Top YouTube SEO Strategies That Work!

Video content popularity is on the rise. A report published in 2018 by the State of Inbound found that 45% of marketing teams increased their investment in YouTube compared to other channels. This immensely popular video distribution website is enjoyed by the masses, so it’s necessary to optimize your content on YouTube.

Here are six proven YouTube SEO strategies that garner results:

1.Use a target keyword to name your video file.

Similar to optimizing blogs and articles, you will require an SEO tool to pinpoint keywords to bring the video topic into focus. Once the keyword is identified, you need to first place it in the video file prior to uploading it onto YouTube. Keep in mind, YouTube is unable to “watch” the content of the video to determine its relevance to the target keyword. There are a limited number of places where the target keyword can be inserted on the video viewing page after it’s published with video content. YouTube can read the video file name and all the related code that’s associated with it after publishing.

2. Optimize the video description.

Google allows you 1,000 characters for YouTube descriptions. Does this mean you need to fill up all that space? No! While you definitely can write up to 1,000 characters, it’s recommended you don’t. Viewers are interested in watching the video, not reading an essay.

In case you want to write a lengthy description, YouTube will only showcase the first couple of lines, which equals to around 100 characters. After that, the viewer is required to select “show more” to view the entire description. That’s why it’s recommended to front-load the description with relevant details like important links and CTAs.

3. Use popular keywords related to your topic to tag your video.

According to YouTube’s Creator Academy, use tags that inform viewers what the video topic is about. This informs both the viewers and YouTube as well. The platform relies on tags to comprehend the context and content of the video. This is how YouTube evaluates how to link your video to similar videos. This broadens your content’s scope. Choose your tags carefully. Avoid irrelevant tags because you might be penalized by Google for doing so. Similar to writing the description, use important keywords, specifically long-tail and commonly used terms.

4. Insert the keyword at a natural point in the title.

When a viewer searches for videos, they’re naturally drawn to the title. This frequently determines whether the viewer will select the video to watch. This is why the title should be concise, clear, and compelling. The keywords play a vital role in the video title, but it will also be useful if the title is a close match to what viewers are looking for.

Don’t forget to keep the title short, up to 60 characters. This helps it fit in on the results pages.

5. Upload a customized thumbnail image for the video result link.

The video thumbnail image is the first “picture” the viewer gets when they’re scrolling through the video results list. The thumbnail image and video title will provide the first indication of the video content. This directly impacts the number of clicks and views the video will receive.

You have the option of selecting the thumbnail image that is auto-generated by YouTube; however, it’s highly suggested using a custom thumbnail. According to Creator Academy, 90% of the top-performing YouTube videos use custom thumbnails. They recommend using images with 1280×720 pixels that are 2 MB or smaller. Save the file as .gif, .jpeg, .png, or .bmp. By sticking to these parameters, your thumbnail will appear the same across several viewing platforms.

A point to note is your YouTube account must be verified before you can upload a custom thumbnail.

Now you can create SEO optimized, high-ranking YouTube videos with these tips. Visit SoNuker.com for more details.