---
title: 'How to Rank #1 on YouTube in 2026 (Complete SEO Blueprint)'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZNhJ0ymZrIY'
video_id: 'ZNhJ0ymZrIY'
date: 2026-06-18
duration_sec: 0
---

# How to Rank #1 on YouTube in 2026 (Complete SEO Blueprint)

> Source: [How to Rank #1 on YouTube in 2026 (Complete SEO Blueprint)](https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZNhJ0ymZrIY)

## Summary

This video explains YouTube SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for ranking videos higher. The creator, Adarsh, uses an example of a cake-making video to demonstrate how YouTube's algorithm analyzes thumbnails, titles, descriptions, and video content to verify authenticity and promote transparent, non-clickbait content. Key tips include matching your video content with your title, using relevant tags and seasonal keywords, and focusing on low-competition, high-search topics.

### Key Points

- **Introduction to YouTube SEO** [0:00] — The video introduces the concept of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specifically for YouTube, aiming to help videos rank on the top of search results.
- **Search Example: 'How to Make a Cake'** [1:48] — The creator searches 'how to make a cake' to demonstrate how YouTube displays results, noting that shorts have low revenue potential and recommending new creators avoid them.
- **Analyzing a Top-Ranking Video** [3:11] — The title 'Cake Making at Home, Oreo Cake in Pressure Cooker, Chocolate Oreo Cake Special Cake Recipe Navratri' is analyzed. The thumbnail shows the actual cake-making process, which YouTube's AI uses to verify the video's content matches its title and description.
- **AI Verification of Content** [5:20] — YouTube's AI reads text in the video (e.g., 'Oreo' on biscuits) and checks if the video shows what the title claims (e.g., Oreo biscuits, pressure cooker). This ensures the video is not clickbait, as YouTube promotes only authentic content to maintain user trust and ad revenue.
- **Tags and Seasonal Keywords** [8:56] — Tags like 'Navratri cake' help the video appear in searches for related festivals, even if users are not specifically looking for cake tutorials. This increases reach and ranking potential.
- **Competition and Optimization Tips** [10:30] — The creator advises focusing on low-competition, high-search topics, optimizing titles and tags, and timing uploads with seasons or trends. He notes that YouTube is now highly competitive, unlike in 2017, so careful optimization is essential.

### Conclusion

To rank on YouTube, creators must ensure their video content matches the title, description, and tags, avoid clickbait, and use seasonal or low-competition keywords. YouTube's AI verifies authenticity to promote trustworthy videos, so transparency is key to success.

## Transcript

So, hello everyone. Welcome back to
another video. So, I am Adarsh and in
today's video, we are going to learn
about SEO, which is search engine
optimization.
So, the search engine here is YouTube
and we're going to optimize we're going
to learn optimize your videos on YouTube
so that they can easily rank on the top
of the page. So, uh suppose if you've
created videos on a particular topic and
you want your videos to be shown on the
top of the first page list of YouTube,
so how do you do that? So, for that you
need to do some sort of things, some
sort of research and a proper way to
upload videos and a proper things which
you need to make uh or take care of
while you upload videos or while you
create video or while you create your
thumbnail. Okay. So, first of all, what
we are going to do is we'll be first
opening YouTube so that we get a quick
brief of how things work over here.
Okay.
So, now let's open our engine. So, this
is uh this is a search engine. So, this
is a search box and now, as you can see,
this is a basic recommendation of the
home page. This recommends me a few
things over here which I likely to
watch. Okay. So, now let's move on top
and now let's see that uh how the
optimization of the search engine
YouTube works. Okay. So, now
you must have created videos on many
sort of topics because uh I don't know
what your niche is, but you must be
knowing. So, you must have seen that
your video is not getting much views,
much engagement and possibly they are
lying down and it's around two, three or
four years and there's no reach, so you
are sad probably sad and discontinued to
make videos. So, what do not. Let's see
how things work so that you can again
continue with your work and probably get
good subscribers, likes and comments and
proper engagement as you really wanted.
Okay.
So, let's see. So, here is a search box.
So, as you can see, here is a video of a
photo of a cake. So, now let's search
about how to make a cake. Okay. So, for
example, this is just an example. So, I
don't know what your niche is. So, for
example, we're going to take out Let's
see about cooking. Okay. So, how to make
a cake.
Okay. So, for example, let's search how
to make a cake. And as you can see,
there are plenty of results over here.
So,
these are just the shorts videos. So, I
always recommend a new creator never to
move on to shorts because there's hardly
any revenue on shorts. Now, let's move
back. And as you can see, there are two
videos.
So, as you can see,
the first video, which is ranking on
this page on the keyword how to make a
cake for So, this is just an example. As
I said earlier, your keyword can be uh
playing Clash Royale, playing uh PUBG
Mobile, or playing any game, or whatever
sort of niche you have, okay? So, we are
just talking about cooking over here
because this is just an example, okay?
So, the first video over here is
three-ingredient Oreo cake tutorial
shorts, okay? So, we are not going to
look on shorts. So, okay. So, as you see
here,
it says
Okay. So, let's move over here. As you
can As you can see here, cake making at
home, Oreo cake in pressure cooker,
chocolate Oreo cake special cake recipe
Kalratri, okay? So, this is the title.
So, let's open our notepad.
This is our notepad. Now, we are going
to analyze a few things why this is on
top and why not the other videos are on
top. Let's click over here.
Okay.
So,
Okay, we are going [crying] to
wait over here.
Okay.
So,
I don't know why these ads are so long
cuz these are useless sort of things I
never watch.
Okay. So, finally the ad has ended,
okay?
Ad has ended, okay? So, this Okay, so,
this is the title of our YouTube video.
Let's copy this title over here,
which says cake making at home. Okay, so
now we're going to copy
As you can see, this is everything what
we need over here. Okay, so this let's
copy this
hashtags too.
We're not going to use it.
Just to analyze these things. As you see
over here.
Okay, so cake making at home. So as you
can see from the thumbnail of the video
over here,
the thumbnail clearly shows that the
process is
about the making of the cake. So that
the Basically, what happens is whenever
you create a thumbnail and upload it for
your video, the algorithm of YouTube or
the AI of YouTube starts to analyze what
your thumbnail is. So as you see the
picture, the first picture or the cover
photo of your video, it has deep impacts
on how your video will work in future.
Because if that video is not related to
what you have made inside the video or
if it's not the same thing what is being
shown, then there are high chances that
your video will fall out of engagement.
Okay, so as you can see, this part is
actually somewhere in this video and
this literally shows that the cake is
being made because this is clear over
here. Okay. And it says Oreo cake in
pressure cooker as and special cake
recipe in Marathi. Okay, so now let's
hit it over here and let's see.
Okay.
So as you can see, these are the Oreo
biscuits
and
most
Okay.
Okay, so as you can see,
it's written O R E O Oreo so
just because Oreo's written over here,
this part plays a very super important
role over here. The AI of YouTube can
will grab the video, can understand the
video and can eventually read the video
what's written over here. So it can
really identify that this biscuit is an
Oreo biscuit because Oreo's written over
here. So it can analyze the video and it
can analyze the things going on inside
the video and if it's really a real or
not. So, if this video is a clickbaited
video, it will never never push the
video. But, as you can see that it say
said that Oreo cake in pressure cooker.
Okay, so Oreo biscuits are being used
here. So, to in order to verify that
what the creator is telling is truth or
not. It is matching the title with the
video and as you can see there are high
proofs in the video that what the title
says is completely true. So, as you can
see Oreo biscuits are real there. So,
you have to show things what you
mentioned in your title or description
in order to understand or in order to
YouTube algorithm to understand and
trust your project, whatever you are
making okay?
So, things are really very transparent
over here.
Now, let's look for the pressure cooker.
Okay.
Okay, that's fine. So, as you can see
uh
So, this is pressure cooker over here
and now algorithm YouTube can understand
that the cake is being made in the
pressure cooker. Once things are done,
now as you can see this is a pressure
cooker and once the video is analyzed by
YouTube, once it's it is analyzing the
video, it is easily able to understand
that this is an image of a pressure
cooker and the chocolate cake uh
whatever it's making the
mixture has been put inside this
pressure cooker in order to create the
cake. So,
actually the AI is much more intelligent
than what we think. So, it is able to
analyze and understand the video and
eventually mixing uh in and eventually
compare it with the title and
description of the video to understand
if the things going inside the video is
the same as shown outside the video like
on the title description and hashtag.
It's trying to match if everything is
completely true or not. So, that the
viewers uh who watch the video on the
top does not get uh like uh they don't
think that they have been clickbaited
and they are they are watching the wrong
result. If they are watching the wrong
result, they'll never come back to
YouTube and then they'll not give time
on YouTube, they'll not watch ads, and
if they don't watch ads, the revenue of
YouTube and YouTubers will be
comparatively down, and that will be a
cons for YouTube. So,
just because of that, YouTube tries each
and everything to promote videos which
are really true, which are really legit,
and they always verify if the things
going inside the video are really uh
true or not. So, try to make your video
transparent, clear, and show all the
points whatever you have mentioned in
your title and description. Don't try to
hide anything because if you're doing
so, you are not trying to fool YouTube
algorithm, you're trying to fool
yourself because it will not push your
video if it does not have much facts
whatever you have written in your title
and description. So, now
as you can see, special cake recipe
Navratri. So, cooker has been shown,
cake has been shown over here, and at
the end, you can see
the cake is ready,
and [music] this process, whatever
everything whatever was mentioned is
shown in this video, which verifies the
authentic authenticity of this video.
Okay.
>> [clears throat]
[snorts]
>> Okay, so these are the tags, okay?
Cake while Navratri cake Navratri is in
there in the title,
>> [snorts]
>> and Navratri special well and now one
more reason why this there has been a
proper show in this video because
there it has been mentioned that welcome
Navratri cake. Okay.
And Navratri cake, and in the title also
Navratri cake. So, this thing can also
push the video when there's special
festival or something uh about which
people are searching a lot on YouTube.
So, even if they're not searching about
cake and even if it's not and if it's
Navratri or any type of festival, so
even if they're not talking about the
cake or searching about the cake, then
but still this video can be recommended
to the people who are searching on
Navratri or there's
festival, then the type of tags you are
keeping, these videos can be recommended
to the people. So, this is basically a
cooking video. So, if I'm searching
about uh
how to do rituals of Navratri or do
Navratri Puja,
and this video is recommended to me even
though if I'm not looking for the cake
creating tutorial, still this video can
be recommended. And if I watch this
video, eventually the reach of this
video will increase and slowly the push
will increase and the video will be
shown on top. So, this is how things can
work. So, if you work on proper season,
if you work on proper time, if you
create a proper content with what
YouTube
looks for for you, then there are highly
chances that you'll end up ranking your
getting your videos ranked on top of the
algorithm.
Okay, so these are the few things which
you have to take care of while creating
the videos so that your video get a
proper push.
Otherwise, it can become very difficult
for you to rank on this platform because
things are really hard right now because
this is not 2017 YouTube where videos
were very less about any sort of topic
on YouTube so that you can get
more chance to rank your videos because
this this is a competitive time. And
whatever topic you choose, there are
already more than millions of videos on
that type of topic. So, when you upload
your same video on same topic, then
there are very less chances that your
video will be ranked because your videos
will be
uh somewhere uh dumped around those 7
million, 8 million, or 10 million
between those 10 million or 12 million
videos. So, it will become very
difficult for you to your video to be
ranked on the top. So, try to make or
create content or keep title according
to your videos in a way which has very
and competition and high search result.
High search result in the terms mean
write the title according to the need of
the user. Like look for the title which
is searched by many people, but the
videos on that title is very less. So,
the lesser the videos on such topic, the
lesser the competition. The higher the
video on the topic you're creating
video, the higher the competition. So,
try to make sure that the videos uh
uh what you're making on uh have less
competition, or try to optimize your
title
tags, or try to use proper time
according to the season. Okay? So, these
are a few things which you need to take
care of, and there are nothing There's
nothing much difficult while creating
videos and posting it on YouTube. If you
take care of such small things, things
will really work according to how you
do. Okay? So, on This is only for today.
I was just free, so I thought of
creating videos, and uh
Okay, so I have to finish my rest of the
work which I have. And I have to uh
fulfill some of my other jobs, too. So,
I'll go right now and do it. So, I had
time, so I thought of why not to create
an informative video and post it,
because my channel was getting dormant.
So, instead of letting it get dormant,
why not to post something and
let it keep alive. Okay? So, bye for
now.
I hope to see you in next video whenever
I post, and I hope you guys will support
me next video, too.
So, okay. This is all for today. Bye.
Yeah, so let me just end this session of
this Bandicam. Okay, thank you. Bye-bye.