7 Tips To Easily Optimize Your YouTube SEO
June 21, 2021
Many Typepad bloggers are also YouTube vloggers. YouTube allows everyone to create videos showcasing their knowledge or talent. You can use our YouTube embed feature to quickly find and embed your videos directly into your blog post to share with your readers. To help your videos get found outside of your blog, you can use these simple SEO tips to optimize your channel. Let us show you how!
Keyword Search
Before you create your video, search for the keywords you want to use. You want to find keywords that people are searching for around your video idea. What comes up with those keywords? If there are lots of videos about those keywords, try to narrow down your search or focus on a specific issue in your video idea. The point is to find keywords that are not used so your video will stand out in those search results.
The best way to start is to use YouTube’s search feature. Start searching your keywords and see what comes up in the drop-down. Here you can get an idea of what people are searching for concerning your keyword. Click on the keywords and see what shows up. Are there a lot of videos that cover the keywords or will your video stand out?
Say Your Keywords
Once you have your keywords selected, USE THEM! You can use these keywords in multiple places so search engines will pick up your video and share it in search results.
The first place to add your keywords is in your video file name. When you upload your video, the name tells YouTube what your video is about.
The title of your video should also have your keywords. Don’t try to stuff your keywords into the title. Make it flow naturally in the title. Put your keywords at the beginning of your video title so it is not cut out when it’s truncated (you can have 100 characters for your title but YouTube truncates it at 70 characters).
YouTube gives you 5,000 characters in your video description, make sure to use it all! Be sure to use your keywords multiple times. You don’t want to shoehorn the keywords in, it should flow naturally within your description. The beginning of your description should include your keywords and exactly what the video is about. YouTube truncates the description at 160 characters. Your first 160 characters should entice your readers to click on Show More. Once they see the whole description, that is your chance to promote your brand with links and a call to action.
YouTube allows you to add subtitles to your video. These subtitles or transcripts need to be reviewed and edited to make sure they are correct. You want to make sure your keywords are clear in the subtitles as well. Subtitles allow Google and YouTube to “read” your video. When they know what is in your video, they can provide the video when someone searches for it.
Call To Action
At the end of your video, you want to include a call to action. What do you want viewers to do after they finish watching your video? The most popular are to comment, subscribe, and share. All of these can lead to increased SEO. The more viewers that interact with your video the more YouTube and Google know that your videos are providing the information needed in searches. If your video is popular it will show higher in search results.
Thumbnail
YouTube is a visual medium. The first thing viewers see when searching is the thumbnail. You want to create a thumbnail that stands out and entices viewers to click on your video. First, your thumbnail needs to accurately represent your video. You want viewers to watch your full video, so they need to know what it’s about beforehand. If the title of your video is long, you can use a shortened version of your title in the thumbnail. Make it short and snappy to draw your viewers’ attention. When designing your thumbnail make sure to use contrasting colors for your text and background. Also, include your brand logo. This should not overtake the title of your video but should be put in the same place for consistency.
The thumbnail needs to be large enough to look good as your thumbnail and as your preview image in an embedded video player. So the thumbnail looks great in both places, YouTube recommends the image be 1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall.
Use Playlists
Isn’t it nice when you are searching for something and you find a nice playlist to teach you all you need to know? Playlists are a great way to group videos. Once viewers finish one video, it will go to the next. Your playlist can be about an overarching idea and each video talks about one section under that idea. When creating playlists, it’s good to use the same thumbnail layout so viewers can visually see all the videos are related.
Optimize Your Profile Page
Your profile page is what viewers use to get an idea of what your channel is about. You can show why you're an expert in your area and why they should watch your videos. If they are on your profile page, that means they are very interested in your videos and you can use this to convert them to subscribers. Here are a few tips to help optimize your profile page.
Banner
Your banner is the first thing viewers will see when they go to your profile page. Make sure it has the most impact to encourage subscribers. The image size is your first consideration, the size should be 2560px x 1440px. This will make sure your banner image will display clearly on all different devices. While the image is large, you want to make sure your banner content is placed in the “safe area”. The safe area is the center 1546px x 423px of the banner. Any important text or images need to be put in this area so they can be viewed on all devices.
Now that you know your size, what do you put in your banner? It should be clean and clearly show everyone what your channel is about. Some things you can include in your banner are:
Your channel name
Your tag line
What kind of videos you make
Your posting schedule (if you have one)
Your social media handles
Once you know what you want in your banner, make sure your design does not obscure the information. You want a simple, clean design. Think about using a solid background and minimal text. Your banner should encourage viewers to subscribe to your channel.
About Section
The About section tells viewers more about your brand and channel. Here is another great place to add your keywords from your different videos. The description area allows you to have 5,000 characters, use them to describe your videos, your brand, and why someone would want to subscribe to your channel. The strongest text should be in the first 100-150 characters because that is will show in search results. The About section also lets you add links. Add links to your blog and your social media pages. Encourage viewers to follow your social media channels to get more information and to be notified when new videos are posted.
Make Engaging Content
You can do everything right but if your videos are not entertaining and engaging, no one will watch or subscribe (which is your goal!). Think outside the box and look for new ways to educate and entertain your viewers. It should still fit your brand but you want to make sure the content provides the information needed. At the beginning of the video, make sure to tell your viewers about the video and why they should stick around until the end. Your videos should reflect the passion and energy you feel, viewers will pick up on this.
These tips are all designed to help you be found in search results and show your viewers you are a trusted source. What other tips would you suggest for other Typepad vloggers? Share with us your YouTube channel! We would love to see your videos.