SEO on YouTube How to position your videos?

by Gerardo Sánchez September 20, 2022

First of all, you should know that YouTube is a search engine and as such, it has its own rules and algorithm to be able to position videos. Given this, it is essential to know the best practices to appear first and accumulate subscribers, views and above all, gain visibility and recognition .

What is SEO for YouTube?

To get viewers to notice your videos and ensure that they rank well on YouTube, it is important to optimize them with the help of SEO .

SEO for YouTube consists of all the techniques used to make videos and playlists appear in the first organic results of the video platform.

With an estimated 1.7 billion monthly users and 14 billion views in that time period, it is essential for any business to be present and relevant on YouTube.

The key to positioning on YouTube

Well, for years, content creators have played with all the options that YouTube offers, which is basically On Video optimization, that is, the one we can do directly.

Factors such as the title, descriptions or even subtitles can make the difference when the platform chooses which video to put at the top of the results, however, the key to everything lies in the interaction .

That's right, engagement is what determines the success of a video's positioning. If YouTube sees that a piece of content starts to get a lot of “Likes,” “Dislikes,” comments, and is widely shared, it will take this into account for positioning and recommendation.

According to data from HubSpot, “The main form of media used in content marketing is video” and this is no coincidence, since current users prefer to watch rather than read, and they are also part of the content, interacting with the creators and giving or taking away relevance.

Now that you know this data and the key factor, let's see what you can do to position your videos on YouTube.

7 tips to position your videos on YouTube

Follow these tips to be at the top of the most famous video platform in the world.

Do a keyword study

Yes, keyword research is essential for any SEO strategy. YouTube is no exception and before you start making your videos, you need to know what people are searching for.

To find out the search volume for keywords in your industry, you can use the Keywords Explorer section of the Ahrefs tool. You can select YouTube and get that information.

Similarly, the most basic but also effective way is to type the keyword into the platform's search box and see the auto-completion. There you will see the most popular searches.

Work on the On Page

As we already mentioned, the On Page factor does have an impact on positioning, so you should take into account:

Title : Create a striking and concrete title, use the keyword and make sure it is no longer than 60 characters.

Description : Here you have enough space to elaborate on the content of the video. Make sure to use the main keyword and related keywords, and write it in an entertaining way. Before clicking on your videos, users can read this section, which can be decisive in choosing you.

Tags : Use keywords directly, so YouTube will know better what type of searches to recommend you for. You can also use competitor names to try to gain ground on them.

Thumbnails : Don't just stick with thumbnails that are excerpts from your video. Create a custom thumbnail for each piece of content. Remember that the click comes through the eyes.

In Video Optimization

At this point we refer to 3 aspects:

Subtitles : Try to transcribe the audio and upload it so that YouTube can sync it properly. This will give you a better chance of being seen by users of other languages.
Cards : These are the little recommendations that appear during the video. You can customize what to recommend and place the ones you want.
End Screens : At the end of the video, other content is recommended or you can go directly to the creator's channel.

Implement these 3 elements to boost the reach of your videos.

Extend the length of your videos

Over the years, videos on the platform have become longer in length, which makes sense: if users spend more time watching content, they will be shown more ads.

Making longer videos will keep your viewers engaged longer and will reward you with increased visibility on YouTube.

The recommended time is more than 10 minutes.

Encourage interaction

We come to the strong point, engagement. Although users will comment and let you know if they liked the content, it doesn't hurt to ask them directly to do these actions.

Always try to be attentive, responding to comments and creating content that serves the community to increase your interactions.

Promote your videos

You've already told your viewers to interact, but it's also up to you to promote your content. You can try the following:

Create an email marketing strategy .
Post on your social networks.
Create a site and upload them there.
Join communities and participate, be active.

Analyze and optimize

As with any strategy, you need to track the performance of your content. Know retention, impressions, where people stop watching your videos, and more so you can understand what your audience likes and replicate and improve it.

If you want to know more about this topic or require advice, you will find the solution at MHA , because our commitment is to guide you in the best way possible in this highly competitive digital era.