You want to get more views on YouTube to be successful on the platform. The more views you have, the greater number of subscribers you will get and the higher your watch time. This can lead to increased numbers of conversions on your website, or more revenue from the monetisation schemes YouTube offers.
With over one billion hours of video watched a day on YouTube, there is certainly a lot of potential for your channel. However, YouTube is technically a search engine for videos, so you need a good SEO strategy. That is where an SEO consultant can help.
Here are some quick, actionable ways an SEO expert can help you.
1. Use keywords
Just like with your website SEO, you’re going to need to use keywords within your video title, description and in transcripts. The better your keywords, the higher the video will rank on YouTube. However, the keywords used on YouTube are different than those used on Google. You have to use tools to find some of the best keywords to use.
You don’t want to use just one keyword either. You should be adding two keywords into each part of the video. Transcription is really important too. Many YouTubers don’t use transcriptions, so adding this can put you above your competitors.
In addition, you need to be using tags which contain your keywords. This means not using the usual keywords like YouTube, online video, etc. Instead use long-tail keywords like ‘grow YouTube views’ and ‘increase YouTube subscribers.’
The people best placed to help you are SEO experts. They’ll have the right tools to help you identify and use the high-performance keywords.
2. Sharing your videos across social media
Social media is still an important part of SEO and getting views. YouTube videos are automatically displayed on many social media posts when you share the link. Good examples include channels like Facebook and Twitter.
However, some channels, like Facebook, want to promote their own video systems more. To avoid the penalty, your SEO expert will upload your optimised video thumbnail with a link attached. This can increase the reach of your social media campaigns.
They might also use their buying power to pay for reach on channels like Facebook. With their experience, they’ll target key audience members and make sure you get more for your money.
They’ll also continue to push new videos for about 30 days. Social media updates have short lifespans and people might not see or take action on the first view. By advertising regularly, the SEO consultant can catch more people.
3. Use a better thumbnail
Your thumbnail is a key proponent to increasing views on YouTube. A good looking thumbnail is like an advertising poster on the wall in the street. It will draw the attention of the eye. However, YouTube’s auto-suggested thumbnails are normally poorly created.
Your SEO consultant should be able to create a custom thumbnail and upload it for you.
The consultant will know that almost 70% of YouTube traffic is via a mobile device. So, their thumbnail design (and your video content), will display well on a small screen.
4. Keep your titles short
Video titles can be cut off if they’re too long. Plus they are the second thing that audiences tend to see, after your thumbnail. If you make your title short so it fits within the limited number of characters viewable on a mobile, you will have a higher number of views.
Yet within this title, you still need to have keywords written. Your SEO consultant will look for keywords that can be combined to make one short but highly valuable keyword. For instance, if you are creating videos on reptiles, you might have keywords like: ‘reptiles for beginners’ and ‘great small reptiles’. Your consultant will combine these into one title: ‘Great Small Reptiles For Beginners’ but in the tags, the two keywords would be separated.
Titles like this are also intriguing because you’re giving value to your video and even experts might want to know what you consider as a beginner. This sort of video is adaptable to most industries and topics such as crafts, toys, DIY, etc.
5. Make changes to your videos regularly
While you might consider your video finished once you’ve pressed publish, the work on that video is far from done. The best SEO consultants know that tweaks to your videos should be continuous. Titles, descriptions, tags and other information might need to be changed in order to make a video last longer. They will help you make regular changes.
The thumbnail, in-video links, and other details might also be areas to regularly change. In-video links to other content of yours is a great way to build views up on multiple videos while being found on one search term.
6. Reach out to other YouTubers
YouTube might be considered the second largest search engine, but it is also one of the biggest social media platforms available. It offers great interaction with viewers (through comments) and with other YouTubers. Your consultant will respond to all comments on YouTube. It shows you care about your audience.
In addition, you’ve got the opportunity to collaborate with other content creators to get the attention of new audiences. Collaborations can take time, but they can also be great fun.
But you have to be sure that the person you’re collaborating with is going to benefit you. A food business is probably not going to do well with a shoe seller. This is where a consultant can really help by completing due diligence when you’re offered a chance to do a video with someone.
7. Use notifications, an email list and your blog
One final way to get more views is to use your email list. Emails with videos are opened 19% more and can have 50% higher click-though rates. You can use your mailing list to distribute your brand’s message across the internet.
The advantage of this is that YouTube doesn’t always promote your video externally. The user has to be on the website to see your latest content. Even then, unless they have clicked on notifications, they might not see your new content, so always remind people to subscribe and hit the notifications button.
Finally, your SEO consultant can take advantage of website SEO by embedding your videos on relevant landing pages and blog articles on your website.
Don’t let your videos disappear on YouTube
Without views, your videos will be lost in the depths of the YouTube vault. The person running your SEO campaigns can get more people to your videos with the tips above. If you are struggling, then an SEO consultant can help you work through the points to ensure your content isn’t wasted.
