In order for your videos to rank higher and get more views, it is important to follow the best practice when uploading your content. We’ve put this template together to help make your video SEO as easy as 1, 2, 3 – literally.

So, you’ve created your content, but rather than just posting it on your website it’s important to upload to other platforms to improve search rankings. If you rank high in the search, more people will see your video, which will ultimately drive more traffic to your website. But where’s the best place to start? The worlds largest video hosting platform is an obvious choice. However, along with a great platform comes great competition – over 300 hours of video content are uploaded to YouTube every minute, so knowing how to optimise your videos is a valuable skill you need to have in order to be seen.

As with all marketing techniques, it is important to put your own spin on things and adapt according to your business, so please use this guide and make any adjustments you feel necessary. We have also condensed this YouTube SEO guide into a convenient downloadable template.

STEP 1 – TITLE

The first port of call is the title. Titles should always be rich in keywords and include your business name, – this benefits your search engine ranking more than anything else. To find good keywords for your business, try using a chrome extension such as ‘Keywords Everywhere‘ to see what your customers are searching for. If your business is location-based, it would be useful to add your location at the end of the title. Another good idea is to add your phone number, this makes it easy for viewers to find a direct contact for you and makes them more likely to pick up the phone. E.g. Luxury Video Production UK | 01563 509005 | The Marketing Café

If your video is produced in conjunction with another brand, we always recommend inserting their name and location first, as this not only gives you better visibility on Google by having different keywords, but it helps them out as well. E.g. In-Patient Services | Ayrshire Hospice | Charity Videos by The Marketing Café

STEP 2 – DESCRIPTION

Once you have a top class title in place, the next step is the description. We like to start our YouTube descriptions with our business name and phone number, along with a short sentence and a link to the service or product shown in the video. It is important to link directly to the service page, or to a designated landing page, rather than your home page. Linking directly to your home page will have an adverse effect on your bounce rate, as consumers won’t spend long hunting for the information. YouTube gives you 5000 characters for your description – so make good use of them. Be descriptive. Write a mini blog post. Talk about how you’ve helped someone with your service or why you think it’s important. Explain how your business is different and make yourself stand out. Suitable keywords will work well in your favour here but don’t overdo it as it won’t read well and Google will penalise this. Next, you’ll want to include a list of your products or services and a video link to suit each one, if applicable.

E.g. Over the years TMC has delighted many clients with exceptional videos including: Product Demos – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjoTsEtgshk&list=PLPt57BfFEhJ_-LppTdoej7xh4madFAm5m (…and so on.) Why not contact our team today and let us work our magic for your business?

Now for some shameless self-promotion. This is where you’ll link your website, your channel, and no more than 10 recent videos (include a brief description for each). You’ll want to follow this up with links to each of your social media pages. Finally, finish your description with a citation. Pop in the name of your business, your address, your phone number, and your website.

STEP 3 – TAG & UPLOAD

You’ll be happy to know that by this point you’re almost there! It’s time to tag and upload. When adding your tags, it’s important to fit in as many keywords as possible. Geo-tag your video to the location where it was filmed, and you’re ready to go. It’s also useful to note that this is when you will upload your .txt file of the script to the closed caption section, this allows your video to be easily accessible for those who may need it. Time to hit that big red button!

STEP 4 – SOCIAL SHARING

Now that your video is uploaded, get sharing – make use of all of your social channels, and your Google My Business page.

SEO hack: take the URL from your video and search it in Google, this will notify Google of your video and tell them people are looking for it.

And there you have it, the ultimate guide to YouTube SEO. We hope this has helped! Get in contact if you have questions or suggestions for other resources you might like. If you liked this guide, don’t forget to check out this convenient downloadable template.