Video has become a key player in content marketing for a few reasons. Research overwhelmingly shows that people prefer video to text content and that YouTube is a true content powerhouse. However, in order to get the most views possible, you need to search optimize your YouTube content. Let’s take a look at why and how you can do this.
You Need To Get On YouTube
Why has the popularity of video soared? Also, why is YouTube currently the second most popular search engine on the internet? The fact that humans are visual creatures likely has something to do with it. According to data from 3M, our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than text.
We connect with visuals faster and remember them more strongly, as the majority of people are visual learners. It’s no secret that people get fatigued by endless blocks of text, which is why almost all successful content marketers employ visuals and make their social media presence highly visual. It’s also why YouTube is such a big deal.
Did you know that people view more than 500 million hours of video content on YouTube every day? This means that you can watch more content in a single month on YouTube than US TV networks have aired in 3 decades.
YouTube can be powerful for lead generation, but before you can gain leads your content has to be viewed. That’s where search optimization comes in. Check out our blog post on how to use the platform to generate leads.
Google’s Influence
Back in 2006, Google bought YouTube. This might have been their largest outside investment ever, and their most profitable to date. In 2014, it was estimated that YouTube was worth $40 billion, a number which has likely only grown over the past 5 years.
Google owns YouTube so they have done the obvious. They give preference to search results which include YouTube videos. Video content that is hosted on their site can be seen in featured snippets, which work wonders for those who are trying to get seen on the web. If you Google almost any topic, it will likely show you a small selection of YouTube videos that share that keyword.
Achieving Visibility
While you want to put out video content, you also want to make sure that it is crafted strategically. In the modern age of digital marketing, anyone can make high-quality looking videos on their smartphone and upload them to a variety of platforms. What will set you apart is a smart strategy including search optimization.
While this sounds complicated, there is good news. Search optimizing videos is easy because it is very similar to how you would optimize content for any other medium or platform. There are two main ways that your video content can achieve visibility.
- YouTube videos that rank in general Google search results.
- YouTube videos that both rank in YouTube search results and show up in related videos.
Below, we explore how you can boost visibility in both YouTube and Google search results with clever search optimization.
SEE ALSO: A Digital Branding Guide to Starting Out on YouTube
Put Content Quality First For Search Optimization Success
Remember, the YouTube platform is very smart when it comes to understanding how your audience receives your videos. It tracks and understands how much your audience engages with and enjoys your content. Here are some things you can do to boost the reach and engagement of your video content.
Make Watchable Videos
You can have an airtight SEO strategy, but if no one wants to watch your content it will not get you the results you would like. Most popular YouTube channels have a certain formula that they stick to in order to keep content engaging, consistent, and highly watchable.
When your content is watchable, the payoff can be huge. This is because YouTube audiences tend to be highly engaged when it comes to their favorite creators.
You want to make videos about topics your audience is interested in in an engaging way. Some YouTubers rely entirely on their personality to create content, but this is generally not a recommended strategy.
Lead With Your Uniqueness
Unique ideas that can be easily replicated are a great way to launch your brand on the YouTube space. Many YouTubers have launched careers or come to notoriety on the platform by creating or popularizing types of videos that others imitate.
For example, many popular YouTubers have built online careers out of shopping and doing “hauls,” where they show the things they bought. This is especially popular amongst beauty and fashion channels.
One notable example is YouTuber Mia Maples, who is known for her Wish hauls. A Wish haul she did in 2018 is currently one of the most popular haul videos on YouTube, with over 12 million views.
In response to these types of videos, YouTuber and drag performer Kimberly Clark popularized the anti-haul. In anti-hauls, someone discusses things they will not buy, and why. Beauty channels alone have replicated this format possibly hundreds of thousands of times.
And many of the people who choose to make this type of video credit Kimberly Clark and link to their channel.
Create your own style and format that others enjoy or want to copy. This is one way to stand out. Building links, mentions, and influence is an important part of search optimization.
Plan Carefully
Whether you are doing a series or a bunch of disconnected stand-alone videos, you need a plan. Based on keyword research and audience response, pick your topics. Much of search optimization is planning ahead as much as you can.
However, it may also benefit you to create a schedule that allows you to respond to events in your industry in a timely manner. Depending on what you do and what you offer, offering commentary or reporting on timely events might be a great way to build authority and get your videos to show up in popular searches.
If you know what people are talking about, you can leverage it for search optimization.
Conduct Video Content Keyword Research
Bottom line, you need the right keywords to get the results you want. First, you need a spreadsheet of keywords that rank highly in your own brand or industry. You can use Serpstat or other tools to help you do your keyword research.
You want to make sure to use keywords that are relevant to your industry. However, do not only choose ones that are already flooded with competing for content. The goal of search optimization is to help your content get noticed and stand out.
SEE ALSO: The Complete Guide to Keyword Research
Search Optimization 101
Creating content and doing keyword research are the most crucial and challenging steps. However, you don’t want to go through all of that work only for your video content to fall flat in views because you didn’t put the same smarts into posting it.
Remember, search engines love text content. So, you want to make sure to attach a lot of it to your video. This can look like:
- A catchy keyword-centric title
- A detailed description
- A full transcript
- Strategic tags
- A detailed clickable table of contents
Final Thoughts On YouTube Video Search Optimization
Ultimately, you need to employ video content as a part of your marketing strategy. This is people’s preferred way to consume content and has proven influential in both building brands and influencing shopping behavior.
However, it is not enough to just make video content. Make sure it is search optimized too. Attach it to supportive text that will make it rank highly in search engines. You want your videos to be search optimized for both Google and YouTube. As a result of search optimization, far more people will see your content.
How do you plan to search optimize your video content on YouTube? Tell us below…
