Wondering how to get more views on your YouTube videos and want them to have a high rank on the SERP, then learning SEO strategies is a must.
Yes, getting millions of views on YouTube is not magic, but a proper implementation of SEO. This optimises your videos in such a way, that YouTube is bound to give them a higher rank on the SERP.
However, amidst this, there are two important things without which not even SEO could give you higher ranks. They are consistency and having a good knowledge about your viewers. If you follow these two things religiously, then SEO with its support will monetise your channel in no time.
Let us know about all the SEO strategies you should implement in 2024 in detail!
What Are the YouTube SEO Strategies to Implement in 2024?
The important YouTube SEO strategies you should implement in 2024 are as follows:
1. Research for Focused Keywords
The most important YouTube SEO strategy you should not miss is implementing keywords. Like all other search engines, YouTube also works by finding and matching the most relevant keyword to the users’ search terms. Now, if you are wondering whether the keyword you used is relevant, remember to use words related to the main topic of the video.
For finding a set of perfect keywords, you can use keyword research tools available on the internet. Using a high quality keyword with a lot of research will help your video get a higher rank on the YouTube SERP.
Let us see some of the keywords that the YouTube search box suggests to us!
2. Optimise the Video Title
After getting the perfect keywords for your video, it is time to use them in every way possible to improve your video ranking on YouTube. One of the best ways to do so is by using this keyword on the video title and optimising it. Moreover, make sure that your title is of 5 words or within 60 characters, especially the main motive of the title.
Even after all this SEO optimisation, your title must be compelling to create an urge among the viewers to click on it. This can be easily done by creating a sense of suspense among the viewers through your title.
Let us see some examples of optimised YouTube video titles!
3. Optimise the Video Description
The researched keywords can also be used to optimise the YouTube video description as well. Here, you can be a little descriptive about your content’s intention and hold your audience’s attention. It is also recommended to use links in your video description, to engage them more.
Although links are not an important part of the algorithm, all the important keywords should be used especially in its beginning. This is because YouTube bots usually work that way and hence, rank your video.
Let us see an example of an optimised YouTube video description!
4. Include Researched and Proper Tags
Tags are similar to the keywords, which are mandatory to add while posting a YouTube video for giving it a higher rank. Tags can include anything between long-term to short-term keywords or any mere relevant word. Moreover, there are no restrictions to the number of tags and so you can add as many as you want.
Hence, we can say that a place to fit the entire researched keywords one after the other is the tag section on YouTube. For instance, if you are posting a travel video, then your tags might include, travel, tour, travel vlog, tour vlog, vlogger, budget trip, etc.
Let us see an example of using tags in the back end of a YouTube video!
5. Create an Eye-catching Thumbnail
If you look from the viewer’s perspective, you will notice two things they notice before clicking on a video. The first one being the video title, is already explained, whereas the second one is the video thumbnail. An attractive and bright thumbnail can hold the attention of a maximum number of audiences.
Although YouTube suggests 3 thumbnail options while posting the video, they are not merely attractive and are simply shots from a few parts of the video. It is always recommended to create a powerful thumbnail with images, words and emoticons in such a way that your viewers are bound to click on the video.
Let us see examples of some eye-catching thumbnails in a YouTube video!
6. Develop an Engaging Script
We have already discussed all the ways to hold our audiences and create a strong impact on them to click on the videos. So now, it is time to hold them further to watch the entire video and learn something from it. However, it is not possible if you just randomly make a video, edit it and post it like so.
Hence, to create a powerful video, it is very important to prepare a script about the entire video content. In this script, you can write about the topics you will discuss in your video, or some daily motivational line or thought or just the way you want it. Collaborating with a top content writing agency is a good idea, if you are not so adapt in this field.
7. Encourage Audience Engagement
Even after creating a very engaging script, it is not really possible to hold your audience without any encouragement. The best way to do so is by developing an impactful video introduction. Here, in this section, you can show in a very interesting way about your video content or why it is impactful.
You can also, make a story-like introduction and convey a short message to your viewers on why they should continue watching it. However, designing this section is entirely up to your ideas and innovations and the way you bring them together on screen.
8. Make Longer Videos
It is a myth to say that longer videos do not have a great impact on YouTube search engines. However, it is totally the opposite, as we can often see that after searching for a specific keyword, it is the long keyword that shows up on the SERP.
Longer videos will give you umpteen time to portray and explain your thoughts to your viewers in a more creative and disciplinary way. Moreover, if you succeed in retaining your audience throughout the video, you will earn more watch hours, but will also enhance the video ranking.
Let us see some examples of longer videos listed on YouTube SERP!
9. Create a Playlist
As we know, watch time is really important for YouTube SEO, whereas playlists are an important feature to provide your channel with added watch hours. In a playlist, every similar type of video forms a set. A viewer interested in any particular set will click on the playlist which automatically plays all the videos there one by one.
Hence, it might happen that instead of clicking on one video, the viewer might end up watching multiple of them at once. Moreover, it also creates a positive effect on YouTube SEO, making the bots think that your audience is liking more of you and thus, will increase the rank of your overall channel.
Let us see an example of a playlist in the following image!
10. Add Closed Captions
It is true that Google and YouTube bots crawl over the video that you post on your channel. However, it is also a fact that they cannot understand the video content and thus, optimise its voice in a certain way to rank your videos accordingly. Although YouTube translates your words into captions and shows them at the bottom of your videos, they are usually full of errors.
Hence, it is recommended to edit these captions while uploading your video, in order to get them correctly and increase your rankings simultaneously. In addition, closed captions can be of more help to your viewers, especially people with hearing issues or people who are slow listeners.
Let us see an example of closed captions in the following image!
Final Word
YouTube is a competitive platform to grow as there are already so many people creating videos on the same topic as you do. Clicking on a particular content depends on the viewers, and sometimes the results can be very demotivating. However, in order to reach the top most of the YouTube SERP it is important to know all the latest strategies before posting a video content online.
Improving your SEO can only gain you high ranks but will also help you monetise your channel in no time. Thus, YouTube can become a great career option if you learn and religiously apply its SEO strategies to your videos.
Let us also know something about our author!
Subhodip Das is the CEO of Das Writing Services Pvt. Ltd., which is an SEO-optimised and non-plagiarised content-generating firm. He is in this business for the last decade and after a lot of hard work and dedication has brought this company under the top 10 in Kolkata.
After completing his Engineering and being unsatisfied with his 9 to 5 job, he started everything from scratch along with his two friends. Now, this company has become a family of more than 65 professionally trained and creative content writers, bringing 85% of repetitive customers.