How to Optimize YouTube Videos for Higher Search Rankings

Learning how to optimize YouTube videos for higher search rankings in just a few simple steps.

Savvy marketers use YouTube because it is the third most-visited site on the internet, and the second biggest search engine on the web, with over 40m brand-related videos uploaded daily.

When most marketers hear the words “search engine optimization,” they immediately associate it with website optimization. While you can certainly optimize a website to rank higher in the search results, you can also do it to YouTube videos. Achieving a top rank for your YouTube video can attract boatloads of visitors, some of whom may be interested in purchasing your product or service.

So, how do you optimize a YouTube video for higher search rankings?

Titles

The title is the single most influential element in determining where and how a YouTube video ranks in the search results. If you use a generic, non-descriptive title, you’ll experience greater difficulty getting your video to rank. So, choose a title that’s unique, meaningful and under 100 characters (max length). It should also contain the keyword for which you are trying to rank, assuming it’s used naturally and not forced.

James Wedmore has a nice little formula for creating great YouTube video titles, here it is:

Tags/Keywords

Equally important to the Title are the tags you choose for your video. YouTube uses meta information like tags to rank your video. Until they are able to collect enough information on their own and make their own assessment. (i.e. Watch Time) Tags in your YouTube Videos are really important. What better way to learn how to properly tag your videos than watching this YouTube Tutorial? (It Rocks B.T.W.)

Embed

There’s some belief among SEO experts that embedding YouTube videos on other websites can encourage higher search rankings, which makes sense considering that the number of embeds a video has is indicative to its popularity (e.g. more embeds = higher popularity). To embed your video, access it on YouTube, click the “Share” button followed by “Embed.” Here, you can grab the embed code and paste it into your own website’s HTML.

Build Links

Of course, building backlinks to your videos may also encourage higher search rankings. Search engines have long used backlinks as a means to determine the popularity of a website or webpage. But this ranking signals isn’t limited strictly to traditional websites; it may also affect the rankings of YouTube videos. So, try publishing links to your YouTube video(s) on social media networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+. In addition to SEO juice, it may also drive direct traffic to your video.

Pro Tip: The quality of your backlinks doesn’t matter as much with YouTube as it does for Google.

User Engagement

Last but not least, you should work to encourage a higher level of user engagement with your YouTube videos. For instance, allowing viewers to rate and comment on your videos will almost certainly have a positive impact on their search rankings. Each new comment a viewer makes is additional content – and search engines LOVE fresh content.

Your video may not go viral, but by implementing these tips, you can definitely increase the rankings and visibility of your videos.

The post How to Optimize YouTube Videos for Higher Search Rankings appeared first on Pixel Productions Inc..

by Chris London of Pixel Productions Inc. The Everything Design Company