YouTube is the second largest search engine. This means that people are constantly searching on YouTube for topics that they are curious about or that interest them. People see dozens of videos when you search for something to watch on YouTube. Do you wonder what these YouTube videos are sorted by? You better wonder about YouTube SEO ranking factors to get your YouTube videos ranked higher in searches. Like other search engines, YouTube considers certain factors when ranking videos for you. Of course, in a completely unique way.
When we talk about search engine optimization, you need to know all things to improve your content views. Because it’s all connected to making your views higher by making it rank on YouTube.
Therefore, if you don’t know where to start, purchasing YouTube views is recommended, then, I will help you out on the way of keyword selection which is one of the most prominent factors, how to use these keywords effectively within the YouTube seo strategy, and how to climb up in YouTube search results with all these processes.
How to Do YouTube Keyword Research
As you can see, you need keywords to get your YouTube video ranked higher in the search results. There are a few very basic and easy methods you can use to find your target keyword and other keywords to use around it.
#1 Utilizing YouTube’s Autofill Feature
You can start keyword research for YouTube by using a feature within it. The autofill feature in YouTube’s search bar gives you an idea of search trends related to the topic you are searching for.
For example, suppose you have a channel that gives harmonica classes, and you are looking for keywords that are suitable for your videos. Just like a user who wants to start playing the harmonica, if you type “how to play harmonica” in the YouTube search bar, you will see that YouTube will give you many different suggestions. You only wrote how to play harmonica, but many complementary results are below.
These suggestions actually give you information about search trends on this topic. In other words, you can create keyword ideas by examining these titles in the first step.
#2 Utilizing Google Search
Another way to find video keywords is to do a Google search. Why is it important to utilize Google search? First, Google shows the most relevant videos related to the searched keyword at the top of the search results.
Especially if you are asking questions about how to do something, as we gave in our first example, it is quite possible to encounter videos in google search results. Look at the results of a search for how to play harmonica. The videos rank at the top. You can also see in the people also ask section that just like YouTube, google gives different suggestions to users.
So when you are doing keyword research for your YouTube content or your channel, I recommend using Google as well. This way, you can find more powerful keywords, and you can rank not only your video on YouTube but also in Google results. This means more viewers, more subscribers, and a bigger channel.
#3 Analyzing Popular YouTube Videos in your Niche
Exploring popular YouTube channels in your niche and their videos will also help you pick your keyword. There is undoubtedly a reason why viewers prefer watching their videos to other videos on YouTube.
I recommend that you carefully analyze which keywords these channels choose in their video titles, similarly which words they use in their video descriptions and how they use them, and their choice of words for video tags.
This does not mean you should imitate them. But it will be helpful for you to understand which methods a successful YouTube channel uses, and which methods make a difference on YouTube.
#4 Utilizing Keyword Research Tools
If you want to make things a little easier, you can use keyword tools to find the right keywords. With these tools, you can measure the performance of your target keyword or broader keyword groups. You can also get recommendations.
For example, Google keyword planner allows you to discover new keywords and informs you about the efficiency of existing keywords. All you need to get started is a Google ads account.
Of course, Google’s tool is not your only option, many tools have been developed in this direction. Thanks to them, you can speed up your YouTube SEO process significantly. So you can rank YouTube videos more quickly. However, I should note that you usually have to pay a fee for these detailed services.
Some Tips for YouTube Keyword Research
I’d also like to mention a few tips to help you with your keyword research for ranking YouTube videos. The first one is to analyze the level of competition of your keyword. That is, to find out how often this keyword is used by other content creators. So where can you get this information? The simplest way is to use the search engine results pages.
For example, when you do a search on Google, you can see how many results are found for this keyword right below the search bar.
If this number is high, it means that there is more competition in your keyword. If you already have a channel that reaches large audiences, this may not be a problem for you. But if you are a fresh channel that is trying to reach its target audience, it would not make much sense to build your YouTube seo on a highly competitive keyword.
But since searching using Google in this way lists results from all over the internet, it is not surprising that the results for the keyword are so high. Again, with the help of Google, you can only look at how much content is produced for this keyword on YouTube. For that, all you need to do is very simple. Type “site:youtube.com” in the search box and then enter your keyword. This way you can see how often your keyword is used only on YouTube. Similarly, you can get results by adding @youtube to the end of your search, but the first one I mentioned always brings you more consistent results.
As you can see, the results will be different with this kind of customized search.
Well, what can you do in such a situation? So when you are in a situation where the competition is very high or the range of the word is very low. The simplest thing to do in this case is to use relevant keywords. So, you can try to use synonyms. You can create long-tail keywords that will include them. Or you can go for a completely different word choice. It is up to you to decide according to the analysis you have done in this matter.
How to Efficiently Use Keywords for Your YouTube Channel
Once you have identified your keywords, the things to do are not over. You should use these keywords efficiently to get higher on YouTube’s search results pages. Now I’m going to tell you how to move up in the YouTube algorithm by using keywords efficiently. In addition to that, I’m going to talk about other factors that affect video rank. Let’s check out what they are.
Using Keywords in the Title and Video Description
If you want to use keywords efficiently to rank your videos, you first need to use them in your video title and video description. If we look at the technical side of the issue, a YouTube video title should be between 5 and 7 words. Of course, this is not applicable in all circumstances, it may vary depending on the content of your video.
If possible, it is better to use your keyword at the beginning of your title. But don’t strain yourself too much to make this happen. Indeed, your keyword should look natural in the title. So, avoid awkward usages.
Remember, you need to attract viewers’ attention as well as optimize video titles for YouTube SEO. You need a balance between these two. When viewers scroll through the video results and glance at your title, they need to clearly understand what your video is about.
So, you need to have titles for your videos that will make them click. If you’ve already chosen a decent keyword, put it in the title properly, and have really relevant content, you’re ready to attract YouTube users to your video for something they’re looking for.
Another key point is to use keywords in YouTube video descriptions. Video descriptions are recommended to be 200-300 words. According to YouTube guidelines, you can have a maximum of 5,000 characters in your description. An optimized description can boost your video higher in user searches. This description should inform the viewer about the content of the video. In other words, the viewer should be able to find what they are wondering in the description of this video.
For this purpose, keywords should be used at the beginning of the description. Similarly, it should also be used at the end. Because users usually quickly glance at the beginning and end of the text. Writing your video description with these in mind means that you have taken one of the basic steps for a good YouTube SEO practice.
And, of course, there are YouTube video tags, let’s talk about it. Tags are one of the factors that affect the ranking of your content in video search results. Although it is not as effective as the title and description, using the keywords you set in the tags may still be beneficial.
Creating an Optimized YouTube Channel Page
Optimizing your channel is another factor that helps you rank higher in search results. Therefore, you should also use your keywords on your channel page. The most effective place for this is undoubtedly your channel’s about page. Here, use keywords while talking about your channel at the same time. If you have a well-optimized channel page, your channel may even appear directly in the search results of users searching for relevant keywords.
Using Subtitles and Transcriptions
It can also be useful to pronounce your keyword in your videos. Then, when you add subtitles or transcriptions to your videos, YouTube can better identify your video, and you can rank higher.
After utilizing all these methods, you may be curious about your channel’s performance. For this purpose, you can use YouTube analytics to see the ways in which viewers reach your videos or channel. Thus, you have the chance to intervene in the factors you see missing or unsuccessful.
Other Recommendations to Rank Videos Higher
Finally, in addition to these methods, let’s conclude with a few suggestions for boosting your videos in search results.
- According to some research, long videos rank higher in YouTube searches than short videos. So if your videos are long, publish your videos without worrying about whether they will be watched. Longer videos will also increase your channel’s watch time, allowing you to rank higher in the rankings. Of course, this may vary depending on the niche you are creating content for. In other words, short videos may be more interesting in some video types. But as a general trend, it is possible to say that long videos are ranked higher.
- Promote your video. Promoting your videos is as crucial as creating videos. Leverage other social media platforms for this. Remember, no matter how good your videos are, you still need to spend a certain amount of time promoting them. It’s a must.
- Encourage your viewers to comment. Video comments are an important factor for you to climb up the rankings. Because as your engagement increases, YouTube notices you more and makes you more noticeable. The best way to engage these days is through comments. Encourage your viewers to comment and express their opinions by asking them questions. Moreover, reply to their comments, and like them. I can definitely say that engagement will bring you a lot of benefits.
