Are you ready to increase your video views on YouTube? To help you maximize your content’s reach, use these 7 YouTube Video SEO Tips.
Did you know that YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world behind Google? And when you post videos on YouTube, do you post with a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy in mind or do you just publish your life’s work without a description?
If you are one of the people posting 3.7 million videos daily on YouTube, and doing it without a strategy, use these video SEO tips to reach your ideal audience.
Based on Goody PR Founder Liz H. Kelly producing four different YouTube Channels with millions of views, along with teaching Digital Marketing at UCLA Extension for seven years and being on the Board of the Social Media Club Los Angeles, we’re sharing these insights to help you get better results.
So let’s take a closer look at these 7 YouTube Video SEO Tips:
1. Define Long-tail Keyword Phrases for Your Video
The most important thing is to define and use the best keywords in videos to reach your niche audience everywhere to improve your SEO. You want your video to show up on the top of the list when people do search on the Videos Tab on Google for your specialty.
And instead of using one word for a keyword (example: “authors”), use a long-tail phrase with more details (example: use “author publicity tips” versus “authors”). By using a more focused 2-5 word phrase, it will help you better reach your desired customer or audience with less competition.
You can also use SEO tools to identify your best keywords, which may include Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, SparkToro.com or others.
2. Maximize Your Video Title with Keywords, Verbs and Numbers
To maximize SEO for your video title, it’s very important to include your keywords, action verbs and numbers if applicable. For example, we have a client who posted a video that says Meet – Name, but it did not mention their company name or role in the title. The purpose of this video was to introduce their new website with new branding by introducing their thought leaders, but the title was very vague. We recommended that they update the video to include more information to reach their target audience faster.
VIDEO TITLE EXAMPLE 1:
Incomplete: Meet Name
Much Better: Meet Role – Name – from Company Name
In addition to including the role and company name, it’s best to use action verbs and numbers with a How or Why in front of the video to better explain the benefits of watching your video. People always want to know What’s in it for Me?”, so you want to answer that question in your video title and description.
VIDEO TITLE EXAMPLE 2:
How Top Book Publicist Goody PR Founder Liz H Kelly Promotes Authors with National and Local Media
VIDEO TITLE EXAMPLE 3:
3 Ways Authors can get Top Media Interviews with a Wow Story by Goody PR
3. Write an Inviting Video Description with Keywords
Your video description is also really important on YouTube for attracting your niche audience. The worst thing that you can do is leave this space empty. To reach your target market, write a well-written video description that speaks to your audience in at least one paragraph. Include your long-tail keyword phrases and a call to action at the end.
You want to make it conversational versus sounding like an ad. For example, you might say, “Watch this video to learn” or “Did you know…?” or “To help you get more video views, here are 7 easy advice tips.”
In your description, always answer the question, “WHY should the viewer care” and then summarize the content in your video description because you have more room than the video title.
You should also include a Call to Action with a link to your website, book or product at the bottom of the description. For example, you might say, “For more information, visit our website” or “Where to Buy The Book” or “Contact Us for a free consultation.”
4. Include 3 Video Description Hashtags with Your Keywords
In your video description, you can also add 3 hashtags to increase views. For consistency, use your longtail keyword phrases in these hashtags. Are you getting the theme here? Yes, please use your keyword phrases everywhere.
We recommend including your 3 hashtags at the bottom of the video description. They will automatically appear at the top of the video description when people view it too. And if you click on any of the hashtags, you will see related videos that are using the same hashtag. Remember to use a long-tail keyword phrase (example #VideoSEOTips versus #VideoTips) to reduce the competition, and reach your niche audience.
5. Name Your Video Asset Files with Your Keywords
In addition to using keywords in your video title, description and hashtags, use the same keyword phrases in all of your video asset file names, which includes:
- Video File Name.
- File Names for images that appear in the video.
- Default Video Image File Name.
For example, if your target audience is “Authors” who are seeking help with promoting a book or brand, use “Author Publicity Tips” in the file name.
The main reason why you want to do this file naming step is because it will increase the chances of your video showing up in both “Google – Videos” searches and “Google – Images” results.
6. Post Clear, Concise and Compelling Content with Video Keywords
And of course, you want to post great video content that is clear, concise and compelling. You also want to make sure that you add your keywords in what you say, banners and in any image files shown in your video.
For our videos, we write an outline, usually with 3 tips, and then will film it 10-15 times until we have a video that we really like. We don’t use a script because we want it to sound more like a conversation versus reading from a piece of paper.
You also want to change your tone a few times, pause, and add emphasis to keywords. This voice variation can take more practice, but Google it, and try it.
7. Post High Quality Videos using the Best Equipment
In addition to these video SEO tips, keep in mind that you should focus on producing high quality videos using the best equipment (great camera, lighting, and microphone.) And then take time to edit your video so it is clear with great lighting, excellent sound quality and complimentary images to add value to your viewer.
As an example of a 1+ million view video, check out our video of the Hunger Games Cast at Comic-Con. There were 5,000+ people in the room filming videos, yet our video got over +1 million views because we used all of the SEO tips above to increase the reach. Notice the video title is detailed and catchy to increase views and interest.
VIDEO EXAMPLE 1 – 1 Million+ views
Jennifer Lawrence Kisses at Comic-Con Hunger Games
As a second example, here is another video that we filmed at Comic-Con in the infamous Hall H where they host the biggest movie and celebrity panels. This video was edited to focus on a keyword phrase, and has almost 1 million views. Notice the video title is very clear, unique and makes you curious to watch it.
VIDEO EXAMPLE 2 – 1 Million Views
Chris Evans Captain America compares muscles to Thor at Comic-Con 2014 Marvel Panel
BONUS TIP – Post Shorts to increase Youtube Video SEO
And P.S., YouTube wants to compete with Instagram Reels, so YouTube Shorts now can get more views than your other videos. Use these YouTube video SEO tips, and regularly (at least weekly) post video shorts (under 3 minutes) to get more eyeballs watching your content.
For example, here is a video short that we posted recently with publicity tips for authors. Notice how the target audience is in the subject line, along with the keyword phrases “Top Media Interviews” and “Wow Story” and our company name “Goody PR”.
EXAMPLE – YOUTUBE SHORTS
3 Ways Authors can get Top Media Interviews with a Wow Story by Goody PR
So the next time you post a video on YouTube, please use these 7 YouTube Video SEO Tips to maximize your reach, increase your views and attract your desired audience. With practice, it will become easier and attract more eyeballs and clients.
And if you’d like to learn more about Goody PR’s Digital Marketing and Public Relations Services, please Contact Us.
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