Your business likely already has a presence on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, but are you making videos for YouTube? If not, you may be missing out on millions of customers! YouTube has more than 2.5 billion users around the world, waiting to see your content. When you do post videos on YouTube, making sure that they’re SEO optimized can have huge benefits for your company.

Why is Video Content Important?

Ever heard the phrase, “Content is king”? You might think this adage only applies to written content, but it’s just as relevant for video content. 

Making video content, particularly on YouTube, can be a great way to reach audiences that aren’t present on other platforms. You can get the attention of users who’ve never seen your brand before, and you may even intrigue them enough to make them follow you on other social media platforms. Not convinced that you can find new audiences on YouTube? According to Google , more than 90% of users say they discover new brands or products on YouTube. 

Video is also a better way to keep your audience’s attention than text. If a user is presented with a video, and then they’re given a wall of text with the same information, which method do you think is more appealing? Not only can videos help keep your audience intrigued, but they’re also more memorable than plain text. 

When you make videos, you’re not only teaching your audience about your company, but you can also encourage them to engage with you. By simply asking a question at the end of your video or speaking about a trending topic, you’re encouraging your audience to provide their two cents, which is an excellent way to make them feel heard. (Just be sure that, if you get comments or video responses, you reply back or give them a “like”!)

Finally, video content can help improve your rankings not only on YouTube but also on Google and other search engines. Providing a wide breadth of content can give search engines more information about your company, and if you optimize your videos properly, Google will have an easier time recommending them to the right users. 

Best Practices for Optimizing YouTube Videos

We know that optimizing your YouTube videos is important, but how exactly do you do it?

Keyword Research

To begin, do some keyword research to see what keywords or phrases your audience is searching for. You may have already done some keyword research in creating other content, but it’s a good idea to research again, as trends may be different on YouTube. We’ve created a quick guide about SEO keyword research if you want more information. 

Optimize Titles

Once you’ve come up with some keywords and phrases to target, be sure to include them in the right places. Your main keyword should show up in the title of your video as well as in your description. When it comes to the video title, 60-70 characters is the sweet spot. Anything longer than that can get truncated on mobile devices. 

Optimize Descriptions

Then, you can move on to optimizing your video’s description. You can again add your main keyword as well as variations or other keywords you want to target. Video descriptions should be around 500 words, giving you plenty of space to recap your video without giving a complete play-by-play. You can also use your video description to add links to your business’s website and other social media channels. 

Use Video Tags

On YouTube, video tags help audiences find videos related to their current search. Use video tags to your advantage! You may have guessed this, but using your SEO keywords as your tags is another helpful way to boost awareness of your content. Be careful about adding too many tags, though, since this practice is actually considered spam by Google and could result in your video being removed from YouTube. Five to eight tags is usually a good estimate. 

Select an Appropriate Category

When you upload your video, you can designate a category for your video. As you can imagine, these categories help bring your content to the right audiences. You may see video categories listed on the home page of YouTube or on the side of your page as “recommended videos” when you’re watching something else. Choosing the right category is key to making sure your video gets recommended in these ways. 

Create an Eye-Catching Thumbnail

YouTube will automatically generate a thumbnail for your video, but it’s not always representative of what the video is about. By creating a custom thumbnail, even if it’s simple, you’re likely to get way more eyes on your video. Keep the thumbnail in line with the tone and look of your brand. When it’s time to upload your picture, use one that’s 1280x720 pictures, which is a 16:9 ratio.

Use Video Transcriptions

Finally, make sure your video content doesn’t exclude deaf or HOH (hard of hearing) users. Video transcripts can allow those with hearing issues to enjoy and benefit from your video without having to hear it. YouTube does automatically generate captions for your videos, but they may not always be accurate. Double-check YouTube’s captions or upload your own closed captions before posting your video.(Having captions is also a good way to get your keywords in there!)

Add Links on Your End Screen

The last thing your audience will see from your video is your end screen. Use this time to your advantage! On your end screen, you can link your viewers to other videos of yours, encouraging them to stay on your channel longer. You can also link to your website, post a poll that your viewers can vote on, or even send viewers to an entire playlist of similar content.

Enhance Your Video Marketing Strategy

These tips can help you boost your presence on YouTube and bring your business to a new, previously untapped audience. But you can use these tips for more than just YouTube! If you’re creating videos on Facebook, Reels on Instagram, or short-form content on TikTok, some of these tips can be relevant on those platforms as well. 

If you don’t already have a video marketing strategy, hopefully this guide has given you a promising place to start. On the other hand, you may have found a tip to integrate into your current strategy. Either way, teaming up with a digital marketing agency like Doukas Media can be an excellent way to bring your video marketing strategy to the next level. 

At Doukas Media, we pride ourselves on the care and attention we provide to every client. We aim to learn all about your company and your goals before embarking on creating your custom marketing strategy. We’re always available to address your questions or concerns, and as we watch your campaigns progress, we can provide feedback and adjust our approach as necessary. At the end of the day, we create one-of-a-kind strategies for every client and work together to bring you to the top. 

Contact the team at Doukas Media today to learn more or to schedule a free discovery call!