YouTube is a multi-billionaire social platform, used by over 2.5 billion people. It performs greatly as an educational, informative, and entertaining tool for the viewers while bringing impressive financial benefits to the video creators. YouTube made turned video content into the main form of communication with the viewers, as according to Internet polls, 73% would rather watch than read the information. With such a fertile ground for development, YouTube blogging can bring quite impressive revenue, provided you use the right techniques to reach a bigger audience.
What are the best ways to optimize your Youtube video for search?
Everyone who is involved in Internet marketing is aware of SEO optimization techniques that promote website visibility in google searches. However, video optimization requires a different approach and methods. Let’s look into them.
Usage of the Keywords
Keywords are the words or/and phrases people use to search for the required information. Basically, they define what the content is going to be about.
The keywords you use must be relevant to the viewer’s request, as it will raise the chances of your content being found in the SERPs – search engine result page. The are two main types to be used – long- and short-tailed. They can be used both serving different purposes.
A short-tail keyword can easier be found by the viewer, and typically consists of up to three words. They may attract attention, yet the quality output can be low, as it doesn’t reflect the specific needs of the viewers.
A long-tail keyword has a lower search volume, yet it is more specific, having more chances to satisfy the needs of the viewer.
The keywords must be included:
- In the names of the video file, as it may be one of the ranking factors that Youtube uses. Therefore, there will be more chances to gain more search volume.
- In the title of the video, as it will match your video with the intent of the customer.
Engaging Video Cover
By using the right keywords you will increase the chances of the video to appear in the top search. The next step is to make it visually attractive, to catch the viewer’s attention. The first visual interaction with the video starts when a person looks at the cover. If it is compelling and engaging, the viewer will proceed to watch the content.
It is not recommended to use the snapshots of the video for the cover, as it looks too simple and plain. Instead, you can search for a template cover for Youtube channel, choosing the ones that will demonstrate the essential things about your channel and customize it according to your needs. Typically, it would contain topic-related images, the title, the presenter, etc.
Description
After being attracted by the cover of the video, the eyes of the viewers and listeners move on to the description. The time spent reading it is approximately 1-2 seconds. Therefore, you have up to 150-200 words to make it work, not more. Besides, Youtube displays only the first two-three lines, hiding everything under the “show more” button. If there are no ‘word-hooks’, the video will be left unnoticed.
Usage of Hashtags
Hashtags are also keywords, but they are preceded by the symbol #. They simplify the search for the viewers and listeners connecting with other similar video content. Hashtags benefit greatly from the discoverability of the video on any social media platform, including Youtube.
Video Category
After uploading the video content, choose its category using the “Advanced settings”. That’s the best way to group your video with similar content, and thus, you will reach a higher discoverability in the search results.
End Screens
And screens promote all the videos you have that are related to the topic. End screens are also called outros and aim to engage the viewer into taking further steps while watching the channel – watch more videos of the same kind, use the link to an approved website, subscribe, check the playlists, etc. To put it simply, the end scenes work like the final CAT claim (call-to-action), helping to keep the viewers and listeners involved.
Sustainable Videoflow
If managed to attract viewers, you need to maintain their constant interest in your channel. The frequency of the video posts depends on the length of the video, the topic you cover, and your audience. As a rule, long videos should be posted not more than one-two times a week, as the person will simply not have time to watch everything, skipping the major part of them. Just to keep the viewers engaged, you need to post 2-3 times something brief and informative, up to five minutes long.
YouTube gives immense opportunities for developing your talents as a blogger and making your living creating video content. However, it takes time from the moment your first video is published and when it starts earning money.
Video promotion is a challenging routine, as there are roughly 500 hours of video being uploaded on the platform every minute. It takes patience, effort, and specific optimization techniques to make the video stand out from the crowd:
- Define the keywords and add them to titles, the name of the video file, hashtags, and descriptions.
- Work on the cover for your channel and videos, as they attract the attention of the viewer.
- Add the outers, as they will help to keep the viewer on the channel and proceed to other content.
Youtube is a powerful tool for communication with the audience. Make sure you use all techniques to help your video content reach the top search results.