If you’re a content creator or run a brand’s YouTube channel, you probably want more people to watch your videos. Of course, creating great content is important, but did you know other factors within your video determine who sees it and when?
Like most search engines and social networks, YouTube uses a variety of elements to determine the placement of your video in search results. YouTube SEO is all about optimizing these different elements to ensure your videos are shown to more people more often.
If you’re ready to learn more about YouTube SEO, here are some proven tactics and best practices to follow.
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What is YouTube SEO?
YouTube SEO is the process of optimizing YouTube videos and channels to rank higher in YouTube search results. YouTube SEO includes strategies like keyword research, script optimization, link building, and more.
SEO stands for “search engine optimization” and is typically used for web pages that want to rank in search engines like Google.
However, many social media platforms—like YouTube and Instagram — have their own rules for pushing certain content forward.
How does SEO on YouTube work?
YouTube’s algorithms use many SEO factors when ranking YouTube videos and channels. These include information sources like video titles, descriptions, metadata, tags, thumbnails, watch time, view count, and more.
Ultimately, the algorithm wants to show viewers the most relevant and useful YouTube videos. It’s good for them and you, because when you like what you’re watching, you’re more likely to stay on the platform.
But YouTube isn’t the only search engine you should optimize your videos for. YouTube videos can also rank in search engines like Google.
That means a well-optimized YouTube video won’t just appear in YouTube’s search results. If you do it right, your YouTube videos can also show up in Google’s main search results, video search results, Google Images, and the Discover tab.
In short, a strong YouTube SEO strategy includes two components:
- YouTube optimization
- External SEO
If you can combine these two search engine optimization techniques together, you’re looking at some serious YouTube success.
Why is YouTube SEO important?
YouTube SEO is important for a few reasons.
- More views. Turning up in top search results means more people will have the opportunity to click on and view your videos. You worked hard on them! So, give them a chance to shine.
- More chances to convert. More eyes mean more views, shares, and engagement. Plus, more possible subscriptions and revenue down the line.
- Boost organic website traffic. Having your videos show up in online searches helps increase click-through rates to your website, build brand awareness and loyalty, and drive organic traffic from YouTube.
- Cost-effective. YouTube SEO doesn’t cost much. All you need to invest is your time and maybe a little extra for the right tools and software (we’ll outline our favorite YouTube SEO tools later in this blog).
- Competitive advantage. Showing up in top YouTube (and Google) search results means your content is seen before your competitors. This competitive advantage can help you solidify your place as an industry leader.
How to do YouTube SEO: 13 essential tips
Wondering how to rank YouTube videos? Here are 13 proven YouTube SEO tips that Hootsuite’s own YouTube channel producers use to get their videos to show up at the top of the SERPs.
1. Conduct keyword research
Keyword research is an essential part of SEO for YouTube. In other words, you want to identify the words and phrases your audience will likely use when searching for content like yours.
When conducting YouTube keyword research, start by identifying primary, secondary, and longtail keywords.
- Primary keywords have higher search volume, but they tend to be more competitive and difficult to rank for.
- Secondary keywords have lower search volume, meaning less competition and (potentially) a better chance at ranking well.
- Longtail keywords are longer and more specific phrases, generally related to your primary and secondary keywords. For example, if your keyword is “boost Instagram post,” a longtail keyword might be “boost Instagram post from ads manager.”
You can use the same keyword research tools you’re already using for external SEO. This includes Semrush, Ahrefs, Google Keyword Planner, and the like. Many of these tools, like Semrush, have added YouTube keyword analytics to their feature offerings.
These tools can be a great help. However, YouTube’s search bar also suggests related queries as users type, and these suggestions can be a goldmine. In addition to your general keyword research, our YouTube experts recommend leveraging the YouTube search bar to find related search terms.
Plus, recency does seem to matter on YouTube. If the top YouTube videos for a particular keyword have a lot of views but are relatively dated, this may point to an opportunity for you to create a successful new video with those topics.
When doing your keyword research, look at the size of competitors’ YouTube channels versus the video’s views. If channels with small followings have a lot of traffic, it’s a sign that the keyword is popular and gaining traction.
2. Add keywords strategically to videos
Now that you have your target keywords, it’s time to add them to your video. Keywords should be included in the following places:
- File name
- Video title
- Video description
- Tags
- Title cards & overlays
- Video chapters
- In your video script
Google recommends using the target keyword as close to the beginning of the title, description, and tags as possible. Try combining longtail keywords, synonyms, or related terms when writing descriptions and adding tags
As with any SEO strategy, though, don’t just cram keywords in anywhere you can.
YouTube SEO is about making your content easier for your viewers to find and for YouTube’s algorithm to understand. If you overuse your keywords, you risk confusing your audience. Or worse—getting penalized by YouTube and Google.
3. Use captions
Captions are an essential part of social media accessibility. Not only do they benefit your viewers with hearing impairments, but they also add context and fill in any audio gaps that viewers might miss. In fact, a recent study showed that 75% of people watch videos on mute, making captions an essential viewing component.
In addition to improving accessibility and user experience, captions also present an opportunity to include important keywords that YouTube can easily pick up on.
You can add captions manually by uploading a text transcript or a timed subtitles file. YouTube also offers the option to directly enter transcript text, allowing the subtitles and timings to sync with your video automatically.
In some cases, you can even add automatic captions through YouTube’s speech recognition technology after you upload your video. If you do use this route, make sure to proofread the captions, as automated captions tend to be less accurate than manually created ones.
It’s better to build your video around your keywords instead of adding keywords after the fact. Including your keywords in your script makes for a better viewing experience than trying to shoehorn them in after the fact.
4. Use cards and end screens
YouTube cards allow you to link to other videos, playlists, channels, or even external links from your YouTube video. Cards appear with a custom message in the top right corner of your video for a few seconds, and viewers can click to learn more.
Plus, cards also appear below your video description so viewers can access all linked or relevant videos. This is a great way to direct viewers to additional video content on your channel.
End screens are visual elements that appear during the last 5-20 seconds of a video. These give you a chance to promote other videos, encourage subscriptions, or point users toward your most popular playlists.
Here’s an example of what your end screen could look like:
From an SEO standpoint, both cards and end screens keep viewers engaged with your content longer.
While we don’t know everything about what makes a YouTube video rank higher or lower, we do know that the video’s success plays a part. Keep your audience interested in your content, and your SEO performance will improve.
5. Add timestamps to your video
YouTube timestamps tell YouTube when the important parts of your video begin and end.
This information allows YouTube to better understand the content of your video — and, in turn, gives you a stronger YouTube SEO ranking signal.
We suggest adding timestamps (also called chapters) to your video description, as well as the video itself, to make it easy for viewers to navigate your content.
However, your chapters will also appear below your description as yet another option for navigating your video.
Need another reason to add chapters to your YouTube videos?
In Google search results, timestamps appear in a “Chapters” dropdown next to the video. If a user searches for a particular phrase and Google sees that this phrase is used as a timestamp, Google will direct the user to the exact part of your video where they can find the answer.
6. Categorize your video
YouTube uses categories to group videos into broad topics, like “Sports” or “Technology.” While categories may not directly impact your ranking, they tell YouTube which channels produce the best quality content in that space, which makes it easier for the platform to recommend related content (like yours!).
Selecting the appropriate category for each video you upload gives YouTube a clear signal about what your video is about. YouTube will use this information to determine whether your video should appear in search results for certain topics.
You can access the Category area under the Details tab of uploading your video:
7. Upload a custom thumbnail
It’s always important to be aware of how your content will appear in search results. If your ideal viewer sees your title and thumbnail, will they want to click on your video?
Give yourself a good shot at success and make your YouTube titles accurate and descriptive, with thumbnails that are visually appealing enough to stand out from the crowd.
Thumbnails impact your video click-through rate, which in turn affects your SEO on YouTube.
If you have a verified account, we suggest creating custom thumbnails rather than relying on YouTube’s auto-generated options.
- Thumbnails have a resolution of 1280×720 (minimum width of 640 pixels)
- Be uploaded in image formats such as JPG, GIF, or PNG
- Be under 2MB for videos or 10MB for podcasts
Look how much nicer your video feed looks when all of your thumbnails are properly branded with eye-catching graphics:
8. Embed videos in your blog
Just like with any social media platform, cross-promotion matters on YouTube. Our in-house YouTube experts found that embedding YouTube videos in relevant blog posts can improve SEO for both your YouTube channel and the blog.
Of course, this assumes you already have an active blog — but if you don’t already have a high-traffic home for your content, don’t worry. We found that embedding YouTube videos in microblogs (like Twitter or Tumblr) can also have a positive SEO impact.
Just remember: When embedding YouTube content, make sure all videos are relevant to the URL and keywords they are linked to.
Your embedded video will look something like this:
9. Place hashtags in your description
If you include 2-3 hashtags in your video description, they’ll appear at the top of your description, giving YouTube and viewers a better idea of what your video is about.
Not only are these hashtags clickable, but you can also search for specific hashtags in YouTube search.
When selecting hashtags for YouTube video SEO, use keywords related to the content you’re publishing. If your brand name is relevant, consider using it as well.
Including multiple hashtags in YouTube descriptions is a good idea — just don’t overdo it. YouTube’s algorithm sees the overuse of hashtags as spammy.
10. Build playlists
Think of YouTube as a database of video content. You want to make sure your videos are filed appropriately and easy to find. That’s why it’s important to organize your videos into keyword-optimized playlists.
Playlists are one more signal that helps YouTube understand what topics your channel covers and helps viewers navigate the content more easily.
For example, if you create a playlist for, say, “YouTube SEO tutorials,” don’t include videos about gardening or makeup. (This seems obvious, but you’d be surprised…)
Instead, titles like “Ultimate YouTube SEO Guide,” “10 YouTube SEO Tips,” and “How to Optimize YouTube Videos for SEO” will help YouTube direct viewers to your content.
Take a look at how our YouTube experts have organized our playlists:
11. Go back and refresh old video content
Regularly posting and editing videos is one of the best ways to ensure YouTube’s algorithm recognizes you as an active user.
If you have an older video that hasn’t gotten much traction in a while, consider updating the title, description, tags, or even the thumbnail image to help YouTube’s algorithm find it again.
YouTube will also let you cut or edit a segment of an existing video only once. Apart from that, the content should be evergreen — so don’t age it with a specific year in the script if you can avoid it.
12. Don’t be afraid to rank twice
YouTube isn’t like Google when it comes to SEO; you can go after the same keyword multiple times without running into cannibalization issues.
YouTube videos aren’t judged as web pages, so you won’t be penalized if multiple videos rank for the same keyword on Google, either.
In fact, our research found that both Google and YouTube are more than happy to rank different videos from the same channel twice, as you can see below.
7 tools you can use for YouTube SEO
There are several helpful YouTube SEO tools on the market today. These tools can help you optimize your YouTube channel, analyze the performance of individual videos, track keyword rankings, and more.
Here’s a breakdown of our top seven.
1. YouTube description generator
Hootsuite has a free YouTube description generator that your team can use to put together SEO-friendly video descriptions based on your video topic, category, call-to-action, and more.
Disclaimer: Please note: This tool may display inaccurate or offensive material that doesn’t represent Hootsuite’s views. You’re solely responsible for use of any content generated using this tool, including its compliance with applicable laws and third party rights.
If you’re struggling to create cohesive video descriptions, especially if you’re ramping up your video production and publication schedule, this tool can be a huge help. Let this video description generator take a stab at your description—you can always polish it up later.
2. Semrush
We mentioned that Semrush now has its own YouTube Keyword Analytics tool earlier, but Semrush’s general Keyword Overview tool is also incredibly useful for YouTube SEO.
This tool researches SEO content topics in Google, which is great content inspiration for your YouTube channel. It provides specific keyword data such as monthly volume of searches, competition, and SERP placement.
Plus, Semrush compiles a master list of related keywords based on similar search queries, which you can use to break your content topics down even further.
Most importantly, Semrush shows you which keywords have video-rich results on Google. These keywords are good opportunities for YouTube videos, as they mean your video can show up on a Google SERP page (not just in the Video tab).
Just remember that the general keyword research tool pulls data from search engines, not YouTube. However, in our experience, this data also generally applies to YouTube.
3. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is another great tool for keyword research for both Google and YouTube. It’s similar to Semrush in that it offers a general keyword exploration tool that can work for both while also offering a free YouTube keyword tool.
Source: Ahrefs
Simply type in your keyword to get YouTube-specific data. You can also use the Keyword Explorer to assess overall keywords and apply those to your YouTube strategy.
4. TubeBuddy
Browser extension TubeBuddy is another absolute must-have tool for YouTube SEO. This extension seamlessly integrates with your YouTube account and can help with tasks like keyword research and video optimization.
TubeBuddy also provides comprehensive YouTube SEO data, including:
- YouTube keyword data
- Translator for video titles and descriptions
- Best practice audit to make sure that your content is YouTube-approved
- A/B testing for YouTube titles and descriptions
- Detailed analytics and usage statistics
5. VidIQ
The keyword research suite in VidIQ provides everything a YouTube content creator needs to get their videos seen and ranked in YouTube search results
With VidIQ you can:
- Research YouTube keywords
- See competitor tags
- Translate keywords
- View average views and subscribers
- Autocomplete tags
6. YouTube Analytics
YouTube Analytics is YouTube’s native keyword research panel. It provides insights on YouTube search terms and also flags content gaps.
This YouTube SEO tool shows you the searches YouTube viewers are making and how popular each keyword is relative to others. You can also see location data, device data, which cards were clicked, if subtitles were used, and more.
7. Google Search Console
Google Search Console is the best YouTube SEO tool for understanding how videos embedded in blog posts or web pages perform in the video tab on Google Search.
You can find YouTube impressions and clicks data, plus other related SERP information like total search queries, average rank position, video title/description updates, and more. It will also tell you if your embedded videos are being indexed successfully.
Grow your YouTube channel faster with Hootsuite. Schedule and promote your videos and engage with your audience from one dashboard. Sign up free today.
With files from Chloe West.
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