[0:00] - If you're posting on YouTube,
[0:01] the goal is to get views, and lots of 'em.
[0:04] But it could be hard to
stand out amongst the other
[0:07] 3.7 million videos that
were uploaded today.
[0:11] As content floods
YouTube, optimizing yours
[0:14] for new customer
discoverability is crucial.
[0:17] So in this video, I'm gonna reveal
[0:18] proven YouTube SEO strategies
[0:20] that propelled our channel to success.
[0:23] What's up?
[0:24] It's Jamal from HubSpot.
[0:24] So how can you rank on YouTube?
[0:27] It's important to understand two things:
[0:29] keyword research and optimizing your video
[0:32] for the platform using
these target keywords.
[0:35] YouTube is the second largest
search engine in the world.
[0:38] That's why doing your
research ahead of time
[0:40] and identifying which keywords
to use is so important,
[0:43] as YouTube has a separate
set of best practices
[0:45] that video creators need to learn, adopt,
[0:47] and implement to determine how
it will recommend your videos
[0:51] and where they'll rank
in the search results.
[0:53] I would dare say that
YouTube keyword research
[0:56] is so important that it's
absolutely the cornerstone
[0:59] of your success when creating
a great YouTube channel.
[1:01] So let's dive in.
[1:02] The first step in finding
the right keywords
[1:04] for your video content is to find
[1:06] a YouTube optimization tool
that can help you generate
[1:09] keyword ideas to get your
videos ranked and viewed.
[1:12] If you're new to YouTube
[1:13] or not familiar with SEO tools,
[1:15] YouTube's auto complete
feature can be the best free
[1:18] keyword research tool for YouTube
[1:19] and is a great place to start.
[1:21] Autocomplete is a quick and easy way
[1:22] to get ideas around what
people are searching for
[1:25] and how it relates to your topic.
[1:27] Not only will these suggestions provide
[1:29] some insight around
popular search queries,
[1:31] but they'll also give you a quick overview
[1:33] of what your competitors are doing,
[1:35] which of these videos have
a large amount of traffic,
[1:37] and which keywords they're using.
[1:39] Add an asterisk in front of your keyword,
[1:41] and it will show different variations
[1:42] of searches that contain those keywords.
[1:45] Take note of the ones
that make the most sense
[1:47] for your content and target audience.
[1:49] And speaking of competitors,
[1:50] video marketing is a competitive game.
[1:52] To win it, you need to know
what you're up against.
[1:55] That's where competitive
analysis comes into play.
[1:57] So let's move on to Google Trends.
[1:59] Using Google Trends for YouTube
[2:00] shows you how popular a topic is
[2:02] relative to other topics on the web,
[2:05] and trend data is typically
available within hours
[2:07] and sometimes even minutes.
[2:09] To use Google Trends,
click on the Explore tab,
[2:11] then switch from the default
[2:12] web search category to YouTube search.
[2:14] Scroll down to related topics and queries
[2:16] to find out what channels
are currently popular
[2:19] and what people are searching for.
[2:20] You can also set the category to match
[2:22] your channel theme in the category tab.
[2:24] For this search, we'll
choose Beauty & Fitness.
[2:27] Start by looking at the
overall trend of your keywords.
[2:30] It looks like interest
in working out routines
[2:32] is holding steady, with seasonal spikes
[2:34] around the start of the
summer and the new year.
[2:37] This data is particularly helpful
[2:39] if you work in an industry
where seasonality is a factor.
[2:41] For example, the New Year's approaching.
[2:43] You wanna know which of your products
[2:45] or services to prioritize
promoting online.
[2:47] By using the comparison
feature in Google Trends,
[2:50] you can compare search
interests for your topics
[2:52] to learn about which query
is more popular with users.
[2:55] To do so, after you've added one topic,
[2:57] simply click +Compare and
type in your second topic.
[3:01] By comparing keywords for
products or services you offer,
[3:03] you can get a quick and helpful picture
[3:05] of which offerings are in greater demand
[3:07] and likely to have an effect
[3:09] on your sales volume in the short term.
[3:11] This would be a good time
[3:12] to search the related topics
and queries on YouTube
[3:14] to brainstorm ideas for your videos
[3:16] and do additional research
to see what kinds of videos
[3:20] these popular channels end up posting.
[3:22] Just remember, similar to
YouTube's auto complete feature,
[3:25] Google Trends measures keyword popularity
[3:28] rather than keyword search volume.
[3:30] Therefore, it's best
to validate trend data
[3:32] With keyword research tools,
[3:34] like Google Keyword Planner.
[3:36] All you need is a Google
Ads account to use it.
[3:39] This free tool can help you
discover relevant keywords
[3:41] that people are searching for on Google
[3:43] and get ideas for the keywords
that you should target
[3:46] in your video optimization efforts.
[3:48] It provides data in the
monthly search volume
[3:50] of specific keywords which
can help you prioritize
[3:52] the most popular and
relevant keywords to target.
[3:55] It also allows you to
filter your keyword results
[3:57] by geographic location,
language, and other parameters,
[4:00] so you can further hone
in on your audience.
[4:02] Go to ads.google.com, click Start Now,
[4:04] and sign in with your Google account.
[4:06] Next, click the Switch to
Expert Mode link down here.
[4:09] Now, create an account without a campaign
[4:11] and confirm your info.
[4:12] To open Google Keyword Planner,
[4:14] click Tools & Settings
in the top right corner,
[4:16] and then from the dropdown menu,
[4:17] select Keyword Planner
listed under Planning.
[4:20] There are two ways to
create your keyword plan.
[4:22] If you wanna see search volumes
[4:23] and metrics for an
existing list of keywords,
[4:25] click Get Search Volume and Forecast.
[4:28] Otherwise, click Discover New Keywords
[4:30] to find new keyword ideas.
[4:31] Enter up to 10 words or phrases related
[4:33] to your products or services,
or start with a website.
[4:36] Click Get Results.
[4:38] You'll see a list of keywords
related to what you enter.
[4:40] You can now edit your list
with filters and categories
[4:43] to help you find those
that make the most sense
[4:45] for your SEO strategy.
[4:46] Now, Google Keyword
Planner is a helpful tool
[4:49] for SEO research, but no single option
[4:51] is gonna be the be-all,
end-all of content planning.
[4:54] You want to supplement your efforts
[4:56] with other research tools
that capture additional data
[4:59] to get a well-rounded view
[5:00] of the keywords you should
target for your videos.
[5:02] Luckily, there are some
good ones out there.
[5:04] TubeBuddy and VidIQ are popular SEO tools
[5:07] that give YouTube video creators access
[5:09] to a number of capabilities,
including keyword research.
[5:12] They provide far greater insight
into the YouTube algorithm
[5:15] than the basic YouTube Studio program.
[5:17] Both TubeBuddy and VidIQ
provide a multitude of features
[5:20] that assist with keyword
research and tag management,
[5:23] including recommending and
ranking tags for you to use
[5:26] when you upload a video.
[5:27] Identifying the tags
used on public videos,
[5:30] so you can see which tags work
[5:31] for other successful creators,
[5:33] showing you where a video
ranks for all its tags,
[5:36] tracking for all your
videos and your competitors,
[5:38] and their ranking across both
YouTube and Google searches.
[5:41] Here's how they work,
starting with TubeBuddy.
[5:43] TubeBuddy helps you easily
optimize your YouTube videos
[5:46] by providing key analytics
on tags and titles,
[5:48] so you can improve the
searchability of your content.
[5:51] After you've installed
their Chrome extension,
[5:52] click on the TB menu icon,
then Keyword Explorer.
[5:56] Next, search for seed keywords.
[5:58] These are words or phrases
that your customers
[6:00] might use to search
what you have to offer.
[6:02] Your overall score here is
split up into unweighted,
[6:05] the overall score for every
single YouTube channel,
[6:07] and weighted, specific to your channel.
[6:09] Let's stick with weighted.
[6:10] As the closer your weighted
score is to the green,
[6:13] the greater the chance you have
[6:14] of ranking high for that
keyword and getting views.
[6:17] Here, under the Score Analysis section
[6:19] you'll find a breakdown of your
search volume, competition,
[6:22] and optimization strength
for your keyword search.
[6:24] Search volume shows you if your keyword
[6:26] has way too much competition
and if you shouldn't target it,
[6:29] or if you've got a good
chance of competing
[6:31] against other videos
currently ranked in search,
[6:34] and if you can get your video ranked high
[6:36] in search for that keyword.
[6:37] The competition metric lets you know
[6:39] if there's already a
lot of content out there
[6:41] that your video is competing against
[6:42] and how high your chances are of competing
[6:45] against that content.
[6:46] And optimization strength tells you
[6:48] if all other videos
currently ranked in search
[6:50] are well-optimized for your keywords.
[6:52] If the videos are not
well-optimized for search,
[6:54] here's the opportunity you have
[6:55] to break in and rank for keyword
[6:57] by properly optimizing your videos.
[6:58] This is done by having a
searchable and compelling title
[7:01] and having relevant
keywords in your title,
[7:02] description and tags, but
more on that in just a bit.
[7:05] You can also click on the Video Topics tab
[7:07] to come up with additional keyword ideas.
[7:10] VidIQ has a similar set
of features that assist
[7:12] with creating SEO friendly
titles, descriptions, and tags.
[7:15] Log into your VidIQ account,
[7:16] then click on Keywords in the menu.
[7:18] Like before, you'll type in a seed keyword
[7:20] and run the search.
[7:21] Here, you'll see their automated analysis
[7:23] of scoring metrics, including
search volume estimations,
[7:26] related terms, your VidIQ keyword scores,
[7:29] related YouTube videos, and
general interest over time,
[7:32] which should be really
useful for identifying
[7:34] whether a keyword or keyword
phrase is still trending.
[7:37] This trending videos feature is a small
[7:39] but significant difference
between TubeBuddy and VidIQ,
[7:41] specifically for YouTube channels.
[7:43] What this allows you to do
[7:44] is see any competing channels top videos
[7:46] by view velocity or
average views per hour.
[7:48] This information is valuable,
[7:50] because newly published videos tend to get
[7:52] the most of their traction
in the first 48 hours,
[7:55] which is when YouTube promotes
the video to subscribers.
[7:58] All in all, most of the
functionality between VidIQ
[8:00] and TubeBuddy is still somewhere
[8:02] that it mostly comes down
to personal preference,
[8:03] but they cost money if you wanna get
[8:05] the full use of their features.
[8:07] Another widely used tool
worth mentioning here
[8:09] is Ahrefs Keyword Explorer.
[8:11] Ahrefs has the same features
[8:13] for keywords and tags as
other tools we've covered,
[8:15] but is considered to have
the strongest data mining
[8:18] out of all of them.
[8:19] It's not a free service,
but comes with a robust set
[8:21] of features to analyze
competitor's websites,
[8:23] on and optimize your own website,
[8:25] and jump on marketing trends.
[8:27] If your goal is only YouTube SEO,
[8:29] the other tools may be better valued.
[8:30] If the full suite of Ahrefs
is useful for your brand,
[8:33] it's the premier program for SEO.
[8:35] Now that you've got the relevant terms
[8:37] and phrases needed to rank
your videos on YouTube,
[8:40] you'll also want to consider
your channel's analytics.
[8:42] Through YouTube's Channel Analytics page,
[8:44] you can identify top performing videos,
[8:46] understand audience demographics,
analyze traffic sources,
[8:49] and the keywords people are searching for
[8:51] to find your content, and
monitor engagement metrics
[8:54] like audience retention and watch time.
[8:56] Log into your YouTube account
[8:57] and click on your profile
icon in the top right corner.
[9:00] Select YouTube Studio,
[9:01] then click on the
Analytics icon on the menu.
[9:04] You could access an overview
of your analytics here
[9:06] or dive into areas like
content, audience, and research.
[9:09] Select Advanced Mode in
the upper right corner
[9:12] if you'd like to see a detailed breakdown
[9:14] of your channel metrics,
[9:15] metrics for individual
videos, and other analytics.
[9:17] Whew, okay, so heavy
lifting is behind you,
[9:20] but there's still another crucial step
[9:21] before checking this off your to-do list,
[9:23] optimizing your video.
[9:24] This means including your keywords
[9:26] in your file name, title,
description, and tag.
[9:29] This title needs to be
concise, descriptive,
[9:31] and attention grabbing, like a headline.
[9:33] For example, make sure your file name
[9:35] and video title are the same.
[9:36] Include keywords from your title
[9:38] in the first two lines
of your description,
[9:40] and add these keywords in your tags.
[9:42] YouTube will have a much better
understanding of your topic
[9:45] and will be better able
to serve your video
[9:47] in its search results if
you follow these steps.
[9:49] In addition to keyword research
and video optimization,
[9:52] there are some general best
practices you should follow
[9:54] to improve your chances of
ranking highly on YouTube.
[9:57] These include creating a strong thumbnail,
[9:59] using contrasting colors
and high quality images
[10:02] that accurately represents
your video, title and brand,
[10:05] and helps with high click-through rates.
[10:06] According to YouTube, 90% of
the best performing videos
[10:09] have custom thumbnails, like this.
[10:12] Extending viewer watch time
is also an important factor
[10:15] in YouTube's ranking algorithm.
[10:17] This boils down to the
quality of your content.
[10:19] Is it engaging enough to
capture the viewer's attention
[10:22] and keep them watching through to the end?
[10:24] Take a look into your
audience retention analytics
[10:26] in YouTube Studio to see where
viewers are dropping off.
[10:28] Cross-promoting your videos on
other social media platforms
[10:31] to increase your reach
and attract more views,
[10:34] and adding CTAs to encourage viewers
[10:36] to like, comment, and
subscribe to your channel.
[10:38] On that note, you made it
this far into the video.
[10:41] Might as well hit that Like button
[10:42] and subscribe to the
channel and drop a comment,
[10:44] letting us know what other
topics you want us to cover.
[10:46] And while you're down there,
check out our free download
[10:48] to discover customizable templates
[10:50] to create your own YouTube channel art,
[10:52] like thumbnails and banner images.
[10:54] We've also included SEO necessities
[10:56] and a YouTube channel growth strategy
[10:58] to help you gain more subscribers.
[11:00] Basically, the better you can target
[11:01] and tailor your videos for
your intended audience,
[11:03] the more likely your videos will show up
[11:05] in their YouTube searches,
[11:06] so you'd better start
training your SEO muscle
[11:09] if you wanna get your share
of views and engagement.
[11:12] Now, if you'll excuse me,
[11:13] these muscles aren't
gonna build themselves.
[11:15] You know what I'm saying?
[11:16] Got some heavy lifting in my own too.
[11:18] Until then, I'll see you next time.
[11:21] - I can't find this client info.
[11:23] - Have you heard of HubSpot?
[11:25] HubSpot is a CRM platform,
[11:27] so it shares its data
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[11:30] Every team can stay aligned,
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[11:34] - [Announcer] HubSpot, grow better.