A client asked me this question yesterday and after addressing her question; I thought it would be nice to share these quick tips with my readers also.
Everyone knows YouTube is an amazing source of traffic. In fact, as search engines go, it is second only to Google. And since YouTube is Google owned, it stands to reason that a YouTube video is capable of receiving high search engine rankings. It’s a given that a high rank for a popular keyword phrase can send hordes of traffic to any site. But most often those coveted key phrases have extreme competition and can take months to achieve, if ever. However, an optimised YouTube video can help you get there quicker.
Achieving high rankings with YouTube can be accomplished if you realise that your videos need optimisation, both on page and off; similar to any web page you are attempting to rank. Follow these principles:
On Page SEO For YouTube Videos
- Choose a title for the video relevant to your chosen key phrase. But titling your video to reflect the keyword is not enough. The video title is what compels YouTube viewers to click and watch your video. The title must be enticing enough to encourage viewers to watch.
- Consider the description carefully: A video’s description does not need to be more than a few paragraphs. Include key words and phrases that are being targeted in this description, YouTube does not handle similar phrases in the same manner as Google so all keywords you’re intending to target must be used in the descriptions. However, YouTube is based on real users so descriptions with multiple key phrases must make sense when they are read. No keyword stuffing.
- Use your keywords as tags: The tags must be relevant to the video. Both YouTube and Google will know if the key phrases aren’t relevant. I like to keep this to 3 tags. Another thing I do is to find another video that is targeting the same niche and has got lots views and use similar tags to tag my new video.
- Create transcriptions for all videos: YouTube allows users to transcribe the video content. Take the extra time to upload the full transcription of your video as YouTube uses the full transcriptions as a ranking element. This means it’s important to use keywords in the video dialogue if high Google rankings are to be achieved.
- Build authority for your YouTube Channel: Authority can be built by engaging users to view, like, comment, and subscribe. Being consistent with video content and delivery will help. Users are more likely to continue conversations if you engage directly with them. Answer all questions and respond to comments when appropriate. As Google is becoming a personal search engine, they will appreciate this greatly…. and so will the viewers.
Off Page SEO For YouTube
- Back linking to videos is a needed process just as with any off page SEO strategy: There is no need for spammy links, as a YouTube video itself will carry a lot of weight in Google results. Linking from a few websites may be enough for example, your blog if you have one.
- Social Signals are also a factor: Sharing your video to all of your social profiles will help create buzz to your video and alert Google of its social importance. Share the video directly from YouTube and encourage viewers to do the same.
- Allow YouTube users to embed the video on their own sites: Google will see the value if other site’s also find the video valuable enough to share with their readers.
These are all valid points that will give a solid foundation to achieving good Google rankings with YouTube. But the absolute best advice is to perform an internet search for the desired key phrase. If there is no YouTube video ranked on page one of these results, the odds of ranking a YouTube video on Google’s first page is highly in your favour.
These are the simple tips I do to rank YouTube videos. They are easy to follow and anybody can implement them. If you have any questions, please drop me a comment below and I will be sure to address them.
