YouTube SEO – Optimize Your YouTube Channel's Ranking

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world and the third most visited site after Google and Facebook. The platform has over 1.9 billion monthly active users. On mobile devices alone, YouTube reaches more 18-49 year-olds than news networks and cable television. The video platform YouTube is available in over 91 countries, where users can navigate in 80 different languages.

The Benefits of YouTube SEO

Many companies use the video platform as an effective and wide-reaching online marketing channel for purposes like:

• Customer acquisition and retention

• Brand awareness

• Increasing traffic

The large number of channels and videos on YouTube means strong competition. YouTube SEO helps improve the ranking of videos and channels. To be found or rank for the most important keywords in YouTube search, you need to do more than just upload a high-quality video.

Anyone can upload videos to YouTube for free. When self-produced, the costs are usually low. Therefore, many smaller companies now also upload YouTube videos. However, these are often not of high quality and not successful. If you hire an external video or content agency, you will have a high-quality video for a lot of money, but success is still not guaranteed. Because not only the videos themselves, but also your own YouTube channel and all activities can have a significant impact on the YouTube ranking.

Competitor Analysis on YouTube

Both videos and channels, as well as playlists, are displayed in YouTube search results. The goal is to be placed relatively high and seen.

A competitor analysis can provide an initial overview of the market environment. A YouTube search for relevant keywords in your own topic area delivers videos, channels, and playlists. The same brands have an average of 2.4 channels. You can look at the YouTube channel of LEGO for inspiration. Currently, LEGO is the most popular brand channel with over 6 billion views and nearly 8 million subscribers.

If you want to place ads on YouTube or in your videos, TrueView is a crucial point for more video views and longer watch time. With TrueView's function, users can specify which interest and topic areas they want to be shown ads for. Viewers who watch TrueView ads completely or for at least 30 seconds are 23 times more likely to visit or subscribe to the brand's channel, learn more about the brand, or share the video.

Brands that use TrueView within YouTube SEO see a 500% increase in video views of existing content after they post new videos.

YouTube SEO Ranking Factors – Channel

Thanks to a variety of ranking factors, optimization for YouTube is a complex subject. In the following sections, we provide tips and guidance on YouTube SEO to achieve better video rankings. We have divided optimization of YouTube ranking factors into two parts. This first part deals with optimizing the YouTube channel.

An important ranking factor on YouTube is Channel Trust. The higher the frequency of publications, engagement, number of subscribers, and the age of the YouTube channel, the higher YouTube ranks Channel Trust.

Channel Trust factors summarized:

• Channel name

• Channel description

• Number of views

• Number of subscribers

• Channel activity (upload frequency, date of the last uploaded video)

• Age of the channel

• Backlinks to the channel

The name of the YouTube channel should ideally, if not already taken, be your company or brand name. Use a creative and content-rich channel description that is always up-to-date. The channel description should also include links to your website and other available social channels as well as channel-relevant keywords or queries.

[caption id="attachment_25127" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]

Fig. 1 YouTube Channel Description – LEGO[/caption]

Create an interesting and meaningful header and avatar for your YouTube channel. The recommended size for the header is 1,546 x 423 pixels and for the avatar maximum 240 x 240 pixels.

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Fig. 2 YouTube Banner – T-Series[/caption]

To engage non-subscribers visiting your YouTube channel for the first time, create a welcome video or trailer. YouTube also advises this. The channel is introduced and played to non-subscribers. You can design the content in the channel area at your own discretion.

Keep the channel introduction interesting and concise. Explain who you are, what the user can expect on your YouTube channel, and when new uploads will be available. The welcome video should not last longer than a minute but should give the user good reasons to subscribe to your channel with a direct call to action.

YouTube SEO Series – Part 2

You will find the next part of the YouTube SEO series here.

The second part of the YouTube SEO series deals with optimizing a YouTube video. There you will find tips and tricks from product quality to video description.

Conclusion on YouTube SEO

In summary, the YouTube ranking algorithm is complex. To successfully use the video platform, it pays to build authority by uploading and distributing videos regularly.

It is also advantageous to be actively involved in the YouTube community – write comments on relevant videos, favorite videos, subscribe to channels, and network directly with other users. As in other social communities, sufficient time should be planned for interaction within a community.

YouTube SEO by internetwarriors

If you need support for building and optimizing your YouTube channel, feel free to contact us. We will work with you to develop an individual YouTube strategy, build your YouTube channel, maintain the content, and manage all video campaigns from upload to promoting the videos. Get in contact with us!