Youtube SEO: A Definitive Guide To Ranking Your Videos

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Written by Savoie   
Tuesday, 16 May 2017 20:42

There is no doubt that YouTube is one of the most popular websites out there, which makes it great for generating traffic through high-quality video content. The problem is that creating awesome content is not enough, because it still needs to find its way to the right people. The reason why your videos aren't getting enough viewers might be because you're optimizing your videos the same way you are optimizing your written content.

While YouTube is owned by Google and relies on its technology, its search engine works a bit differently. On YouTube, most of the traffic will come your through suggestions. The content producer Ed Larkin from SuperiorPapers belies, that the solution is to optimize your content so that it ranks higher on both, and that it gets recognized as being relevant. Here are ways how you can start doing that today by boosting your YouTube SEO.

1. Use the Autocomplete Feature for Keywords

The good news is that both Google and YouTube have this. All you have to do I type in your keyword or phrase, and the Autocomplete feature will display a list of the most popular phrases searched by users. Another clever trick you can use is to put an underscore (“_content” for example) right in front of your keyword, and both search engines will provide you with even more suggestions. Check it out.

 

2. Check Out What Your Competition Is Doing

If you find it that your competitors are ranking inside the search engine results, and getting more views for that matter, you might want to figure out which keywords they are targeting for. Research a particular keyword and check out which videos you are provided with. If they have lots of likes, comments, and so on, then you are facing some tough competition, and as a consequence, you need to be able to create videos which are that much better. If you can do that, then you should definitely try and rank for that keyword.

 

3. Create a Killer Video

Easier said than done, right? Perhaps, but here are several ways how you can make sure that your video ranks higher. Longer videos tend to rank higher because they are more likely to contain valid and relevant information people are looking for. This goes double if you are producing tutorials, courses, and how-to videos. Mention your keyword the same way you would when writing articles. Also, people tend to prefer videos which are in HD. Avoid filler and get straight to the point with every upload. One thing that can help direct visitors to your other vids are annotations, so think about that, as well.

4. Make Sure the Title Contains Your Keyword

You should craft your video title the same way you would write an article headline. Also, make sure to include the same keyword inside the video’s meta description, which means it needs to appear in the first 160 characters. You would be surprised how important this is. But, you also have the chance to insert more keyword inside your video description. Another thing people love to see are timestamps, which help them skip to the section they are interested in. Links are also welcome, but make sure to include those that are relevant, because they do play a role in your video's ranking.

 

5. Choose a Custom Thumbnail

Another important element of your YouTube SEO is having a custom thumbnail. People tend to think in visuals, so having an eye-catching thumbnail can help your chances. Also, videos which don't have custom thumbnails are much less likely to show up inside the “related searches” or anywhere else for that matter.

 

6. Create a Transcript for Your Video

While Google can do this for you, it is not exactly the best way to do it, because its translation can be less than accurate. Instead, create a transcript yourself. But, if you are too short on time, there is still a solution, because there are plenty of freelancers out there which specialize in transcription, and whose services are affordable.

7. Create a Blog Post Featuring the Same Keyword

This one should be easy, because you already have the content, and all you need to do is convert it into a different form. In addition to that, you can drive traffic your blog from YouTube, as well as the other way around. Also, having diverse content on your blog, such as videos and images, can improve its SEO and user engagement. On the other hand, the number of views, embeds, and comments will help with your videos YouTube ranking.

8. Enhance Your Channel with Some Visuals

This one is pretty easy, yet effective. Create a banner which reflects your channel’s visual identity. There are plenty of apps out there which allow you to create stunning designs without any previous design experience. Also, you can spruce up the channel's homepage by uploading your channel's logo, provide as many details in the about section, and choose a featured video. If you have several videos which tie into one another, organize them into playlist for easier browsing.

The Final Word

With these helpful tips and tricks, and with a little bit of hard work, you will be able to get your YouTube on the first page of Google, as well as YouTube. Let us know if it has worked for you. Good luck!

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