With 2.3 billion active YouTube users, it’s no surprise that you’re trying to learn how to make the most of the platform. The number of video people who consume video content daily is on the rise, so it pays to put your content where people have the highest chance of seeing it.
The question is, how can you make your video content stand out when there is so much competition on the YouTube platform?
If you need help optimizing YouTube videos, this post will help. Keep reading to learn how to optimize YouTube videos for success.
Get Your Metadata Right
While YouTube’s algorithm has gotten very good over the years, it still isn’t perfect. It won’t always be able to figure out what your videos are about and the best place to put them in the search results.
You’ll need to help YouTube learn where to rank your videos. You can do this with your video metadata.
Your metadata includes your title, description, and tags. These areas of your video aren’t just there to let your viewers know what to expect in your video. They’re also there to help YouTube.
Look into the videos you compete with that already rank high. Look at what information they include in these sections and what information the related videos use. You can use this information to write your metadata and optimize your video’s chance in the search results.
Create Great Video Thumbnails
Even if you put together a great video title that attracts eyeballs, that won’t be enough to grab the attention of every viewer. Video is a visual medium, so you need something eye-catching to grab the attention of viewers.
Your video thumbnail is what helps you do this. You can’t afford to take the easy route and use a thumbnail from your video content. The chances are good that it won’t do enough to convince people to click watch your content.
Most successful YouTube creators create custom thumbnails for their videos. Each video niche is unique and has different thumbnails that work. Look at other creators who make similar content as you to see what type of thumbnails they use.
You can use their work as inspiration for your new videos. As time goes on, experiment with different thumbnail ideas until you find a system that works to get clicks.
Find the Best Video Length
Once someone finds and clicks on your video, your goal is to get them to stick around for the whole thing. If YouTube sees people look at your content and immediately leave, it won’t help your chances of ranking higher on the search results.
Because of that, you need to do everything you can to optimize your video for people to stay. One of the best ways to do this is to find the optimal length for YouTube video content for your industry.
People will have different attention spans depending on the content they’re watching. Video game content, for instance, often have shorter content and takes place over a few videos.
On the other hand, educational content can be longer since the viewer is more likely to stick around for the whole video if they find value in the information you offer.
Of course, finding the optimal video length isn’t always easy. Reach out to a company like 1 Minute Media to get help figuring out the optimal way to create your videos.
Create a Call to Action
Even if you only have informational videos and aren’t trying to sell anything, the last thing you want your viewers to do is to do nothing after they finish watching your videos.
You need to give your viewers a job to do during and at the end of your video. If you sell a product, you want to send them to your website to make the sale. Let them know where to find your products and to go check out what you have to offer. Ensure that all viewers can understand your message by including subtitles in your video. You can use an automatic subtitle generator to do this quickly and easily.
If you have any sponsors, let your viewers know what they are and how to take advantage of any deals you have. If you do your job and work with great companies, you’ll provide value to your viewers by doing this.
Otherwise, make sure you let people know how to help your YouTube channel. The more likes and subscribers you have, the better it is for you in YouTube’s algorithm. Let people know how to subscribe to your channel to boost your subscriber numbers and increase the chance that a viewer will find your videos again.
Explore Your YouTube Analytics
You don’t have to guess about what’s working when you’re trying to learn how to optimize YouTube videos. It’s hard to do anything without access to data. Luckily, YouTube has plenty of information for you to look at.
YouTube Analytics is a dashboard that provides information about how all your videos perform. You can see things like average watch time, click-through rate, total views, subscribers, and much more.
This data is crucial because it allows you to perform tests on your video content. Make a small change to the way you word your titles or create your thumbnails to see their impact on your stats.
By performing tests to see their impact on your views, you can more easily optimize YouTube videos and grow your channel.
Optimizing YouTube Videos Isn’t Always Easy
Creating YouTube videos with the algorithm in mind is one of the quickest ways to get more views for your videos. If you can do YouTube video optimization to provide the algorithm precisely what it wants, it will put you a step above your competition. Use the guide above for optimizing YouTube videos to start growing your video channel.
Are you looking for more ways to increase your presence online? Head back to the blog to learn how to keep growing your online brand.
