“What others think of us” has killed more dreams than failure ever will. This can be true in the physical world, but not on the other side. As we are transitioning to a more immersive digital world, how we treat our audience directly determines our progress. What our audience thinks and feels about us and our content has gained so much popularity, especially on YouTube. In this post, we will discover simple and effective hacks to get more YouTube views and improve your channel discoverability.
Just like you can optimize written content, you can optimize video content. We will start with the following:
Focus on keyword
In content optimization, keywords are the key. So the first thing you have to do is identify the keywords, i.e., keywords that match search results. Believe me, keywords can do miracles for your YouTube channel. This is a simple task when you do the following:
- Rename: Replace the “business_ad_003FINAL.mov” file name with your keyword. YouTube analytics can help you anticipate trending keywords.
- Insert keyword naturally in the video title: It decides whether someone will click on your video. So the title should be compelling, clear and concise in order to get more YouTube views.
- Add keywords in the description: YouTube only displays the first three lines of text. Therefore, add keywords within these three lines. But note that it should never affect the readability of the description. Also remember to avoid keyword stuffing.
Declutter to Get more YouTube views
Imagine a situation where, when you reached home, you saw your bed upside down. How do you feel? Irritated? Everyone feels the same way. That, too, is applicable online. Digital clutter is the biggest enemy of digital success. Decluttering the digital space can help in digital clarity for search engines to crawl and optimize. Here is how we can do it.
- Create a playlist: Name your playlist with your keyword. It not only helps YouTube understand what your videos are about, but also helps users navigate through your channels. As you add more and more videos to your content library, grouping them in keyword-optimized playlists increases your view count and your rankings.
- Use Timestamps: Basically, it marks different sections of your videos. By doing this, you are not only helping viewers to find where to jump on for a particular content in a video, but also improving YouTube SEO. I will tell you how. Timestamps act as a keyword and whenever a user search for these terms, your video will show up. Here is exactly how it will look.
Improve Appeal
Digital space is all about creating the first impression. But how to make the first move and make your videos look more appealing. I will tell you how.
- Upload a custom thumbnail image: If you do not manually provide any thumbnail, YouTube will fetch from your video content. But i suggest you to add a custom thumbanil using images that are 1280×720 pixels representing a 16:9 ratio that are saved as 2MB or smaller jpg or png files.Â
Add Cards: Have you seen a small white, circular icon with an “i” in the center appear in the corner whenever you binge watch on YouTube. These are Cards, which are preformatted notifications that appear on desktop and mobile to promote your brand and videos. You can add up to five cards to a single video.
Make end screens look great: End screens display similar information as cards. It is important to note that YouTube is always testing end screens to try to optimize the viewer experience,Â
Community First
There is a saying that we receive what we give. It is so true in YouTube SEO. If if does not cost you much, you should like the following. These actions are not just valuable for user experience. They also give signals to YouTube that your video is engaging and offering value to your viewers.Â
- Give a Thumbs Up: It is also true that those who comment on your video expect something in return. They expect at least a like in return if not a comment. So you should read, like and respond to the comments.
- Pin Comments: It is common that subscribers ask to pin their comment. By doing this, you will gain a loyal subscriber which is worth more than a 1000 other subscribers. Further this can generate high levels of audience engagement.Â
- Conduct a Give Away: It is an effective way to attract new subscribers. but should make sure that the contest attracts people who are genuinely interested and not just the prize.
- Add a call-to-action (CTA): I bet you have heard YouTubers asking you to like, share and subscribe their channel. But you should not stop there. You can ask for feedback about your content, its quality and presentation. This can boost your video’s visibility in search results and suggested video features.
Experiment with YouTube Analytics
Finally, your analytics can help you make better choices and track your progress. Do an in-depth analysis of the watch time, average view duration, and audience retention for your videos and adjust your strategy accordingly.
- With posting time: There is no perfect time to post on YouTube. It depends on who you are targeting. But when you do, you should experiment with different time frames and finally arrive at the best time. Suppose you are targeting working professionals, the best time to post content should be 6 Pm than 11 Am.
- With video length: The more time viewers spend on your channel, the better it is for SEO. It is better to create videos within a 10 minute timeframe. But do not forget to add short videos also. You can get more shorts views and revenue by following the below video.
Moving Forward
There is a common saying in marketing to fake it until you make it. This should be applied in all of your optimization strategy and not only on YouTube. You should imitate and customize your YouTube channel like a well established YouTuber does. You should ask your subscribers to like, share, subscribe and possibly do collab with other YouTubers of your niche. One day, you will find yourself holding a golden play button.
Before you leave, take a note of this. The thumb rule is always the same, ie, to create content for people and not search engines. By following the above hacks, you will get more YouTube views, rank high in viewer engagement metrics and ultimately YouTube rankings.