Want your YouTube videos to blow up? Of course, you do, but you may have no idea how to make that happen. Fortunately, there’s a handy-dandy keyword research process you can follow. Gone are the days when video marketing was gravy – it’s become a digital marketing staple, and if you’re missing out, your business is paying the price. If you haven’t dipped a toe in the video marketing pool, it’s time to come on in – the water’s fine, and if you’ve already tried your hand but haven’t found your groove, there are tips for you, too.
It’s established that people love watching videos, and with the number of videos out there, it may seem like not a lot of discretion goes into the viewing process, but that’s misleading. One universal truth is that if you don’t avail yourself of what videos have to offer, you’re depriving your business of a valuable marketing tool that could help you crack the code. As with everything in the digital marketing world, however, your path forward toward video greatness begins with well-chosen words. Regardless of how fine your video is, you need to attract YouTube’s algorithm, which involves myriad mysterious factors, before it can be ranked. In other words, it comes down to culling the right keywords and using them strategically.
The idea is to identify keywords that connect with searchers and drive them to your videos, which boils down to pinpointing the phrases that your target audience is most likely to employ in their search efforts. One of the best resources for YouTube keywords is the source itself – YouTube.
When you start a search on YouTube, it offers you search predictions, which are keyword phrases that others are already using. This is an excellent place to do some exploring and get a feel for the keywords that are making the grade – and to get a gander at a wide range of video content, which might help you improve your own.
While this is great for entry-level research, paid keyword search tools such as Semrush and Moz offer more robust guidance that can be well worth the investment. While these tools are geared for Google search, much can also be gleaned for YouTube usage – especially from those videos that make an appearance in the SERP features.
You’re trying to get your YouTube videos viewed, which makes giving YouTube-specific SEO tools a spin another fine option.
Keyword Search has an AI algorithm that comes straight from the horse’s mouth – a top YouTube marketing expert – and that brings all the following to the table:
All told, Keyword Search provides you with the tools you need to develop a more comprehensive video marketing content strategy.
Both TubeBuddy and VidIQ allow you to check out your higher-ranking competitors’ videos for keyword information that can help guide your own efforts. You can also explore related keyword search phrases and tags. Each of these tools is intuitive and provides self-fill options in the keyword box once you begin typing – allowing you to drill down a bit deeper into the possibilities. Both also showcase analytics, so you can take a look at what your competitors are doing right and what they’re not doing as well – and can use this data to improve your own videos.
Once you’ve done the math and found some targeted keywords along with a few complimentary semantic keywords that allow you to expand your reach, it’s time to put your keywords through their paces, and there are several basic points to keep in mind:
There is a lot riding on your title – it lets potential viewers know what they’re getting into and makes that ever-important first impression. When your video title is well-optimized, you play well with YouTube’s algorithms and are likely to attract more traffic and views in the process. To finetune even further, keep your highest priority keywords towards the front of your title – within the first 60 characters – which can improve your rank and garner more suggestions. Additional points include:
Regardless of what your video is about, there are a lot of them out there, but your video description is a golden opportunity to make yours stand out from the crowd. When it comes to crafting descriptions that get the job done, keep all the following in mind:
In other words, it’s a tall order, but a savvy digital marketing pro can help.
If you need help making the most out of your video content, The Web Guys are here! We have the kind of digital marketing know-how and insight to help your videos stick their landings, so contact us at (317) 805-4933 for more information today.
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