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How to optimise your YouTube videos

One third of all online activity is spent watching videos with YouTube ranking as the second largest search engine on the internet, after Google.

But with so much content, how will your video be found and gain views? This can all be achieved once you know how to optimise your channel and uploads!

Present day (and future) social media platforms all come with the new challenges of working with ‘the algorithm’ to ensure your content actually reaches an audience. Here are some basic ways to get you started:

What is optimisation?

Optimisation is simply using relevant keywords that will be picked up by the search function. For example, keywords are the themes or subjects that most appear in your video. If you’re struggling to think of more than two or three keywords, put yourself in the shoes of the searcher – what words or questions will they type into the search bar to find your video?

Your video title

Once you know what your keywords are you can start to use them wherever possible. Make sure your title includes keywords that describe what your video is about to help searches identify it when it appears in search results. But keep the title short. 60 characters should be sufficient.

Add keywords and tags to your videos

Aim for 10 to 15 tags for each video including exact phrases that people might search for, also referred to as long-tail keywords (3 or more words long) to target more specific demographics.

Video description SEO

The description you write about your video should also be optimised using keywords and phrases that help with pick-up in related searches. The longer and more SEO focussed your description the better.

Add keywords to your channel

In addition to adding tags and keywords to videos, don’t forget about channel keywords. To assign channel keywords on YouTube, open Creator Studio (click your profile photo and select Creator Studio). In the left sidebar, click Channel > Advanced, and then enter your channel keywords in the field provided.

Choosing a video thumbnail

It sounds obvious, but the thumbnail that appears as your video preview is hugely influential. It tells people about the quality, style and content of your video and influences the millisecond response time that determines if someone will play your video or keep searching. YouTube will offer you three options taken from your video, but you can also choose to upload your own image.

Employing all these techniques will definitely help your videos reach a wider audience.

If you’d like any further advice or assistance with your YouTube and video strategy, call us on 01926 832395 or email hello@redmarlin.co.uk.

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