Whenever we need to do research on topics or look for specific items online, we immediately ask for assistance from Google. Aside from being the most popular, it’s also the most powerful search engine known to man. Okay, that sounded a bit over-dramatic, but you get our drift, right? 

Google has fought tooth and nail since the day it was launched to be the search engine giant that it is today. Now, while it deserves all the accolades it’s been given since day one, we need to acknowledge that it isn’t the only search engine out there. 

Case in point: we have YouTube that comes in close second. Well, that isn’t really surprising since it’s a product of Google. With over four billion videos being viewed by people from all over the world every single day, it comes as no surprise that it has become more than just an online video streaming site. 

The Need of Video SEO

From the last few years, videos have become a vital part of visual marketing strategy. A major benefit of adding videos on your website is to get a better interaction with your target audience. While if you plan to upload videos on YouTube they get instant indexing by Google. We all know about the competition videos are facing these days, so to make your video viral you need to think about video SEO and get them index properly. Given these facts, it only makes sense to make the most out of the opportunity that YouTube gives its content creators. 

An effective Video SEO strategy will not just boost your visibility on the online video streaming platform; it will also give you high search rankings on Google. If you’re clueless on creating SEO strategies that bring in the numbers, well, fret not. We listed down some video SEO tips for you:

Optimize the Metadata of Your Videos

When you upload a video, you add a description containing all the information that will benefit your viewers. In YouTube lingo, this is your video’s metadata, and optimizing it will do wonders for your SEO. 

Write a short but informative title that contains key phrases that your target audience would use. Use YouTube’s Keyword Suggestion Tool to get an idea on how much traffic each key phrase could bring. 

Video descriptions should be loaded with information explaining what it’s about. Note that viewers only see the first three sentences when it’s not expanded, so be sure to place all important information at the beginning of the description. Always include your URL so people know where to find you outside YouTube.

Make Use of Annotations

YouTube annotations are the clickable text and images that pop up on the screen whenever you watch videos. These function as call-to-action buttons that drive your viewers to perform specific tasks like following you on social media, and subscribing to your channel. 

One thing to bear in mind when creating these annotations is to keep them from interfering with your viewers’ experience. You can do this by adding speech bubbles to whoever is talking in the video to supply additional information they may have skipped. If you want your annotations to look professional, you can use notes or squares when adding links or text. Title, pause, label, and spotlight are other options you can explore when adding your YouTube annotations. 

Add Relevant Transcriptions

Let’s say you have a video 10-15 minutes long. For that, you definitely need to think about a way to get it viral! This makes video transcriptions very important. Once the viewer can watch the video and read the transcript, there is improved potential for a better user experience. Not just that, adding video transcripts will help your video reach to more number of viewers’ maybe those who likes to watch and read both together or who may not be able to listen to your videos, because of some issues or disability.

Your Page Design Should Be Consistent with Your Brand

Branding is one of the crucial elements in SEO. This is why, when designing your page, you need to make sure that the colors, fonts, images, and other design elements you use are consistent with your brand. YouTube offers features that allow content creators to customize their channel for free; it would be a shame not to use it. 

A custom background sends the message that you take your YouTube channel seriously. It’s also the perfect way to grab your viewers’ attention and highlight the products and services that you offer. Choose hi-res photos or graphics with details that are not too overwhelming or else viewers will hit the close button before they can even start checking out your content. In order to capture your online audience effectively you can also think of options like creating video intros, video outros, thumbnails etc. so that your viewers will know have a better understanding about you. All these methods will help building your brand recognition.

Make use of the feature that allows you to link your viewers to your blog, website, and other social media accounts. These links will appear on the lower right portion of your header. 

It looks simple but there’s more to YouTube SEO than meets the eye. Aside from the tips we mentioned above, you also need have well-organized playlists, conduct a strategic keyword research, and keep your viewers engaged. 

Final Words

Since we’re talking about boosting your search rankings, we need to emphasize that user engagement plays the biggest role in this department. Invest in high-quality equipment and set up your “studio” before shooting so you can create unique, interesting, and engaging videos. Have your script ready so you can avoid awkward silences and stick to the topic. Keep your audience in mind while shooting. Is your video engaging enough? Will they watch until the end if your video? Taking their reactions into consideration will help you come up with videos that are both entertaining and engaging. It will also make them want to share your video to their friends, family, and contacts. Who wouldn’t want that, right? 

Author Bio: Rekha Pant is a marketing professional. She has evolved herself to become a fluent writer covering different topics in Digital Marketing, Education and IT. With her rare talent, she has published ace blog pieces as a guest on many websites. For more information about her, you can check her profile on LinkedIn.