YouTube SEO: 5 Factors to Rank Your Video Faster

YouTube has revolutionized how we use the internet since its launch in 2005. The website quickly became the home of online video content, with people from across the globe loving how easy it was to upload clips and watch their favorite creators.

From the beginning, the world’s biggest brands recognized YouTube’s marketing potential. For example, a Nike advertisement featuring soccer icon Ronaldinho was the first video to amass a million views on the platform. Now, as the second-most visited website, YouTube is one of the web’s most influential cornerstones.

With brands using YouTube video optimization methods to reach their audience with incredible precision, understanding these processes ensures your content generates success. Here, we highlight five ranking factors that will take your YouTube SEO results to the next level.

   1. Choose the Perfect Keywords

Keyword research is crucial to every aspect of search engine optimization (SEO), but especially for ranking with YouTube SEO. Inserting research-driven terms – specific to your audience and goals – into your titles, descriptions, and tags ensures search engines recognize what your content is about. When handled expertly, this helps your content reach your ideal target market.

So, where do you begin? First, create a list of keywords that capture the essence of your video. A simple approach that delivers powerful results involves typing related terms into YouTube’s search box. As it preloads with search suggestions, this provides incredible insight into how real YouTube users find content just like yours.

Once you’ve finished creating a list of keywords, use a YouTube SEO tool like Keyword Planner to determine relatively low-competition keywords. This will help you stand out in relevant search results to an engaged audience rather than getting lost in the noise far down the search rankings.

   2. Craft Attention-Grabbing Titles and Descriptions

Now that you’ve identified productive keywords that reflect your content and appeal to your target audience, you need to figure out how to craft the perfect title and description. But considering there might be thousands of similar videos, how do you go about capturing attention in a competitive space? 

By thinking about your audience’s demographics, you can create a title that appeals to their interests. If you’re looking to generate views from a younger audience, combining slang and online references with your target keyword could improve your visibility in search results. Remember to keep your titles concise for the most success. 

The description box is another area you can’t overlook when undertaking YouTube video optimization. Share a brief, engaging keyword-driven message that provides extra context to your video. Plus, include links to your website, social media profiles, and other relevant information to increase YouTube SEO performance.

   3. Add Tags, Categories, and Subtitles

You need to use every avenue to your advantage to rank your videos fast. YouTube video tags play an important role in your reach, as these help the platform’s search algorithm understand the context of your videos and the information presented within. With a mix of broad and specific tags, reaching an engaged audience becomes so much easier.

Likewise, you can also select categories for your individual videos. With these ranging from News & Politics to Education and Entertainment, choosing the ideal category for your videos ensures your content has the best chance of reaching consumers who boost your bottom line.

Many brands don’t think it’s worth their time to add subtitles and captions to their videos. However, as Google is focused on improving accessibility on the platform, this YouTube SEO tip ensures your content is viewable by the widest potential audience. Plus, the platform’s algorithm searches your subtitles for keywords, helping you appear higher in relevant search results.

   4. Create Eye-Catching Thumbnails

Keyword-driven titles and relevant tags are crucial for capturing attention via YouTube SEO. However, you must also consider what your brand’s audience finds most engaging when they’re scrolling through the search results. This means you need to develop an eye-catching approach to thumbnails that resonates with your target market’s demographics.

To start, conduct a search for brands within your niche. Now that you’ve seen what the competition is doing with its thumbnails, you can create your own consistent design that stands out against your rivals. Meanwhile, consider developing different variations to separate individual topics and content formats on your channel.

While your design should align with the rest of your brand image, don’t be afraid to A/B test your approach. Experiment with diverse graphics, photos, and text to see if a particular design steadily delivers more clicks than alternative versions. Supported by distinctive thumbnails that elevate your content, you can expect to rank higher on YouTube’s Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

    5. Analyze and Share Your Content

Applying the latest YouTube SEO tips ensures you optimize your content to a high standard. However, you shouldn’t simply rely on these methods to generate exceptional results for your channel. Instead, you must consistently review your YouTube analytics to determine whether your videos are delivering suitable results.

For example, you might look at your traffic sources to determine where your content is being shared around the internet. Perhaps you can develop a video marketing strategy that capitalizes on these opportunities further. You should also pay attention to metrics such as watch time, average percentage viewed, and returning viewers to decide if your content is hitting the mark.

With this information, you can implement changes that increase your rankings and therefore your ability to reach your audience. To help spread the word further, get active on social media to highlight the release of a new video to your existing viewers. Backed by a clever approach to YouTube SEO and cross-promotion, you can boost your channel’s subscribers and views.

Boost YouTube SEO Rankings Fast

Producing high-quality content for YouTube is a complex process. Considering the effort involved, you must upload your videos for success using proven YouTube video optimization methods. 

With the team at First Page working with cutting-edge YouTube marketing strategies alongside many of the world’s leading companies, we have the skills to push your videos to the top of the SERP. Get in touch with our YouTube SEO specialists to learn more.