The first question to ask when referring to SEO and YouTube is: what goals do we want to achieve? Do we want to optimize a video to rank it on YouTube? Or do we want to optimize a Google page that includes a YouTube video for Google’s SERP?
In the first case, we need to think about the YouTube search engine. In the second one, we need to reflect on the Google response engine. In both cases, we are talking about SEO. However, if it’s true that the best optimization practices are horizontal, there are indeed specific, vertical logics and tools for video optimization.
YouTube Ranking Factors
The following are the main positioning factors, the foundation of the YouTube internal search engine algorithm:
- Video length and quality (contents)
- Visualizations (viewing time)
- Shares on Social
- Comments
- Likes
- YouTube followers (number of subscribers)
- Title
- Description
- Video tag
- Channel tag
- Video quality
The main factors we need to focus on, are the so-called “involvement factors”: comments, visualizations, sharing on social networks, and video likes. Other important parameters are the duration and quality of the video content. Generally, the videos on the YouTube front page last an average of 6 minutes, and their content responds correctly to the users’ search intentions, just like Google does.
We could say, therefore, that the optimization of a YouTube video starts from the creation of the video itself.
How to optimize a video on YouTube?
Let’s focus on the most operational part of the topic: how can I optimize a video and climb the YouTube results?
- Contents: an effective video must be relevant, and about the users, content planning is the basis of a good optimization strategy. It must be excellent both in terms of content and audio-video quality;
- YouTube Channel Information Architecture: It is very strategic to provide Playlists to intercept search intentions by groups. It is good to structure the YouTube channel with Playlists looking as categories or records, containing different videos linked by a common topic;
- TAG Optimization: mainly, the TAGs in the YouTube TAGs are divided into channel TAGs and video TAGs. The difference is that the first ones are very generic TAGs, which summarize the objectives of the entire channel. The second ones, although they can also include the first ones, are specifics of each video content.
- Title and Description Optimization: for the optimization of the YouTube Titles, rely on the “traditional” SEO rules. It is essential that the first keywords precisely describe the video content and reinforce the efficiency of the words already used. Regarding the descriptions, it is necessary to pay attention to the first three visible lines below the video, where it is good to insert a link;
- Interlinking Strategy: It is very important to include the internal link in the first lines of the video description. It gives the user the chance to get to know you better and access the linked website. It is relevant that this exchange is two-way, through the embed of the video within a page of the website, which in turn becomes the link of other site’s pages;
- Thumbnail Optimization: the thumbnail is a snapshot that summarizes the content, a real business card for your channel and your YouTube video. It is advised to use a captivating and coherent miniature, with a good resolution. The recommended dimensions are 1280 x 720 pixels (16: 9 format);
- Annotation: the annotations allow you to add a point of interest (highlight an area of the video) or an interactive text (a CTA with a link) within the video. It is a precious tool given by YouTube, because inserting an interactive text within the Video has a double purpose: maintaining high-level attention and, above all, encouraging users to perform actions;
- Comments and Subtitles: even video comments are part of the contents … but is it possible to optimize them? Someone will suggest you to create fake comments, simulating conversations between credible users. We don’t recommend it: it is not ethical, and it is impossible to simulate a natural conversation. YouTube will read hundreds of comments and detect a disparity between comments, views, shares, and likes, which could lead to penalization. Better to improve your content with additional quality elements, rewarded by YouTube. For example, create subtitles, handy both for mobile use, often with audio turned off, and for users with hearing loss.
Conclusions on video optimization
It’s good to remember that Google owns YouTube: for this reason, the operating logics are increasingly similar. The optimization follows and will follow the same principles, whose minimum common denominator is the precision and the speed of response to the needs of the user.
