Provide a title that accurately describes the content of the video
It’s important to include the subject of your video in the first few words, as well as make sure that this title includes terms that may be more specific to what you are trying to rank for. Be sure not to make it too long or else some search engines will actually cut off the first few words of it.
3. Include a short and informative description of what you’re going to be talking about in your video
This is a great place to add in words that you’ll be using as keywords. It’s good practice to include 1-2 sentences at the beginning of your description and then continue on with what you intend to describe in your video.
4. Use relevant keywords when uploading so people can find it easier
This is the most important step to take on YouTube. You’ll want to include 5-8 of the most relevant keywords that you think your audience will use when searching for videos related to yours. Try to avoid using generic words, as this can lead people with similar interests but not looking specifically for your video to not find it. You can use keyword research tools such as LSIGraph and BiQ to help you with this. You can also learn more about keyword discovery here.
5. Add tags to help categorize your videos
Tags are another great way to use keywords for your videos. This is especially helpful when people want to find a variety of different videos within one particular topic. Tags are separated by commas, and you can add up to 10 of them. Make sure to mention the most important words in your description when adding tags.
6. Create an intro for each video with information such as who you are, what you’re doing, and why they should watch this particular one
This helps build up the audience for your channel, as well as gives everyone a better idea of what they are potentially getting into before clicking on it. If you’ve been consistent with your branding and have a series of videos that follow a particular topic, mention this in the beginning as well.
7. Share your videos on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.
Between your own social media accounts, comments on other pages similar to yours, or just mentioning it in passing conversation, any way you can get the word out about your videos is a good thing. Take advantage of any chance you have to let others know about what you’re doing.
8. Add a link at the end of your video telling viewers where they can find more content from you
Including a link to your channel, along with related content from the same topic of your video is a good way to get people interested in checking out more videos. This also helps them find you on other social media sites as well.
9. Keep your videos short and concise
Don’t make your videos any longer than the amount of content you’d like to include. If they appear too long, people probably won’t watch them and instead choose a video with less time to sit through it. Include enough information to get your point across without boring people.
10. Include a call-to-action at the end of each video that directs people to subscribe or share with their friends
This is good for both getting more people to find your videos and continuing the engagement with your current viewers. Many viewers might not see this section right away if it isn’t smack-dab in the middle of the video, so be sure to include something that stands out to get attention.
11. Upload regularly
If you only upload your videos once in a blue moon, it wont help your channel gain any authority or credibility on YouTube. Regularly uploading videos shows that you are dedicated to providing quality content on a regular basis which includes keywords people will be searching for and related tags. It also means that each of your videos has more opportunities to rank higher with search engines like Google by receiving more views than if it wasn’t uploaded regularly.
In conclusion, with YouTube’s algorithm, videos relevant to what people are searching for will rank higher with search engines. YouTube Optimization is all about making sure your video gains as much popularity as possible so it reaches the widest audience possible.
It’s also important that people can find your video easily when searching for something specific through both YouTube Search and Google search since those are the two main sources where viewers will land on your page from. The more relevant your video is, the more likely it will be found by someone looking for something. Try mentioning relevant keywords in your description when uploading a video, tagging them appropriately, creating an intro including creating good descriptions for your videos as well as titles., sharing on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter as well as other websites related to your topic that could potentially link back to your channel or videos, keeping them short and concise while giving enough information so viewers fully understand the content of the video but also making sure not to bore them by talking too long about any one subject and including a call-to-action at the end telling viewers where they can find follow your channel or other similar types of content from you.
By doing these things on a consistent basis, you will gain more viewers and subscribers to your channel which in turn makes it easier for others to find your videos because there are more of them available. This also increases the likelihood that they’ll watch future videos if they liked this one. These are just some ways that will help increase views and subscribers which in turn should lead to more people watching your video and increasing its ranking.
VeronicaFortuna is a content writer and PR outreach specialist for VEED.IO. She also self-published a poetry collection entitled Wait in Hope.
Updated: 2 April 2023
