Substance and Style

You probably already know how effective video is compared to other kinds of content, but if you’re producing video without optimizing your YouTube channel for search, you may be missing out on traffic and conversions. YouTube is the second most used search engine in the world (only google gets more queries). Your YouTube channel can drive a lot of traffic to your website and other social media channels, but it can also build a loyal customer base on the channel itself. Optimizing for YouTube search is similar to optimizing for google, but there are some important distinctions. Take these steps to make your videos stand out and get more attention:

1. Devise a clear strategy. Really think about what you want to have happen. A clear goal will do wonders for your channel. While there is always some trial and error, keeping the desired result in mind will do more for you than throwing out a bunch of random content. As you think about your goals, think about your target audience. Learn as much about them and their behaviors on YouTube as you can. Check out who is doing well in your niche and think about what you will need to do better in order to compete. Don’t begin with a goal of going viral or accumulating a massive amount of followers (unless you’re an aspiring influencer). If your YouTube channel is not the main focus of your career, you can support your business or organization better by building a specific targeted audience that is more likely to convert.

2. Optimize your entire channel. Pay attention to your profile. Fill out all the information. Include your branding. Link to your website and other social media channels. Take the time to write a good, concise description of your business. Produce a compelling trailer for non-subscribers and an interesting on-brand video to be featured for subscribers. Create playlists and featured sections. Look at your profile through outside eyes and make it as user-friendly and interesting as possible. 

3. Make a plan for production. Assess your own skills and the equipment you have on hand so you can decide what you will need. It’s important to realize that you don’t necessarily need to make a huge investment right off the bat. You can always start with what you have and grow. What production quality you need is going to depend mostly on your target audience and the types of videos you’re planning to do. If you’re a nonprofit trying to reach donors, for example, genuine raw footage with a good script will do more to appeal to your audience than a glossy, expensive video. If you’re teaching a course to your audience, you might need to learn to do whiteboard-style explainer videos or invest in lighting and sound equipment to make good webinars. If you’re showcasing products, you may be able to film your inventory on your phone in short bursts. Popular video types are talking heads, screen recordings, animations, and process videos. You’re really only limited by your imagination. As long as you keep the needs of your audience in mind and the quality is good enough that it isn’t distracting, you will be in good shape with viewers.

4. Create good content. This one is rather obvious, but I feel it must be said. Create good, useful, authoritative or entertaining videos. Publish on as regular a schedule as you can. Quality trumps quantity, but you do have to regularly produce content to build loyalty. 

5. Do keyword research. You have probably already done keyword research for your website and/or other social media channels. YouTube’s algorithm judges the quality of your video for each keyword or phrase based on a number of factors, including the title, description, engagement from the public, average watch time, and metadata. The better each video performs on these metrics, the more the algorithm trusts your channel and begins putting your videos in front of the people you need to reach. Use a keyword in your video file’s name and a keyword in the title (in a natural way). Your description should include keywords (again, naturally – never ever keyword stuff!). You can use the same tools to conduct keyword research as you do for google, but you should also check YouTube auto complete for more ideas about what your audience is looking for. Really give some thought to user intent and plan your keywords accordingly. If you haven’t gotten started with keyword research, read this post.

6. Optimize each video. Have a good custom thumbnail. Use Cards and End Screens. Categorize and tag each video. Add a CTA; always ask the audience to like, share, comment, or subscribe. Use hashtags. Turn on closed captioning and provide a transcript.