Youtube Video Optimization & SEO

People often ask us, "How can I bring more Internet traffic to my YouTube videos? We spent so much time creating our YouTube videos, but we had only five views in six months!"

YouTube and Video Content

Putting aside the fact that "content is king" on YouTube - the same way "content is the king" on any website - and assuming that you've created videos on a topic that sparks interest from your audience to get more views (and subscribers) on YouTube, you also need to optimize your videos for search engines.

The Process of Optimizing Youtube Videos

Youtube Video Optimization is not difficult. Optimizing Youtube videos is very similar to optimizing web pages – it’s based on keywords and analysis of how people search.

YouTube made it easier for the public. You don’t have to write the HTML code to optimize your video. All you need to do is utilize the existing YouTube panels.

The Rule of Three: Title, Description, Keywords.

We recommend starting with a Keyword Meta tag.

Step 1. Keywords Meta tag. Think about how your prospective audience might search for the topic you are presenting in a video, and then write a long list of possible keywords. Run this list through the Google Keyword Planning Tool or paid keyword search software, and select the keywords with the highest number of searches. Now you are ready to enter these keywords into the YouTube keyword panel.

We also recommend that you include the geographical location of the video (e.g., Las Vegas, Nevada, Clark County) in the video keyword list and indicate the general mood of the video (happy, relaxation, etc.) in addition to the main keywords.

Step 2. Description Meta tag. You need to describe your video in about 350 words and use your main keywords, location, and the video's mood in the description.

Many people create YouTube videos to complement their websites. If this is your case, make sure you don't copy the actual text from your website because you will be creating Duplicate Content. When the same content is displayed in two different places, search engines don't know what is more important - your website text or video. So they stop showing both.

Step 3. Title Tag. Now it is time to write a Title Tag for the YouTube video.

Take one of the most relevant keywords (e.g., criminal defense attorney), location (e.g., Las Vegas, Nevada), and mood indicator (e.g., aggressive representation). Write a title tag, separating keywords by comma, a pipe, plus sign, dash, or something similar for easy readability. You can also include your phone number in the Title Tag.

The last advice: always use all the space that YouTube provides for keywords or title tags. If you don’t, you will have missed an opportunity.

Now that you have the guidelines fly on out there in cyberspace and optimize your YouTube videos!

Last updated on January 2, 2024.

NEXT, read our article "Writing for SEO: 10 Tips for Writing Awesome Website Content."

DigitalMosaics.net specializes in web design, web development, and search engine optimization.
E-mail: gale@digitalmosaics.net.

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