This guide, Upload and Optimise Your Videos on YouTube to Reach More Customers, is designed specifically for small business owners with little to no marketing experience. It provides a straightforward, step-by-step approach to optimising your YouTube videos, ensuring they reach a wider audience and attract more customers. By investing your time in this guide, you’ll learn how to make simple but impactful changes to your video content, helping you stand out in a crowded online marketplace. The benefits are clear: increased visibility, higher engagement, and ultimately, business growth—all achievable with minimal investment and effort.
Understanding the Power of YouTube for Small Businesses
YouTube is a powerful platform that offers small businesses an incredible opportunity to reach a vast audience. With over two billion monthly active users, it’s a space where your potential customers are already spending time. By creating and uploading videos, you can showcase your products, share your expertise, and build a personal connection with your audience. Whether you’re a local café, a boutique shop, or a service provider, YouTube can help you reach new customers and grow your business in ways that traditional marketing methods simply can’t match.
The Importance of Video SEO in Reaching New Customers
While creating great content is important, it’s not enough on its own. For your videos to be discovered by potential customers, they need to be optimised for search engines, specifically YouTube’s own search engine. This process is known as Video SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). When done correctly, Video SEO ensures that your videos appear in search results when people are looking for content related to your business. This increased visibility can lead to more views, more engagement, and ultimately, more customers.
How to Use This Guide: Simple Steps for Maximum Impact
This guide is designed to be straightforward and easy to follow, even if you have no prior experience in marketing or video production. We’ve broken down the process of uploading and optimising your videos into simple, actionable steps that focus on getting the biggest impact with minimal investment. By following these steps, you can ensure that your videos are seen by as many potential customers as possible, helping your business to grow and thrive.
Download and print the 'YouTube Video Optimisation Checklist'. This way you can mark each task off as you follow each step of this guide.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to improve your existing YouTube presence, this guide will provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to succeed on YouTube. Let’s get started!
Step 1: Planning Your Video for SEO Success
Choosing the Right Type of Video for Your Audience
Before you start creating your video, it’s crucial to think about what type of content will resonate most with your audience. Different types of videos serve different purposes, and choosing the right format can make a big difference in how well your video performs on YouTube.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Identify Your Audience’s Needs:
Consider what your potential customers are searching for. Are they looking for how-to guides, product reviews, or maybe some quick tips?
Think about the questions your customers often ask you and use these as a basis for your video content.
Choose a Video Type:
Tutorials/How-to Videos: Great for demonstrating how your product or service works.
Product Reviews or Unboxings: Ideal if you want to showcase the benefits of your products.
Customer Testimonials: Powerful for building trust with potential customers.
Behind-the-Scenes: Gives your audience a glimpse of your business operations and creates a personal connection.
Other Video Types: Check out our massive list of 107 video content ideas to get an insight into what is possible.
Keep It Simple:
If you’re new to video creation, start with short, straightforward videos that focus on delivering value to your audience.
How to Identify the Best Target Keyword
Once you’ve decided on the type of video, the next step is to identify a target keyword. This is the word or phrase that potential customers might type into YouTube when looking for content like yours. Choosing the right keyword is essential for making sure your video reaches the right audience.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Think Like Your Customer:
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and think about what they would search for to find your video. What problem are they trying to solve, or what information are they seeking?
Brainstorm Keyword Ideas:
Write down a list of words and phrases related to your video’s topic. For example, if your video is about how to brew coffee, keywords could include “best coffee brewing methods,” “how to brew coffee at home,” or “easy coffee brewing tips.”
Check Search Volume and Competition:
Use a tool like the Ahrefs YouTube Keyword Tool OR vidIQ's YouTube AI Keyword Generator to find out how often people search for your keywords and how much competition there is for each one.
Look for keywords that have a decent search volume but aren’t too competitive. These are more likely to help your video rank well on YouTube.
Using Free Tools to Find High-Impact Keywords
You don’t need to invest in expensive software to find effective keywords. There are free tools available that can help you identify high-impact keywords that will improve your video’s chances of being discovered.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Use Ahrefs YouTube Keyword Tool:
Go to the Ahrefs YouTube Keyword Tool.
Enter the general topic of your video in the search bar.
Review the list of suggested keywords. Pay attention to the search volume (how many people are searching for that term) and keyword difficulty (how hard it will be to rank for that keyword).
Choose a keyword that has a good balance of high search volume and low to medium difficulty.
Explore Google Trends:
Visit Google Trends and type in your keyword to see how its popularity has changed over time.
This can help you choose keywords that are currently trending or identify evergreen keywords that are always in demand.
Explore Keywords People Use:
Visit the Keywords People Use website.
Select the 'Keyword Generator' option.
Select your Language and Country.
Type your related topic into the search bar.
Click the 'Search' button.
Choose a keyword that totally relates to the intent of your video.
Refine Your Keyword:
Once you’ve chosen a primary keyword, consider using variations of it in your video’s title, description, and tags to reach a broader audience.
For example, if your main keyword is “how to brew coffee,” you might also include variations like “coffee brewing tips” or “easy coffee brewing.”
By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to creating videos that are optimised for YouTube search, ensuring that your content is seen by the right people and helping your business reach more customers.
Step 2: Preparing Your Video Before Uploading
Renaming Your Video File for SEO
Before you even upload your video to YouTube, it’s important to take a simple but effective step that can boost your video’s visibility in search results: renaming your video file. By including your target keyword in the file name, you’re helping YouTube understand what your video is about right from the start.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Locate Your Video File:
Find the video file on your computer that you’re planning to upload to YouTube.
Rename the File:
Right-click on the video file and select ‘Rename’.
Replace the existing file name with your target keyword.
Ensure you use hyphens between the words for clarity (e.g., my-video-seo-checklist.mp4).
This small step signals to YouTube’s algorithm what your video content is focused on, increasing its chances of being ranked higher in search results.
Creating a Click-Worthy Video Title with Keywords
Your video title is one of the first things potential viewers will see, and it plays a crucial role in whether they decide to click on your video or scroll past it. A well-crafted title should not only include your target keyword but also be compelling enough to entice viewers to watch.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Incorporate Your Target Keyword:
Start by thinking about the main topic of your video and how it aligns with your chosen target keyword.
Make sure your keyword is included naturally in the title, preferably towards the beginning.
Make It Compelling:
Craft a title that sparks curiosity or promises a benefit to the viewer.
For example, instead of a plain title like “Coffee Brewing Tips,” you could use something more engaging like “Top 5 Coffee Brewing Tips for a Perfect Morning Brew”.
Keep it concise but informative, ideally between 60-70 characters, to ensure it doesn’t get cut off in search results.
Ensure Relevance to Video Content:
Make sure that your title accurately reflects the content of your video. Misleading titles may lead to a higher bounce rate, which can negatively impact your video’s ranking.
Your title should set clear expectations for what the viewer will gain from watching your video.
By renaming your video file with the target keyword and crafting a click-worthy title, you are laying a strong foundation for your video’s success on YouTube. These steps help to optimise your video for search, making it easier for potential customers to find your content and take action.
Step 3: Optimising Your Video Description
Writing a Compelling Video Description
Your video description is a critical part of optimising your video for YouTube search. It not only provides context for viewers but also plays a significant role in how YouTube’s algorithm understands and ranks your content. A well-crafted description can attract viewers and improve your video’s visibility in search results.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Start with an Overview:
Begin your description with a brief overview of what your video is about. This should be clear and concise, giving viewers an immediate sense of what they can expect.
Set Expectations:
Explain what your audience will gain by watching the video. For example, if your video is a tutorial, mention the key skills or knowledge they will acquire.
Include Your Target Keyword:
Naturally incorporate your main keyword within the first few sentences of your description. This helps YouTube understand the focus of your video.
Expand to 250 Words:
Aim to write at least 250 words in your description. This length allows you to provide enough detail while including variations of your keyword without keyword stuffing.
Add additional information such as links to related content, a brief introduction to your business, or calls to action, like encouraging viewers to subscribe.
Keep It Engaging:
Make your description engaging and easy to read by using short paragraphs and bullet points where appropriate. This keeps the viewer’s attention and makes the text more digestible.
How to Naturally Include Keywords and Variations
In addition to your target keyword, including keyword variations throughout your description can help your video appear in more search results without sounding repetitive or forced.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Identify Variations:
Think of alternative phrases or related terms that viewers might use when searching for content similar to yours. For example, if your target keyword is “coffee brewing tips,” variations could include “how to brew coffee,” “best coffee brewing methods,” or “coffee making advice.”
Distribute Keywords Naturally:
Weave these variations into your description in a way that feels natural and relevant. Avoid overloading the text with keywords, as this can make your description sound awkward and may negatively impact your video’s ranking.
Use these variations to introduce different sections of your description or to elaborate on points made in the video.
Balance with Value:
While it’s important to include keywords, your primary focus should be on providing valuable information to the viewer. The keywords should support this goal, not dominate the content.
Adding Timestamps to Enhance Viewer Experience and SEO
Timestamps are a fantastic way to improve both user experience and SEO. They allow viewers to jump directly to specific parts of your video, making it more user-friendly and accessible. Additionally, timestamps give YouTube more information about your video’s content, which can help with ranking.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Identify Key Sections:
Watch your video and note down the start times of different sections or topics. For example, if your video is a tutorial, each step might be a different section.
Add Timestamps in the Description:
In your video description, list the timestamps in the format “00:00 – Introduction, 01:30 – Step 1: Gather Ingredients,” etc.
Include relevant keywords in the description of each timestamp, which helps YouTube understand the specific content of each section.
Improve Engagement:
Timestamps encourage viewers to watch more of your video because they can easily navigate to the parts that interest them most. This can lead to higher retention rates, which is another positive signal to YouTube’s algorithm.
Boost SEO:
By making it easier for viewers to find what they’re looking for, you’re also making it easier for YouTube to categorise and rank your video. This increases the likelihood of your video appearing in search results for a variety of related queries.
By writing a compelling video description, naturally including keywords and variations, and adding timestamps, you’ll significantly enhance your video’s chances of being found by potential customers on YouTube. These steps are crucial for optimising your video to reach the widest possible audience.
Step 4: Enhancing Visibility with Tags and Categories
Selecting Relevant Video Tags
Video tags are an important element of YouTube SEO as they help the platform understand the content and context of your video. Tags are essentially keywords that describe your video and assist YouTube in categorising it accurately. This, in turn, increases the likelihood of your video appearing in relevant search results and suggested videos.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Identify Your Core Keywords:
Start by listing out the main keywords that are directly related to your video’s content. These should include your primary target keyword as well as any relevant variations you’ve identified earlier.
Add Tags to Your Video:
After uploading your video, navigate to the ‘Tags’ section in the video settings.
Enter your primary keyword as the first tag, as this is often given the most weight by YouTube.
Add additional tags that are related to the main topic of your video. These can include broader terms, specific phrases, and even common misspellings if they’re relevant.
Avoid adding too many tags or irrelevant ones, as this can confuse the YouTube algorithm and dilute the effectiveness of your optimisation.
Use Tagging Tools for Assistance:
Consider using a tool like TubeBuddy to help you identify and select the most effective tags. These tools can suggest popular tags that are relevant to your content, based on current trends and search volumes.
Focus on tags that have a good balance between search volume and competition, ensuring they’re specific enough to attract the right viewers but not so niche that they won’t be searched for.
Choosing the Right Category for Your Video
Selecting the appropriate category for your video is another simple but effective way to help YouTube understand and promote your content. The category you choose should reflect the primary theme of your video and align with your audience’s interests.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Review YouTube’s Category Options:
YouTube offers several predefined categories, such as ‘Education’, ‘Entertainment’, ‘How-to & Style’, and ‘People & Blogs’.
Consider which category best represents the overall theme of your video. For example, a tutorial on making coffee might fit under ‘How-to & Style’, while a behind-the-scenes look at your business could fall under ‘People & Blogs’.
Select the Most Relevant Category:
After uploading your video, go to the ‘Category’ section in the video settings.
Choose the category that most accurately describes your video’s content. This helps YouTube recommend your video to users who are interested in similar topics.
Check Competitors for Guidance:
If you’re unsure which category to choose, look at other popular videos that are similar to yours. See which categories they’ve been placed in and consider if the same category would suit your video.
By carefully selecting relevant video tags and the correct category, you’re helping YouTube understand your content better, which increases the chances of your video being discovered by your target audience. These steps are straightforward but can have a significant impact on your video’s visibility and overall success on the platform.
Step 5: Creating an Eye-Catching Thumbnail
Why a Custom Thumbnail Matters
The thumbnail is the first thing viewers see when scrolling through YouTube search results or recommendations. Although thumbnails don’t directly influence your video’s SEO, they play a crucial role in attracting clicks and boosting your video’s click-through rate (CTR). A higher CTR signals to YouTube that your video is engaging and relevant, which can help improve its ranking.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Design a Custom Thumbnail:
Instead of relying on YouTube’s auto-generated thumbnails, create a custom one that visually represents your video’s content. Canva has some great ready built YouTube thumbnail templates you can easily customise.
Use bright colours, clear text, and a high-quality image to make your thumbnail stand out.
Include your company logo or branding if possible. This not only helps with recognition but also makes your content look more professional and polished.
Make It Relevant and Enticing:
Ensure that the thumbnail accurately reflects the content of your video. Avoid misleading images that might result in viewers clicking away quickly, as this can negatively impact your video’s performance.
Think about what would catch your audience’s eye and make them curious enough to click on your video. This might include a close-up of a product, an expressive face, or a bold title text.
Aim for an Ideal CTR:
Track the performance of your thumbnails over time. An average CTR between 2% and 10% is considered good. If your CTR is lower, consider tweaking your thumbnail design to make it more engaging.
How to Optimise Your Thumbnail File Name
Just like your video file name, your thumbnail file name is an often overlooked but simple way to further optimise your video. Including your target keyword in the thumbnail file name is a small step that can contribute to better SEO.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Rename Your Thumbnail File:
Before uploading your thumbnail to YouTube, rename the file on your computer to include your main keyword.
Use hyphens between words for clarity (e.g., best-youtube-seo-tips.jpg).
Upload the Thumbnail:
During the video upload process, select your custom thumbnail. This is where your newly renamed file will be uploaded.
This step not only helps with SEO but also ensures consistency between your video’s title, description, and visual elements.
By creating a custom thumbnail and optimising its file name, you significantly increase the chances of your video being noticed and clicked on by potential viewers. These simple actions are essential in making your video stand out on YouTube, leading to higher engagement and more customers for your business.
Step 6: Boosting Accessibility with Subtitles and Captions
Adding Subtitles to Increase Engagement
Subtitles are a simple yet effective way to make your videos more accessible and engaging. By adding subtitles, you cater to viewers who may be watching your video in a noisy environment or who prefer to read along with the audio. Subtitles can also help retain viewer attention, which can lead to increased watch time—a key factor in YouTube’s ranking algorithm.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Generate Subtitles Automatically:
Use a tool like Descript or YouTube’s own subtitle generator to create subtitles automatically. These tools can transcribe the audio in your video and convert it into text.
Review the generated subtitles for accuracy and make any necessary edits to ensure they match the spoken content perfectly.
Save and Upload Your SRT File:
Once your subtitles are finalised, save them as an SRT (SubRip Subtitle) file. This is the standard format used by YouTube for subtitles.
During the video upload process, go to the ‘Subtitles’ section and upload your SRT file. This will sync the subtitles with your video.
Monitor Engagement:
Keep an eye on your video’s performance to see how subtitles impact engagement. Videos with subtitles often see a 12% increase in watch time, which can positively affect your video’s ranking.
Using Closed Captions to Improve SEO and Accessibility
Closed captions go a step further than subtitles by providing a complete textual representation of your video’s audio, including background noises and non-verbal sounds. This not only makes your video more accessible to hearing-impaired viewers but also enhances SEO by allowing YouTube’s algorithm to better understand the content of your video.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Create Closed Captions:
Use the same tool, like Descript, to generate closed captions. These should include all spoken words as well as important non-verbal sounds (e.g., “door opens,” “laughter”).
Edit the captions to ensure they are accurate and fully descriptive.
Upload the Captions:
Save your captions as an SRT file and upload them to YouTube in the ‘Subtitles’ section, just as you would with subtitles.
Be sure to select the appropriate language for your captions so that they are correctly matched to your video’s audio.
Enhance Accessibility and SEO:
Closed captions not only make your video accessible to a broader audience but also help YouTube’s algorithm index your content more effectively by highlighting keywords and phrases spoken in the video.
This can improve your video’s visibility in search results, especially for those searching with related keywords.
By adding subtitles and closed captions to your videos, you not only increase their accessibility but also enhance engagement and SEO, leading to better performance on YouTube. These small steps can make a significant difference in reaching more viewers and growing your customer base.
Step 7: Adding Interactive Elements to Engage Viewers
How to Use Cards and End Screens to Keep Viewers Engaged
Interactive elements like Cards and End Screens are powerful tools that can significantly enhance viewer engagement on your YouTube videos. These features allow you to direct viewers to other content, encourage subscriptions, and promote your business—all within the same video. By strategically placing these elements, you can keep viewers on your channel longer, increasing your chances of converting them into customers.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Understanding YouTube Cards:
YouTube Cards are small, interactive notifications that appear in the top right corner of your video. These are typically represented by a small white, circular icon with an “i” in the centre. When clicked, the Card expands to show a message or link.
Cards can be used to promote other videos, playlists, your website, or even polls to engage your audience further.
Adding Cards to Your Video:
After uploading your video, go to the ‘Video Elements’ section in the YouTube Studio.
Select ‘Add Card’ and choose the type of card you want to add—whether it’s to promote another video, a playlist, or a link to your website.
Place the card at a relevant point in the video where it’s likely to catch the viewer’s attention without interrupting the flow. For example, if you mention another video you’ve created, add the card at that moment.
Understanding End Screens:
End Screens are interactive elements that appear in the last 5-20 seconds of your video. They can be used to promote other videos, encourage viewers to subscribe, or direct them to a website.
End Screens are highly effective in keeping viewers engaged even after the main content of your video has finished.
Adding End Screens to Your Video:
In the YouTube Studio, go to the ‘Video Elements’ section after your video has been uploaded.
Select ‘Add End Screen’. You can choose from templates provided by YouTube or create a custom layout.
End Screens typically include elements such as a subscribe button, links to related videos or playlists, and a link to your website or other online resources.
Placing Your End Screen Elements:
Position your End Screen elements in a way that they don’t obstruct the content but are still visible and clickable.
Consider what action you want your viewers to take after watching your video—whether it’s subscribing to your channel, watching another video, or visiting your website—and design your End Screen accordingly.
Review and Adjust:
Once you’ve added Cards and End Screens, preview your video to ensure they appear at the right times and are engaging without being intrusive.
Adjust the timing and placement if necessary to maximise their effectiveness.
By using Cards and End Screens effectively, you can significantly increase viewer engagement, encourage further interaction with your content, and keep potential customers within your YouTube ecosystem. These interactive elements are simple to implement but can have a big impact on the growth of your channel and business.
Step 8: Leveraging Playlists for Better Discoverability
Organising Videos into Keyword-Optimised Playlists
Creating keyword-optimised playlists is an effective strategy to enhance the visibility of your videos on YouTube. Playlists help to organise your content into themes, making it easier for viewers to find and watch multiple related videos. By grouping your videos in this way, you can improve engagement, increase view counts, and signal to YouTube’s algorithm what your content is about, which can boost your overall rankings.
Step-by-Step Actions:
Identify Themes or Series:
Begin by identifying common themes or series within your content. For instance, if you run a bakery, you might have a series of videos on “Cake Decorating Techniques,” “Bread Baking Basics,” or “Seasonal Dessert Recipes.”
Group videos that share a common topic or cater to a specific audience into a single playlist.
Create a New Playlist:
Go to YouTube Studio, navigate to the ‘Playlists’ section, and click ‘New Playlist’.
Give your playlist a title that is clear and keyword-rich, such as “Simple Cake Decorating Tips” or “Beginner’s Guide to Bread Baking.”
Ensure the title is concise but descriptive enough to attract viewers who are interested in that specific topic.
Add Videos to Your Playlist:
After creating your playlist, add the relevant videos by selecting ‘Add Videos’ and choosing those that fit the theme.
Arrange the videos in a logical sequence. For example, if your playlist is about cake decorating, you might start with basic techniques and progress to more advanced skills.
Optimise the Playlist Description:
Write a brief but informative description that includes relevant keywords. This helps YouTube understand the content of the playlist and enhances its chances of appearing in search results.
For example, a playlist titled “Small Business Marketing Tips” could have a description like, “Discover practical marketing strategies for small businesses, including social media tips, email marketing basics, and budget-friendly advertising ideas.”
Encourage Continuous Viewing:
Playlists automatically lead viewers from one video to the next, encouraging them to spend more time on your channel. This can significantly boost your watch time and viewer retention, which are important metrics for YouTube’s ranking algorithm.
Promote Related Content:
Use your playlists to guide viewers to additional content they might find valuable. For instance, if someone is watching a video in your “Home Office Design Ideas” playlist, they might also be interested in your “Organisation Hacks for Small Spaces” playlist. Mention these in the video or link to them in the video description to keep viewers engaged with your content.
Regularly Update Your Playlists:
Keep your playlists fresh by regularly adding new videos and removing outdated ones. If you’ve just uploaded a new video on a related topic, add it to the appropriate playlist.
This not only keeps your content organised but also ensures that your playlists remain relevant and valuable to your audience.
By organising your videos into keyword-optimised playlists, you make it easier for viewers to discover and engage with your content. This approach helps increase your video’s visibility on YouTube, encourages longer viewing sessions, and can ultimately help you reach more customers.
Step 9: Understanding YouTube’s SEO Ranking Factors
The Top 25 Key Elements That Influence Your Video’s Ranking
To maximise the visibility and success of your videos on YouTube, it’s crucial to understand the various factors that influence how your content is ranked. YouTube’s algorithm considers a wide range of elements when determining which videos to promote in search results and recommendations. By optimising each of these factors, you can improve your video’s ranking, attract more viewers, and ultimately grow your customer base.
The Top 25 YouTube Video Ranking Factors Are:
Video Title:
Optimisation: Your video title should be compelling and include your main keyword to help YouTube understand the content.
Best Practice: Keep titles concise (60-70 characters) to avoid truncation in search results.
Video Description:
Optimisation: A detailed description that includes the main keyword and relevant phrases helps YouTube understand the context of your video.
Best Practice: Write at least 250 words to provide sufficient information and include an overview of the video’s content.
Tags:
Optimisation: Tags help YouTube categorise your video by topic. Use a mix of broad and specific tags related to your content.
Best Practice: Include your main keyword and relevant variations to broaden your video’s reach.
Thumbnail Click-Through Rate (CTR):
Optimisation: A high CTR indicates that your thumbnail and title are compelling enough to draw clicks.
Best Practice: Design custom thumbnails that stand out and encourage clicks.
Watch Time:
Optimisation: The total time viewers spend watching your video. Longer watch times indicate engaging content.
Best Practice: Structure your video to maintain interest and encourage viewers to watch until the end.
Audience Retention:
Optimisation: Measures how much of your video viewers watch before clicking away. High retention signals that viewers find your content valuable.
Best Practice: Engage viewers early and maintain their interest with a well-paced video.
Engagement (Likes, Comments, Shares):
Optimisation: High engagement signals that viewers find your video interesting and valuable.
Best Practice: Encourage likes, comments, and shares to boost engagement metrics.
Video Length:
Optimisation: Both short and long videos can perform well, depending on the content and how it meets viewer expectations.
Best Practice: Create videos that are as long as necessary to cover the topic thoroughly but keep them concise to maintain viewer interest.
Upload Frequency:
Optimisation: Regular uploads help keep your channel active and can improve your overall channel ranking.
Best Practice: Establish a consistent upload schedule that works for your business.
Session Time:
Optimisation: YouTube values content that keeps viewers on the platform longer, either by watching your video or by leading them to other content.
Best Practice: Use playlists, Cards, and End Screens to keep viewers engaged with more of your content.
Channel Authority:
Optimisation: Channels with a history of high-quality, engaging content are favoured in rankings.
Best Practice: Consistently upload valuable content and engage with your audience to build channel authority.
Mobile-Friendliness:
Optimisation: With many viewers using mobile devices, videos optimised for mobile are more likely to perform well.
Best Practice: Ensure that your content, including subtitles and graphics, is easily viewable on smaller screens.
Subtitles and Closed Captions:
Optimisation: Adding subtitles and captions makes your video more accessible and can enhance SEO by indexing the spoken content.
Best Practice: Upload accurate subtitles and closed captions using SRT files.
Viewer Behaviour (Bounce Rate and Session Duration):
Optimisation: How viewers interact with your video after clicking on it affects its ranking. A high bounce rate (viewers leaving quickly) can harm your ranking.
Best Practice: Deliver content that matches the expectations set by your title and description to reduce bounce rates.
Use of Interactive Elements (Cards and End Screens):
Optimisation: Interactive elements like Cards and End Screens can increase engagement by directing viewers to other content or encouraging actions like subscribing.
Best Practice: Strategically place these elements to guide viewers towards more of your content and increase engagement.
Video Quality (Resolution and Production Value):
Optimisation: Higher-quality videos (e.g., 1080p or 4K) are often preferred by viewers and can impact engagement metrics.
Best Practice: Upload videos in the highest resolution possible and ensure good production quality (clear audio, stable visuals).
Video Freshness:
Optimisation: Newer content can be prioritised in search results, especially for trending topics.
Best Practice: Regularly upload new content, and update older videos to keep them relevant.
Use of Playlists:
Optimisation: Playlists can increase watch time by encouraging viewers to watch multiple related videos.
Best Practice: Group related videos into keyword-optimised playlists to enhance discoverability and encourage binge-watching.
User Interaction with Thumbnails (Dwell Time):
Optimisation: The time a user spends viewing your thumbnail before clicking can influence rankings, as it reflects the effectiveness of your thumbnail.
Best Practice: Create thumbnails that accurately represent the video content and entice viewers to click.
Social Sharing and External Traffic:
Optimisation: Videos that are widely shared on social media and drive traffic from external sources can benefit in rankings.
Best Practice: Encourage sharing across social media platforms to drive more traffic to your video.
Optimisation for YouTube Search vs Google Search:
Optimisation: YouTube videos can appear in Google search results. Optimising your video for both platforms can increase visibility.
Best Practice: Use keywords that are relevant both on YouTube and Google, and ensure your video description includes detailed information.
Use of Keywords in File Names:
Optimisation: Including keywords in your video file name before uploading helps YouTube understand your content.
Best Practice: Rename your video file to include your main keyword (e.g., "best-cake-decorating-tips.mp4").
End User Experience (Likes/Dislikes Ratio):
Optimisation: A positive likes-to-dislikes ratio indicates a good viewer experience and can influence rankings.
Best Practice: Create content that meets or exceeds viewer expectations to encourage more likes and fewer dislikes.
Content Relevance and Topical Authority:
Optimisation: Videos that align closely with trending topics or a channel's established themes may rank higher.
Best Practice: Focus on creating content that is relevant to current trends and aligns with your channel's niche.
YouTube Channel Optimisation (About Section, Links):
Optimisation: A well-optimised channel with a detailed ‘About’ section, links to social media, and a consistent theme can improve your videos' rankings.
Best Practice: Ensure your channel is fully optimised, with clear branding and comprehensive information.
By understanding and optimising for all these YouTube video ranking factors, you can significantly enhance your video’s performance on the platform. Each factor contributes to how well your content is discovered, viewed, and engaged with by potential customers, helping you grow your business through effective YouTube marketing.
If you are serious about going deep into the YouTube ranking factors, have a browse through 'The Mighty 110 YouTube SEO Ranking Factors for Customer Growth' guide.
The YouTube Video Optimising Conclusion
Recap: The Impact of Video SEO on Your Business Growth
Optimising your videos on YouTube is not just about increasing views; it’s about growing your business by reaching more potential customers. By focusing on key aspects of Video SEO—such as selecting the right keywords, crafting compelling titles and descriptions, using custom thumbnails, and engaging viewers with interactive elements—you can significantly improve the visibility of your videos. This enhanced visibility leads to higher engagement, more subscribers, and ultimately, more customers for your business. Each optimisation step you’ve implemented helps ensure that your content stands out in a crowded marketplace, making it easier for your target audience to find and connect with you.
Next Steps: Consistency and Continuous Optimisation for Long-Term Success
While you’ve taken crucial steps to optimise your YouTube videos, the journey doesn’t end here. Consistency is key to long-term success. Regularly uploading new, high-quality content will keep your audience engaged and signal to YouTube that your channel is active and worth promoting. Additionally, continuous optimisation is essential. Keep an eye on your video performance metrics—such as watch time, click-through rates, and viewer retention—and be prepared to make adjustments as needed.
Step-by-Step Actions for Continued Success:
Maintain a Content Schedule:
Develop a regular posting schedule that your audience can rely on, whether it’s weekly, fortnightly, or monthly.
Consistency helps build momentum and keeps your audience coming back for more.
Monitor Performance:
Use YouTube Analytics to track how your videos are performing. Pay attention to metrics like watch time, CTR, and audience retention to understand what’s working and what might need improvement.
Experiment with different video formats, titles, and thumbnails to see what resonates most with your audience.
Update and Improve Existing Content:
Periodically review your older videos and update their titles, descriptions, and tags to reflect new keywords or trends.
Consider creating follow-up videos or series based on the content that performs well.
Engage with Your Audience:
Respond to comments on your videos and engage with your audience to build a community around your content. This not only increases viewer loyalty but also improves your video’s visibility.
Stay Informed on SEO Best Practices:
YouTube’s algorithm and SEO best practices evolve over time. Stay informed about the latest trends and updates in Video SEO to ensure your content remains competitive.
Follow industry blogs, attend webinars, or join online communities focused on YouTube growth strategies.
By following these next steps, you can ensure that your efforts to optimise your YouTube videos will continue to drive business growth over the long term. Remember, YouTube success is a marathon, not a sprint—consistent, ongoing optimisation will keep your channel thriving and help you reach more customers, more effectively.
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