What Is YouTube SEO?
YouTube SEO (Search Engine Optimization) refers to optimizing videos for search on YouTube, an aspect of SEO with its own unique best practices. YouTube operates as a search engine using similar ranking algorithms as Google to show searchers results that are most pertinent and timely for them.
To do so, the platform uses user search and browsing history, channel engagement metrics, video optimization strategies and other factors to rank its results. YouTube SEO should be considered just as crucial to website ranking success; similar principles apply when optimizing YouTube channels for SEO purposes.
Building an effective YouTube content plan is essential, and one effective way to increase rankings is by including your target keywords in video titles and descriptions. Not only will this allow for maximum creativity but it will also make sure that your videos appear in search results on YouTube.
As a general guideline, try including your target keyword within the first two or three words of both your title and description to increase YouTube searches and drive more views to your videos. However, be aware that using too many keywords at once could be seen as spammy and negatively affect your rankings.
Keep your thumbnail in mind too; although not directly affecting rankings, it has an enormous effect on how many viewers click and view your video. Eye-catching thumbnails that convey an idea of what the video covers should also be labeled correctly with title and keyword information.
Your video description offers another opportunity for natural keyword usage without falling into the trap of spamming. With 5,000 characters available to you on YouTube, it may be tempting to artificially stuff keywords into that space–but that’s not what YouTube SEO is all about; aim instead for natural integration of keywords into video descriptions to drive more visitors towards your channel and website.
YouTube uses tags as one measure of relevance when assessing videos, so when selecting keywords to tag your video with, try not to overstuff your tags with irrelevant or excessively long terms. Instead, focus on selecting high-value keywords relevant to both your video and audience interests – perhaps using AnswerThePublic tools such as this to find trending online queries to serve as inspiration for creating relevant video tags.
Session Duration is an integral factor of YouTube’s algorithm and is one of the primary ways that you can influence your ranking. YouTube rewards videos that keep users on their platform longer with higher search rankings; therefore it’s vital that your videos are engaging and helpful – this can be accomplished by including calls-to-action like links to related content, comments on other videos, or active social media outreach strategies in them.
If you want to gain more knowledge on YouTube SEO, be sure to read up on our blog on the subject or leverage Sprout Social to optimize videos for search and track performance. Sprout Social is an extensive social media management platform offering various YouTube management features such as in-depth analytics and video publishing – give it a free try today!
