In the ever-changing world of YouTube SEO, one thing always matters: making your videos easy to find. Thousands of videos are posted every day, so it’s essential to make sure people notice your content!
In this guide, I’ll talk about why SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is helpful for your YouTube videos and I’ll also discuss 8 trending strategies to improve your YouTube SEO in 2024!
What is YouTube SEO?
Let me explain what YouTube SEO means. YouTube SEO is about making your videos and the channel more discoverable so they show up higher when people search for them or when YouTube suggests videos to watch.
When people type something into YouTube’s search box, YouTube uses an algorithm to decide which videos to display. If you use certain SEO strategies, you can improve your chances of your videos showing up higher in search results.
Why is YouTube SEO Important?
- Visibility: When your videos appear higher in search results, more people can find your stuff. This is how you can get more views and subscribers!
- Better Engagement: SEO can bring in people who really like what you make. When your videos match what folks are looking for on YouTube, they’re more likely to enjoy your videos, leave comments, and follow your channel.
- Long-term Growth: Unlike some social media sites where your stuff can be forgotten fast, YouTube videos can keep getting views and new fans for a longer time. If you make your YouTube videos better, it can really help your channel grow and stay popular in the long run.
Now, let’s look at the trending YouTube SEO strategies for 2024!
1. Discover Primary, Secondary, and Long-Tail Keywords
Just like your keyword research for Google SEO, finding the right keywords is very important for YouTube SEO as well. These keywords are what people are using when they look for videos like yours.
When you type in the YouTube search bar, it gives you ideas for what you might be looking for. So, if you use different keywords in your video, more people might find it.
When you’re figuring out what keywords to use for your YouTube video, start by finding the Primary, Secondary, and Long-Tail Keywords.
You can use the same tools you use for Google SEO to find these keywords, like SEMRush, Ahrefs, Google Keyword Planner, and others.
2. Put The Right Keywords In Your Videos In A Smart Way
Now that you have your special keywords, it’s time to use them in your video. You should put these keywords in the following spots:
- File name
- Video title
- Description
- Tags
- Title cards & overlays
- Video chapters
- Video script
YouTube suggests putting the main topic you want to talk about at the start of your title, description, and tags. Also, when you write about your video and add tags, it’s good to use not only the main keyword but also other similar words or longer phrases related to it.
3. Categorize Your Video
When you put your videos in categories, it’s easier for people to discover them. YouTube has lots of videos, so it’s tough to be at the top, especially for popular searches.
A simple way to make your videos more popular on YouTube is to put them in the right categories. When you do this, you’ll have less competition in your category, and more people can find your videos.
There are many categories to choose from on YouTube, like how-to videos, music videos, and funny videos. It’s important to choose the one that fits your video the best. Even though putting your video in a category can help, some categories still have a lot of competition.
4. Make Your Video Hashtags Better
Hashtags are used frequently on social media like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. They can help more people discover your content easily.
When you put hashtags in the description of your YouTube video, it makes it easier for people to find what they’re looking for. Adding a hashtag also shows what’s popular and gives people an idea of what your video is about even before they watch it.
Even better, hashtags work like a link to other videos that are similar. So, if you make videos about a specific topic, people can find more of your videos with the same hashtag.
YouTubers use special apps like hashtag generator to help them pick the right hashtags for their videos and improve their chances of getting seen by more people.
5. Make Attractive Thumbnails for Your Videos
When you make videos for YouTube it’s crucial to make people excited to watch your video and click on it. The more people click on your video i.e. the more the CTR, the higher your video will show up on search results!
You can get more people to click on your video by making a special graphic for it that looks different from other videos.
Why not make your video thumbnail more interesting by adding bright colors, words, and pictures instead of just using a frame from your video? This can help get more people interested when they search on YouTube.
Adding these special touches to your YouTube videos doesn’t just make people more interested, but it can also improve your branding. YouTube considers custom thumbnails when deciding how important your content is.
6. Make Your End Screen Better
Many marketers spend a lot of time improving the title and description of their content, but they don’t realize that the end screen of a video can also help with SEO.
The end of your video should be a moment when you ask your viewers to do something. You can use animations, links, and words to make a page that tells your viewers to either watch more of your videos or visit your website.
If you want more people to watch your videos or visit your website, make sure to use end-screen cards in a smart way.
Why not connect your video to another one that’s similar to the one the viewer just watched, or even better, put a link to a product or service you talked about in your video?
7. Start Timestamping Your Video
When videos get longer, it takes YouTube more time to analyze them and decide how high they should be ranked.
If you include timestamps (also called chapters) in your videos, it helps YouTube check your content faster. These timestamps also show up in your video’s description, which gives you another opportunity to include important keywords.
8. Respond to the Comments on Your YouTube Videos
Conversational Marketing can make your YouTube videos show up better in search results, and it’s not too hard to do.
When people say nice things about your videos, respond to them. It’s like having a chat, and it makes people want to talk more and like your videos.
By staying in touch with your viewers and making a friendly group, more people will want to subscribe to your channel. Plus, it’s good for your videos to have happy viewers, so your videos can be found more easily.
Ready to improve your YouTube SEO in 2024?
Among the tough competition on YouTube, SEO is really, really important. It’s not just something nice to have; it’s something you absolutely need for your channel to do well.
If you make your videos better and do the things we talked about earlier, more people will see them. You’ll be able to connect with a bigger group of viewers, and as time goes on, you’ll be able to achieve your goals.
So, don’t ignore YouTube SEO – it can totally change your channel’s future for the better.
YouTube SEO FAQs
1. What does SEO mean on YouTube?
SEO on YouTube means making your YouTube videos and channel better so that more people can find them when they search on YouTube or other search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. You do this by using the right words in your video titles, descriptions, and tags.
2. What tool is the best for SEO on YouTube?
TubeBuddy is a tool that lots of people like to use for this. It’s easy to use, and it helps you make your videos better. It suggests good words to use, keeps an eye on how well your videos are doing, and even lets you test different things to see what works best with your audience.
3. Why is SEO important for YouTube?
If you want people to find your YouTube videos easily, you really need to use SEO. Without it, it’s hard for folks to discover your stuff because YouTube decides what to show based on how well it matches the words people search for and some other computer rules. Spending time finding and using the right words that fit your video or channel can help you stand out and make sure people can find what you’ve made.
Written by Akanksha Ghule from Deshpee. The images have the copyrights from their respective sources.
