SEO in YouTube: How to optimize your videos
More and more brands are adopting SEO strategies on YouTube, and to obtain a good position and be among the first search results of the most important video platform on the Internet, it is key to bet on them and know how to execute them correctly. .
YouTube has long since become a mass phenomenon on the web. It was created in 2005 and over time it has managed to conquer millions of users around the world. In fact, its success drew the attention of Google, which did not take long to acquire its rights, being aware of its great potential.
Videos are one of the most important content formats used in digital marketing and in the consumer sector. Thanks to this platform, both companies and brands and people can publish all kinds of audiovisual content that other users can see completely free of charge.
Now, given the great avalanche of videos uploaded to this platform, YouTube has had to organize all this content to facilitate its search. In this way, the platform created an algorithm whose mission is to find and position the best content associated with each search. Thus, firms or individuals who wish to gain greater visibility through the channel must implement various optimization strategies to improve their positioning on YouTube .
If you are interested in knowing SEO on YouTube to start applying it, we are going to provide you with basic points so that you can learn about it. Join us and take good note!
WHAT IS SEO ON YOUTUBE?
SEO for YouTube refers to a group of strategies whose objective is to optimize videos and channels to improve the positioning in search results.
We are talking about the most prominent video platform on the internet, which is why it is considered one of the most popular and demanded search engines. That is the reason why it is so important to know how to do SEO on YouTube.
SEO is a type of strategy that began with the most important search engine today: Google . Google's mission is to organize all the information it receives so that users can access it easily and provide them with useful value. To make it possible, what it does is track the contents of the network, as well as index and position them so that people find what they want.
But to identify the pages that offer the best results, Google had to develop an intelligent algorithm with which it could also get rid of malicious practices and all plagiarized or spam information.
However, since there are also search mechanisms to track the internal content of a website and internal search engines on social networks, YouTube has its own search system for the user to find the channel or video they want and offer the best possible experience.
As soon as the user types a specific search term on the platform, the robots on the YouTube platform start tracking the main results based on their highest relevance.
Companies or individuals that publish content on YouTube must be very aware of the algorithm used by the platform to develop certain techniques or mechanisms to position their YouTube channel.
In this way, for example, if we properly complete some of the fundamental parameters of a video such as the title, description and tags, the positioning of the video will be better than the one that does not. What also helps are the likes and positive comments received from the audience.
YouTube is the most important search engine used after Google , which is why it has become an ally of great potential when carrying out marketing campaigns . Some traditional media such as the press, radio or even television have taken a step back and are now no longer the main source of content. We are in the era of the social network, a format that has penetrated deeply into our lives, which, moreover, is constantly evolving.
Knowing how SEO works on YouTube and knowing different strategies to optimize our content is essential to obtain greater visibility in Google , increase traffic and conversion rate, and obtain higher income.
Before starting to use the platform, it is necessary to highlight the main benefits that you will find in SEO for YouTube:
- Increase the visibility of your brand and access a greater number of potential customers.
- Generate more views on all your videos.
- Improve positioning on YouTube organically
- Increase traffic on the YouTube channel.
- Generate extra income by getting more visits, leading to a profitable channel.
YOUTUBE SEO STRATEGY
Videos are highly demanded content by Internet users , to the point that practically 70% of online traffic is directed to them. Therefore, if you want to be successful in your marketing strategy through this video platform, you will first have to know how to manage YouTube SEO .
If you are a beginner, it is likely that you will have many doubts. But we are going to show you some tricks to position YouTube videos and you will be able to optimize your videos to gain views and get traffic to your channel. Let's start!
SHORTS ON YOUTUBE
If you have never heard of YouTube Shorts , we are going to tell you what it is and how to use it. It is one more option for creators of audiovisual content. The idea is to create shorter vertical videos that stand out for their originality and creativity.
Google's idea is to be able to integrate it into the classic YouTube application to generate traffic between both versions. In any case, as it is a new release, Google is still working on improvements so that content creation stands out for being simple and fluid.
In order to make viewing as easy as possible, an option dedicated exclusively to these shorts has been added to the home page , allowing them to slide vertically to change from one video to another. Likewise, in the menu there is also an exclusive section to access this content easily and quickly.
The main difference with respect to the usual YouTube videos is that to record the shorts we can use the application's camera. In addition, it is possible to record several at the same time through the multi-segment function.
Nor should we forget the extensive library that the platform has to be able to record clips with music, as well as the possibility of using audio from YouTube videos, although to do so we will need to have the approval of its creators.
By using this tool you will be able to enjoy some special features , among which the following stand out:
- Add text at specific moments of the video
- Use audio from other videos.
- Add automatic subtitles.
- Possibility to use the videos from the gallery of the mobile device or record them directly with the Shorts camera.
- Use basic filters that Google will expand over time.
These are some of the features that you can access through its interface. Although to optimize and monetize the content created through Shorts, you will have to implement a clear SEO strategy based on keywords as we will see below.
OPTIMIZE VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE
Take note of these tricks to position YouTube videos and you will be able to see results in a matter of a short time. It is about using SEO for YouTube for free to achieve your positioning goals. Let's start!
Research YouTube keywords that best fit your content
If you want to position video on YouTube, you have to start with keyword research. The first thing is to generate a list of possible potential keywords and choose the most appropriate to your video.
To find them you can use different tools, although you can use the YouTube Search Suggestions function . It will be enough to go to the platform, write a phrase or word and YouTube will show you a list with all the related keywords.
Use the main keyword to create the video title
The title is the first thing that catches our attention in a video and whether or not to click on it will depend on the information it provides to the user. Keywords are associated with what the user usually searches for, which is why it is important to fit them naturally in the title.
Write an appropriate description to position the video on YouTube
The descriptions of the videos should not exceed 1000 characters so as not to bore the user. In fact, YouTube will only show the first few lines of text, unless the viewer wants to continue reading, in which case they will have to click "show more".
Here include the main keyword and make a brief and concise presentation about the content that the user will see, providing useful information.
Tag the video with keywords related to the topic to be discussed
Through the tags , users will be able to know what the content of the video is, although it will also help YouTube to know the context, so that it can associate it with other similar videos. Thus, the reach of your content will reach further.
Properly choosing labels is not something you should take lightly. To get an idea, similarly use the keywords that were used to create the title and description, that is, include the most important keywords for YouTube, including longer combinations and questions.
Upload custom thumbnail images
The thumbnail images are more important than it seems because they will serve to capture the attention of the users with respect to the rest of the videos. This will make your content stand out from the competition.
Keep in mind that you have to choose an image that attracts attention to increase the views of your video and improve its positioning on YouTube. You can also choose one of the options automatically generated by the platform itself, although it is preferable to develop a personalized one to create greater expectation.
The most appropriate measurements are 1280x720 pixels and the appropriate PNG format. These parameters will help the thumbnail image appear in the right quality on different platforms, thus boosting your YouTube SEO strategy.
PLAYLISTS
Playlists are a handy tool for putting together videos that are related or have similar elements. What YouTube does is position these lists in search results so that users can access them.
If the user so indicates in the privacy options, the playlists can be made public to interested users. In fact, having a video channel, having playlists can become a great alternative to improve the positioning of the YouTube channel.
Playlists can be created with our videos or those of others. It is even possible to create them empty to gradually complete them. Now, if what we want is to get views of our content, the most feasible thing is to use the videos that we have created.
The playlists act as separators to divide the content created depending on the topics addressed. For example, if we are a dealer, maybe we could propose different categories associated with: Events, News, New Products, etc.
There is no doubt that it is a fairly powerful resource that we can use in our channel, although it is necessary to take into account some essential aspects :
- Incorporate thematic clusters into the videos to offer greater visualization on that central theme.
- Use the production lists intelligently to position the content to be treated.
- Create titles with well-defined short keywords .
- Use a list for each topic so that the videos that are part of it are focused on a specific topic.
- Write short descriptions in the playlists, implementing the main keywords to position them.