YouTube SEO: How to Rank YouTube Videos in 2023

YouTube is the most popular video-distributing platform worldwide with over 2.6 billion monthly active users watching videos every hour. YouTube’s massive success led it to get acquired by Google in 2006 and is now included in its wide ecosystem.

Practically everyone from businesses, content creators, and professionals has used YouTube for many different reasons and various goals. Companies use this platform to help spread information more quickly, creators can build an audience and promote themselves using YouTube, whereas professionals have benefited from it by using it for thought leadership and as a way to show potential employers their work.

Although there are many YouTube alternative platforms, it has therefore become an essential one that people need to be active on and understand how it works if they want to take advantage of its many benefits.

This guide will teach you the basics of YouTube SEO so that you can start ranking your videos higher on its search engine.

5 Best Practices to Get Your Videos Rank Higher on YouTube

There are a few ways you can rank on this platform and get discovered quickly whenever people run certain queries.

1. Do a keyword research

Keyword research is crucial for every content published on the internet. Without the right keyword, your content will be hard to find. This is why researching your keyword is the first step when you want to make videos.

Learn what your audiences want to watch. Find the trend on the internet and make sure your video marketing is related to that keyword. You can use Google AdWords Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or other tools to help you with this research.

2. Post a highly engaging video

This stage is important to ensure your videos get views. When you create videos that ignite curiosity among viewers, it’s easy to rank higher because then more people will try accessing your videos. That means more traffic to your content. YouTube will view this and put you on the top recommendation list.

A compelling video is generally short because most people have a lower attention span, specifically when they are presented with many videos to watch. If the first ten seconds aren’t attractive, they will more likely exit your videos without finishing until it ends.

3. Optimize your title, description, and tags

After you’ve done your research on the keyword that you want to target, it’s time to implement it in your video. The first thing you want to do is put the keyword in your title. But don’t stuff your title with too many keywords, as it will make it look spammy. A good rule of thumb is to include 1-2 keywords in your title.

Your description is also an important factor that YouTube will consider when ranking your video. Write a compelling description and include your target keyword in the first sentence. Just like your title, don’t stuff your description with too many keywords. Your tags are also one of the ranking factors on YouTube. Include all the relevant keywords in your tags so that YouTube can easily recommend your videos to viewers. If you need support writing the first draft of your title or description, you can use an AI text generator to get started.

4. Cross-promote your videos

After posting videos on YouTube, the next step you can do is to promote them through other social channels like Facebook and Instagram. Sharing your videos will help increase their views and traffic.

When you post your videos on social media, make sure to include attractive visuals and an engaging description so that people will be curious and want to watch them. You can also run ads on social media platforms to promote your videos.

5. Engage with your viewers in the comment section

The YouTube algorithm will also consider how well you engage with your viewers. When you reply to comments, YouTube will see it as a sign that you’re active on the platform and are interested in engaging with your audience. Make sure to reply to as many comments as you can. You can also ask questions in your video so that viewers can leave their thoughts about your videos.

Takeaway

YouTube is great for marketing your business, product, or service. If you want to take advantage of this platform, make sure to do your keyword research, create engaging videos, and optimize your title, description, and tags. Also, don’t forget to cross-promote your videos on other social media platforms and engage with your viewers in the comment section