YouTube competition is getting tougher by the day.
The main mistake beginner bloggers make is that they either underestimate optimization or don't know at all that it's the key to more views.
I will tell you about the basic working tools. And it is only through hard work that you will be able to achieve real results.
How does YouTube determine whether to promote your channel?
YouTube uses a machine learning algorithm, much like Google, to determine which videos to show in search results and recommendations and who will be in the top.
For example, if users enter the query "buy a computer desk", the algorithm finds all videos with titles, descriptions or tags that contain this phrase. The more the video's metadata matches the search query, the higher it will be ranked in the search results.
These three videos came up first in the search, which means the optimization is done perfectly:
The main factors affecting the algorithm:
- Keyword relevancy.
- Audience retention: the longer viewers watch your videos, the higher they rank.
- Engagement: likes, comments, reposts, subscriptions.
- CTR (Click-Through Rate): the percentage of clicks on a video compared to the number of impressions.
YouTube's algorithms have been based entirely on viewers' interests since 2012. First of all, focus on what your target audience likes and cover their "pains", i.e. needs.
But there are also external factors.
Here's some of what YouTube itself writes:
What external factors affect how many people will see a video?
The main such factors are three:
- Interest in topicPolylang
placeholder do not modify- CompetitionPolylang
placeholder do not modify- SeasonalityPolylang
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Source : https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/11914225?hl=ru&co=YOUTUBE._YTVideoType%3Dvideo
YouTube SEO Basics
YouTube SEO is based on the following key elements:
- Keywords
- Video Optimization
- Analyzing and working on errors
Selecting Keywords
Optimizing your YouTube channel starts even before you upload your first video. Even at the planning stage, it is important to clearly define the niche and theme of the channel, because this will be the basis for choosing keywords and forming a development strategy.
For example, if you choose the niche "Furniture" and the topic is "Computer desks for gamers", this automatically sets the direction for content creation: reviews of modern models, selection tips, instructions on how to organize your workplace and so on. This approach allows you to immediately focus on a specific audience - for example, gamers who are looking for ergonomic and stylish solutions for their space.
A clear choice of keywords that match the channel topic and audience requests is the basis for successful promotion. In the case of computer desks, queries like "how to choose a computer desk", "review of backlit desks" or "top budget models for gamers" may be relevant.
Procedure for choosing keywords:
- Identify your target audience. If your channel is dedicated to furniture, namely computer desks, think about what aspects may be interesting for different groups of viewers. For students, it can be budget and compact models that fit perfectly into a small space. For freelancers, reviews of ergonomic desks with space to organize the workspace will be useful. Gamers may be interested in the functionality of desks with built-in backlighting or cable management.
- Write a list of search queries that might be in your topic and use tools to analyze them using these tools
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Optimal keywords combine high frequency of queries and low competition. The same principle is used in SEO to get fast results with a minimal budget. It is called KGR (Keyword Golden Ratio). This is part of the avalanche SEO technique. For example, instead of the generic "computer desks", it is better to use a more specific variant such as "computer desk for a small room" or "ergonomic desk for working at home".
Use keywords to the max: channel title and description, title for videos, descriptions and tags for each of your videos.
Video Optimization
The success of your content on YouTube largely depends on how intelligently and strategically you approach filling in key fields - title, description, tags.
Title
This is the first thing the viewer pays attention to. YouTube advises keeping it short, clear, and emphasizing keywords.
Your headline should be:
- Short (up to 60 characters).
- Contain keywords.
- Attractive.
Example: instead of "Computer Desk", write "Top 5 Compact Computer Desks for a Small Room".
Description below the video
It's your secret weapon. According to YouTube Creators, only 30% of creators use the video description to its full potential. And for nothing, because it's one of the key elements of SEO.
In the description, make sure that:
- The first two lines contain keywords.
- It's very clear what your video is about.
- There are calls to action: links to your other videos or social media.
- Lists or short paragraphs are used for ease of reading.
Tags and their meaning
Tags are still important for clarifying the topic of a video. Especially if your content has difficult-to-understand names or specific terms.
Use both general and specific tags. For example:
- Common: "furniture", "computer desks".
- Specific: "computer desk for a small room", "ergonomic desk for working at home"
Hashtags
Hashtags should be relevant to the topic of the video. They help attract additional organic traffic among viewers who are interested in such content.
The same services are used to select tags and hashtags:
- Google Adwords keyword planner
- tubebuddy
- vidIQ
- Keyword Tool - in order for a video to rank in google, you need to collect google queries as well
Preview
According to YouTube research, 90% of videos with high views have colorful and informative thumbnails.
A working preview increases CTR.
Key Elements:
- Large, legible font
- Bright colors
- Face images to increase emotional engagement
Playlists and what they mean
They help keep viewers on your channel, increasing overall viewing time and making it easier to navigate. Create thematic selections with optimized titles that will immediately attract attention.
For example:
- "Computer desks for students: compactness and functionality" - a playlist with useful tips for organizing your study space.
- "Budget computer desks: stylish solutions at an affordable price" - a selection of options for those looking for quality furniture without overpaying.
- "How to set up a home office" - practical advice for creating a comfortable work area at home.
These playlists not only help keep viewers interested, but also encourage them to watch more of your videos.
It's also important to actively promote your video after release. Share your video on social networks (separate article on this), collaborate with other creators, use YouTube's built-in features such as end credits and tooltips, respond to comments, ask questions of the viewer.
Timecodes
Including keyword chapters improves a video's search engine optimization and makes it more accessible to viewers who are searching for specific content. Not only does it help viewers, but it also creates an additional positive signal for YouTube's algorithms, which evaluate the ease of interacting with content.
YouTube analytics
After all that we have done before, it is very important to analyze the results in order to do some work on mistakes and in order to identify our strengths.
A brief summary of what parameters you should be watching for.
Track metrics such as:
- Watch time is a measure of audience retention. With its help you can trace at what point viewers started to turn off the video and analyze the reasons for this. So that you don't make the same mistakes in your next videos (use a more intriguing beginning, don't go into details, talk in essence, or make some clues in the video frame itself, etc.).
- CTR (Click-through rate) - click-through rate.
From Google help:
CTR is a ratio that indicates how often users click on your ad or free product information after viewing it. The CTR can be used to judge how effective your keywords, ads, and free product information are.
- CTR is calculated as the number of clicks on an ad divided by the number of impressions: clicks ÷ impressions = CTR. For example, with 5 clicks and 100 impressions, CTR is 5%.
- Individual ad CTR, keyword and free product placement metrics can be found in the account.
- If CTR is high, it means that users find your ads and free product information useful and relevant. The expected CTR of keywords depends on the CTR, which in turn affects the rating of the ad. CTR depends on the advertised product and the network in which the ad is shown.
- CTR helps you understand which ads, keywords and free product information are most effective and which ones need to be improved. The stronger the relationship between the three elements and your offerings, the more likely it is that a user will click on an ad or free product listing when searching for keywords.
https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2615875?hl=ru
- Traffic sources are the sites, platforms, and channels through which users go to your YouTube channel.
Knowing your YouTube traffic sources allows you to:
- Optimize your promotion strategy: If the majority of traffic comes from search, this is a signal that your keywords and SEO are working well. If the traffic is coming from social media, you should pay more attention to promotion there.
- Increase organic traffic: Analyzing traffic helps you better understand what topics and videos your audience is interested in and create more similar content.
- Identify weaknesses: If some traffic source (like recommendations) is performing poorly, it could be a signal that your thumbnails, headlines, and content need improvement.
- Audience demographics. Helps you understand who exactly consumes your content: age, gender, geography, language.
What does analyzing demographics provide?
- Better understanding of your audience: For example, if the bulk of your viewers are 18-24 year olds, content should be adapted to dynamic formats and current trends, etc.
- Content Adaptation: Knowing the geography and language of your audience, you can add subtitles, use localized themes or cultural features that will make your content more relevant to your target audience.
- Ad Optimization: If you make money from monetization, demographics can help you set up ads that are more relevant to your viewers.
- Creating partnerships: Understanding your audience allows you to engage brands and partners that target similar audiences.
Use this data to better plan your strategy.
Conclusions
Using basic SEO tools on YouTube is important because 75% of users don't even go beyond the first page of search results. It's a weak position to rely on luck, whether it will fly or not. Even if the content is cool, the person who needs it may just not see it, because the video will graze the rear in the feed, due to underestimation of optimization.
It is important to realize that knowing about these tools is not enough. But, labor combined with knowledge is a powerful conglomerate, with the help of which the channel will take top positions on YouTube.
Articles that reveal each of the points in more detail will be revealed on the site's blog. This will help to more thoroughly and seriously approach the promotion of the channel on YouTube. I will be happy to help you understand each of the nuances of promoting your YouTube channel.
- N8N service for automating routine SEO tasks
- A complete SEO checklist for blogging: how to write articles that drive traffic
- How to use Instagram for SEO
- How to manage your reputation on Google: a guide to SERM for businesses in 2025
- Checklist for technical SEO audit of a website
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