5 Ways to Optimize YouTube Videos

If you have a YouTube channel or plan to open one, it is important to learn how to optimize the videos that you uploaded to YouTube. The optimization is done so that you can get organic traffic to your video. Here are some tips that can help your video rank better in the YouTube search engine.

1. Take time to Create Your Video Metadata – Title, Description, Tags

The YouTube search bar is also a search engine by itself. The ultimate aim is to give you the related video you are looking for. So, how YouTube does finds your related videos based on your search? The YouTube search engine depends heavily on your video Metadata.

Fill up your title with the keyword you are targeting as well as the description. Put a link to your website in your description to help get some traffic to your site as well. Put also the target keyword in your video tag to help YouTube search engine to index your video correctly in the proper category.

2. Create Good Thumbnail Image
If you browse through YouTube you would know one of the main thing that would attract visitors to click on a YouTube videos is the thumbnail image.

So, it is important for you to have a good thumbnail image to stand out from the rest.

The rules to have a good thumbnail image for YouTube are:-

1. Create a custom thumbnail image that is related to your video for better conversion. Do not use the suggested thumbnails as sometimes it does not reflect the accurate image that can attract people to click on your video.
2. Use large text font in your thumbnail image to show what is your video is all about.
3. Use Hi-Res image. Avoid any crappy low pixel image. Maximum image size that can be uploaded is 2MB.

3. Use Closed Captioning

Add the subtitles and closed captions functions to your videos. Most videos in YouTube don’t bother to insert this function and therefore gives you a bit of advantage in terms of YouTube search index.

This function also gives your video access to larger audiences such as for the deaf or hearing problems. Having a subtitle also allows people with different native language to understand your video as well.


4. Increase Watch Time

Another important signal that YouTube search engine uses now is the average watch time of people viewing your video. It is basically the YouTube SEO version of bounce rate.

No matter how good your thumbnail image and catchy titles are, but if the viewer would not stay to view your video, your video will not be rank. The longer you can get the viewer to stay, the higher YouTube will rank your video. The higher the video ranked, the higher the traffic for your video.

So, what is considered a good quality video? Here are some tips:-

1. Video quality

The good thing of the latest smartphones is that they have good recording camera function as well. Recording videos with your smartphones gives a good quality resolution to your video. However, if you have a DSLR camera would be better as this can be converted into the High Definition video when you uploaded it unto YouTube.

1. Sound quality

If you are recording your video using your smartphones or video camera, make sure that you have a good microphone to filter the noise. A good quality microphone can actually filter the noise and give your video professional sound.

1. Editing

Editing the video is one of the crucial aspect in video production. Do not put long time in a single frame as people will get bored and end the view. Make sure the duration is medium to fast pace. However, you can always outsourced your video editing to third party such as fiverr.com or upwork.com for a certain fee.

1. Good Storyline

With all the video, sound and editing you can do to your video but without a good storyline, the visitors will not stay to watch for long. Treat your video the same as you would create an article. That is the video should have a good introduction, the main body that delivers the message and finally a good ending.

5. Linked your Video to External Platforms

Another important aspect of YouTube marketing is not to be too dependent on YouTube traffic alone. Once you uploaded your video in YouTube, share your YouTube videos in other social media platform as well as your own website or blog if you have one.

The external traffic that you bring to YouTube will give your video an added advantage in terms of search ranking in YouTube search engine itself. YouTube gives many options to share YouTube videos to external platforms either through links as well as embedded options.

So, there you have the 5 tips that can you can do to get more traffic to your YouTube videos. However, all this 5 tips will not work if you uploaded a crappy video. Ensure that you uploaded a video with the targeted audiences in mind and what they can get out the most from the video you created. Read also here on how to open a YouTube channel.