Unlike fight club, we talk about YouTube SEO.
You may know, but let’s recap what SEO is:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) gives your content a boost to rank higher in search engines. Just like Google is a search engine, so is YouTube. The keywords and search terms you use while uploading your content will determine the chances of your video popping up when viewers search for that specific topic.
Not only does YouTube use keywords and search terms to rank their videos for what your viewers are looking for, but they also determine your viewers’ results based on who they subscribe to and the content they already watch. So think about who your target audience is and how to target them.
Be specific, be, be specific!
It’s all about appeasing YouTube’s algorithm. Luckily you want to cater your content to your viewers just as much as YouTube does. The algorithm works to deliver viewers with videos similar to what they have watched in the past, videos they have liked, creators they’re subscribed to, and channels they have watched multiple videos from. How long viewers have watched a video and how many likes are key to YouTube’s algorithm.
Here are four tips to making the most of your post:
1. Keywords are the key.
When you’re uploading your video, change the name of your video file. This may seem insignificant, but if the file name matches the keywords in your video, the chances of viewers finding your content will be higher.
For your video description, it should be simple and to the point. YouTube displays only the first two sentences you write, so take advantage of it and entice your viewers to watch, not without using keywords though! The same goes for your catchy video title. Have a keyword or search term be the main focus of your title in your thumbnail.
Speaking of your thumbnail…
2. Have your thumbnail stand out!
Creative and fun-looking thumbnails get more views, that’s just how the story goes. If you put effort and care into creating your thumbnails, more viewers will click on your video and watch! Text in your thumbnail will affect your SEO ranking, and an eye-catching thumbnail will help earn your video more clicks, resulting in higher ranking in the search engine for new viewers and potentially new subscribers.
* Curious about what you should include in your YouTube thumbnails? We’ve got you covered!
3. Categorize your content.
Everything has a place on your computer, so why not your YouTube channel too? Adding a category to your video tells YouTube to group your video with similar content. With the powers of SEO at play, YouTube also places your video in playlists to reach the audience you want to watch your content.
Creating playlists on your YouTube channel and populating those playlists with keyword-focused titles will tell YouTube what your videos are about. Organized playlists will also keep viewers clicking on more videos, which will help with SEO in terms of view count and help to rank your videos higher. Once your viewers find the content they like to see, they will be coming back for more, and it will be easier for them to find your content when there is a place for every video and every video is in its place.
4. Tags and Hashtags.
Tags tell your viewers exactly what your video is about, but they also let YouTube know what your video entails based on the content and context of your video. You want to add only a few tags that relate to your brand and the topic you are placing it in. Once you add the most relevant tags to your videos, YouTube pushes your video out to reach the audience looking for it the most, associating your content with similar videos and broadening its reach.
Hashtags appear at the top of your video to help increase your reach by telling your viewers exactly what your video is about, signaling specific and trending hashtags.
Now that you know how to pump your videos full of SEO, it’s time to get creating and uploading. Have your viewers “Like & Subscribe,” and watch more videos for similar content.
How’s the saying go? We helped your algorithm, now you can help ours? Follow us on all the socials @samuraimediaofficial!
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