• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

WTWH Marketing Lab

B2B Marketing, content marketing, online advertising, lead generation, SEO/SEM

WTWH Brands
  • Posts
    • Social Media
      • Facebook
      • LinkedIn
      • Pinterest
      • Twitter
      • YouTube
    • Marketing
      • Content Marketing
      • Email Marketing
      • Online Marketing
      • Search Marketing
      • SEO
      • Webinars
    • WTWH News
  • Media Guides
    • Club + Resort Business
    • CStore Decisions
    • Design World
    • EE World Online
    • Fluid Power World
    • MedTech / Life Sciences
    • R&D World
    • Robotics Network
    • Solar Power World
    • Windpower Engineering & Development
  • Print Ad Submissions
  • Ad Specs
    • Expandable Online Display
    • Digital Editions
    • PRINT AD SPECS
    • Sponsored Content and Native Content Specifications
  • Webinars
  • Contact Us
    • About
    • Job Opportunities
    • Subscription Services
    • DesignFast Data Request
  • Request Proposal

YouTube SEO: How to Optimize YouTube Videos

October 4, 2017 By Aly Ryan 5 Comments

youtube seo

Let’s talk about YouTube SEO. As the second biggest search engine, YouTube provides marketers with a huge opportunity to increase their site traffic. Just like Google, YouTube has its own algorithm that decides the ranking of the search results. By optimizing your videos for YouTube, you’ll make it easier for your intended audience to find your videos and increase your site traffic as a result. Sounds like a win-win, right? Let’s get started.

Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day. Click To Tweet

Factors Impacting YouTube Ranking

Here are some of the main factors that go into the rankings of YouTube videos.

  • Watch time: YouTube cares more about how long people watch your video than how many views the video has.
  • Video length: Longer videos tend to rank better than short videos. Many resources suggest making your videos at least five minutes long.
  • Your number of YouTube subscribers
  • Keyword relevance
  • Subscribes after watching
  • Reactions (comments, likes, dislikes, shares)

A few tips for YouTube SEO

youtube seo

Remember, YouTube cannot watch the video for you. YouTube is relying on you to tell it what the video is about so it’s able to rank the video. Here are a few steps to help you accomplish this.

  • Use keywords in the video filename
    • When you’re finished with the video, be sure to include the main keyword of the video in the file name. For example, if you’re trying to rank for the keyword “3D printed car,” you’d want to name your video 3D_printed_car_video.mp4.
  • Create an optimized title
    • The title of the video should be at least five words long and include the major keyword you’re trying to rank for. Try putting the keyword you’re trying to rank for towards the beginning of the title.
  • Use tags
    • Use relevant keywords that fit your brand and will interest the people that the video was intended for.
  • Create a full description
    • Don’t be afraid to include several hundred words to articulate the key points from the video. This will make it easy for YouTube to see what value the video offers. Be sure to include plenty of relevant keywords in the description as well. You could even include the script of the video in the description.
    • Some basic guidelines for the description include:
      • Including a link to your website at the top
      • Including your keyword in the first 25 words
      • Making the description at least 250 words
      • Including your keyword at least 3-4 times
  • Upload a transcript
    • This makes it easier for people to watch the video when they’re at work and don’t want to disturb coworkers.
  • Use a strong call to action
    • Use YouTube Cards to drive people back to your website or send them to the next video of the series if it’s relevant
  • Create an eye-catching thumbnail cover
    • We’ve all heard the saying a picture is worth a thousand words and this is exactly why your video should have an appealing thumbnail cover. You can design eye-catching YouTube thumbnails with Canva.

Promote your video

The final step in optimizing your video is promoting it. Once the video is uploaded to YouTube, it’s up to you to encourage viewers to watch your video. Embed the video on your blog and company website. Promote it in your email marketing efforts as well as your social media channels.

Have you experimented with YouTube SEO? Keep the conversation going by commenting below or tweeting @WTWH_Aly.

Need help creating compelling video content? We can help! Click here.

 

 

Share

Filed Under: Featured, Search Marketing, SEO, Social Media, Web Metrics, YouTube

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Matt says

    November 3, 2017 at 2:37 pm

    i agree completely 100% about watch time, its really important for youtube (engagement that is)

    Log in to Reply
    • Aly Ryan says

      November 3, 2017 at 2:51 pm

      Thanks, Matt!

      Log in to Reply
  2. Soumya Roy says

    December 2, 2017 at 10:28 am

    Very good points here, especially the transcription one. Very less discussed and used, but has lots of power when it comes to YouTube video optimization. Another small but crucial point here is, placement of the outbound or internal YouTube link on the video description field. It must be placed as early as possible and should be visible before the show more option.

    Thanks & Regards
    Soumya Roy

    Log in to Reply
    • Aly Ryan says

      December 5, 2017 at 4:53 pm

      Thank you, Soumya. Great point about the link in the beginning of the description field!

      Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

LEADERSHIP 2021 SUBMISSION FORMS

  • 2021 Fluid Power World Leadership Profile Upload page.
  • 2021 Design World Leadership Profile Upload page.
  • 2021 Windpower Engineering & Development Leadership Profile Upload page.
  • 2021 Solar Power World Leadership Profile Upload page.
  • 2021 Medical Design & Outsourcing Leadership Profile Upload page.

WTWH on the Inc. 5000 list – 10 Years Running

Learn More About AI For Marketing

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

Latest

FriendShip Kitchen Awarded Safe Shop Assured Certification

The Ohio-based convenience retailer is the first in the United States to be certified for its commitment to essential store … [Read More...] about FriendShip Kitchen Awarded Safe Shop Assured Certification

Safe Shop Assured

New Safe Shop Program Provides Retailers with Third-Party Certification of Commitments to Safety

Run by a diverse independent board of retailers, suppliers, and industry experts, Safe Shop Assured certification helps … [Read More...] about New Safe Shop Program Provides Retailers with Third-Party Certification of Commitments to Safety

WTWH Media on the Inc. 5000 List 10 Times Running

WTWH Media Ranked Number 4632 overall, 67% 3 year growth and on the list for ten consecutive years We're very pleased that … [Read More...] about WTWH Media on the Inc. 5000 List 10 Times Running


  • Design Engineering
  • Electronics Engineering
  • Fluid Power
  • Hospitality
  • Life Sciences
  • R&D
  • Retail
  • Robotics
  • Solar Power
  • Wind Power

Follow us on Twitter

Tweets by @WTWH_Marketing

Footer

WTWH Media Brands

  • Club + Resort Business
  • Convenience Store Decisions
  • DesignFast™
  • Design World
  • EE World Online
  • Fluid Power World
  • LeadLift™
  • MassDevice
  • R&D World
  • Solar Power World
  • The Robot Report
  • Windpower Engineering & Development

WTWH Publications

  • Club + Resort Business
  • Convenience Store Decisions
  • Design World Magazine
  • Solar Power World
  • Windpower Engineering & Development
  • Fluid Power World
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing

WTWH Media LLC, an 9x Inc. 5000 honoree, is an integrated b2b media company serving the electronics, design engineering, hospitality, life sciences, renewable energy, retail and robotics markets with more than 50+ web sites, 12 events, 7 print publications and custom digital marketing services. More at WTWH Media

Copyright © 2021 · WTWH Media, LLC · Privacy Policy


Twitter Linkedin Facebook
We use cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use this website.OkRead more