How To Optimize Videos For YouTube
Google is the most frequently used search engine in the world, but YouTube comes in second. Surprised? You shouldn't be! Think about the last time you needed information on home repairs or even a recipe. Sometimes, written directions just don't make as much sense as watching someone do it.
Even outside the realm of how to videos, YouTube is incredibly useful. In fact, many bloggers use videos exclusively. Humans are social creatures, and we respond very well to body language and social cues. Sometimes, video is the best way to tap into that fact.
But, it isn't enough to just make a quick video.
How to optimize videos for YouTube
Length:
Attention spans these days are incredibly short. You have about 10 seconds to win someone over so consider using that as your initial time limit.
Sure, you want to be authoritative and create great videos for your audience, but they won't be watched until you have a long-lasting following.
Instead, try to make videos that are less than 1 minute. They don't have to be complicated. Instead, keep it short, sweet, and on-point.
Quality:
No one wants to have to strain to hear you speak and if that's the case, they'll close out the screen. Instead, find a nicely-lit, quiet room where you can be seen easily. Speak calmly but like you know what you mean.
Be sure to provide useful content. No matter how short your video, it has to be worthwhile. Don't speak too quickly, but share something good.
For example, I could abbreviate this entire post into a brief snippet of speech by saying something like: "The top three things you MUST keep in mind for SEO success on YouTube are Length, Quality, and Topic..." Take what you would write, and shorten it for maximum impact.
Topic:
Before you even start recording, head to the Adwords Keyword Tool and do some keyword research. Once you find a killer keyword, you need to make sure you carry that focus throughout the piece. For one, be sure to write a title that is easy to find via search engines. You want to grab someone's interest, but you do not want to deceive them or make it hard to be found.
If I wanted to turn this post into a YouTube video, I might want to be mysterious with a title like "3 Things You Don't Know about YouTube." Well, that'd make me want to click, but that doesn't really explain what I'm talking about. If I wanted insider secrets on the site instead of SEO tips, I'd be irritated and confused. Likewise, I wouldn't want to watch a video about SEO tips that never even discusses practical applications. Choose your title carefully.
Then, be sure to save your video file with your keyword-rich name. This goes for images, too. "SEO-tips-for-youtube-videos.jpg" would be a fantastic image name to increase traffic from image searches!
Use these keywords for tagging and meta-data, too. Be sure to share your videos on your website, social media profiles, and across the web for maximum impact!