Have you just started out as a youtuber or have you been a you for a while but your videos are not positioned in search results or three? Welcome then to this macro post about SEO on YouTube, where you will find 7 large thematic blocks focused on optimizing and positioning your videos and your channel in 2022 and that you can put into practice right now. Let’s go there!
To see more positioning lessons in this social network, take a look at my YouTube Course .
Index [ Show ]
1. SiloTube: Make your YouTube channel a website
Conceive and build the main page of your YouTube channel as if it were the home page of a website. I am going to baptize this concept as SiloTube and I will make a specific video on this aspect, but I will tell you what its characteristics should be.
It is about transforming the homepage of your video channel into a web cover, since it will be the one that receives the highest number of links. It happens to me, without going any further: people link more to my YouTube channel than to my own website. Why is this happening? Because my videos are on my channel and, therefore, all the well-compiled and accessible content is there.
1.1. Custom header
In addition to, logically, personalizing it, your header should bear your name or that of your brand, and the slogan or slogan that conveys your message. In the case of the communicator Simon Sinek we see that he abounds in the concept of “inspiring” people, and asking questions (Why?) In order to make people think and reconsider.
1.2. The playlists will be your categories
So let’s make a web structure within YouTube. Thus, we will create themed playlists, which will be the equivalent of the categories of a blog.
By grouping your videos in playlistsyou will be multiplying the average duration of the session of each user, something that YouTube values a lot when it comes to positioning, and without even needing to leave your channel. If after watching your videos that user goes to another channel, well even better, but what goes ahead, goes ahead and above all benefits you in other parameters. Everything is adding
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1.3. Featured Videos Pinned Above
We will select our best videos and we will post them on that cover, since they will be the ones that will receive the most visits, will have the longest playing time and will receive the most linkjuice.
When highlighting and pinning a video, YouTube will automatically suggest that video to you while other videos of yours are playing. This will make it easier for the user to continue seeing the rest of your pieces and increase their session viewing time. Both things that come in handy for us.
We will choose to fix those videos that attack the strongest keywords (usually guides or tutorials) and we will place them at the top. We can plan them in advance so that they have the most interesting keywords within their category.
Below these videos would be the aforementioned playlists, which can also be positioned for powerful keywords related to the main theme of our channel.
When creating your playlists you must enter a text that talks about what they are going to offer. Take advantage of this description to target your channel’s target audience and to attack possible “long tails”, since playlists are specific series within your general content and can easily rank for those keywords.
The playlists will be the flagship of your production on YouTube.
1.4. Chain interlinking
Within each category or playlists, we can even do chain interlinking between the different videos. This will make it easier for people to jump from one video to another and from one topic to another, without leaving our channel.
It is pure SEO on page within Youtube! Here is the video where I explain chain interlinking, in case it is the first time you hear this term (which, like TSA commerce or Silotube, are words that I make up):
This concept is what we would apply between our videos within each playlist. And between them we could also do it.
YouTube seeks to offer more and more variety in its results, to give greater heterogeneity, just like Google does. Its search engines become more similar every day, which is not surprising considering that Google bought the video platform more than ten years ago.
1.5. Description of your channel
In the section “More information about your channel” you have a space to include a descriptive text about it. Take advantage of the beginning of that description to include your slogan and incorporate some keywords throughout the text to help your channel appear in the results of users’ searches.
1.6. Channel trailer
It is your audiovisual cover letter. A short video where the user can quickly see what your channel is about, who you are, what you offer and why they should subscribe. This is mine:
Treating your YouTube channel like a website is the future. Well, it is already the present. Silotube. Said it remains.
2. Total watch time is everything in 2018
If you really want to learn how to position a video on YouTube , stay with this: the total viewing time is the main factor that YouTube takes into account in 2018 when it comes to positioning videos. The platform wants to become the new television and for that it needs to have the greatest number of people hooked at all times. For this reason, it promotes and encourages the videos and channels that accumulate more minutes viewed. For this, you must have a good video marketing strategy behind that allows you to maintain this factor over time.
You can check the metric for the total number of viewing minutes accumulated by each of your videos in the Analytics section of your channel’s dashboard.
2.1. Number of subscribers
There is debate about whether the channels with the highest number of subscribers receive advantages when it comes to positioning. It is a whiting that bites its tail, since logically the videos of the channels with many followers are seen more and that helps to position. Harm, of course, does not harm, so we must try to win the more subscribers, the better.
Not long ago I published an article with 24 ways to get subscribers on YouTube , so I recommend that you take a look if you missed it.
2.2. Full-length videos
How can we optimize this parameter? One way is by making longer videos the better. Let’s see, it is not about taking up time to occupy, but you should not worry at all if your video lasts longer than you had thought or if instead of making a series of ten videos on the same topic you group them into one.
Increasingly, YouTube tends to rank long videos better than short ones. I insist, as long as they add value. It is useless to stare silently at the camera for an hour or fill the content of the video with straw that does not contribute anything.
Take a look, for example, if you search for the word “SEO” on YouTube how long the videos that appear in the first organic positions last: about an hour, an hour, more than an hour, twenty-some minutes …
That “good, if brief …” has gone down in history, at least on YouTube right now. Results for highly competitive keywords almost always return long videos:
YouTube is interested in knowing the viewing time per session, that is, the time that each user spends on their platform after having viewed your video.
If after watching your videos, a user continues to watch those of other channels, YouTube will reward you as a “loyalist”. The downside is that there is no direct way for you to measure that session viewing time.
2.3. Audience retention
Following this point we have another of the fundamental elements of SEO on YouTube: audience retention.
The absolute retention of the public is the amount of video as a percentage, that people see. The closer to 100%, logically, the better.
What ways are there to hook people into watching the videos in full? This question leads us to directly analyze what I call …
2.4. The 15 golden seconds
You must be very clear about the importance of the first 15 seconds of your video . It is the average time that a user holds to see if they are interested or not in what they are seeing.
You have to catch them from the beginning, so you have to put all the meat on the grill in that critical period that is the start of your video.
What do you have to offer in such a short space of time so that the viewer does not leave ?:
- Raise the problem or need that a certain group has (for example, “Are you a private teacher and you can’t have enough students?”, “Can’t you make it to the end of the month?” …)
- Present yourself and try to convey your credibility, show that you know what you are talking about, either because you are a recognized brand or because you have worked a lot in that field.
- Advance that you are going to solve those problems in this video.
Look how well David Cantone does:
If you observe in your statistics that people leave during the first seconds of playing your video, you know what may be wrong. In Youtube Analytics you also have the option to see the relative audience retention. Take a few minutes to analyze the peaks and valleys presented by each of your videos.
That will make you see what people like the most about what you do and what they least. In the next videos you make, you will keep this in mind and avoid what makes people flee, while you will enhance what has caused the most interest.
You have to seek engagement with your audience and for that, nothing better than offering a satisfactory user experience. If you succeed, you will have come a long way to the good positioning of your videos.
2.5. The structure of the videos
To ensure that the reproduction of your videos is complete, which YouTube values, you must structure them very well to maintain their interest.
The beginning of the video, as I said before, must make it clear very soon what you are going to offer; development must meet those expectations, providing value, utility or entertainment; and the outcome must include a conclusion, a result, or a wink or surprise that you must always repeat to create a habit for the user to go all the way.
2.6. Hold the user’s attention
To keep the user’s attention alive, it is necessary to “reset” it every so often. Let me explain: you have to avoid that your recording falls into monotony with constant changes of rhythm.
It varies in the type of shot or focus, goes for a few moments to black and white to emphasize something, incorporates some sound effects, make a funny comment, jump from the “script”, surprise …
The more the dynamics of your video resembles a roller coaster of emotions, the longer the viewer will remain glued to your screen.
This has a great result in terms of audience retention, so get the stacks XD. Here you have a master of the thing:
2.7. Be faithful to appointments with your audience
Another technique to increase the watch time of your channel is to upload videos often.
As with fresh content on blogs, YouTube values the frequency of publication. Maybe a daily video is too much to ask, but at least once or twice a week is the least you can expect from someone who wants to get serious about this. There you have me on fire:
At the end of each video, include links to other work of yours and also to the generic link of your channel. You can do it with annotations or using the final screen. With this, you promote that user follow on YouTube and also on your own video network instead of going to another channel. You can reinforce this action by sending out loud throughout the video to others of yours or through cards:
2.8. Links on your social networks and your blog
You can take advantage of your social networks and your blog or your website to spread your videos. Announcing to your followers or your users that you have published something new increases the chances that they will see it and share it, thus increasing the viewing time exponentially.
You can even use it to link your playlists, not just your videos. All feedback is little
3. Choose the ideal video-keywords for YouTube… and Google!
The choice of keywords for your video will be different from how you do it on your blog , since many of the views of your videos will come from the suggestions that YouTube makes to users.
To select what the keywords for your video will be, start by researching your niche. You have to bear in mind that something that has many searches on Google may have few on YouTube, or vice versa.
Once you find some interesting keywords and with a minimally decent monthly search volume on YouTube (300 onwards), you should check if those “video-keywords” also show results on the first page of Google. If not, it will be difficult for you to position yourself in the most used search engine in the world.
Every day more, Google gives priority in its results to YouTube videos, even though it is in the “All” section and not in the specific “Videos” section. Let’s see an example:
In which cases does this happen? There is no official guide in this regard or anything similar, but it usually happens with searches in which we ask Google what something is, how to do it, with tutorials, with reviews of products or services, and logically when we search for the word ” video ”plus“ whatever ”. For instance:
If you find some good keywords with which to upload your video to YouTube, you will be able to attract traffic on this channel, but also directly on the first page of Google. A full-blown 2 × 1! It pays off the effort, right?
We are going to see some methods to achieve good video keywords.
3.1. Suggestions from the Youtube search engine
The operation is as in Google. You type your keyword and immediately the bar shows you suggested results. This is nothing more than the usual searches related to your keyword that people do. In other words, information that is worth its weight in gold. Let’s say our keyword is “print t-shirts”:
A tip: put an underscore before your keyword and YouTube will tell you that other words are commonly used alongside yours.
3.2. Tubular Labs Competitor Videos
It is a freemium program that allows you to know, in addition to countless things about your audience, what other channels your users watch when they are not on yours.
3.3. Spy on your competition’s tags
Tags help YouTube to better identify the theme of your videos and show them in the results of user searches.
It is important to always include your name and the name of your channel as tags. Why? Well, because doing that will make it easier for your videos to appear in the related videos on the right.
Let’s go with another cool SEO tactic on YouTube. Install the Chrome extension called Tags for Youtube , which is free:
Once you have it active, you go to the descriptions of those four videos that came out in the first search positions for your keyword.
Let’s say we have now used the keyword “electric brooms”:
You will see that now, after the text, the tags of each of those videos will appear below. Pick a few of each and label them for your video.
So that? You will be using tags that YouTube considers relevant to be well positioned in the search results for your keyword.
There is another extension that offers you the same results, TubeBuddy Tags , but which also indicates the position in which that video ranks for that tag. With that information, see which videos are poorly optimized but rank well for a tag and add that tag to your video. A video that, of course, you will optimize better so that it positions itself above that other.
3.4. The names of your competitors as tags
Come on, more good tricks. Take the keyword of your video and see what results YouTube gives you. We are going to continue with the example of “electric brooms” as keyword:
Now what you have to do is put as tags in your video the names of the four channels that appear in the first positions (selected in yellow in the image above). What do we gain from this?
Well, look, these videos have a visitor egg and by doing that there will be a lot of chances that yours will appear among their related parties and they will end up watching it. What’s cool, huh?
3.5. Youtube suggest to search for tags
We continue! Now we go to the “autocomplete” function of YouTube. Enter your keyword in the search engine and you will see that it immediately shows you, just like Google does, some suggested results. From that list, use some – it is not necessary to put them all – as tags for your video:
Benefit from this? Using those results as tags can help your video have a greater organic reach.
3.6. Google Suggestions
Do not go yet, there is still more. Do the same, but on Google. Related searches show you what people are looking for the most about your keyword. Use some of them as tags for your video.
In this way, it is very likely that Google will show your video among the search results for that keyword. This way we also gain traffic from outside of YouTube.
3.7. Common sense and creativity in your tags
The last tactic for labels is… Your common sense and your mind awake and creative. Save four or five labels to put what you think is ideal, for something that differentiates you, that is very “trendy” …
3.8. YTCockpit
One of the few keyword search tools on the market specifically designed for YouTube .
When you enter a keyword, it shows you suggestions for other related keywords and information about each of them, such as monthly searches and CPC. This helps us to know how much interest a certain topic arouses among YouTube users.
And not only that. What is most cool about this tool is that it shows the average duration of the video, as well as the number of “likes” and comments that each video ranked for a certain keyword registers.
If you click on a keyword suggestion, it details everything about that SERP on YouTube.
3.9. Youtube Analytics Stats
Nor is it necessary to leave YouTube to find good keywords. With little activity generated by your channel, the platform will show you statistics that include the keywords for which our videos are ranking naturally.
It’s as simple as going to your channel dashboard and clicking on Analytics. Within the wide drop-down menu you will see Traffic sources and in turn within there, Youtube Search. And tachán, there you have the keywords for which you are positioning.
With that you can optimize an existing video with some of those keywords that you did not think of at first, but that have emerged on the fly. By simply adding that keyword as a tag and incorporating it into the description of the video, you will be able to give it a push so that it appears in the first positions of that keyword for which it had already started to upload by itself.
Another option is to create another video from scratch around that keyword. This second option is better, since it will position better if it is directed exclusively to that keyword than if it shares video with others.
Well, with all this we would already have our well-chosen video-keywords. Let’s go now with specific techniques to achieve engagement.
4. Human interaction in positioning on YouTube
Others call it social cues. For me they are human interactions, which is what they really are. You offer something and that something generates a reaction in others that, in the case of YouTube, can be reflected in different ways. The most common and valued is the comment on the videos.
4.1. The comments
Comments are something that YouTube likes because they imply that your video has interested the public. Someone takes the trouble to tell you something after watching your video. The platform likes this feedback, as it translates into retention time.
So, at the end of your videos, encourage people to comment on them, asking them questions, asking for their opinion or sharing their experiences on the topic you have addressed.
An almost infallible trick is to run a contest or raffle whose participation requires leaving a comment below the video. Look at the outrage that I registered in a draw for a camera and mic pack for youtubers:
4.2. Respond to comments
In some cases doing it will always be impossible, but do it as much as you can, at least for 24 hours after the video is published. Give feedback a lot to the comments, because you establish a dialogue with your users. The higher the number of comments, the more participation and the better rankings for your videos. Keep it in mind.
In addition to the positioning factor, it is about taking care of your audience. If they have bothered to leave you a comment, what less that you also do the same, right?
4.3. Likes and Dislikes DO NOT influence positioning
You read well. Whatever they say, the likes and dislikes no longer rank. Now, as all interaction with the user is good, welcome.
Here’s a bit of a joke on the “importance” of dislikes by the incorrigible Pewdiepie:
4.4. Ask them to subscribe to your channel
If a user subscribes to your channel after having seen your video, Youtube understands that your content is of quality and deserves to be shown in good positions for searches for their keywords.
To promote subscriptions, nothing like ordering it directly. Ask for it during or at the end of your video with a clear and direct call to action, written or in your own voice. He who does not cry does not breastfeed.
If you add value, your users will have no problem subscribing, but don’t leave it to chance. There are people who do it mechanically and others who do not hurt to remind them how happy they would make you subscribe and how happy they in turn will be for everything you are going to offer them XD.
4.5. Encourage you to share your videos on social networks
As with comments or subscription, ask your users to air your videos through their social networks.
Although they are “hidden” at the stroke of a click on the Share -Insert menu , YouTube makes it easy for your videos to be shared on the main social networks. The more they are shared, the better. As with Google, for YouTube it will be an unequivocal sign that your content likes and is worth highlighting.
4.6. Promote “favorites”
This option is in the “+ Add to” tab and is a factor that YouTube also takes into account. When the user clicks there, they get the option to mark your video among their favorites or add it to the list of things they want to see later.
5. Optimize the CTR of your videos
Youtube takes into account the CTR (Click Thouthg Ratio) when establishing its ranks. This means that if many people search for a keyword and click on a certain result more than others, that video will gain in positioning.
We are now going to see different optimization strategies to achieve the best possible CTR in our videos and, therefore, a better positioning in the YouTube rankings.
5.1. Video title
It is advisable that the title of your video has at least five words. This will allow you to include your keyword in it. If this goes to the beginning of everything, all the better.
Try to make it a magnetic title, with a hook, that arouses the curiosity of those who read it. Formulas such as “how to do something”, “what is something”, lists or selected things in relation to a specific year work well, such as: “SEO positioning factors in 2018”.
Take advantage of clickbaiting and put an irresistible headline, one of those that the user is unable to not click.
Remember, on the other hand, to rename your video file using the keyword.
5.2. The description of the video
Do not neglect this point, it is key. You must optimize the text of the video as if it were a blog article. It is what YouTube and Google are going to look at to determine what your video is about.
The text must be at least 250 words long. Do not be cheap thinking that on YouTube the only thing that matters is the video and almost nobody reads the texts, which are so hidden there. It may be true that few read them, but among them are YouTube and Google!
Also, remember that while they read the description, your video plays and you gain viewing time.
5.3. Be careful: DO NOT put a link at the top of the text
This technique is used to convert, but not to position, since if you put a link you send out to the user, which increases your bounce rate and in turn decreases visits.
5.4. Keyword in the first paragraph
Make sure that your keyword appears in the first paragraph and then is repeated sometime, but without falling into keyword stuffing. You can use variations of your keyword … If you want to know more details, I invite you to read my article on how to attract subscribers on YouTube .
5.5. Video content index
It is very useful for the user and increases navigability. It helps to position the video that you include an index with time links so that people go, clicking there, to the exact moment in the video in which you say or do something specific. It’s like marking chapters within your video, no more, no less. In addition, you can put other keywords in the sections of that index.
5.6. Eye-catching and personalized thumbnails
90% of the most popular YouTube videos have at least one thing in common: they wear personalized masks and not the ones that the YouTube manager shows you by default. Little more needs to be said, therefore.
Work on an image that arouses curiosity, that arouses emotions, with bright colors, large letters, attractive photos. Here you can do a “fotobaiting”, if you want
You already know that including a beautiful girl in the image is always a safe value, but there are a thousand other ways to attract attention.
Keep in mind that in the search results, next to the thumnail, the first 125 characters of your description always appear, so try to make a powerful idea appear there, which summarizes well and in an attractive way the spirit of the theme of your video,
Also, if you head the text with your keyword, it will make it bold and this will also help you position.
5.7. Transcribe your videos
Putting a transcription of its content in the description of your videos helps YouTube to classify its subject matter. And that will make your video appear in the suggested videos section, so your visibility and reproductions will increase.
One tip: if you are going to put a transcript of your video on your blog, make it different from the description. This way you avoid duplicate content and you can attack more related keywords.
5.8. Captions and annotations
Placing annotations and / or subtitling your videos in your own language or in another or others is well considered by YouTube, since in this way you are making it available to a greater number of people (from people with hearing disabilities to users from different countries ).
5.9. The authority of your channel
This is so. A channel that has gained popularity and authority will have much easier to position a video than if that same content is published in a newly created one.
Let’s see what we can do to cement that authority on our channel.
5.9.1. Your brand and your differential factor
If you regularly follow my videos or my posts, the tune will sound to you, but it is like this: What does your channel contribute that the rest does not? How do you differ? Why should users see your videos and not those of others that deal with the same topics?
You must define what your differential factor is going to be and what is the message that you are going to convey to your visitors. And from there start building your own brand.
5.9.2. Animated logo
You must include in your videos an intro or trailer that includes your logo. If that logo is animated instead of a fixed image, in addition to giving an image of professionalism, it will allow you to reinforce your brand message if you add your slogan or slogan.
5.9.3. Link to your YouTube channel on your website
If you have a website, link to your YouTube channel from it. It is a drawer, but it never hurts to remember the obvious things that, because they are simple, are sometimes overlooked.
5.9.4. Videos as answers
You can multiply the CTR of your videos by resorting to question and answer portals such as Quora or Yahoo Answers. It is about looking for questions related to your video and providing the same (as a link or embed, if they allow it) as an answer. It is better to put some text before it so that it does not seem that we are desperate to filter our video.
Here we return with common sense. If we contribute and do not spam directly, no problem.
6. SEO Off Page for videos
Every minute 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube . I repeat: every minute. An atrocity. And the number continues to grow year after year. This means that the competition is more than voracious for any subject.
Thus, in addition to applying the guidelines that we have seen so far, we must also promote our videos outside of YouTube and build your link building from your keywords.
As with any other content, the more links your videos get, the better they will rank in Google searches. Let’s see how we can work the SEO Off Page of our videos.
6.1. Ask them to subscribe to your channel on the networks
I don’t discover America with this, I know. It is clear that social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, among others, can help you spread your YouTube videos. Almost everyone does, but not everyone invites their followers from other networks to become a subscriber to their channel on YouTube. Ask without fear.
Presumably if they like you on one site, they will have no problem following you on another.
6.2. Embed your videos on your blog or website
Including it in a post on your blog with which it is related can generate a significant plus of reproductions of the video, not to mention the enrichment that it supposes for your publication.
The embeds are taken into account by YouTube to rank. Also, they create a backlink, so embed as much as you can and encourage others to do so. From YouTube it is very easy giving the option “Insert”.
In addition, each embed generates a code that can be customized in size and other variables.
It will also be a way of informing those who do not know that you have a YouTube channel.
6.3. Cast your video on news aggregators
Sneaking your video on the front page of aggregators like Menéame is also another way to trigger the reproductions. You just have to establish during the upload process that your content is a video, which is then displayed like this:
7. Bonus track:
Here are some extra tips to do SEO on Yotube
7.1. In streaming, the power of a live
The possibility of directing through YouTube is another asset to take into account, since streaming videos generate a lot of interaction, viewings and reach.
Once finished, they stay like normal videos, but they retain that aura of extra quality because they were recorded in real time.
7.2. Mention your keywords during your videos
Although it is hard to believe, YouTube “listens” to your videos and somehow records what you say in it. Therefore, listening to your keyword during the video helps you to know exactly what it is about and to determine which keywords you can rank for.
Presumably mentioning your keyword is something you will do by trade, but just in case, make sure to pronounce your keyword at least once or twice during the video. If you subtitle or transcribe it, you guarantee a minimum density.
Do not go overboard either so as not to fall into over- optimization . And in looking like a parrot. With common sense and naturalness, the keywords flow XD
7.3. Don’t get bogged down by technical quality
There are those who argue that you have to invest in quality (expensive) equipment to record videos, but I always say that the important thing is what the video contributes. If you have to record it with your mobile, nowadays the image and sound quality of any smartphone can be more than enough. Of course, if it is pixelated or does not sound well, do not upload it because you will not get anything like that.
Over time, as you generate income, you may consider acquiring a more “pro” camera and mic, or even hire an editor to make special effects or cool montages for you.
Youtube, like you and me, loves to watch videos in HD (in fact it highlights them), but, trust me, the first thing is to move forward, move forward, move forward. That the technical does not stagnate you .
7.4. Position your self-hosted videos
Is it possible to position videos uploaded to your server on Google instead of YouTube? It is possible, but the options are much smaller. Keep in mind that YouTube is owned by Google, so it is logical that its own videos prevail in its results and not those of other platforms. As a fact: 82% of the videos it offers in its Google search results are from YouTube.
If you still think that it is worth investing efforts in fighting for that small piece of cake that remains, what you must do to choose to be within the remaining 18% is to put the video as the main content of a page; transcribe it just below and use Video Schema markup , among other possible actions.
7.5 Video link in your email signature
A simple but effective way to publicize your videos is to include its link next to your email signature . Especially if you have many contacts and you regularly carry out email marketing actions.
Your users will have direct access to good content and you will generate audience peaks that will help your videos appear in the suggested results of the first pages of YouTube users. You can also link directly to your channel instead of a specific video.
Surely you have some other trick …
Can you tell us what SEO strategies on YouTube you use to position your videos? Do it in the comments. Or record a video and give us the link.
