The cat’s out of the bag. Video is one of the biggest drivers of traffic, and there’s nothing we can do about it. With YouTube ranking as the second largest search engine, users are relying on video to grab customer attention.
Trouble is, about 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute! That means your content has a good chance of getting lost in the crowd.
That’s where YouTube SEO comes to the rescue. Using the latest tips, tricks, and hacks, you can ensure your video ranks higher than the rest. And gets more views in the process.
With that in mind, we’re here to help. The following are some of the important pointers that you must keep in mind about YouTube SEO.
Focus On The Focus Keyword
No matter where you are in the video creation process, it pays to select a focus keyword for each of your videos. This is usually related to the main topic of your YouTube content.
Think of it this way: at heart, YouTube is a search engine. And at the core of every search optimisation strategy lies keywords. So even though your video is not written content, you should consider a focus keyword during development.
Include this keyword in the video title, description, and content. For choosing the right keyword, use any keyword research tool, or hire the best YouTube SEO firm in Australia. Whatever you choose to go with, when it comes to YouTube SEO, keywords play a big role.
Script It Out
It might come as a surprise, but YouTube SEO does depend a lot on the content itself. Engaging, spontaneous videos have to be based on a solid underlying script.
Research suggests that a majority of viewers lose interest in a video within the first ten seconds. That means you’ve got a little over seven seconds to make your video count. And unless you’re getting the views, you’re getting pushed down the ranks. So, give the script the attention it deserves.
Optimise The Length
There’s an old YouTube myth that shorter videos perform well. Statistically, it’s been seen that longer videos have better rankings than shorter ones.
If you think about it, this makes sense. YouTube ranks videos based on watch duration. This means the longer your video is watched, the better it ranks. So naturally, longer content gets a better chance.
But this doesn’t mean you should drag out the script to make it inordinately lengthy. Just make sure it’s got the right trade-off between engagement and length. There’s no one size fits all approach for this. You’ve got to discover your Goldilocks length.
Be Engaging
As we mentioned above, every YouTube video you make has to be engaging to rank well. Unless viewers find your content engaging, they’re unlikely to come back for more.
In this context, it’s essential to ensure that you’re also encouraging users to interact with your videos. Make sure you give a clear CTA to Like, Subscribe, and Share. The greater the interaction, the better your ranking.
Rule Of Thumb (nail)
Finally, pay special attention to the thumbnail images. After all, before the viewer sees any actual content, the title and thumbnail are all they have to decide on whether to make that all-important click.
It’s true that YouTube does assign your video an automatic thumbnail. But this is usually a random image from your video and is unlikely to have much impact. For best results, you need to craft curated thumbnails for every video you release.
Conclusion
Keeping the above points in mind will help you achieve better rankings on YouTube. But if you feel all this is too much for you to handle, then no worries! Just give a call to OKdot and we’ll take care of everything.
