YouTube has become a massive platform for businesses worldwide. Whether you’re looking to promote your business or become the next big YouTube sensation you need viewers. But how do you set yourself apart from the competition?
Here is how you set yourself apart from the rest? We’ve compiled a selection of advanced SEO tips to improve your rankings on YouTube. Let’s take a look and see how you can boost the reach of your videos.
Generate Engagement
Likes and comments matter. It’s a cold, hard fact. YouTube loves engagement. Your videos will rank higher in the search if people are engaging with your content.
Try to encourage your viewers to comment and like your videos. Haven’t you noticed how all the top YouTubers ask their viewers to comment, rate, and subscribe? That’s because their careers depend upon it. You need engagement to put you higher in the search ranking.
Give your viewers a reason to comment and like your videos. Make sure to ask your followers to comment and like your videos. Ask for their opinions. End your videos with a call to action such as, if you do a hairstyle tutorial ask your followers if they’ve tried the hairstyle. Your viewers will be more likely to engage with you if you give them a reason to.
Views Still Count
Although according to the new algorithms, views are no longer the number 1 ranking factor, they still count. The more views you get, the higher you will get on the search ranking. More views equal more viewers.
So how do you get more views? It’s a lot to do with keywords and how you incorporate them into your channel. Know your keywords. And use them. A lot.
Find What Titles are Trending
There’s more to using keywords in your video titles than it seems. One great way to see which titles are attracting the most viewers is to check out your competitors. Go onto a competing channel and sort their videos by “most popular” and check what the titles all have in common. There’s usually a theme.
Also, while you’re checking out your competitors, check out their content and see what makes them pop. It’s good to research your competition and take inspiration from them.
Create Titles around Video Keywords
There are keywords and then there are video keywords. Video keywords affect your Google search ranking. Being high in both Google and in YouTube is much more effective than being high in just the YouTube search.
So what are video keywords? Well, let me give you an example. If people were searching for “Cute Doggos” they will be more likely to be wanting to watch videos of cute dogs than an article about why dogs are cute. Google knows this and so puts videos at the top of the search.
However, if you were searching for “How to Adopt a dog” you’re more likely to want to find written articles. Again, Google knows this and so shows you links to websites rather than video links.
Write Long Descriptions
Actually, that should say write long descriptions with lots of keywords. It’s good to write longer descriptions for your videos. The longer they are the more keywords you can fit in.
Descriptions basically allow YouTube to see what your video is about. By having a short description you’re losing out. Short descriptions really do impact your search ranking. Take full advantage of your description box and pack it full of as many keywords as you can.
Pay Attention to Video and Channel Tags
Your Video and Channel tags are a great place to include your keywords. YouTube will take into account your tags when recommending videos and channels to other people. They will also boost your search listing if the tags are relevant to the video.
Pack your tags with as many of your keywords as possible. Try to include all your relevant keywords for all your video topics on your channel tags. Take into account what your target audience will be searching for and make sure it’s in your tags.
Create Playlists with Keyword Heavy Titles
Don’t forget that your playlists count too! Channels with playlists with keywords in the title gain more viewers and engagement on their content. Playlists show up in the search too so by making sure they contain your keywords you’re boosting your search ranking.
When you get to around 10 videos on your channel organize your videos into playlists. Playlist titles should contain the main keywords that are relevant to your channel.
Concentrate on Top Quality Videos
Videos that are well made do better in the search ranking than videos that are poorly made. Your viewers want good quality video, clear sound, and something that appeals to them visually. Not only does your content need to be on point but your video quality needs to be too.
Invest in some decent video recording gear. A better computer, better editing software. Even consider investing in a lighting rig and professional microphone. You are more likely to get more viewers who watch more of your video if the quality is on par with their standards.
Make Longer Videos
Video length affects watch time. Watch time affects search ranking. Can you see the correlation here? Information on YouTube’s latest algorithms has shown that watch time is now the number one factor in search ranking. So you need to get that watch time up.
The best way to increase watch time is by making longer videos. The average length of the videos on the first page of the search is around 15 minutes long. So aim for your videos to be around 15 minutes if you want to captivate the most viewers without the video dragging on too much.
Gain Subscribers Through Your Video
Getting subscribers is generally the aim of the game. But people subscribing to you on particular video effects that video’s search ranking. Getting subscribers is even more important for YouTube SEO.
Getting subscribers is another form of engagement. And you know how much YouTube algorithms love engagement. If there’s a particular video you’re trying to boost in the search ranking, ask your followers to subscribe through that video.
Give Something Away
Giveaways can be super beneficial for creating engagement and getting subscribers. If you get followers to share your video too, even better. You’ll be jumping up the search ranking in no time.
Having a Youtube giveaway where entrants must comment, like, and subscribe will boost your engagement like crazy. If you don’t have a physical product to giveaway try giving away your services. You could even create a small Ebook with information you’ve compiled relevant to the topic of your videos. Don’t forget to link back to other videos at the end of your giveaway.
Share and Get Shared
Content sharing is another great tip to boost your search ranking. YouTube factors in the number of social shares your video has had in its algorithms. The more shares you get on social media, the higher in the ranking your video will be.
Start by sharing your video across your social media platforms. Make sure that you also ask your followers and subscribers to share as well. You can even use platforms like Fiverr and Upwork to pay people to share your content across their social media as well.
Join Communities to Share Your Content in
Joining communities means you’ll reach more people. Reaching more people means you’ll boost viewer count, engagement, and subscribers. Plus, you’ll be reaching out to people who would be genuinely interested in your content.
Join groups on Facebook or communities on LinkedIn to share your content. Don’t just go posting random links everywhere, that’ll just get you banned. Share your content mindfully with people who would benefit from what you have to share. Ask those people to comment, like, and subscribe as well.
Take Note of Google Trends
Google Trends is a really useful tool where you can see how your keywords are trending. It also allows you to see where the people are in the world who are searching for those keywords. You can also see what keywords are related to yours.
Keep track of your keywords and see if you can reach a wider audience by using related keywords. Also, check to see if those particular keywords are trending in the places where your target audience lives. If you keep track of the statistics you’ll be able to know which keywords to use to improve search rank.
Brand Your Channel
If your channel doesn’t have a brand then are you really thinking of your channel as a business? You need to brand your channel. That means having a cohesive brand across your videos, channel banner, and related social media platforms. Everyone needs to know that it’s your content before they see your username.
Look into branding before you do anything else today. Don’t just brand your channel on your own likes and tastes but take into consideration what your target audience is looking for. Make sure that your followers associate you with your brand.
Conclusion
Boosting your SEO is quite complicated. YouTube algorithms as so complex but hopefully by following these tips you’ll be able to boost your search ranking. Just remember to encourage engagement as much as possible and utilize your keywords. YouTube algorithms favor engagement and watch time over all else so make sure you boost those and it’ll be reflected in your search ranking.
Have you got a successful YouTube channel? Or are you growing a new channel from scratch? We’d love to know what other tips or advice you have for boosting your YouTube search ranking and smashing their SEO.
