Search Engine Optimization (also referred to as SEO) is used to make looking for information on the internet easier. Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing utilize the SEO keywords embedded in web pages to provide search results to internet queries. Different search engines usually provide different results due to their particular ranking factors.
So, if a person types in the search box “how to make pizza,” the search engine would pull up all the web pages that contain those keywords. The query results are affected by other factors such as the paid placements, websites’ click-through rate, LSI (latent semantic indexing) keywords, tags, content quality, etc. Each search engine has its computation and factors and, therefore, would yield varied results.
Regardless of the search engine used, if you fully optimize your website or, in this case, your YouTube channel, your videos will surely be placed on the first page of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
What is YouTube SEO?
The YouTube website or mobile app has its own search engine that you can access by clicking on the magnifying glass icon. Having its own search engine means having its own set of ranking factors aside from the traditional SEO. Unlike web articles that search engines can scan, the algorithm can not watch videos. Therefore, YouTube SEO relies on metadata and such to compile results.
On YouTube ranking, the 3 main things that influence the video ranking are the click-through rate, viewer retention, and the total watch time of the videos. To monitor your optimization, you can review the data on these.
1. Click-Through Rate
The click-through rate is the ratio between the clicks and the impressions of the video. It is calculated by the number of clicks on the video, divided by the number of times the video thumbnail has been seen on the platform. The higher the rate is, the better your video will rank in the searches.
Let’s say your video was displayed 1,000 times on the YouTube feed and related videos. Then it was clicked on 50 times. This is how to get your click-through rate:
50 clicks ÷ 1,000 impressions = 0.05 x 100% = 5% click-through rate
2. Viewer Retention
Once your video thumbnail has been clicked, the next factor that can be measured is viewer retention. If the viewer played the video for more than 30 seconds, it goes to your viewer retention count. Some say it has to reach a percentage of your video length. The longer the people watch your video, the higher the chance for your content to be visible.
3. Watch Time
Watch time is the total number of minutes that your videos have been played. You can even watch your video at least twice a day to add to your watch time. Do not try to cheat this part, though. YouTube has an advanced algorithm that can detect spam playing. They will shut down those that have been flagged as fake and spamming.
What is YouTube Keyword Research and how to Do It Properly?
It is better to do your research first before creating content to make sure that what you will be uploading is relevant to your audience. This ensures that your video gets the clicks and views that you need.
To start your data gathering and get an idea of what content to upload, you have to do keyword research. You can do this via YouTube, Google search, or other search engines.
Use some of the basic single-word tags that people often use, how and what. Then type in the topic of your niche and other related words to it, known as LSI (latent semantic indexing) keywords.
Take note of the top results. These are the trending keywords that people are interested in and will surely click on when they see them.
Once you have a list of your target keywords, you can now use them to optimize when creating videos. Include these words in your video SEO when writing the title and description, choosing tags, and creating your video thumbnail image.
The Importance of YouTube Video Optimization
According to YouTube, there are about 1 billion hours of videos watched every day. Of course, you want your video to take part in those watch hours. But then, you have to compete with the billions of other videos on the site. So, for your video to be seen and played by people, the best strategy is to do video optimization.
When your video is optimized, it means that it will pop up often in searches pertaining to your niche or topic. This will ensure that your video is seen on the search results rather than being in the last result pages or worse – unsearchable.
If your video is highly visible to people, you will have more chances of getting video clicks, watch time, and engagements. Having good traffic and engagements means your channel’s popularity will increase, and you will have more chances of earning money through the site.
By having optimized content, promoting your video will be easy.
Now that you know what SEO is and its importance to your channel’s growth, here are some YouTube SEO tips that you can employ.
SEO tips for YouTube video descriptions
Aside from optimizing your video title, the next part that you want to optimize is your video description. YouTube allows writing a description of up to 5,000 characters. This is enough for you to describe accurately your video content so that viewers can decide if they still want to play the video or not.
To create a good video description:
- Use the top keywords that you have gathered from your research.
- Insert the keywords seamlessly through writing a detailed description, maybe in the form of an informative text, a narrative, or a list.
- Use hashtags that are directly related to your video topic. Ex. #pizza, #howtomake
- You should also include links to your main blog post or eCommerce store.
- This is where you can also put links to your sponsors or the items/services you used or plan to use in your video.
SEO tips for tags in YouTube video
Tags are included in the description section of your video. These are detected by the algorithm to better categorize your content and pull it up in searches. To create good tags:
- Use less than 30 characters per tag.
- Use your target keywords.
- Include 2-3 related/LSI keywords.
- Use a unique term to refer to your brand.
SEO tips for YouTube thumbnails
Great-looking video thumbnails will attract more clicks. So, make sure to follow these:
- The file type should be JPEG, PNG, or GIF.
- The file size is less than 2MB.
- Use a resolution of 1280×720 (640 pixels minimum width)
- Use a 16:9 aspect ratio.
- Create a clear image that accurately depicts what your video is about.
- Use text that is compelling but not clickbaity.
- Include your logo or something that will make viewers recognize it as yours.
- Compare your thumbnail with other thumbnails on the site. Make sure yours will stand out.
Final Thoughts
If you find that doing keyword research is too much work, you may opt to use YouTube keyword analytics tools that are available on the internet. These programs can instantly tell you how popular the words that you type in are. Then you may choose the words that have good results.
If you also want a sure-fire way to get organic subscribers, you may opt to use the services of the best YouTube growth experts. Genuine followers are the foundation of successful YouTube channels. So, if you want to gain real subscribers without the hassle, avail of a free trial today!
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