No one can deny the power of YouTube. It has over 1 billion monthly active users and is ranked the second most visited website globally (after Google). The question remains, though: how does YouTube play a role in SEO?

YouTube videos are perfect for ranking higher on search engines because they provide an instant source of information to viewers. They also offer more ways to rank well than other forms of content like text or images. You may be wondering what you need to do to optimize your videos and get them ranking higher on YouTube. Don’t get overwhelmed; we’re going to show you! 

7 Ways To Optimize And Rank Higher On Youtube

If you’re not sure about how to get popular on this platform, you’ve come to the right place. It’s tempting to assume that the most-viewed YouTube channels and videos are successful because they already have lots of subscribers.

The truth is every person who creates an account on Google for free starts with zero views and zero subscribers. So how can one video accumulate millions of views while another video about the same subject barely reaches ten people? With the use of SEO in Youtube!

Here are some ways you can optimize your videos and get them ranking higher on YouTube:

1. Keywords Research:

The use of keywords in YouTube SEO and Google is crucial. The platform detects the video’s topic, indexes the material, and connects it to users’ searches through them.

Make keyword research part of your strategy; you can do it with different tools like Google Keyword Planner or Google trends, for example. Target low-competition keywords if you want to reach people and your channel doesn’t have that many subscribers yet. If you pursue competitive terms, your video will be buried in search results.

2. Video Title:

Include the keywords you searched for within your title; that’s the simplest way to start optimizing your video title. However, that’s not enough! The title of your video is what people see first. It’s the first impression that can make or break a viewer’s interest in the rest of your content.

Write a descriptive and concise video title to help viewers understand what they’re clicking on and why it interests them enough to watch and subscribe next time around.

3. Optimize The Description:

Ensure that you have an optimized video description; what does that mean? Put the most important keywords in the first few sentences of your description, and make sure it does not exceed 200 words.

It’s also important to use natural language instead of keyword stuffing to help you achieve more views on YouTube. In other words, make your description helpful. If it isn’t useful to a user, get rid of it.

4. Add Tags:

On YouTube, tags are very important. They’re among the items that YouTube considers when determining the subjects of a video and indexing it correctly, as well as suggesting related videos. 

You can use 120 characters in this field. We advise you to use 6 to 8 words to avoid confusing the algorithm with terms that come out of content.

5. Edit The Name Of The File

Did you know that, even before you upload your video, YouTube SEO methods begin? This happens, of course, if the name of the file contains the video’s main keyword.

The platform will identify what the video is about right in the name of the file. So instead of uploading the video with a name full of codes and numbers, use a descriptive name with the keyword.

6. Make Longer Videos

YouTube’s algorithm is one of the most important SEO factors for videos. If you want your video to rank well on YouTube, try to make it longer than 2 minutes. The longer a video is, the more likely it will have better rankings in search results and get noticed by users.

This, however, does not imply that you should attempt to stretch your videos out as long as possible; it simply means that you shouldn’t feel pressured to fit everything into a limited time frame. If your films are lengthy and comprehensive yet interesting enough to keep viewers engaged, YouTube will notice it and you’ll start ranking higher.

 7. Eye-Catching Thumbnails:

You may use video thumbnails when uploading videos to YouTube. Video thumbnails allow viewers to get a quick look at your video while they browse through the platform. You can choose one of the options that the platform provides after your video has been uploaded or you can create your own.

Look For Digital Marketing Companies In Chicago To Help With Your SEO Strategy

If you are in Chicago, you can look for an SEO company to help you optimize your YouTube channel since they are constantly updated with the best practices in digital marketing.

There are many digital marketing companies in Chicago, but Chicago SEO Company Hite Digital offers full-service digital marketing. We help our clients with YouTube, Facebook, and Google Ads strategy to rank higher on search engines!

We can guarantee you that by working with us, you’ll see SEO results, conversion rates, and brand awareness rise, which translates into more customers and long-term success for your business.