Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of getting traffic from non-paid search results. Other terms for this are “organic”, “natural”, or “free”. When you mention SEO, most people think “how can I be number 1 on Google?” There is another often-forgotten search engine: YouTube. As the second-most visited website Globally, there is great opportunity for businesses to capitalize on video production to promote on the web. People view billions of hours of video on YouTube every month. So, what is the best way to reach these viewers with topics of interest? In this week’s blog, we talk about YouTube SEO, ranking factors, and how to best optimize your video content.
YouTube Ranking Factors
Just as with ranking factors for websites, there are also ranking factors for YouTube content that will ultimately help determine where a video will appear when searched. Some of the top YouTube ranking factors include:
- User Engagement – The duration of time that a user watches a video.
- Video Comments – The number of comments left by viewers.
- Subscribers – The number of subscribers to the channel after having watched a video.
- Video Shares – The number of times the video was shared.
- Using broad match keywords in the video title, description, and keyword tags.
Each of these factors are a part of the larger algorithm used by Google to determine where to place videos in search results. Other factors pertain to the content of the video itself relating to the quality of the content.
Create Engaging Video Content
It is important to create engaging video content that will keep the users engaged throughout the video as well as convert them to subscribers. It can be difficult to determine what content might engage users when starting a video marketing plan from scratch. Conducting some competitive analysis will give you insight as to what the competition is doing as well as what is working for them. This will help you to create high quality and engaging content that will keep viewers watching for longer periods of time.
Utilize “Old” SEO Tactics
When it comes to YouTube optimization, old SEO tactics are still relevant. It is important to utilize broadly matched keywords and include them in the video title, description, and keyword tags. Creating a custom thumbnail image can also help increase click-through-rates. You can customize these settings when uploading a video to YouTube but will likely need to employ some graphic design skills when creating a graphically pleasing thumbnail.
Promote YouTube Videos
Once a video is created, uploaded to YouTube using a branded channel, and utilizing some of those old SEO tactics, the video is ready for promoting. There are various channels through which to promote YouTube videos: blog, website, social media, etc. Promoting the video through as many channels as possible to reach the greatest number of viewers is a great strategy.
Please feel free to leave a comment or fill out a contact form with any inquiries you may have.