Of course, the most popular search engine in the world is Google, but who knows that YouTube is behind Google? In recent years, YouTube has become a powerful and ever-evolving communication channel, but it is also becoming an increasingly important element on the way to shopping. Optimizing your company’s YouTube channel gives you the opportunity to stay ahead of the competition, attract leads, and be on the first page of search results with an additional offer.
The YouTube channel is not just for vloggers and big players
YouTube SEO will work in stores when it is possible to create a branded channel as an expert channel for products sold (for example, a device repair guide for a store that sells spare parts). It will also help service providers post instructions or advice (such as a guide to selling / buying an apartment for a real estate agency). The form that a company’s channel should take is best discussed with your employees – they know best what customers expect. It is also worth discussing ideas with the agency – they, in turn, have experience and knowledge about creation.
YouTube can be questionable, especially financially. Yes, you can make videos for big money on quality movie hits, but do we really need it to encourage users to watch what they really want to see? Content is king! And this applies not only to the descriptions on the page, but also to the content of the video on YouTube.
You can create a YouTube video for a YouTube channel in the form:
Presentation – a rich database of presentation graphics (eg graphicriver.net/category/presentation-templates) and voices (eg www.bankglosow.pl) or music (eg audiomicro.com/royalty-free-music) – this is just the beginning opportunities, but also the simplest option. You can’t make excuses before making a film / presentation – it couldn’t be easier.
Film – and here we can use a number of actors available on the Internet and ready to read / play any role (for example, www.fiverr.com) or animation (for example, videohive.net).
The basis here is the creativity and curiosity of the user. If the film is useful, answers questions, explains the problem, it is a third of success.
Features of the YouTube channel
1) Creating a company image – we want to gather around our channel a group of fans of brands that are actively involved in the life of the company and further promote the content, and therefore, buy our products and encourage others to do so, concerning the profile of our business. The result will be as much traffic as possible on the YouTube channel and even in the online store, if this is the basis of the company’s activities.
How do I become visible on Google / YouTube and get 1 million subscribers?
The popularity of the channel is gaining due to interesting, unique and satisfying the needs of video users on YouTube materials. Concern for the quality of content is the foundation. Finding inspiration for effective video content marketing is worth considering:
- Video from the life of the company,
- Presentation of a product or service,
- Video instructions and guides,
- Video from the FAQ series – questions and answers,
- Live marketing – live broadcasts,
- Reports on events important to the company’s industry,
- Case studies – success stories of you and our customers,
- User-generated content – YouTube videos from users.
- Optimize your corporate YouTube channel
We start by filling in everything we have on our YT channel.
First we will add:
- Avatar
- Background image,
- Description of us in the section Information which should be unique, extensive and encouraging for reading of the published videos on YouTube and activity of the company. We also add Keywords here, but in moderation and without spam,
- Links to the website and profiles on social networks are also in the section Information,
- Links to the website and profiles on social networks are also in the section Information,
- Brand elements, in the logo (watermark) that appears on each YouTube video,
- Keywords related to your business.
The channel should also be complemented by our activities: comments left as part of the profile, and subscriptions to other channels, which further authenticate the account and attract users. It is equally important to create playlists by grouping videos on YouTube on a specific topic. Thanks to them, we will direct users to materials that meet their interests.
Playlist optimization
Playlists should have their own unique and large descriptions, and their titles should contain key phrases. It is worth creating a few of them. It’s good to have more than one movie in each. You can also use the so-called series playlist. Their purpose is to show the user the following “episodes” of this series of videos on YouTube. The Internet user will see them in the section “Next among the recommended videos on YouTube” to the right of the YT player.
How do I set up playlists?
To create a standard playlist, go to Settings -> Advanced Settings and select Create Official Series Playlist.
Limitation? This movie can be included in one playlist, and all videos on YouTube must be our original productions. Before saving changes, you should look at the order of the videos on YouTube and organize them in such a way as to maintain logic when switching between topics.
Channel trailer
This should encourage the user to read the published content. We have 2 types of trailers:
- For new users – in this case, you should prepare a short congratulatory film that informs about the topic and content of the channel,
- For returning users – You can share a playlist or video on YouTube that will be recommended after going to our profile.
Special URL
All YouTube channels receive an individual URL, which in the “base version” consists of a series of characters that are difficult to remember. You can set your own link to our channel. To do this, you must meet 4 conditions:
- Having received at least 100 subscribers,
- The existence of the channel for 30 days,
- Channel (avatar) icon settings
- Mastery of the art of the channel.
Note that the names included in the URL must be unique. Unable to edit your own address; to change it, you must first delete the existing one. Then there is a risk that another YT developer will take away our old name. So you should think that it will contain a URL to avoid unnecessary stress when changing the feed address.
Video optimization on the company’s YouTube channel
Another element of YouTube SEO Video is the optimization of individual (or preferably all) videos on YouTube. First of all, we need to remember to mark them as “public”, which will allow access to them for both users and search engines.
Research of key phrases
Movie titles and descriptions should contain phrases that users search for in our industry or business. To conduct reliable research, you should use standard keyword analysis tools (for example, Planera from Google) or programs that indicate the potential of phrases in specific sources, ie in our case YouTube (keywordtool.io).
You should also track search queries on the YouTube search engine by entering the beginning of the phrase that interests you. A list of the most frequently asked queries will appear.
A website positioning agency will also help you choose the right phrases. The same phrases for which we want to increase the visibility of a website in the Google search engine will not always work on YouTube.
The correct purpose of the film category
We can choose from
Categories help YouTube organize YouTube channels and videos to get video creators, advertisers, and managers interested.
Spectacular and wordy video title on YouTube
The titles of the films should be of a marketing nature and should primarily be aimed at encouraging the user to read the material. However, do not forget about the positioned phrases and “neatly” put one / two in the title. The name of the video on the YouTube file also matters, so it should be optimized, as should the title.
Preparation of unique descriptions of films
We have 5 thousand. characters, but we don’t have to use all the available content. It is important to include in the description such elements as:
- Link to the page related to the topic of our video on YouTube (blog post, product, price list, company presentation, offer),
- A short text about the content of the video on YouTube,
- A list of timestamps with the titles of chapters / parts of our film (more on this topic below),
- Channel subscription link (just add “? Sub_confirmation = 1” to the channel URL),
- Links to related videos on YouTube
- Links to profiles on social networks.
Some creators use templates supplemented by permanent elements, which are then enriched with individual descriptions and links to this film. This solution, of course, speeds up the optimization of videos on YouTube.
Indication of thematically related tags
Tags have a big impact on the position of videos on YouTube, they should be supplemented. This is another element that allows us to refine the theme of our video, making it easier for users to access our channel.
How to choose tags?
It is worth using the phrase of the study, bearing in mind the theme of this video on YouTube. In addition, you can also do a mini competition analysis and, for example, using the Chrome plugin TubeBuddy to check which expressions are set for movies that appear high in the list of YouTube search results. You can’t overdo the tags – YT limits us to 500 characters, and the keywords themselves should not exceed 10.
Enable comments
We have the option to disable commenting for each video, but let’s not do that not only because of our openness to sharing opinions and criticism, but primarily because of the impact of ratings on YouTube’s video position in the YT rankings.
Becklinko’s research shows that there is a strong correlation between the number of comments and the rating of the film. Adding a new thought to our YouTube video is a signal of interest in the material, arousal of commitment and interaction. All this means that the content is interesting and worth recommending to other users.
Experience videos on YouTube and get users’ attention
Once a user finds our channel, you should keep it longer. Subscription will be valuable, but so will the activity of the Internet user, which is manifested in comments, likes or recommendations for movies. To do this, you need to select videos from millions of materials on YouTube.
The miniature attracts attention
What convinces an Internet user to click on one of the many videos on YouTube? Sketch! This is the equivalent of graphics in a blog post, and its purpose is, of course, to convince the user to read our material.
How to create a good sketch for your YouTube video?
- Don’t choose a screenshot from a YouTube video offered by Google. Often the image is neither attractive nor fits into the context of the material.
- We will prepare individual graphics referring to the topic.
- Let’s use colors that contrast with YT colors (white, gray, red). It is worth taking advantage of the applause of the company, enhancing the visual identification in the minds of recipients.
- Let’s use the text, but do not overdo the length of the signature. It is worth betting on a short and concise slogan.
YouTube video transcription and translations
The user cannot always turn on the voice when playing a recording on YT. An alternative to sound is transcription. This addition makes the film more attractive and increases accessibility for people with disabilities. You should also be interested in video translation – YouTube offers an automatic translation option, which we can also use.
Cards and end screens
To increase the engagement and activity of users on our channel, you should add information cards and end screens. With them, you can recommend other videos on YouTube, conduct surveys or provide links to selected subpages of the website, thus directing the Internet user to where he needs to be.
The final screens appear at the end of the video being played on YouTube. After clicking on the thumbnail, the user is redirected to the next movie, which starts automatically.
The cards are in the form of banners. You can set how many minutes a video on YouTube will be displayed to an Internet user.
Timestamps leading to the highlights of the film
In each YouTube video, we can enter timestamps that direct the user to the next, thematic sections. In this way, we will create the content of the film, which will show the Internet user what he / she learns from our video material from the level of description and even Google search results (mobile search engine sometimes displays timestamps).
And while timestamps may seem to reduce the time Internet users spend watching movies because they lead to certain sections, it’s worth noting that without them, a user, for example, after an uninteresting entry, can quit.
How to add timestamps and so-called performance indicators?
It’s very simple. Go to edit the movie description and insert the captions in chronological order with labels. The time is specified in the format:
Hour: minute: second
If our material is in 60 minutes, we lower the time.
Example.
01:50 SEO optimization
02:06 UX-optimization
After entering captions in the description and saving the changes, YouTube will automatically detect that we have created a so-called performance indicator. Time will become an interactive element, and when you click on it, the user will be directed to the right part of the film.
Tips for creating time stamps correctly:
- The signature and its description (label) must be in one line, intended only for them (one signature = one line),
- The timeline should be followed,
- Labels should be short and concise. Google doesn’t like long timestamps.
An example of a correctly added progress indication is shown in the screen above.
Dominate the video ad panel with niche channel themes
To the right of each video is a box with the corresponding YouTube video. What is its purpose? Encourage the user to stay on the portal and consume more content, not necessarily from the channel he is currently using. To be there, you need to create YouTube videos related to the topic already discussed, and in some cases this can be difficult (how many YouTube videos can you create about roasting pork chops?).
In this case, a good solution is to focus on a thematic niche that has not yet been developed by too many artists. The presented topics can be approached rather narrowly, that is, instead of talking about books in general, it is worth focusing on the chosen genre, such as crime fiction. Over time, as the channel becomes more popular, you can expand the topic.
Go to topics of interest to users
When choosing phrases for films, it is worth doing research on topics that absorb the interest of the recipients. As with keyword analysis, we may be surprised at what questions users ask the search engine. They should be answered in the prepared videos on YouTube to reach potential customers.
Use traffic from Google search engine
Let’s see what videos are currently appearing on the Google search engine on topics related to the company’s activities. We will create similar material, and when it appears on the carousel of recommended videos on YouTube, we will get an additional chance to attract a user directly from the results of a regular search.
Time of posting the relevant video on YouTube
Publishing time affects the viewing of particularly new content. If we choose the day and time when the largest group of users consumes videos on YouTube, we will have a chance to attract viewers and attract them for further activity – comments, likes, recommendations.
According to experts from Ahrefs, videos on YouTube should be published before the peak of the highest user involvement in YT, so that the content has the opportunity to analyze videos on YouTube ranking robots. Depending on the day, it’s best to post a video:
Between 14:00 and 16:00 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,
Between 12 and 15 every Thursday and Friday,
Between 9 and 11 am on Saturday and Sunday.
In turn, observations by experts from Magisto show that Internet users are most active on YT between 16 and 23 hours.
To find the perfect time to post a video on YouTube, you also need to keep track of your audience statistics and audience engagement. Our target audience may be so specific (such as the B2B industry) that its YouTube activity may not be the same as publicly available research.
Call to action
At the end of the video on YouTube and in its description should be “encouragement to act”, ie an invitation to like the material, share or comment. It is also worth mentioning the subscription to the channel so that the user does not miss the latest content.
Integration of the company’s website with the YouTube channel
Channel and video are the most important points of YouTube SEO, but they do not stop working – the next step will be to include a new channel of communication with customers on your website. To do this, the video should be placed (embedded) on the website on thematically relevant subpages of the website (for example, a video on YouTube with instructions for using the product on the product subpage). In addition to the YouTube video, you can add additional links to the material on the YT website to enhance the channel.
We also need to make sure that the movie is correctly listed by the search engine:
- video should be tagged on schema.org for better indexing: google.com/search/docs/data-types/video
- a site map for YouTube videos should be added to the website (the map should be submitted to the Google Search Console).
Channel and video positioning on YouTube
It’s good that all optimization measures should be supported by well-thought-out link building that reinforces the content we create. The more YouTube videos are linked and embedded, the better the effect. It is important to maintain the thematic nature of the built link profile, the natural increase in the number of links, providing quality domain sources and a variety of link types.
Where can I link a channel and video to YouTube?
- In thematic forums with high user credibility, such as Quora,
- In the email footer (links to clicks and conversions),
- In the comments to thematic articles
- In social networks
- In the records of the company.
Video analytics using YouTube and Google Analytics statistics
YouTube.com offers its own statistics for monitoring channel visits and videos on YouTube, but you should also connect Google Analytics for better channel tracking.
YouTube integration with Google Analytics
1. We are logged in to your Google Analytics account.
2. Go to Administration (gear at the bottom left of the options panel).
3. Click the blue Create Account button.
4. Enter an account name, such as a YouTube domain name. We note the agreement.
5. Under What do you want to measure? we choose the Network.
6. Fill in the following fields:
- Site name – may match the account name
- Website URL – we provide a link to the channel and change the domain prefix from http to https,
- We choose the category, country and time zone.
7. Click Create.
8. Denote the following agreements.
9. We will be redirected to pages with tracking ID, ie UA-xxxxxxxxx-x. You can use it to collect data from our YouTube channel.
10. We copy the tracking ID.
11. Go to the YouTube channel.
12. Click the avatar icon in the upper right corner and select YouTube Studio from the drop-down menu.
13. In the left, gray beam, look for a gear with the inscription A new window will appear; select Channel and then Advanced settings. We scroll to the very end and finally click Advanced Channel Settings.
14. We are redirected to the next settings subpage. Again, we will scroll all the way down, where we will find a field to enter the tracking ID. Insert the UA code.
15. Click and you’re done. In 48 hours, we should see YouTube channel statistics in our Google Analytics account.
Analyzing our production review data can help create custom content. You should keep track of available charts from time to time, as well as analyze the most popular materials.
Ready for adventure with YouTube video SEO?
In carrying out all the points discussed above, keep in mind that the YouTube channel needs to evolve – one YouTube video per year will not encourage the activity of channel users and brand fans. Our profile must also be constantly updated and moderated. It is especially important to monitor and actively answer any questions in the comments. The most popular video service on YouTube, like all Google solutions, is changing rapidly. We need to keep track of what new options we can use to reach content that is engaging more and more users.
