YouTube is the second biggest search engine in the world, ranking right after Google itself. In fact, its search volume is larger than that of Bing, Yahoo, AOL, and Ask.com combined. More video content is uploaded to the internet in a single month than network television has produced in the past three decades.
Video is becoming more and more important to ranking well on major search engines and growing your business. YouTube SEO is complex and ever evolving, but absolutely critical to getting more views on your videos. In an average month, 8 out of 10 18-49 year-olds watch YouTube, while 90% of America 18-24 year olds use it, making it an absolutely essential marketing strategy for your business.
Here is the ultimate YouTube SEO guide to help your video get more views on YouTube, which will gain you more subscribers and revenue.
YouTube Keyword Research
The first step you will need to take to rank well on YouTube is do some video keyword research. One super easy way to do this is to use the YouTube keyword suggest tool in their search bar. Go to YouTube and type in a word or phrase, and YouTube suggest will give you ideas for more great keywords related to your topic. This works because these are actual terms that people are typing into YouTube already.
Google Keyword Research
Also keep in mind that Google displays video suggestions on searches, so use the Google keyword research tool to find more quality keywords. Check the amount of competition surrounding a keyword and try to aim for low competition keywords at first, as you will have a better chance of ranking. Keep in mind that Google tends to bring up video suggestions for certain phrases, like how-to content, reviews, tutorials, and anything fitness related.
Research Similar Videos
Look up videos related to your video topic and see what kind of content is already out there. Check for gaps in the content coverage so you can offer something unique, and brainstorm ideas on how to improve upon already existing content.
Keyword Placement
Make sure your primary keyword appears in three major locations on your YouTube video, the video title, description, and video tags. These are the three things which will help you rank when people search for that keyword in YouTube.
Quality Video Content
One huge factor in video ranking is retention rate. You must create quality video content in order to keep viewers interested so they watch your entire video. YouTube wants to keep people on YouTube as long as possible, so if you are helping them accomplish that goal, they will reward you by boosting your content.
To keep retention rates high, offer valuable, entertaining content and jump right into it. Don’t waste time on lengthy introductions which will push viewers away. It is also important that you say your keyword in the video, and that your video content centers around it.
Comments, Likes, Subscribes
Comments and likes are super important to boosting your content. YouTube considers them a strong signal that viewers loved your content.
If people subscribe to your channel, that is another huge indicator to YouTube that your content is amazing, and people want to see more of it. If people share your content, this will also help you rank higher.
Click Through Rate
You also want to have a high click through rate, since YouTube pays close attention to user behavior, and wants to provide content users will instinctively want to click on. Your video title and thumbnail are huge factors in creating a quality click through rate.
Promote Your Video
You have to get your new video views in order to help it start to surface in YouTube’s search engine. You can use Google Ads, social media, your website, your blog posts, and more to help gain engagement on your video.
Optimize Your Channel Content
You want your YouTube channel profile picture and cover photo to align with your content and draw people’s attention. This can help you gain more subscribers which will help you gain more value in the eyes of YouTube.
Clearly, a lot goes into creating quality, high-ranking content for YouTube. Following this simple guide and taking these steps for better YouTube SEO can help your video content gain more views, increasing your engagement and following. If you are overwhelmed trying to create quality video content, our team here at Clear Vision Media can help you. Contact us today and let us help you film the video content you’ve always wanted.
