YouTube SEO: How to Rank Your Videos #1

1. Rename your video using a keyword.

2. Enter your natural keyword in the video title.

3. Customize your video description.

4. Mark your video with popular keywords related to your topic.

5. Sort your video into categories.

6. Upload a thumbnail image of the link for your video results.

7. Use the SRT file to add subtitles and closed captions.

8. Insert end cards and screens to increase your YouTube channel views.

1. Rename your video using a keyword.

Just as you would when using written content, you will use the SEO tool to find the keywords you would like your video to focus on (you can browse the popular YouTube SEO tools below these tips, or simply click that link at the beginning of this sentence).

With the keyword specified, the first place you have to put it is your video file - before you upload it to YouTube. Why? YouTube can't actually "watch" your video to see how it relates to your keyword, and as you'll learn from the tips below, there are plenty of places you can safely enter this keyword on your video watch and publishing page. However, YouTube can read the file name of your video and all the code it comes with when uploaded.

With that in mind, enter the file name for "business_ad_003FINAL.mov" (don't be shy ... we were all there in the post-production season) with your desired keyword. If your keyword is "house painting tips," for example, your video file name should be "house painting tips" followed by your favorite video file type (MOV, MP4, and WMV are some of the most common YouTube related features ).

2. Enter your natural keyword in the video title.

When looking for videos, one of the first things our eyes focus on is the topic. Usually, it is what determines whether the viewer will click or not to watch your video, so the title should not only be compelling but also clear and concise.

While your keyword plays a major role in the title of your video, it is also helpful if the title fits most of what the viewer wants. Research by Backlinko found that videos with the exact same keyword in the title are only less profitable than those that do not work. Here is a direct representation of the findings:

Therefore, while "using your keyword in your title can help you rank in that name," reports author Brian Dean, "the relationship between rich video names and words" is not always strong. However, it is a good idea to add your own title to this keyword as long as it fits naturally in the title that tells viewers exactly what they will see.

Lastly, be sure to keep your topic short - HubSpot Campaign Manager Alicia Collins recommends limiting us to 60 characters to help keep us from breaking up page results.

3. Customize your video description.

First things first: According to Google, the official character limit for YouTube video descriptions is 1,000 characters. And while it's okay to use all that space, keep in mind that your viewer may have come here to watch the video, not read the essay.

If you choose to write a long description, remember that YouTube only shows the first two or three lines of text - up to 100 characters. After that point, viewers should click on "show more" to see the full meaning. This is why we suggest pre-loading the description with the most important information, such as CTAs or key links.

When it comes to making a video itself, it doesn't hurt to include video text, especially for those who have to watch it without volume. That means the Backlinko study did not find any correlations between the meanings for a particular keyword and the positions of that name.

4. Mark your video with popular keywords related to your topic.

YouTube's official creator academy suggests using tags to let viewers know what your video is about. But you are not only informing your audience - you are also informing YouTube itself. Dean explains that the platform uses tags "to understand the content and context of your video."

That way, YouTube calculates how you can link your video to similar videos, which can expand access to your content. But choose your tags wisely. Don't use a tag that doesn't work because you think it will bring you more views - in fact, Google may punish you for that. And according to your definition, lead with the most important keywords, including a good combination of the most common ones with long tails (like those, which answer a question like "how do I do?").

5. Sort your video into categories.

Once you've uploaded a video, you can categorize it under "Advanced Settings." Selecting a category is another way to collect your video with the same content on YouTube so it opens up in a variety of playlists and gains the attention of many viewers who target your audience.

It may not be as easy as it looks. In fact, YouTube's Creative Academy suggests that marketers go through a process of deciding what category each video is. It helps, the guide writes, "think about what works best in each category" you think about by answering questions like:

• Who are the top creators in the field? What are they known for and what are they good at?

• Are there patterns between similar channel audiences in a particular category?

• Do videos in the same category have sharing characteristics such as production value, length, or format?

6. Upload a thumbnail image of the link for your video results.

Your video thumbnail is the image viewers view as you scroll through the list of video results. Along with the video title, that icon sends a signal to the viewer about the video content, so it can affect the number of clicks and views your video receives.

While you can always choose one of the icon-operated icon options by YouTube, we strongly recommend that you upload a custom icon. The Creator Academy reports that "90% of the best videos on YouTube have custom thumbnails," recommending the use of 1280x720 pixels - representing 16: 9 - which are stored as 2MB or .jpg. gif files, .bmp, or .png. If you follow those limits, it may help to ensure that your icon appears equally high quality on most viewing platforms.

It is important to note that your YouTube account must be verified in order to upload a thumbnail image. To do so, visit youtube.com/verify and follow the instructions listed there.

7. Use SRT File to add subtitles and closed captions.

Like any other article we have discussed here, closed captions and captions can enhance YouTube's search results by highlighting keywords.

To add subtitles or captions to your video, you will need to upload a text or timed subtitle file. Previously, you could have directly inserted a text of the video to automatically sync with the video.

Adding subtitles follows the same procedure, however, you can limit the amount of text you want to display. Alternatively, go to your video manager and click on "Videos" under "Video Manager." Find the video you want to add subtitles or closed captions, then click the drag arrow next to the edit button. Then select "Subtitles / CC." Then you can choose how you would like to add subtitles or closed captions.

8. Insert end cards and screens to increase your YouTube channel views.

Cards

While watching the video, have you ever seen a white, circular icon with a "i" in the middle from the corner, or a dynamic text bar asking you to sign up? Those are cards, which the Creator Academy describes as "pre-made notifications from desktop and mobile that you can set up to promote your product and other videos on your channel."

You can add up to five cards to one video, and there are six types:

1. Channel cards direct viewers to another channel.

2. Donation cards to promote fundraising on behalf of U.S. nonprofits

3. Fan support to ask your viewers to help you support the creation of your video content.

4. Linking cards, directing viewers to an external site, an approved refund platform, or an approved retail platform.

5. Voting cards, ask a question to the audience and allow them to vote for the answer.

6. Video or play cards, which link to other YouTube content of this type.

For detailed steps to add a card to your video, follow these official steps from Google, or check out the video below.

Final Screens

End screens show the same details as the cards, but as you can guess, they do not show until the end of the video, and they do have more detail in appearance. A good example is an overlay with a picture book and a link to view more in the video below:

There are detailed instructions for adding end screens depending on the type of platform you want to design, as well as the various types of content approved by YouTube. Google explains the details of how to prepare for all that has been considered here.

It's important to note that YouTube regularly checks end screens in an attempt to improve viewer experience, so there are times when "your final screen, as selected by you, may not appear." Think about these things as you decide whether to use the cards or end screens.

These things can seem daunting and time-consuming but remember: The time people spend watching YouTube on their TV is more than a year old. There are audiences to be found there, and the more you prepare for YouTube, the higher your chances of finding.

Now, most of the above SEO tips depend on you identifying a keyword and promoting your video well. And not all of those tips can be done with YouTube alone. To get the most out of your videography buck bang, consider some of the tools below to make your video searchable.

1. Ahrefs Keyword Explorer

2.Can Can

3. HubSpot Content Strategy

4. VidIQ Vision

5. TubeBuddy

6. Cyfe

1. Ahrefs Keywords Explorer

Ahrefs is a complete SEO platform that allows you to monitor website quality, measure live traffic you can find in each keyword, and research keywords you may want to create new content.

One of the most popular features of Ahrefs is Keywords Explorer, which lets you browse for more details related to the keyword you're interested in. And as you can see in the picture above, you can filter your keyword results with a search engine - including YouTube.

Ahrefs Keywords Explorer gives you a monthly search volume of keywords, how many clicks to find quality videos for that keyword, related keywords, and more.

2.Canva

You may know Canva as a building template to create all kinds of cards, images, logos, and more. It just so happens that this popular brand has only YouTube Video Icon Maker.

As mentioned in the tips above, thumbnail images are important in promoting your content in YouTube search results and attracting users to click on your video. Using Canva's Canva icon, you can create the perfect preview image for your video with 1280 x 720 pixels - the thumbnail size required by YouTube.

3. HubSpot Content Strategy

Our content management tool, developed here at HubSpot, allows you to find popular keywords on which you can compose content and organize these keywords into collections - what we call "topic collections." By sorting your content into categories, you can represent which pieces of content are related, what types of content you have edited, and what you have already created.

While the keywords you find on HubSpot reflect their popularity in standard Google search, many of these articles will also generate videos on Google search engine results pages. In that case, you can create header collections with their own blog and YouTube content.

Integrating your content - and linking from videos to writing posts, and vice versa - can give you more authority in the eyes of Google and YouTube, while giving you more ways to capture traffic from people searching for your topic.

4. VIDIQ view

This is a Chrome extension, available on the Chrome web store in the link above, that helps you analyze why some YouTube videos perform so well. This includes the tags the video is designed for, its average viewing time, and how quickly the video can get traffic.

The vidIQ tool then provides SEO "points" that you can use to create content that makes (or improves results) that you already see on YouTube.

5. TubeBuddy

TubeBuddy is an in-one video platform that helps you manage the production, optimization, and promotion of your YouTube content. Its features includes an automatic language translator (which helps you to list non-English keywords), keyword checker, tag suggestions, tracker for your published videos, and more.

6. Cyfe

Cyfe is a great software suite that offers, among other things, a web analytics platform. In this forum, you can track page activity across all website properties you have content on - including YouTube - and where each page's traffic comes from.

In addition to traffic statistics, Cyfe can show you which keywords you are preparing and which ones are most popular on various search engines. Sounds like Google Analytics or Moz, doesn't it? That’s because Cyfe has data from both of those tools, and more, built into it.

No matter which tip or SEO tool you start with, a successful YouTube channel starts with great content. Make sure your audience has something of high quality and appropriate to watch when they find you.