How to optimise the SEO of your YouTube channel

At La Teva Web we carry out different strategies to optimise content and improve SEO positioning. Among the strategies carried out, we carry out the optimisation and improvement of Youtube channels.  

Youtube is one of the most widely used platforms for the reproduction of videos and multimedia content. Thousands of companies compete on this platform to appear among the best videos and achieve a greater number of views.

For this reason, we are going to give you some recommendations and tips so that you can optimise and get the most out of your YouTube channel.

SEO on Youtube channel

To improve our positioning on YouTube, it is important to be clear that we can position both our own channel and each of the contents that we upload on our channel.

How users can reach our YouTube videos

It is essential to know from where users come to us, so that we can position and make an appropriate strategy.

We have different channels through which the user can land on our channel or our video:

• YouTube searches: in this case we are talking about the search carried out by the user using the YouTube search engine. These types of searches are the ones that are most related to SEO and keyword searches. That is why we must always optimise our channel and our videos.
• Suggested videos or recommendations from other channels: we can appear among the search suggestions for another video with a similar theme or from another similar channel.
• Youtube Shorts: in this case we are talking about very short videos, which seek to capture the user's attention in just a few seconds. This type of content is ephemeral, but it manages to bring traffic to our channel.
• Playlists: you can access and browse our videos, either our own playlists or user-generated public playlists.
• External sources: traffic to our channel or videos can also come from other platforms or social networks, even from our own website.
• End screens and cards: in our content, we have the possibility of creating links that point to our content or playlist. In this way, we can get the user to stay on our channel and continue browsing.
• Other types of traffic sources: we can find other traffic channels such as paid advertising or videos shared by other users (shares).

What elements can you optimise on your YouTube channel?

When we access our Youtube account, the first thing we must do is to create a channel through Youtube Studio. Once we have created our channel, we can complete all the information of this channel.

We will start by completing the basic profile information, to do so we will access the Personalisation panel. In this section you will find:

• Username: it is important that this is representative, as it will be the first impression that the user will have of us. This will be one of the most important factors for positioning our content.
• Description of the channel: define your business including keywords in order to appear in users' searches. In this description we also recommend that you have a CTA that attracts the attention of users.
• Links: Different links can be added, with the intention of offering the user complementary information about our company. Among the links, it is advisable to add some about our company services.

Subsequently, we can define the number of links that will appear in the main banner of our channel.

We can also optimise our channel with other elements such as:

• Profile image: In this case we are talking about the main image of the channel. This image is predefined by the one set in your Google account.

• Other images: You can also add other images to your channel, such as the banner image or the video watermark. The header image is a horizontal space in which we can add an image that gives strength to our brand, an ideal way to add how we work or what type of service we provide.

On the other hand, we have the possibility of adding a watermark to our videos, which will be displayed at the bottom right.

How can I customise my YouTube channel?

Other customisations can be added to the channel, which can help us to attract users and improve user retention. To do this, we must access the Design section, where we have a panel of complementary editions.

This panel allows us to add featured videos both for users who have not yet subscribed and for subscribers. With this type of video, we welcome users to our channel in a very different way, depending on whether they already know us or are coming to our channel for the first time.

Can we add keywords to our channel?

The keywords we include in our channel work as tags, so that users can find you more easily.

To add them, we need to access our Channel Settings and add them through the basic information.

Measuring traffic on my YouTube channel

To find out how users behave on our YouTube channel and which are the most viewed videos, we can consult the Statistics section. These statistics allow us to see the evolution of our videos. One of the parameters that we are going to take into account the retention or viewing time.

Analysing the metrics obtained will help you to know how your strategy has worked and to assess future actions to be taken.

In addition, YouTube takes into account different parameters to offer content to users and it is therefore important to be aware of them.

What elements does Youtube's algorithm take into account?

Youtube's algorithm takes into account different parameters when displaying related search content. Here are the parameters to take into account:

• CTR: number of times the video has been clicked on taking into account the number of times the video has appeared.
• Average duration: average percentage of users who have played the video. The longer the video is watched, the more likely it is that the platform will show your content.
• Playback speed: speed at which the content is played. Note that if the user plays the content at a higher speed, this will cause the average playback speed to be reduced.
• Volume of views: number of views the video has had.
• Concatenation of the content: this refers to how many videos a user has seen of the same subject matter once they have viewed your content. In other words, YouTube takes into account how long the user stays on the platform after viewing your content.

We must take all these factors into account when developing our content creation strategy. One of the best strategies is to link our content through cards and playlists.

7 Tips to optimise your videos

Finally, we would also like to mention the possibility of optimising each of the contents created.

Here is the list of 7 tips to optimise your video:

1. Video headline: in the same way that the headline of our channel is an essential point for positioning our business, so is the headline of our videos. In this we can include keywords and accompany it with an emoticon. Bear in mind that the maximum number of characters is 100.
2. Add an attractive thumbnail: the cover of the video will be one of the main points through which you will be able to attract traffic. Therefore, it must be attractive and catch the attention of users. You can create it from the combination of photography and text, which will help the user to know what content they will find.
3. Include links in your videos: You can add links in your content not only through the description, but also with the final screens. This type of link is usually added in the final 25 seconds.
   
4. Interrelate your videos: you can create information cards for users to visit your related videos or go to the playlist. In this way, we manage to retain the user on our channel and increase the number of visits to our videos.
   
5. Use timestamps: one of the most attractive elements for the user is the use of timestamps. This allows us to navigate through the video and makes it easier to find the content that most interests the user, thus improving their experience.
   
6. Analyse searches before creating content: in order to be able to offer the user good content, carry out a search beforehand. To find new ideas we can use suggested content from a search or use tools such as Ahrefs Keyword generator.
   
   There are also other platforms that can help us analyse user searches. Another is the Chrome extensionVidlQ, which allows you to analyse content based on searches and competition.
   
   
7. Don't forget the tags:tags allow YouTube to better understand the content that appears in the video. It is essential that they include keywords so that we can improve the positioning of the video.