YouTube SEO: How to Optimize Videos for Better Visibility
Struggling to get your YouTube video views up despite creating great content? It may be time to consider YouTube search engine optimization (SEO).
Getting videos to appear on target audiences’ Home feeds and search results is challenging. With YouTube receiving an average of 20 million video uploads daily, it’s easy for yours to get lost in the vast sea of content — sometimes even when you invest heavily in production. It takes a combination of factors, including content quality and SEO, to rank well on the platform.
In this guide, we take an in-depth look at YouTube SEO, exploring what exactly it entails, how YouTube ranks videos, and how to optimize your content (and channel) to boost discoverability and visibility.
What Is YouTube SEO?
YouTube SEO is the process of optimizing your channel and video content to rank higher in YouTube’s search results and appear more in Feed recommendations. It involves making it easier for the YouTube algorithm (and search engines like Google) to categorize and recommend your content to the right audiences.
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How Does the YouTube Algorithm Rank Content?
To determine what to do to rank well on YouTube’s search results and recommendations, you first need to understand how the platform ranks content.
YouTube’s ranking algorithm has a simple goal: to give viewers more of what they want to boost their satisfaction and keep them on the platform longer. To achieve this goal, it considers multiple factors when recommending videos and ranking content in search results. These include:
- Viewer interest: It primarily suggests videos in categories viewers have shown interest in. If a user frequently watches lifestyle content, the algorithm will mainly recommend lifestyle-focused videos in their Home feed. Unfortunately, you have no control over this ranking factor.
- Watch time: The algorithm treats videos with longer watch times as more valuable. So, it tends to recommend them more and rank them higher in search results.
- Engagement: Videos with many likes, comments, shares, and saves also appear valuable. So, they receive better rankings and more recommendations than those with minimal engagement.
- Click-through rates: The more people click through to watch your videos, the more compelling they appear to the YouTube algorithm.
- Relevance: The algorithm aims to deliver videos that align with users’ search queries. To do this, it crawls text components, such as titles and descriptions, and matches them with user queries. The better aligned your components are to common search terms and phrases, the higher your rankings will be.
YouTube SEO Tips
There’s a lot you can do to improve your discoverability in search and visibility in feeds. Here are our top SEO tips:
1. Do Keyword Research
Keywords play a big role in how you rank and whether you appear in target audiences’ recommendations. So, start by identifying the terms and phrases your target audience typically uses when searching for videos in your niche.
Luckily, you don’t have to do the research manually. There are many keyword generators online that not only suggest keywords but also rank them by popularity — such as Semrush and Ahrefs.
Alternatively, you can use YouTube’s search bar to find potential keywords. When you enter your main search term in the search bar, YouTube automatically suggests a list of possible phrases based on users’ searches. This is an especially great option when you need help identifying long-tail keywords.
2. Use Identified Keywords
Finding popular keywords in your niche is only half the battle. The other half is actually using them.
The more you incorporate keywords into your content and channel, the more opportunities you have to show up in search results. Some great places to include keywords include:
- Video file names
- Video titles
- Video descriptions
- Channel descriptions
This isn’t to say you should include all identified keywords in these sections. Focus only on relevant terms and phrases — quality will always beat quantity.
3. Optimize Video Titles and Descriptions
The YouTube algorithm doesn’t really watch videos to understand their content. Instead, it relies on the text components associated with videos.
This makes it important to optimize your titles and descriptions. Ideally, they should be as descriptive and specific to your content as possible. Titles should also be concise to avoid getting cut off in results pages.
Say you create a WiFi troubleshooting tutorial. You can use “How to fix WiFi issues” as your title. For your description, detail the value of your video in the first few lines. The more specific your titles and descriptions are, the easier it is for the algorithm and viewers to understand the value of your content. This could result in more recommendations and video clicks.
4. Categorize Your Videos
While categorizing content doesn’t directly affect rankings, it does help the algorithm understand what your videos cover. This allows it to classify your content more effectively so it can surface it to the right audiences.
YouTube provides a long list of content categories to choose from, including:
- Comedy
- News & Politics
- Gaming
- Entertainment
- Education
- Fashion
- Travel & Events
- Sports
Make sure your chosen category matches your content type to avoid creating confusion.
5. Add Relevant Tags
Tags are descriptive keywords added to video metadata to help viewers find content. According to YouTube, they typically play a small role in content discovery. That said, they’re still important since they help the algorithm understand your videos’ content and context. The better it does, the more likely you are to appear in recommendations.
Adding tags is pretty straightforward. Upload your video, go to the “Details” section, and tap More options. When the tags section appears, enter keywords that relate to your content. For example, if you’re uploading a video on troubleshooting WiFi issues, you could include “how to troubleshoot WiFi issues,” “solving WiFi issues,” and “fixing WiFi problems” as your tags.
Note: Adding too many tags can make you appear spammy, so include only a few relevant options.
6. Leverage Cards and End Screens
Cards and end screens are preformatted, clickable pop-ups that appear during videos and at the end. They’re valuable assets because they allow you to promote your channel and videos to audiences that have already shown interest in your content. This can drive traffic to other videos and boost engagement rates, sending positive signals to YouTube’s ranking system.
To add cards:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- Head to the left-hand menu and select Content.
- Tap the video you want to edit.
- Click the Cards box, then select the cards you want to add. YouTube offers various types of cards, including channel cards, fan funding, video or playlist cards, donation cards, poll cards, and link cards. To boost engagement in your other content, channel and video (or playlist) cards are the most valuable.
- Select the start times for your cards — when you want them to appear.
- Add a concise message about the linked content (optional).
- Tap Save.
To add end screens:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- Head to the left-hand menu, select Content.
- Tap the video you want to edit, and select Editor.
- Click End screen and choose the element you want to add.
- Tap SAVE.
7. Add Timestamps
Timestamps indicate what to expect in different sections of your videos. They make it easy for audiences to find what they’re looking for, potentially boosting retention rates.
Further, these marks help the algorithm understand your videos by breaking down different sections. This could lead to your content appearing in search results for specific terms, even if they’re not present in your titles and descriptions. For example, if you create a video on how to master digital marketing and break down how to win on TikTok in one section, on YouTube in another, and on Instagram in another, you might appear on app-related searches.
8. Include Compelling Thumbnails
Unexpected, right? However, thumbnails are more important than people realize.
As the first image viewers see when scrolling through search results and Home feeds, they have a direct impact on whether people click on your videos. If they’re compelling enough, they can increase your CTRs, signalling content value to YouTube.
We know what you’re thinking: why bother to include custom thumbnails when YouTube can auto-generate them? Well, auto-generated options can be unclear. What’s more, they may not highlight your video’s value proposition.
9. Create Longer Videos
As human attention spans decline, many creators assume that short videos are automatically the best option for their channels. However, longer videos are better for SEO. They keep viewers on your page for longer, sending positive signals to the algorithm.
This isn’t to say you should create one-hour videos for content that fits 20 minutes. Make sure each minute offers value and is free of filler to maintain viewer interest. If this means going shorter, do so — the more value a viewer derives from your video, the higher their chances of watching to completion and engaging.
Note: People’s likes differ, so it’s normal for your target audience to prefer shorter videos to longer ones. To find out what works, experiment with both video lengths and monitor your analytics.
10. Create Playlists
Organize related videos into keyword-optimized playlists. For example, if you have a cooking channel, group cake recipes into one playlist, salad recipes into another, and meat recipes into another.
Well-optimized playlists not only help YouTube understand your content but also increase the likelihood that viewers will scroll from one of your videos to the next. This can boost views, engagement, channel watch time, and consequently, rankings.
11. Cross-Promote Content
Take advantage of your presence on other platforms to drive traffic to your YouTube channel and content. For example, you could share your channel’s URL in your Instagram’s link-in-bio and embed video links in related blog content.
Doing so might increase video views and engagements, leading to better rankings.
12. Maintain Upload Consistency
Consistency is an underrated but powerful SEO tactic. It signals reliability to both your audience and YouTube’s system, helping you maintain views and high rankings. What’s more, consistency increases your channel’s overall engagement, another positive signal.
If you’re having trouble maintaining consistency, leverage automation solutions like GeeLark’s templates. GeeLark is an antidetect platform that offers cloud phones and multi-account browsers to help isolate multiple YouTube accounts. That’s not all. It also provides automation templates that take the hassle out of video posting, helping you maintain consistency.
To automate YouTube video posting with GeeLark:
- Sign up for GeeLark.
- Set up cloud phone profiles. To do this, go to New profile and complete the required fields.
- Navigate to Applications and install the YouTube app.
- Go to Automation > Marketplace, and find the “Publish YouTube videos” template.
- Tap “Create a regular task.”
- Upload your video file and enter your preferred title and description.
- Tap “Confirm publication.”
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YouTube SEO Mistakes to Avoid
Some common mistakes that affect the success of SEO efforts include:
- Stuffing keywords: Using too many keywords can make you look spammy. Aim for a few relevant terms and phrases per video for optimal results.
- Writing too-short descriptions: Such descriptions may fail to provide enough context, making it harder for the algorithm to understand and rank your content. Write detailed descriptions that include your keywords and value proposition early on to improve search rankings.
- Not optimizing thumbnails: Low-quality thumbnails can result in fewer video clicks and negatively affect your rankings. To encourage engagement, use clear, high-contrast images that highlight your videos’ value propositions.
- Ignoring metrics: Without regularly monitoring metrics, you can’t identify which SEO tactics work. To avoid wasting time and resources on strategies that don’t deliver results, closely monitor SEO metrics such as video clicks, engagement, and watch time. Then, focus on tactics that improve these metrics.
Optimize Your YouTube Channel and Videos Today
SEO can be the answer to growing on YouTube. It improves search rankings and visibility in users’ Home feeds, potentially leading to more subscribers and engagement. So, don’t overlook it.
GeeLark can support your YouTube SEO efforts by helping you maintain consistent upload schedules. The platform offers automation templates that handle video publishing on your behalf, so you never have to worry about missing your schedule. All you need to do is set up cloud phone profiles, upload your content (and supporting details) to GeeLark, and select your desired publishing date.