YouTube has climbed its way to be the second most sought search engine, right after Google, pushing the pioneers like Bing and Yahoo to follow way behind. The popularity of YouTube is due to the distribution of content that is easy to consume with engagement as key. If you are looking to explore the platform as a marketing medium, you should familiarize yourself with optimization tactics, which will help the videos rank better.
Rename your video file
There are many things that YouTube can do. Unfortunately, it can’t read or understand the relevance of the videos you post on it. To help them map your videos correctly, you need to insert keywords in all the available windows. There are dedicated strategies and tools to guide a creator’s way up in the platform. Creators need to identify and use these tools to identify rankable keywords that your videos should focus on. Even before you upload the video, ensure that you rename the file to the keyword with the preferred video file type.
Optimize your video title
One of the first thing users notice on YouTube is the video’s title. It is recommended to choose a concise title that holds the keywords and addresses the content of the video in a clear, straightforward manner. While the keyword-rich title doesn’t guarantee ranking, practicing optimal practices in every aspect of the video yields better chances. Remember to keep it short, limiting to 60 characters to prevent cut off from the search page, regardless of the medium used.
Do not ignore the video descriptions
Did you know that using keywords in your descriptions can help you gain a spot in the suggestion sidebar of relevant videos? Having said that, it is essential to keep in mind that users are choosing the easy-to-consume medium for a reason. They wouldn’t probably read the YouTube description that runs long. YouTube also shrinks and shortens the description and limits it to the first 100 characters. Ensure that you front-load the space with important announcements, CTAs, or points to note.
Remember to tag with relevant keywords
A good mix of long-tail and short-tail keywords as tags can prove to be resourceful in improving your video’s reach among users. Long-tail keywords include practices where you are answering the questions revolving the content. Choose your keywords wisely as there are instances where Google has penalized channels for using irrelevant keywords to gain ranking or views. It is also advisable to use transcript or closed captions to allow search engines to understand the context of the video.
Choose the video categories
Under the advanced setting of the videos, there is an option to choose relevant categories of video, so YouTube can group similar content and present them to the users when a search is made. While it is important to choose them, it should also be noted that it is a detailed process as marketers spend time analyzing the ranking videos on the niche, determine the ideal length, type, and voice of these videos to deduce a pattern to reciprocate for their brands.
Customize your thumbnail images
Apart from the title, the thumbnail serves as an appealing factor for users, determining whether they wish to pursue or ditch a particular video. YouTube suggests a thumbnail image from the video as such, but it is observed that 90% of the videos that are trending on YouTube have custom thumbnail images. Using an image with 1280×720 pixel with a size of 2MB or lesser in a prevalent image format is ideal for high-quality display on YouTube. A verified account is necessary to have access to customizing thumbnails. Follow the instructions on YouTube to get your account verified.
Adding cards to ensure the viewer’s stay on your channel
When you are watching a video, it is often a common notion that you allow the suggested videos to play on loop to keep yourself engaged. These are facilitated by cards – channels can add up to five cards to a video, and they are of six different types –
- Redirecting the user to a different channel
- Urging viewers to donate to non-profit organizations
- Facilitating fan funding to help the creators make more content
- Allowing users to move to an external website
- Posing a poll for the users to answer
- Linking to a different YouTube video or playlist.
Another popular type of card is the one that appears at the end of the video, called the End Screen. This option allows you to give a more detailed preview for the users. As YouTube is a constantly evolving website, there are possibilities for the end screen to not appear at all, but given the response rate, it’s a risk YouTubers are willing to take.
Regardless of the tips and tricks around YouTube, a well-followed YouTube channel begins with great content. Make sure you hold some high-quality, relevant information or experience that the audience can take away!
