10 Tips To Optimize Your YouTube Videos

Do you utilize videos to market your products, services, or even yourself? If so, are you posting your videos to YouTube? A great deal of people doesn’t realize this, but YouTube is the second largest search engine on the planet trailing only Google in popularity. That means there are a lot of eyes on YouTube. And you need as many of those eyes as possible viewing your videos instead of your competitors’ videos. That said, you can’t just upload your videos and expect good results. Just like searching on Google, your videos need to rank high in YouTube searches in order to actually be seen.

For example, your website simply won’t show up on the first page of a Google search unless your website is properly optimized. The same holds true with YouTube and your videos. That means in order for your videos to rank higher on YouTube searches you need to optimize those videos. The million-dollar question is how do you properly optimize your videos so that they can be seen on YouTube? There are in fact a few ways. So, without further ado, here are ten (10) things you must do to optimize your videos for YouTube searches: 

1. Research The Keywords That Will Appear in Your Video
2. Rename The Video File Using a Target Keyword
3. Optimize The Titles of The Video
4. Create A Solid Video Description
5. Tag Your Video with Popular Keywords That Relate to Your Topic
6. Categorize Your Videos
7. Establish a Custom Thumbnail
8. Utilize An SRT File When Adding Subtitles and Closed Captions
9. Create A Transcript File for Each Video
10. Add Cards and End Screens
    

The video description is an incredibly important piece to the YouTube ranking puzzle. You need to capture the attention of your target audience quickly since YouTube only displays the first three (3) lines of the video description. The viewer needs to click on the “Show More Button” in order to see the remainder of your video description. That means you must include the most important aspects of your video immediately such as the main keyword and or keyword phrases. In addition, a well-written video description may help your video to show up on the YouTube sidebar, which typically leads to more views.

In order to rank higher on YouTube, it’s important to use tags on your videos that inform both the viewing audience and YouTube exactly what your video is about.

• It helps YouTube associate your video with similar content
• It enables more people to see your video

However, it’s not a good idea to tag anything that does not directly related to your video because YouTube will view this action as keyword stuffing, which is frowned upon.

Choosing a video category can go a long way in helping your video end up on play lists that include similar content. This, of course, can help increase the viewership of your videos. It’s important to choose a category for each of your YouTube video uploads. Obviously, you should choose a category that fits best with your specific video. It will also help YouTube to understand exactly what your video content includes. It will also go a long way in having your video appear in the YouTube related video recommendations section.

Did you know that the thumbnail is something that your target audience will see prior to clicking on your YouTube video? In essence, the thumbnail provides your target audience with a good idea of what the video will contain. In addition, YouTube creates a thumbnail for each and every video that you upload. However, you should always customize and upload your own thumbnail image in order to stand out from the crowd.

Although YouTube automatically assigns captions to your videos, they are not always accurate. Often times they include words that your target audience simply will not understand. This can actually hurt your video ranking on YouTube. That is why you should always use your own system in order to improve accessibility and reduce errors. An SRT file is perfect for adding both subtitles and closed captions. So, what exactly is an SRT file?

• An SRT file is formally known as a SubRip or Subtitle file
• An SRT file is actually a plain-text file
• An SRT file contains vital information that is needed to create subtitle and closed captions.
  

In the current day, adding a transcript file to each of your videos is necessary even beyond the aspects of search engine optimization. In essence, transcripts open up your content to a wider target audience that may not be able to actually watch and or listen to your videos. This could be due to a disability, or an audience that does not speak English as a primary language. In addition, and for search engine optimization purposes, YouTube looks favorably on videos that include a transcript file, so it may very well help your videos rank higher on YouTube.

Do you know what cards and end screens are? They are actually small notifications that appear in both the middle of your videos and end of your videos. The purpose of cards and end screens is to help you promote your products, services, and or brand. The cards show up in the middle of the video and the end screens appear when your video ends. Both cards and end screens are effective at sending your target audience to other videos or to direct them to your website. The bottom line is that cards and end screens will go a long way in increasing your channel’s overall viewer ship if utilized properly.

In conclusion, in order for your target audience to actually find and view your YouTube videos, you need to ensure that they are optimized for search engines to the best of your ability. One important tool to use for evaluating and measuring the success of your marketing efforts is You Tube Analytics. YouTube Analytics lets you monitor the performance of your videos and channel with up-to-date metrics and reports. including views, traffic sources, demographics and more. Learn more about using YouTube Analytics here! It is a very useful tool.

We hope this article will help you optimize your YouTube videos or channel. For more DIY helpful videos, make sure to visit Local Business First blog page.