Ever pondered how some YouTube channels consistently rack up millions of views in no time and consistently produce viral content?
The secret lies in their mastery of the platform’s mechanics, optimizing their content to be easily discoverable by viewers.
These creators strategically embed keywords in their video descriptions and titles, ensuring that those seeking specific information can instantly spot their content.
The exciting part?
You can harness these strategies too; this guide is your roadmap.
While you could keep uploading videos and leaving their success to chance, mastering YouTube SEO can significantly amplify your reach and viewer engagement.
Dive into the essentials of YouTube keyword research and discover how it can elevate your channel’s visibility.
- SEO vs. YouTube SEO: What Sets Them Apart?
- Decoding the YouTube Keyword
- The Art of YouTube Keyword Research
- How Can Keyword Research Boost Your YouTube Views?
- Unearthing the Ideal Keywords for YouTube: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Top 10 Tools for YouTube Keyword Optimization
- Additional Crucial Tips for YouTube SEO Mastery
- In Conclusion"
SEO vs. YouTube SEO: What Sets Them Apart?
You might be inclined to think that YouTube SEO is just another facet of the broader search engine optimization (SEO) landscape.
While there’s truth to that, it’s crucial to distinguish between the two. Think of YouTube not merely as an extension of Google or Bing.
Yes, YouTube functions as a search engine, but it’s tailored specifically for video content.
This distinction means that YouTube has its unique set of guidelines and best practices that creators should master to maximize their video visibility.
By adhering to these practices, your videos are more likely to surface in YouTube search results, driving consistent traffic and boosting your view count.
But there’s more to the story.
It’s worth noting that Google, being YouTube’s parent company, often prioritizes YouTube content in its search results.
By meticulously optimizing your videos – from keywords to titles and descriptions – you not only enhance their visibility on YouTube but also improve their ranking on other search engines."
Understanding YouTube Keywords
At its core, a YouTube keyword isn’t much different from any other keyword.
It’s a word or a combination of words that encapsulate the essence of a video’s content.
More crucially, it aligns with what viewers are actively searching for when they’re seeking content on a particular topic.
This is why it’s imperative to research and center your content around a specific keyword.
By understanding the preferences and needs of your target audience, you can craft videos that resonate with them.
The benefits of this approach include:
- Increased video views.
- Enhanced engagement through likes.
- Growth in subscribers.
- An overall positive impact on your channel’s performance.
To put it boldly, the significance of YouTube keyword research is paramount; it’s foundational to the success of any thriving YouTube channel.
What Does YouTube Keyword Research Entail?
YouTube keyword research revolves around identifying the keywords and phrases that YouTube users frequently search for when seeking related videos on the platform.
Just as the right keywords can drive traffic to a website, they play a pivotal role in ensuring your YouTube content reaches its intended audience.
How Can YouTube Keyword Research Boost Your Views?
Wondering how keyword strategy can amplify your channel’s reach?
By understanding and targeting the specific terms and phrases viewers use when searching for content related to your video topic, you ensure that your content is discoverable amidst the vast sea of videos.
Consider this:
With a staggering 500 hours of fresh content uploaded to YouTube every single minute, viewers are inundated with choices.
This abundance means viewers must be selective about what they watch.
By aligning your content with their search intent through keyword research, you position your videos right in their line of sight, often ahead of competitors.
Furthermore, by clearly conveying the essence of your content through well-chosen titles and descriptions, you eliminate guesswork for viewers. They can instantly discern the value you offer.
Ultimately, this strategic approach not only boosts your views but also fosters a dedicated audience that values the content you produce."
YouTube Keyword Research: How to Find the Best Keywords for YouTube?
Now that you know why YouTube keyword research is important, let’s dive into how the process happens.
Here are a few of the key steps you’ll want to follow to ensure you’re getting the right keywords for your topic and audience.
1. Pick a topic
Selecting a topic is the first step in finding the right keywords for your YouTube video content.
While it might seem counterintuitive to do this before the research portion, the idea is that you want a starting point.
Keep your topic fairly broad, but make sure it is something you know your audience is going to want to learn about — and also an idea that you could accurately create a video about.
2. Check YouTube’s autocomplete feature
The next thing you’ll want to do when performing YouTube keyword research is to check YouTube’s autocomplete feature.
Often, this will give you an idea into what people are searching for and how it relates to the topic you’re looking to cover in your video.
If there is an oversaturation of content or it doesn’t seem to be something with an autocomplete response, then you might want to evaluate whether the topic is worth pursuing.
3. Check out the competition
Once you have a good idea about the topic and how well it is already covered on YouTube, look at a few of the videos with a large amount of traffic.
What keywords are they using? Are there any that surprise you?
Take note of the ones that make the most sense for the type of video content.
4. Use a YouTube keyword research tool
Now that you’ve analyzed what is already on the platform, it is time to use a YouTube keyword research tool to finalize your primary and secondary keywords.
How you use these tools varies by the one you’ve chosen, but the main point to remember is that you’re looking for words and phrases that closely relate to the topic your video covers.
Find those with a high average number of views or subscribers to narrow your list to five or ten.
What are the 10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools?
Finding the best YouTube keywords starts by knowing what tools are out there to make the process easier. Here are a few to consider trying out to make your research process easier.
1. YouTube Analytics
The first place to start when it comes to figuring out search intent is YouTube Analytics.
Often, this will give you ideas on what your existing audience is doing and what they want to see in future videos.
From there, you can base the rest of your keyword research on similar topics.
2. Google Trends
Most video creators don’t realize that Google Trends has a special tab just for YouTube content.
This will give you an idea of how popular a particular topic is and any associated searches related to that subject.
This is great if you’re doing keyword research, as it gives you an idea of what related keywords to search to pair with the ones you’re already using.
3. Google Ads Keyword Planner
Now, we know Google Ads Keyword Planner is a general SEO tool and not necessarily just for YouTube.
But remember when we mentioned that there’s quite a bit of crossover from general Google search and the video platform?
By making sure there are enough people searching for your keywords, you can aim to create videos that will show up in general search, which still equates to a broader audience and more views.
Plus, it’s free to use, which is great if you’re just starting out or on a strict budget.
4. BuzzSumo Keyword Research Tool
What’s super awesome about the BuzzSumo Keyword Research Tool is that it gives you the option to toggle between related keyword searches and analytics.
This means you can type in a search string and find out what other phrases are related to that topic.
Likewise, you can view any channel on YouTube to analyze its content.
It’s a great two-for-one approach to choosing the right keywords for your content.
5. Keyword Tool for YouTube
The generic name might lead you to think that this is a tool made by YouTube itself, but the truth is that it is just a robust third-party option.
Keyword Tool for YouTube helps analyze specific search strings to give you hundreds of related options.
In the paid version of the program, you can also analyze traffic for specific phrases.
6. TubeBuddy
Another excellent YouTube keyword research tool is TubeBuddy.
This browser extension makes it easy to find and select the right keywords for your videos, descriptions, titles, and more.
Plus, it also includes an auto translator function for content in different languages, which is helpful if you’re looking to expand to a wider audience.
7. VidIQ
Deemed as one of the best paid YouTube keyword research options on the market, VidIQ makes it super easy for content creators to do the necessary research for video marketing success.
It offers tons of great features like keyword templates that are handy when creating multiple videos, a keyword translator, and so much more.
they’re also YouTube certified and have an online learning academy to help you best use the platform.
8. Ahrefs
If you really want to learn how to find trending keywords on YouTube that work, a robust YouTube keyword research tool like Ahrefs is an absolute must.
Instead of making educated guesses, it consistently processes large volumes of real on-platform data, the better to present you with genuinely effective search phrases for any keyword you can think of.
9. YouTube Keyword Tool
Looking for a budget-conscious but effective way to smash your keyword research for YouTube? YouTube Keyword Tool is a free YouTube keyword analysis tool that couldn’t be simpler to use.
Just enter your target topic or keyword, add any further specifications you might have, and that’s all it takes to get an extensive list of viable options to choose from.
10. SEMRush
If you’re a believer in great keyword research tools, then SEMRush is likely already on your radar. It’s also high time you knew it can help you get your YouTube keyword research done.
Search a comprehensive database of popular keywords, and put together dynamic master lists of top options.
Then discover a wide range of effective long-tail keywords to take your optimization efforts to the next level.
Other Important YouTube SEO Tips to Remember
What happens after you’ve done the YouTube keyword research and are ready to post your video?
There are certain elements that you want to make sure you pay attention to in order to get the maximum number of benefits from all of that hard work.
Add the keyword to your title and description
We feel we need to include it here anyway. You want to ensure you add keywords to your title and description fields on your video.
This will make it easy for both YouTube and Google to know what your content is about.
As a bonus tip, use the keyword as close to the beginning of your title as you can without it looking forced.
Name your file as your primary keyword
You might not think it matters, but it is still super important to match the name of the file you upload to your chosen YouTube keyword.
Doing this gives the platform a good idea of what your content is going to be about, which can make it easier to rank for certain niche terms.
Use closed captions
Closed captions are crawlable by search engines.
This means that you can improve your visibility by simply including the keyword in your video and then turning on this option.
Pretty neat, right?
What’s even better is that you’re also making it easier to reach your audience, who might depend on these captions to be able to enjoy your content.
Promote Your Content (Incorporating Your Main Keyword)
Much like conventional SEO, off-page backlinks play a pivotal role.
Ensure you’re broadcasting your videos on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other relevant sites. Incorporate your keyword in your shared post’s description to amplify its reach.
Embrace Keyword Mapping
Keyword mapping involves aligning specific content pieces with pertinent keywords, typically organized within a spreadsheet or chart.
This method aids in monitoring which keywords are already associated with your content and strategizes future content creation more effectively.
This approach is equally effective for YouTube videos, blog posts, tutorials, and other content forms. Remember to optimize each video for distinct keywords to prevent internal competition.
Decipher Search Intent
Grasping search intent is a cornerstone of comprehensive keyword research.
It’s about identifying not just the keywords YouTube users are inputting, but also discerning the kind of content they anticipate when they search.
A practical way to gauge search intent is by entering popular keywords on YouTube and observing the trending content for that search. What insights do these results provide about the searcher’s position in the buying journey? How can you cater to their needs more effectively than your competitors?
Harness the Power of YouTube Hashtags
Hashtags have long been a favored tool for social media users to pinpoint desired content, and YouTube is no exception.
Incorporating hashtags into your YouTube keyword strategy is essential. However, it’s vital to ensure that the hashtags you use genuinely resonate with your content’s theme.
By doing so, you enhance the likelihood of your videos surfacing in more YouTube searches, reaching a broader audience.
Conclusion
Strategically utilizing specific keywords in your descriptions can significantly boost traffic and expand your channel’s viewership.
The beauty of mastering search engine optimization is its versatility across platforms.
Once you’ve honed the skill of identifying the right keywords and crafting top-notch content around them, you can replicate this success across virtually any digital marketing channel, including the latest social media sensation.