YouTube Best Practices to Rank and Maximize Views

Today’s buying culture has a short attention span and countless options. YouTube can help your brand scale rapidly and reach far more than just your target audience. This article will highlight ways to successfully include YouTube in your comprehensive marketing strategy and offer insights into some best practices.

11 YouTube best practices for optimizing your videos and getting more views

The following sections examine a few best practices for ensuring you curate high-quality YouTube content that gets more people clicking through, subscribing and visiting your brand’s homepage.

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1. Create a unique thumbnail

Your video thumbnail is the first gateway viewers have to your content, and you need an image that instantly encourages clicks. Many new viewers will make a split-second decision about their interest in your channel based on the thumbnail alone. For this reason, a custom thumbnail should be an essential component of your YouTube marketing.

When creating a custom thumbnail, strike a balance between function and fun. Your YouTube thumbnail performs much like your brand’s overall logo in terms of announcing your business to first-time viewers. This means choosing a professional-looking image that will show viewers the video will provide the information they’re looking for. Aim for one that catches the eye, works well with your channel art, and stokes viewer curiosity.

The following list provides a few more best practices for creating a great thumbnail:

• Choose a 1280 x 720 pixel size at 16:9 ratio to ensure your image is easily viewed on both mobile and desktop devices. Save your thumbnail in one of the following formats:
• .BMP
• .JPEG
• .GIF
• .PNG
• Utilize the highest resolution possible and pick an image that not only compels the viewer to click but also makes your brand stand out from others.
• Choose a complementary background image with text overlay in a clean font for the best results.
• Select image and text colors for readability and that align with the colors in the video.

SEO tip

If you haven’t already verified your YouTube account, you should complete that step before attempting to upload a custom thumbnail image. Unverified YouTube accounts don’t have access to custom thumbnails. YouTube accounts without a custom thumbnail tend to hurt their SEO ranking.

2. Include your target keyword in your title

As far as metadata goes, a keyword-rich video title is one of the best ways to create a popular video. Placing an exact keyword at the beginning of your title has a direct correlation to that keyword’s ranking in the YouTube algorithm. Your title, description and video content need to match the search query you’re trying to rank for. The aim here is to match your content with the search intentions of your audience, and the title is your video’s first chance to do that.

Ideally, titles should be no more than 100 characters and be optimized for click-through rate (CTR) by using emotional language, creative capitalization and contrarian messaging. This means not having every word in your video’s title appear in the same case and ensuring the title is intriguing by presenting a shocking or unexpected idea.

An example of a title that can rank highly would be, “How to ACE your next dance audition with no effort.” Use of emojis can also work, as this has been shown to increase views by millennial and younger demographics.

SEO tip

You can start your YouTube journey wisely by determining what kind of searches you’d like to rank for. Once you’ve determined what your content’s keywords should be, make sure that every video you upload is aligned with that keyword research. Routine videos containing SEO-rich content is one of the primary ranking factors for YouTube’s algorithm.

For instance, let’s say the keyword “dancewear” is critical in your target field. You then put up a new video as an advertisement for your ballet school and include “dancewear” in the description. Views and engagement driven by that video will reward your entire channel with higher visibility in the next query for “dancewear” or other associated keywords.

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3. Write a keyword-rich description

The description for your YouTube content should also contain your target keyword and any secondary keywords relevant to your vertical. Remember that the important factor here is engagement.

YouTube allows channel owners to set up an autofill template that ensures all necessary elements are included in the description. The top things you should include in your video description include:

• Links to your social media channels, other associated websites, and homepage
• A call to action (CTA) for the viewer to subscribe
• Links to any resources mentioned in the video
• Chapters if the video is longer or covers multiple subjects
  

Further discussion of how chapters can increase your YouTube views are explained later in this article.

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4. Include relevant tags

One of the simplest ways to amplify your ranking and ensure your video pops up in a YouTube search is to add appropriate tags. Tagging that gets you ranked in YouTube’s search results can also increase your chances of getting ranked in Google’s search Results. Tagging videos correctly will even help your video show up in the suggested videos of other users’ videos.

Hashtags that align with your content and the keywords you’re targeting are crucial here. Use tags that avoid capitalization, are brand-specific, and imply both generic and specific relationships between the tag and video content.

Here’s what that might look like for the Winslow School of Ballet:

winslowschool, dancers, ballets, vlogs, shows, classes, dancewear

A few more rules of thumb for tagging:

• Keep it simple and to the point. Don’t include misleading or vague tags.
• Keep it mid-length. Just because YouTube lets you place 500 characters here doesn’t mean you should. Between 200 to 300 characters is ideal.
• Check out ranking videos for inspiration. Use tags similar to those utilized by high-performing videos.
• Make your first tag your target keyword. Lead with the keyword that you hope to rank for and organize the remainder of your tags by order of importance.
  

It’s smart to let YouTube’s tools guide your tag creation, too. YouTube has a tag generator and auto-suggest function that can assist you in coming up with viable core tags that relate to relevant keywords.

SEO tip

Remember that tagging is not just you telling your audience what your video is about—it’s also you telling YouTube. YouTube will use your tag words to associate your video with similar content, so stay away from tags placed strictly for humor or irrelevant interest.

5. Choose the right category

Categories on YouTube can be thought of as road signs pointing viewers toward your content. The idea here is to categorize your content in such a way that one or more of your videos will pop up when someone conducts a YouTube search for that category.

Selecting the right categories is just a matter of determining your video’s genres. Is it “beauty” and “animation?” Select both. Be honest and succinct about choosing categories, though. Your video marketing can be hurt in the rankings by misclassifying videos or trying to attach videos to too many categories.

SEO tip

Tailor your content with consideration. For your videos to rank highly, you should spend a fair amount of time examining their categorization. Don’t just study what other creators in that category are known for or do well—examine their content’s formatting, production, and any similarities you can discern across similar channels within a single category.

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6. Use cards and end screens effectively

YouTube cards are square-shaped information boxes that you can insert into your videos to make them more interesting, interactive, and entertaining. End screens are promotional cards that you can place in the last 5 to 20 seconds of your video to draw attention to your brand’s website, other videos, social media platforms, and other relevant links.

Both cards and end screens are designed to help you make the most of your videos by encouraging further engagement from viewers. To gain the maximum benefit of placing cards and end screens, though, include a call to action for your brand.

Take this example: If the Winslow School of Ballet uploads a video showcasing new jazz technique classes, it might be helpful to insert a card with a link to sign up for classes. You can make cards fun by inserting polls and trivia that keep viewers interested.

SEO tip

If you plan to place an external link to your business on your end screen, you’ll have to be a part of the YouTube Partner Program, which has joining requirements that include 1,000 subscribers and over 4,000 watch hours over the course of the last year. Likewise, you can’t add end screens to videos you’ve designated as “Made for Kids.”

7. Separate your video into chapters

As mentioned, separating longer videos into chapters can make video navigation easier. Chapters promote retention because they keep users from getting frustrated with having to watch through sections of longer videos that might not be interesting to them.

Any YouTube video can be split into chapters that you can title. Let’s say your Winslow School of Ballet uploads a pointe tutorial video for intermediate dancers. That post could be split into sections titled, “Proper Pre-Stretching,” “Taping Your Toes,” “Ankle Support,” etc. Then, viewers can skip to certain sections they want to see. You can also reference these sections when writing the description for your video.

SEO tip

Keep an eye on your dashboard metrics to test whether the chapters you’ve inserted into your video are working in your favor. If you notice that engagement drops off at a certain chapter, try renaming it to an exact query that a user might employ to find this content. For example, if the above suggestion “Taping Your Toes” proves less than fruitful, you could try renaming the chapter “How to Tape Your Toes” instead.

8. Identify what performs well in your vertical

The significance of doing your homework when learning what works in your vertical can’t be overstated. Successful YouTube marketers incorporate trending aspects of their social networks.

There are various ways you can go about performing research on what performs well in your vertical. Start by checking out competitors with high engagement. Study their descriptions, the style of their videos and how they link content. Don’t be afraid to get experimental when trying your own video ideas. Generally speaking, humor, color, and creative use of music or dialogue play well almost anywhere.

As with all other types of marketing, YouTube marketing requires you to know your audience. For example, if the Winslow School of Ballet is largely patronized by young adults—and that is the intended viewership—implementing songs, memes, or other pop culture references that are identifiable to a large part of that group is good practice.

When creating YouTube videos, think about the styles of presentation your target audience is most likely to respond to. The types of YouTube videos you can produce include:

• Testimonials
• Tutorials
• Product reviews
• Q&A sessions

SEO tip

Center your research around the keywords that direct competitors are using within the vertical but also around the type of language most naturally used by potential customers. Regarding the example above, affectionate dance-related nicknames like “bunhead” and “ballet gurl” are frequently used, and you can tailor your tagging and descriptions accordingly.

9. Post regularly

A major key to growth on YouTube is about delivering content that viewers want to see consistently. This is one of the biggest factors that will make someone become a subscriber. Whether you post once per day or week, growing your viewership is about establishing a connection that keeps current subscribers glad they hit the “subscribe” button and new viewers immediately wanting to subscribe.

You might also consider creating a standard posting schedule that you can commit to. It takes a lot of effort to produce regularly, so it might be helpful to get outside help.

SEO tip

You can use YouTube’s Premiere feature to let your audience see the thumbnail and what the video will be about. They’ll also see when the video will go live.

10. Engage with your community

Keeping your subscriber community engaged is especially important for YouTube marketing. Respond to viewer comments as often as possible and place at least one call to action asking viewers to subscribe in every video. Most audience members enjoy feeling part of a responsive, interactive community. Being as active with your subscribers as possible can help you grow your audience base.

Engagement on YouTube can easily mean engagement on your brand’s other social media channels when handled correctly. Let’s say a viewer who’s been thinking about taking modern dance classes likes one of the Winslow School of Ballet’s videos and comments on your school’s YouTube channel. Responding back may encourage that viewer to head over to your business’s Instagram or visit the website mentioned on the end screen.‍

SEO tip

Remember that an activity like leaving a comment requires time and effort on the part of the user and should be a two-way street. Respond to user comments in a timely manner and retweet, post, etc., wherever possible to help build engagement on your channel. When and where possible, working keywords organically into your responses can provide a secondary SEO benefit from audience interaction.

11. Maximize watch time

Watch time refers to how long a user engages with your YouTube video. Ideally, you want users to watch your videos to the end. If they become disengaged before or during critical information, that can provide insights into what you need to change to get longer views.

YouTube analytics can help you see watch time and use that information to your company’s advantage. When you notice that particular videos have longer watch times, tailor future content to mimic videos with the longest watch times.

Here are a few ways you can increase watch time for your YouTube content:

• Create an open loop: Start your video with a question the video promises to answer. For example, the Winslow School of Ballet might open a loop in a video about pirouettes: “Do you feel you’re about to fall out of your turns when asked to do more than one pirouette?” Then, the video should provide assurance that it will address that question and provide tips on how to avoid that feeling. In other words, it will “close the loop.”
• Post at the right time: Use analytics to learn when your viewers are more commonly online. Drop videos at those times.
• Curate playlists: As mentioned, playlists help organize your videos by topic. You can also use them to generate interest and increase watch time by grouping them according to your longest-viewed videos. So, if your video on “How to Nail the Perfect Ballet Bun” didn’t rank as highly as your “3 Steps to a Better Ballet Workout,” you might consider making an entire playlist of ballet workout videos.
• Use cards where disengagement has occurred: If you notice certain parts of your video where viewers seem to drop off, place a card there that directs them to watch other videos of yours.
  

The value of watch time can’t be overstated. Think about this: If you could garner three million minutes of watch time in seven months, that would amount to six years’ worth of attention for your company or brand.

Support your YouTube marketing efforts

Of all the ad formats available to marketers today, YouTube represents one of the most far reaching when it comes to growing your brand. With just a little SEO knowledge, some well-timed videos and the right kind of content, you have the potential to leverage YouTube to your advantage.

Do you need a little extra help with YouTube marketing? An independent YouTube marketer on Upwork can help you engage viewers and rank higher on the second-largest search engine.