You’re not alone if you’re trying to figure out YouTube SEO tools and strategies. While getting your YouTube channel off the ground can often feel like a struggle, learning about YouTube Search Engine Optimization can expand your channel’s reach and make your videos more searchable.

Because 500+ hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every 60 seconds, understanding SEO and how to make your videos stand out is essential. And here’s the good news: YouTube SEO doesn’t require a tool bag full of technical knowledge. Today, we introduce you to the top SEO tools and strategies to help you succeed on YouTube!

First Things First: What is YouTube SEO and How Does It Work?

YouTube SEO optimizes your videos to help them rank higher in search results. The process involves using specific techniques and strategies to help put your content in front of more target audience viewers.

Search engines can’t pull information from videos, so they rely on the video’s text components instead. Text components include titles, captions, transcripts, tags, and descriptions. So, incorporating appropriate keywords into these areas is essential.

Optimizing these components while creating top-notch, engaging content improves your audience’s experience, making your videos and channel more popular. Now, let’s look at how you can quickly put these SEO tools and strategies to work for you!

Step 1: Keyword Research

Begin by determining what topics are popular searches. Typing a word or phrase into YouTube’s search bar is the simplest way. For example, if you type “real estate” into the search bar, you’ll notice things like real estate investing, real estate market, and real estate mindset pop up.

Performing keyword research isn’t necessarily so you can copy other posters’ content but rather so you can explore topics and see what opportunities present themselves best.

Digging into related terms can narrow your video’s niche and create a unique angle. So, instead of settling for “real estate investing,” you could narrow down your video to “real estate investing in Massachusetts,” which helps target a more defined audience.

Expert tip: Don’t stop with YouTube! Also, perform keyword research through Google and consider using Google’s Keyword Planner tool, which will help you brainstorm and determine what viewers want.

Step 2: Use Hashtags

Placing hashtags in your video’s title and description is an excellent way to help your videos gain exposure. Users can search for hashtags to view videos related to specific content. Use around two or three relevant hashtags, like your company name and a main keyword or topic, to avoid appearing “spammy.”

Step 3: Create a Playlist on Your Channel

Next on our list of YouTube SEO tools is organizing your channel’s content into a playlist, which has several benefits:

• It makes it easier for viewers to locate related videos.
• It helps keep viewers on your channel, improving watch times and possibly leading to higher-ranking search results.
• It allows YouTube to understand your channel’s content and theme, which also may improve your search visibility.

Don’t forget SEO as you create your playlist – use descriptive titles, including appropriate keywords and tags.

Step 4: Optimize Your Descriptions and Titles

Your video title and description are ideal locations to highlight your keyword or key phrase. First, your video’s title should not be too long – only around 75 characters – so ensure it is eye-catching.

Here are a few excellent examples of clickable title formats:

• Question titles such as “What is?” or “Why?”
• Listicle titles like “3 Critical Reasons Why Digital Marketing For Real Estate Is a Must.”
• Compare and contrast titles such as “Best and Worst Ways to…”
• Tutorial titles like “How to…”

Next, let’s discuss optimizing your video description. In this section, you will have 5,000 characters but resist the temptation of keyword stuffing. Instead, create a brief video summary while integrating appropriate keywords. Additionally, your description should incorporate links to other relevant videos on your channel and have video timestamps.

Remember to include links to your website and social media pages when creating your video description. Did you know that mentioning additional social media accounts appears to be associated with increased view counts?

Step 5: Add YouTube Tags

Most viewers will not see your YouTube tags, but tags remain essential because they can help improve your ranking and visibility. When you tag your videos with descriptive terms, you help the platform understand your video’s content and recommend them to the appropriate viewers.

Step 6: Create Clickable Thumbnails

We must address thumbnails as we continue discussing YouTube SEO tools and strategies. While thumbnails don’t necessarily affect SEO, they are critical for snagging your audience’s attention.

Thumbnails help establish your brand’s identity and add a professional appearance to your channel. People love to see eye-catching colors, bold text, and a person or action in thumbnails. Note: YouTube Shorts do not allow you to select your thumbnail.

Step 7: Promote Your Content

When we post videos, we want reactions from viewers, right? One of the best ways to get a response is to ask for it! Request for viewers to like and comment on your video. Remind them to subscribe to your channel and include another call to action in your video.

Next, consistently promote your YouTube content. Here are three excellent ways: Send your videos to your email subscribers, share your videos on all your social media platforms, and embed your videos in your blog posts.

Step 8: Leverage Your Channel’s Analytics

The last piece of the SEO puzzle is analyzing your results. You can evaluate your channel’s performance using YouTube analytics, helping you understand what’s working and what isn’t.

Your YouTube dashboard can help you understand the following:

• How your keywords rank
• Which videos are performing best
• The length of your top-performing videos
• Which videos have received the most engagement and traffic

Once you assess your data, you can explore new keywords and topics that may help your channel perform even better.

Need More Help With YouTube SEO Tools and Strategies?

We have one final must-see resource to help you with your YouTube videos and channel – A Guide to YouTube Marketing: How to Leverage the Brain’s Perception Capabilities With Video Ads. Be sure to check it out and bookmark it for quick access.

Lastly, if optimizing your YouTube videos and channel has you down, we can help. Just reach out to us using our handy dandy contact form. We can’t wait to share what our marketing agency can do for you!