Ever spend hours crafting the perfect video, only to have it disappear into the YouTube abyss?
There is a way to avoid that happening. It’s called YouTube SEO.
What is YouTube SEO?
When people think about SEO, they normally contextualize it within the sphere of website SEO, Local SEO or even SEO for podcasts. Who knew that SEO also applies to YouTube?
YouTube SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of optimizing your YouTube videos and channel to rank higher in YouTube’s search results and suggested videos. This helps increase visibility, attract more viewers, and grows your audience.
Gone are the days of keyword stuffing. YouTube SEO in 2024 is now about strategically crafting your content to resonate with the algorithm and, more importantly, with your target audience. This article will break down YouTube SEO into three levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
Beginner YouTube SEO
At the beginner level, the focus is on understanding the basics of YouTube SEO and implementing fundamental strategies to optimize your videos.
- Do your keyword research
- Identify the right keywords: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or YouTube-specific tools to find relevant keywords.
- What is your target audience searching for?: Understand what your audience is searching for and create content that meets those needs.
- Craft a relevant title
- Use those keywords wisely: Ensure your primary keyword appears naturally in your video title.
- Tell a story with the title: Create engaging titles that encourage clicks while accurately representing the content.
- Describe what the video is about
- With the correct details & keywords: Write comprehensive descriptions that include your primary and secondary keywords.
- Guide your viewer’s next steps: Encourage viewers to like, comment, share, and subscribe.
- Use the right tags
- Make sure the tags are relevant: Use relevant tags that include variations of your primary keyword and related terms.
- Use both broad and specific tags: Combine both broad tags (e.g., “fitness”) and specific tags (e.g., “home workout for beginners”).
- It’s all in the thumbnail
- Customize those thumbnails: Create eye-catching custom thumbnails that are relevant to your video content.
- Consistent design elements: Maintain a consistent style across your thumbnails so that people start recognizing your brand.
Intermediate YouTube SEO
At the intermediate level, the focus shifts to more advanced techniques that enhance user engagement and video discoverability.
- Engagement metrics
- Watch time: Create engaging content that keeps viewers watching until the end. Higher watch times can boost your rankings.
- Likes, comments and shares: Encourage interactions as these signals show YouTube that your content is engaging and valuable.
- Closed captions and subtitles
- Transcriptions: Adding closed captions can help improve your video’s accessibility and rank for additional keywords. Closed captioning was developed to aid deaf and hard-of-hearing people, but it’s useful for a variety of situations.
- Subtitles in multiple languages: Consider adding subtitles in multiple languages to reach a broader audience. This depends on which countries you’re targeting.
- Playlists
- Keep your content organized: Group your videos into playlists to increase watch time and help viewers find related content.
- Use keywords in playlists: Use relevant keywords in your playlist titles and descriptions.
- Channel optimization
- Keep those keywords going: Include relevant keywords in your channel description and tags.
- The same branding applied throughout: Ensure your channel art, icon, and overall aesthetic are consistent and professional.
- Keep your uploads regular: Maintain a consistent upload schedule to keep your audience engaged and attract new subscribers.
- Promote the videos
- Share on social media: Share snippets of your videos on your social platforms, and get people to go watch the full episode. Learn how to optimize your social media SEO at the same time.
- Embed the videos: Embed your videos in blog posts or websites to increase views.
Advanced YouTube SEO
At the advanced level, the focus is now on leveraging data-driven insights, advanced techniques, and strategic content planning to dominate YouTube search results.
- Advanced analytics
- Monitor each video’s performance: Use YouTube Analytics to track the performance of your videos and understand what’s working with your viewers.
- Adjust as you go: Continuously optimize your content based on analytics insights and evolving SEO best practices.
- The famous A/B tests
- Be willing to experiment: Test different titles and thumbnails to see which ones generate higher click-through rates.
- Analyze and adjust: Use the data from A/B tests to make informed decisions about your content strategy. This will help you produce videos that are suited to what’s working.
- Collaboration and cross-promotion
- Reach out to other creators: Partner with other YouTubers to reach new audiences and boost your channel’s visibility.
- Cross-promos: Promote your videos across different platforms and collaborate with influencers in your niche.
- Expert-level keywords
- Long-tail keywords: Target long-tail keywords that have lower competition but higher relevance to your content.
- Trending Topics: Create content around trending topics and keywords to capture a surge in search interest.
- Create an engaged community
- Build a relationship with them: Build a loyal community by engaging with your audience through comments, live streams, and community posts. Mr Beast has one of the best YouTube communities, for good reason. He’s cracked the code.
- UGC content & stitched content: Encourage your viewers to create content related to your channel, such as reviews, reactions, or challenges.
- Use different YouTube features
- YouTube Shorts are epic: Utilize YouTube Shorts to reach a broader audience and capitalize on the popularity of short-form content.
- Cards and end screens: This is one of the more advanced and lesser-known tricks. Use cards and end screens to promote other videos, playlists, or your channel, keeping viewers engaged with your content.
Use an SEO expert to help devise a YouTube SEO strategy
XDigitalSEO are the certified SEO experts. Give us a call to get started on your YouTube SEO optimization strategy.
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