SEO Tips for your YouTube videos Part 1
Written by: Alicia Kea
Did you know that your YouTube video can be a powerful online marketing tool? Not only can it be informative and helpful to your clients and customers, but when optimized properly, that video could appear on page one of Google, just like your website. It will also lead people to your site and boost your website’s SEO as well.
Simply uploading up your video to YouTube should not be the end of your video marketing effort. That’s hardly the beginning. Here is a basic guide to increasing the value of your video and creating a powerful asset for your online marketing strategy. It can get a little technical and lengthy, so I’m going to break this guide into 2 separate, easily digestible posts. Of course Avenue 25’s team of web designers and online marketing professionals, myself included, are here to handle this for you too, if you’d prefer.
For today, let’s just start with what I’ll call the Technical Optimization of your YouTube videos.
Your Videos
When editing your videos, keep in mind the short attention spans of web users. The most popular videos on YouTube average less than 3 minutes in length. Don’t make it longer than that unless you plan to serve popcorn.
When saving your file on your computer prior to uploading it, create a descriptive filename such as “miniature-pinscher-puppy.avi”. Use hyphens between words, use all lower-case, and keep the title short and relevant to your marketing efforts.
When uploading, check that each video is set to "public" with a "standard" YouTube license. Under the “Edit Video”, "Syndication" settings make sure to select “Yes, make this video available on mobile phones and TV”. Mobile viewership is essential and you don’t want to miss this audience!
Thumbnail. Don’t forget to choose or create an appealing thumbnail image for your video. YouTube will ask you to set this after your video uploads.
Category. Lastly, confirm you’re choosing the correct video Category. For example, if my video was in fact about miniature pinscher puppies then "Pets & Animals" is the category choice for my video.
Your YouTube Channel
Channel Name — This will appear in search and becomes the URL (www). This should be short, memorable and incorporate a relevant keyword. If you need to change an existing channel name, go to your YouTube account settings > Overview
Channel Description — we recommend updating the channel description with an “About Your Business” paragraph followed by a link back to your website.
Channel Icon — Your YouTube icon should be square (uploaded as 800x800px) and easily recognizable at smaller sizes. This is a good place for a company logo or professional headshot.
YouTube Channel Art — This is the cover photo similar to Facebook. Use a simple image that reflects your brand. Check this on different devices to make sure it looks good on each.
That does it for Part I. Next week in Part II, we’ll discuss Content Optimization and go into specifics of your video titles, descriptions, tags and more.
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