YouTube SEO: 3 Tips

YouTube is a popular site. In fact, after Google, it is the second most visited site on the internet. However, it is also a crowded site with thousands of videos uploaded every minute. So how do you get your YouTube video to rank when there’s so much competition? By optimizing your video (also known as YouTube SEO or Video SEO).

Increase visibility and rankings for your YouTube videos with these quick tips.

Keywords Matter

Known as video keywords, these keywords tend to have separate video results on the first page of Google. For example, if you search ‘cute puppies” you will see a section of video results and a section of images. Why? Well, we know that Google is smart, so it knows that someone searching for “cute puppies’ is more likely to want to see pictures or videos of puppies being cute.

Contrast this with someone searching for “migraine symptoms.” Google will deliver a block of text articles because it knows that the searcher is more likely to want to read about the symptoms, causes and treatment for migraines.

So, how do you decide on a keyword for your video? The same way you would when optimizing your website – with keyword research. One of the simplest and most effective methods is to simply go to Google and type in different keywords to see if any of them bring up video results. You can also go to YouTube and start typing a keyword. Popular searches will appear as you type, similar to how they do in Google.

Keyword tags are also important. Use phrases as well as single keywords. Moz suggests that videos with 31 to 40 tags tend to get more recommendations.

Optimise Your Title

The same way optimised headings for the content on your website are important, so too are optimised YouTube titles. Our top tips:

• Include your focus keyword
• Solve a problem with your title (how to/what do/where is etc)
• Keep the title short (less than 50 characters and around 5 words is best) and make the descriptions longer (between 200 and 350 words with plenty of keywords).
• Make the title grab the user’s attention. Tell them why they should watch your video.

Watch Your Watch Time

What is the best YouTube video length? Contrary to popular opinion, short videos are not always best. According to Search Engine Land:

“Videos that are at least five minutes in length tend to perform better and have a higher chance of ranking in Google searches.”

Like everything Google does, quality is put above quantity, with the ideal video being one that engages users, keeps them on the site and allows more ads to be run.

Another key point to bear in mind is the correlation between video views and watch time.

“A key metric to keep an eye on is watch time — not just for each video, but for your channel overall. Ideally, you should be seeing monthly increases in watch time as your channel grows”

Need help with your SEO? Nowra Web Designer can help develop an SEO strategy to help your business grow online. Talk to our web development and digital marketing team today.