YouTube boasts an extensive user base of over 2.527 billion individuals worldwide as of April 2023. Each day, people worldwide watch over a billion hours of video content. Needless to say, YouTube videos have become a marketer’s dream.
But your YouTube marketing campaign is about more than uploading any old video. This is a classic case of quality over quantity and, to get the best out of these videos, marketers must prioritize high-quality, optimized content that is engaging and discoverable.
So that’s exactly what we’re going to be talking about today. Whether YouTube is already part of your marketing plan or you’re in the process of setting up a channel, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll be discussing why YouTube is so integral and how to make the most of content by increasing discoverability, boosting views, and driving those all-important conversions.
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YouTube: a marketing powerhouse
YouTube has been around since 2005, and it’s fast become a brand communication powerhouse. Marketers flock to YouTube in search of visibility.
Video content is more interactive, personal, and instructive than written content like blog posts and articles. Users can build human connections to brands thanks to accessible, visual content.
However, YouTube videos aren’t successful without the right strategy. YouTube might be owned by the world’s favorite search engine (Google) but its algorithms are different. YouTube marketers need to make content specifically designed to rank on YouTube.
So, how does YouTube differ?
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YouTube vs. Google
Search engine optimization is now a mainstay of digital marketing, but optimizing YouTube content isn’t quite the same. Google might own YouTube but the platforms are distinct and use different algorithms.
Video SEO requires its own unique techniques. It’s essential to optimize your YouTube SEO in order to stand out in this increasingly saturated ecosystem.
Let’s take a look at seven ways to improve video discoverability once and for all. The aim? To get your content ranking for all related YouTube searches and boost lead generation.
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How to improve your video discoverability on YouTube
Time for some YouTube marketing secrets. We’ll be deep-diving into seven fantastic ways to improve your video discoverability on YouTube and boost that video SEO.
1. Get them to watch till the end
Optimizing for YouTube is about effective communication techniques. It’s great when someone clicks on your video. It’s even better if they watch to the end. The time someone spends watching is one of YouTube’s most important value metrics. The longer people stay engaged with your video, the better YouTube will rank it.
2. Focus on file names and titles
Make sure you’ve got a good SEO tool to help you identify the best keywords. Once you’re fully armed with clickable, rankable keywords, put them in the right places. That means renaming video files using top-ranking keywords and inserting them into your video titles.
Remember, keywords shouldn’t sound forced. Try to integrate them naturally into your titles. For example, say my top keyword was ‘cloud computing’. An appropriate title could be ‘How to improve your company communications with cloud computing’.
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3. Coordinate videos and blog posts
Here’s a nifty trick. Once you’ve optimized file names and titles, publish a blog post targeting the same topics and keywords. This helps both the post and the video to rank better on Google. It’s even more effective if you can embed the video into your blog post. Readers are directed to YouTube and watchers quickly re-routed to your blog.
For example, let’s say I’m one of the top SaaS companies out there today. How might I go about coordinating informative content for my YouTube channel and company blog?
Well, I might publish a blog post about cloud call center solutions. As part of my blog post, I might want to include a subsection on quality assurance. Here, it would be a good idea to embed a company YouTube video on the topic. Therefore, I embed my video on call center quality assurance to provide readers with an in-depth topic guide.
4. Don’t forget those descriptions
Your video description is more important than you might think. YouTube video descriptions allow for up to 1,000 characters. Make them punchy, and try to hook in viewers with a clever call to action.
5. Try out topical tags
Tags let YouTube know what your content is about. By appropriately tagging your content, you’ll help YouTube link it to other relevant videos so viewers can access it as ‘suggested’ content. Keywords and topics are the way to go.
6. Add subtitles and closed captions
80% of U.S. consumers are more likely to watch an entire video when captions are available. In fact, one survey of U.S. consumers found that 92% view videos with the sound off on mobile. Making subtitles available is a simple way to boost views. Plus, the keywords in your captions improve SEO.
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7. Include a killer thumbnail
Don’t discount the importance of a killer thumbnail. Aim for something personal to your brand that stands out to viewers as they scroll through video results. Make your thumbnail a heads up to the content to follow. YouTube will auto-generate a thumbnail for you, but custom thumbnails are much more effective.
Improve your visibility on YouTube once and for all
Video marketing is hot right now. Whether you’re starting up a brand channel or are an old hand on YouTube, remember that optimizing content is key to success. That means video SEO, stand-out thumbnails, subs, and engaging videos that people want to watch through to the end. Check these off your list, and you’ll be sure to draw in crowds and convert viewers into customers in no time.