Basics of YouTube Video Search Optimization

When you want exposure for your videos on YouTube, the first thing that you should focus on is YouTube SEO. The process of YouTube video search optimization is crucial because it helps make your videos more discoverable or viewable. This step increases the likelihood of getting more views, more subscribers, and increased revenue. Now let’s see how videos should be structured to maximize exposure.

What is YouTube Video Search Optimization? 

YouTube video search optimization is the process of optimizing videos and channels on this platform to increase their rankings. YouTube is a search engine just like Google and has an intricate algorithm that determines the rankings of your videos. Optimizing videos will not only make them rank but will also boost brand awareness and website visits. 

In this practice, you optimize the channel’s playlists, descriptions, metadata, and videos not only for YouTube but also for other search engines.

YouTube optimization revolves around the number of views and how well the video is ranked in a specific category. Trends show that brands, after optimizing their YouTube channels, see 50% growth in their viewing time. There are several strategies to consider when you want to boost your watch time, such as;

• Does the video’s description and meta description match the user’s query
• Note the time users spend watching your videos
• Are users tempted to click CTAs after watching it
• What are the demographics of your users

It is because YouTube search trends rank videos based on their views, rate of growth, what age of the people who are mostly watching those videos, and the demographics of the viewers watching them. YouTube then selects the most relevant videos for the viewers.

Why is YouTube Video Search Optimization Important?

Several reasons are making YouTube Video Search Optimization crucial, for instance;

• It helps you get more views by turning videos up in top search results. This means that more people will have the opportunity to view your videos.
• With your videos showing up in online searches, increasing CTRs, boosting organic traffic to your website, and driving organic traffic from YouTube. 
• With more views, shares, and engagement, there are more chances for the video to convert, getting you more subscriptions and views.
• Along with that, YouTube SEO is much more cost-effective. It does need extra time and budget for the right tools, but that doesn’t cost much. 

Top Tactics for YouTube SEO to Get Your Content in Front of More Viewers

Choose the Right Keyword

In YouTube video search optimization, the keywords land in video titles, descriptions, audio, captions, and metadata. To find out the right phrases people use in search, you have to do some keyword research. One of the great ways is to use YouTube’s Search Suggest by typing the relevant word or phrase in the search bar. There are plenty of tools, and you can search for the keywords with high search volume and low competition to stand out. These tools include VidIQ Vision, UberSuggest, Adwords Keyword Planner, Moz Keyword Explorer, etc.

These tools will show you the number of searches per month, average cost per click from the term on Google Ads, and keyword volume. Searching for long-term keywords will get you better suggestions, so prefer it in your research. 

2. Add Accurate Captions

Although YouTube automatically provides captions to your videos, these auto-captions are 70% accurate. Therefore, there’s a chance that the remaining 30% will be incomprehensible, automatically generated gibberish, which is not only inaccurate but also will be labeled as spam and make you lose ranking for your channel. 

Also, the search engine can crawl text, but it cannot watch videos. If your caption is optimized with relevant keywords, Google can crawl your content. However, some YouTubers go for automated transcripts and then manually fix the errors or go for cheap DIY transcription options that ultimately make everything tedious. That’s why, to avoid such a situation, we suggest adding accurate closed captions through the SRT file. 

Along with that, offer subtitles in multiple languages. It’s because YouTube has a massive global reach and only 16.4% of its traffic comes from the U.S., while the rest of its over 2 billion users are from all around the world. Therefore, subtitles in non-native languages will make foreigners enjoy your videos, improving their reach.

3. Add a Transcript to Your Video Description

YouTube description allows 5,000 characters, which is enough to fit a transcript for a 10-minute video. If your transcript is longer and doesn’t fit with other information, such as CTAs, then you can also add a trim version of a description with a link to the full version on a separate web page. Although brands are doing great outreach with video, they ignore the importance of transcripts. Using a video transcript makes it more useful, and shareable, and boosts SEO. Thats why include blogs, fact sheets, infographics, and website copy to make your video more derivative content.

4. Add Compelling Thumbnail

The right video thumbnail is a key to boosting click-through rates. You can choose the frame type to display your video. YouTube allows 3 screenshots that you can choose from to add to your video. You can also choose images from a different moment and then add it to your video. The images you use should be high-quality with a 16:9 aspect ratio.

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Conclusion:

By implementing these strategies, you make sure your video content is what YouTube wants useful, good, and engaging. Understanding how YouTube video search optimization works is like learning how to cook, one of the easiest video implications. It just takes you some time to figure it out.