Expand your reach for products and services
Sustainable visibility growth
YouTube offers businesses the opportunity to showcase their products and services on the second largest search engine in the world, after Google. It's important to note that YouTube videos are also prominently featured in Google search results. This means that videos posted on your YouTube channel not only appear on the video platform itself but also enhance your presence in Google search results. By leveraging YouTube, you can sustainably increase your visibility, reaching a wider audience and strengthening your online presence.
YouTube is crucial for businesses because videos offer significant advantages over text content on websites. Through videos, customers can better understand the value of a product and receive clear explanations, which can significantly influence their purchase decisions. Additionally, videos can address common customer questions directly, reducing the need for support inquiries and increasing customer satisfaction.
Traditional commercials, like those on TV, can't compete with YouTube in several ways. YouTube not only allows businesses to engage potential customers directly but also facilitates immediate actions like making a purchase, completing a transaction, or contacting the company. For example, a YouTube video can include a link for viewers to subscribe to the channel, fostering ongoing customer engagement. This initial step of subscription creates an important touchpoint, allowing businesses to build a relationship with potential customers even before a purchase is made. Thus, YouTube not only enhances customer understanding and satisfaction but also helps establish a strong, early connection with the audience, laying the groundwork for long-term customer loyalty.
Businesses primarily use YouTube as a video platform and streaming enabler. For instance, to embed a video on a website, companies upload the original video file to YouTube and use the provided embed code to display it on their site. This process saves significant time and effort in video encoding, streaming, and ensuring content plays correctly.
However, YouTube is not just a technological service provider; it's a vibrant community with highly active viewers and a high engagement rate. Simply uploading your expensive, carefully produced video to YouTube to obtain an embed code for your website misses out on a valuable opportunity. Without proper optimization, your videos may get lost among countless irrelevant results in YouTube and Google searches.
Therefore, YouTube should not be viewed merely as a "video repository." It is crucial to upload videos to YouTube in a way that they are correctly set up and SEO-optimized. This ensures that your videos can be easily found by viewers within YouTube and also appear prominently in Google search results with the right keyword combinations and descriptions. This is particularly important for communicating significant news from your company, as an optimally tagged and described video can effectively reach a broader audience.
How we support you with YouTube SEO & content creation
YouTube Keyword Analysis
Creation of SEO-Optimized Video Titles and Descriptions
Creation of Thumbnails in CI Design
Integration of CTA Features in YouTube Videos
Optimization of SEO Factors in Your YouTube Channel, Especially for Existing Videos
Review of Script for CTAs and Implementation if Missing
Creation of SEO-Optimized Playlists
YouTube and Google SERP Rank Tracking
Support for Social Media Promotion of Your Channel
Setup of YouTube Monetization
Dashboard Creation and Reporting
This is where all optimizations are made to help the algorithm rank the video for the relevant keywords and attract as many users as possible, boosting the click-through rate (CTR). The thumbnail, in particular, has a significant impact on CTR because it is the most prominent visual element and often determines whether a user clicks on the video or not.
If your video thumbnail includes text elements, ensure they are easily readable on smartphones. Thumbnails are often designed on desktop, but it’s important to test them on mobile devices as well. Failing to do so may result in text that is hard to read on smaller screens.
Properly setting up the video title, file name, description, tags, and timestamps helps the algorithm position the video more effectively for relevant search terms. Pay particular attention to video titles, as overly long titles may get cut off in search results.
When creating a video script, it’s crucial to focus on maximizing viewer retention. Ensure that pauses are not too lengthy, camera angles are dynamic, and the viewer’s attention is continually engaged with new and interesting topics throughout the video.
Since YouTube's algorithm now comprehends spoken words very well (which it uses to generate automatic subtitles), make sure that your main keywords and related terms are clearly and understandably spoken in the video. This helps the algorithm better interpret the content.
In your planning, include Calls to Action (CTAs) for viewers to leave comments, like the video, and subscribe to the channel. It’s important not to place these CTAs only at the end of the video, as many viewers may have mentally moved on or started looking for the next video.
It’s even better to tie these CTAs to a specific reason for the action. Here are some examples:
“What do you think about this topic?” or “Do you have any questions about this product?” are effective prompts for encouraging comments.
“If you want to see more videos on this and other interesting topics, subscribe NOW to this channel!” is more engaging than a simple “Please subscribe.”
“If this video helped you, we’d really appreciate a ‘thumbs up.’ If not, let us know in the comments what we could improve!” is a good way to encourage likes or constructive feedback.
Regarding video length, ensure the video is as long as needed for the topic. Avoid dragging out topics that can be explained quickly, and don’t shorten topics that require in-depth explanation to ensure viewers get the maximum value from the video.
Plan to produce and upload new content regularly. Ideally, aim for at least one new video per week. This keeps the channel relevant to the algorithm and engaging for viewers.
Right after uploading, YouTube places a high emphasis on viewer numbers. A rapid increase in views can significantly improve the video's ranking and visibility.
To boost this, distribute the YouTube link of your video across all your social media channels (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, newsletters) and embed the video on your website. The more frequently the video is embedded on different websites, the higher the chances are that it will attract more viewers. This increased exposure can lead to more viewers and positively impact the video’s ranking on YouTube.
Difference between YouTube SEO and traditional Search Engine SEO
How does YouTube SEO differ from traditional Google SEO? For clarity, let’s examine the distinctions by grouping the aspects into Content Creation, On-Page SEO, and Off-Page SEO:
Conduct keyword analysis to identify search volume and user intent for maximum effectiveness
Select appropriate images and optimize them for search engines (filename, alt tag)
Write engaging content with conversion in mind and include relevant links to additional posts
Perform keyword analysis with a focus on keywords that trigger video content in search results
Write scripts that include Calls to Action (CTAs) and keep viewers engaged
Incorporate the main keyword and related keywords into the script
Use video editing to add visual CTAs that support the spoken content
Note: While text can be easily edited, modifying recorded videos and audio tracks requires significant effort
Ensure Google can crawl the page (crawlability)
Implement links within the content, headings in titles, image alt tags, as well as meta titles and meta descriptions
Integrate structured data
Create an eye-catching thumbnail that adheres to your brand's CI design
Craft an engaging video title that includes the main keyword
Write a video description that contains the main and related keywords, expands on CTAs from the video, and includes links to additional resources
Use chapter markers in the description with SEO-optimized titles
Set up video tags that reflect and expand on the spoken content
Properly configure YouTube's Call-to-Action features to increase subscriptions and conversions
Monitor link building efforts and focus on optimizing anchor text
Address link spam and potential penalties
YouTube embeds on your website help attract additional viewers
Social media channels and newsletters should be integrated into your video distribution strategy
YouTube SEO significantly enhances the visibility of your videos through effective keyword analysis. With an appealing thumbnail (which we can create for you), videos become much more attractive, leading to a higher number of clicks. Optimizing video titles, descriptions, tags, and playlists ensures that videos appear more frequently in Google search results and receive more clicks.
A thorough and detailed keyword research is crucial as it not only improves rankings within YouTube but also boosts visibility in Google search results when applied correctly. Coupled with a concise and engaging summary of the video content, this approach can drive higher rankings and more clicks.
To capitalize on top rankings and achieve a high click-through rate (CTR), it's essential to create an eye-catching thumbnail. Effective thumbnails might include arrows, high-contrast elements, or a person making direct eye contact with the viewer.
Once the viewer starts watching the video, the watch time becomes critical for the algorithm: Does the viewer drop off early or watch until the end? Videos with a viewer retention rate of at least 60% of the total length often rank significantly better than those with only 20-40% retention, both in YouTube and Google search results!
Maintaining long viewer engagement is achieved by frequently stimulating viewer interest. Long, boring intros, dull narration, static images, and minimal camera movement typically result in short viewer retention and poor rankings. Similarly, video titles that promise more than the video delivers can be detrimental. Therefore, it’s essential to focus on high entertainment value and a compelling, engaging video structure.Search
To drive more revenue through YouTube videos, significant work must be done during the script creation phase. Regardless of the type of video—whether it’s a polished corporate video, animated product video, or screencast—it’s crucial to include elements that prompt viewers to take action or engage.
Ideally, this action should involve clicking a link that leads to a lead-generation form or directly to a purchase or transaction. The landing page must complement the YouTube video, incorporating elements discussed in the video. Success should be monitored using standard tracking tools to make necessary optimizations.
It’s important that the person in the video appears as authentic as possible. For animated videos, the voice should build trust. A preliminary casting process to align the speaker’s tone and style with the target audience is essential.
If the content is well-structured, place the Call to Action (CTA) where viewers are most likely to engage. If a person appears in the video, they should gesture with their hands and look towards the CTA's future position. For animated explainer videos, arrows or blinking elements can serve this purpose.
to ensure that customers not only visit your channel once but remain engaged long-term, they need to become subscribers. Subscribers are immediately updated on new content and are among the first to learn about new products, which, when combined with optimized CTAs, can lead to better purchase rates.
Subscribed users are more likely to see videos from their subscribed channels regularly, which keeps your brand and channel top of mind. Additionally, by enabling the notification bell, users receive instant alerts when a new video is uploaded, even on their smartphones if the YouTube app is installed. Therefore, CTAs encouraging viewers to subscribe and activate the notification bell should be well-integrated into the script and reinforced with visual cues, such as arrows or hand gestures.
Our top 10 tips for YouTube SEO
Tip 1: Conduct a thorough keyword analysis that not only considers search volume but also verifies the intent behind the keywords, aiming to trigger video features in the SERPs. Tools like ahrefs can help quickly provide an overview of the SERPs.
Tip 2: Write a script that includes the main keyword and related keywords, and incorporates timely CTAs for essential YouTube functions (subscribe, comment, thumbs up) as well as CTAs for desired conversions (call, click on link in info card/description/comment).
Tip 3: Focus on watch time: create a compelling script with engaging news, insights, and information that keeps viewers interested for longer periods, as this is a crucial ranking factor.
Tip 4: Design eye-catching thumbnails for each video that draw attention. Adhere to CI design guidelines to ensure each video has consistent branding and recognizability.
Tip 5: The video title should include the main keyword and be supported by text that continues to pique curiosity after viewing the thumbnail.
Tip 6: Repeat the main keyword in the description and include additional related keywords. Add links mentioned in the video as well as other relevant links that might interest viewers.
Tip 7: Upload the video in the highest possible quality, at least in Full HD 1080p. Include the main keyword in the file name to support the algorithm.
Tip 8: YouTube automatically generates subtitles from the spoken content, which saves time. Edit these automatically created subtitles to correct errors from the auto-generated transcript.
Tip 9: Incorporate the CTAs planned in your script into YouTube using info cards and enhance the end of your video with engaging end screens, such as links to other interesting videos and/or the channel subscription function.
Tip 10: If you have fewer than 1,000 subscribers and less than 4,000 watch hours, you cannot add links to external websites in info cards. Therefore, your initial KPI goal for YouTube should be to quickly increase your subscribers and watch time!
And here’s what’s next…
Discuss your YouTube SEO options with us. We’ll be happy to advise you on strategies and implementation - completely free of charge.