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*UPDATES IN PROGRESS

How does SEO on YouTube work?

  • YouTube’s algorithm evaluates various SEO factors when ranking YouTube videos and channels. These include video titles, descriptions, metadata, tags, thumbnails, how long people watch your video, view count, and more.

  • The YouTube algorithm shows viewers the most relevant and useful YouTube videos.

  • YouTube videos can also rank in search engines like Google!

Why is YouTube SEO important?

  1. More Views

    • showing up in top search results means more people will have the opportunity to click and view your videos

  2. More conversions

    • more views, shares, and engagement

  3. Boosts organic website traffic

    • having your YouTube videos show in search results on Google helps CTRs, build brand awareness, and drive organic traffic from YouTube

YouTube SEO Strategy

  1. Keyword Research (KWR)

    • KWR is an essential part of SEO. Keywords represent the words and phrases the audience will mostly likely use when searching for content like yours.

    • Use Ahrefs for Keyword Research

    • Use the YouTube search bar to find related search terms in addition to general KWR from Ahrefs.

  • Once you have a list of keywords, determine which you want to target for your video.

    • Keyword Types

      • Primary - have higher monthly search volume, but they tend to be more competitive and difficult to rank for.

      • Secondary - have lower search volume, but they have less competition, which makes them easier to rank for.

      • Long Tail - are longer and more niche phrases, generally related to your primary and secondary keywords.

  1. Add Target Keywords Strategically to Videos

As with any SEO strategy, don’t keyword stuff. YouTube SEO is about making your content easier for your viewers to find, and for YouTube’s algorithm to understand. If you overuse your keywords, you risk confusing your audience. Or worse–getting penalized by YouTube and Google.

  • Video Title

  • Video Description

  • Tags

  • Video Chapters/Time Stamps

  • Video Transcription

  • Video File Name

Google recommends using the target keyword as close to the beginning of the title, description, and tags as possible. Additionally, try to use a combination of long-tail keywords, synonyms, or related terms when writing descriptions and adding tags.

  1. Use Captions

Captions are an essential part of social media accessibility. Not only do they benefit your viewers with hearing impairments, but they also add context and fill in any audio gaps that viewers might miss.

On top of improving accessibility and user experience, captions let you include important keywords that YouTube can easily pick up on.

Captions can be added manually by uploading a text transcript or a timed subtitles file. YouTube also offers the option to directly enter transcript text, allowing the subtitles and timings to be automatically synced with your video.

  1. Add Timestamps to the Video

YouTube timestamps let YouTube know where the important parts of your video begin and end. This allows YouTube to understand the content of your video even better–and in turn, gives you a stronger YouTube SEO ranking signal.

In Google search results, timestamps are shown below video search results in a “key moments” section. If a user searches for a particular phrase and Google sees that this phrase is used as a timestamp, Google will direct the user to the exact part of your video where they can find the answer.

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