---
title: 'YouTube SEO 2026: How I Rank #1 on YouTube'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=kp5tuB99ByQ'
video_id: 'kp5tuB99ByQ'
date: 2026-06-14
duration_sec: 513
---

# YouTube SEO 2026: How I Rank #1 on YouTube

> Source: [YouTube SEO 2026: How I Rank #1 on YouTube](https://youtube.com/watch?v=kp5tuB99ByQ)

## Summary

YouTube SEO in 2026 has shifted from the old methods. The KVS framework—Keyword, Video, SEO—is the key to ranking #1. This video breaks down each step to help you rank for any keyword.

### Key Points

- **YouTube SEO has changed** [0:00] — Old SEO methods no longer work; the KVS framework is now essential.
- **Keyword first, video second** [0:28] — Find the keyword before making the video to ensure demand exists.
- **Three criteria for a 10/10 keyword** [0:55] — Low competition, good search volume, and no matching keyword in existing titles.
- **Using Vid IQ to find keywords** [1:17] — Start with a broad term, use matching terms to drill down to specific, low-competition keywords.
- **Analyzing competition and volume** [2:18] — Check YouTube search results for big channels, views per hour via Vid IQ, and whether titles match the keyword.
- **Matching keyword factor** [3:00] — If no existing video uses the exact keyword in its title, your video can rank #1 by being the most relevant.
- **Creating a better video** [4:08] — Watch top-ranking videos, read comments for feedback, and address gaps to outperform competition.
- **SEO optimization** [5:06] — Include the keyword in the title, paste it at the top of the description, and add related keywords naturally.
- **Thumbnail strategy** [6:45] — Create a high-contrast thumbnail with a face using Pixels, based on proven styles.
- **Tags are less important** [7:47] — Use Rapid Tags to generate relevant tags quickly, but they are not crucial.

### Conclusion

The KVS strategy—Keyword, Video, SEO—enables you to rank #1 by finding a low-competition keyword, creating a better video, and optimizing SEO. Tools like Vid IQ and Pixels streamline the process.

## Transcript

YouTube SEO in 2026 works completely
differently than it did a couple of
years ago. And if you're still following
the old way, you're basically setting
yourself up for failure. I've been doing
this for over 4 years now, ranking over
a,000 videos and pulling in more than
200 million views using one specific
strategy. The name of this entire
strategy is KVS, and it's the framework
that ties all of these steps together.
And in this video, I'm going to break
down each step so you can start ranking
number one for any keyword you want. The
K and KVS stands for keyword. Here's
what a lot of people get wrong. They
think they need to make the video first
and then decide on the title and figure
out how to rank for it. But it's
actually the opposite. You want to first
find the keyword you want to rank for
and only then make the video. This way
you're not guessing whether your video
will rank number one. You already know
there's demand before you even start
recording. So, let me show you exactly
how to find and analyze 10 out of 10
keywords that you can actually rank for.
Here are the three things that a 10 out
of 10 keyword needs. Number one, low
competition, so you can easily
outperform everyone else ranking for it.
Number two, good search volume, meaning
people are actually interested in
searching for it. Number three, no
matching keyword. You'll be the only one
using that exact keyword. This is the
key to ranking quickly, even with a
small YouTube channel. So, here's
exactly how I find keywords like that.
The tool I'm using is called Vid IQ, and
it is by far the best SEO tool for
YouTube. When you first sign up, you
want to head over to keywords and type
in any broad keyword in your niche. For
me, that's going to be design. You want
to go broad here and focus on the
industry you want to reach. After that
click on matching terms. This only shows
keywords that contain your original
search. Type in design, click matching
terms, and you'll see matching keywords.
This is powerful because it lets you
move quickly from a broad industry term
to a full list of more specific
keywords. And that's exactly where the
opportunity is. These longer, more
specific keywords usually have lower
competition, which makes it much easier
to rank at the top and grow your
channel. From here, I'm going to select
something I'm interested in, which for
me is motion design. I'm going to repeat
the process to go even deeper. So, for
this one, I'll click matching terms
again and select motion design for Da
Vinci Resolve. Then, I'm going to repeat
this once more to get my final keyword
which is how to do basic motion design
in Da Vinci Resolve. Once I have that
ready, I'm going to head over to
YouTube. I'm going to paste my keyword
into the search field. After the search
I check competition, volume, and keyword
match. When looking at competition, you
want to check for big channels ranking
for your keyword. In this example, some
channels have large followings. But that
doesn't mean this keyword is out of
reach. I'll show you exactly why this
matters in just a second. The next thing
we want to look at is volume. Make sure
the Vid IQ extension is installed in
Chrome. It shows a video's views per
hour. Some of these videos are getting
over 10 views per hour, which is pretty
solid for a small channel. This tells
you people are actively searching for
this topic right now. And the last thing
is the key that makes it possible to
rank for this keyword, even with bigger
channels showing up. That's the matching
keyword factor. We want to see if the
videos currently ranking are actually
using this exact keyword in their
titles. You can check this by pressing
Ctrl+F and searching for your keyword to
see if anything comes up. For me
nothing does. None of these videos are
actually using this keyword in their
title. And here's why that matters.
YouTube always ranks the most relevant
result. When your title matches exactly
what someone searches for, your video
becomes the most relevant result. When
no other title includes that keyword
your video becomes the top match for
that search. Because you're the most
relevant, people are going to click. And
YouTube wants to keep viewers on the
platform as long as possible. So, they
prioritize giving searchers exactly what
they're looking for. Let me show you
exactly how this works by walking
through a real example. If you look at
this video ranking here, the title is
how to edit stunning motion graphics in
Da Vinci Resolve. Now, watch what
happens when I search for that exact
title. There it is. Number one. That's
exactly how YouTube decides to rank
videos. And that's exactly why the
matching keyword factor is so powerful.
Now, we know we can rank for this
keyword. There's search volume and no
big competitors. So, we move to the V in
KVS video. Because if your video isn't
good, it doesn't matter how perfect your
keyword is. YouTube wants to rank
content that viewers actually enjoy
watching. So, your job is to create
exactly what the viewer is looking for
when they type in that search. Here's
how I make sure my videos outperform the
competition. First, I revisit the top
ranking videos and watch all of them
from start to finish. I'm paying
attention to what they cover, how they
explain things, what visuals they use
and most importantly, what they're
missing. Then I do something that almost
nobody thinks to do. I take the time to
read through the comments and see what
people are actually saying. The comment
section is basically free market
research. People are literally telling
you what they liked, what they wish the
video had included, and what confused
them. Someone already made a video on
this topic and viewers already gave
their feedback. All you have to do is
take that feedback and apply it to your
video. This way, you're not just
creating a similar video, you're
creating a better version of what
already exists. And that's exactly what
YouTube wants to rank. Now, let's move
on to the final letter in the KVS
strategy. The S in KVS stands for SEO
and this is where we tie everything
together. First, the title needs to
clearly include the main keyword people
are searching for. So, if I want to rank
for how to do basic motion design in Da
Vinci Resolve, my title is going to look
like this. How to do basic motion design
in Da Vinci Resolve. Notice how the
entire keyword is right there in the
title. Beginner tutorial at the end
makes the title clearer. Adding the year
step by step or beginner friendly helps
people know what to expect. This builds
trust before they even click. With the
title finished, let's move on to the
description. The first thing I always do
is take the keyword from my title and
paste it right at the top of my
description. This reinforces to YouTube
exactly what your video is about. All
right, the title is done. Now, let's
move on to the description. To find
these, I go back to Vid IQ and click on
related keywords. This gives me a list
of related terms people are searching
for that connect to my main keyword. I
pick the ones that are most relevant and
naturally work them into my description.
We do this for two reasons. First, it
tells YouTube more about our video so it
knows when to recommend it. And second
it gives us a chance to rank for these
other keywords, too. So, for this
example, my description looks like this.
In this video, you'll learn how to do
basic motion design in Da Vinci Resolve
step by step. This Da Vinci Resolve
tutorial shows how to use Fusion and Da
Vinci Resolve Fusion to create simple
motion design elements explained clearly
and made simple for beginners. Perfect
if you're new to Motion Design and want
Da Vinci Resolve made simple. See how
I've included multiple related keywords
but it still reads like a normal
sentence. That's exactly what you want.
Now, when it comes to creating your
thumbnail, the most important thing is
that it has to be better than the
competition you're ranking against. So
if we go back and look at the videos
we're competing with, you'll notice most
of them are using pretty dark
thumbnails. Very few of them actually
include a face. This makes creating a
standout thumbnail easy. A high contrast
thumbnail with a face grabs more
attention. The way I create thumbnails
and what I recommend you do, too, is by
using a tool called pixels. Here's how
it works. If you head over to the
recreate feature, you can paste in a
link to a YouTube video or a thumbnail
that you like. Pixels will use that as a
reference. So, you're not starting from
scratch. you're building off something
that's already proven to work, then you
can add yourself into the thumbnail by
selecting your persona. If you don't
have one yet, just click create and
upload a few images of yourself. Pixels
then generates a thumbnail that follows
the same style and includes you. And
just like that, I have a professional
thumbnail ready to go for my video. I'll
leave a link to a full Pixels tutorial
in the description if you want a deeper
breakdown of how to use it. Now, the
last thing we need to cover is tags.
Honestly, tags don't matter nearly as
much as they used to, but I still fill
them in because it takes 10 seconds.
Here's what I do. I take the keyword I
want to rank for, copy it, and head over
to a website called rapid tags.io. I
paste in the keyword, click search, and
it gives me a list of relevant tags. I
just copy those and paste them directly
into my video. And that's the entire KVS
strategy. You now know how to rank
number one on any video you want in
2026. Think about it. You can step into
any niche, find a keyword, create a
better video than what's already
ranking, and set up your SEO so YouTube
naturally puts you at the top. And with
Vid IQ, you can do all of this in
minutes, making the entire process
effortless. Click the link in the
description to sign up for Vid IQ and
start ranking your next video. I'll see
you in the next