You’ve just created a new YouTube channel. You’ve put hours of work into creating high-quality videos, and you’re eager to start growing your audience. But how do you get your videos to rank in the first position?
In this blog post, I’ll share my top tips for ranking your YouTube videos.
If you don’t have the time to go through everything in this list, which I strongly recommend you read, here’s a summary of how to rank YouTube videos on the first page:
One, optimize your video titles. One of the most important ranking factors for YouTube videos is the title. Make sure your titles are clear, concise, and keyword-rich.
Two, create engaging thumbnails. Another important ranking factor is the thumbnail image.
Make sure your thumbnail is high-quality and engaging, as this will help people click on your video.
Three, write keyword-rich descriptions. In addition to your titles and thumbnails, your video’s description is also important for ranking. Make sure to include your target keywords in your description.
Four, use tags. Tags are another important ranking factor. Be sure to include relevant, keyword-rich tags in your videos.
Five, promote your videos. Finally, don’t forget to promote your videos. Share them on social media, in forums, on other websites, etc.
The more places your videos are shared, the more likely they are to rank in the first position.
Now let’s go in-depth on each aspect, so that you can learn exactly how to rank YouTube videos.
Table of Contents
Create a Video With a Great Title
A good title is one that grabs attention and encourages people to click through to watch your YouTube videos. You should also make sure that your title includes your main keyword phrase.
A YouTube title is limited to 55 characters including spaces and punctuation. Ideally, you should use up to 15 characters out of that for your main keyword phrase in the title.
If you want more people to watch your videos on YouTube, then the title is one of the most important areas that you must complete very well.
Add Search Keywords
If you’re not using any keywords in your titles, you’re leaving money on the table. Adding keywords to your titles will help Google understand what your video is about and give it a better chance of being found.
Your target keywords should also be included in your video file name.
For example, if you’re targeting the keyword phrase “tips on how to rank YouTube videos”, your video file name could be “tips-on-how-to-rank-YouTube-videos.mp4.”
Use an Enticing Thumbnail
After you create a great title for your video, you want to make sure that you also have an engaging thumbnail image. This image is what people will see when they are scrolling through the YouTube search results.
You want to make sure that your thumbnail image is high quality and catches people’s attention so that they are more likely to click on your video.
A beautiful YouTube thumbnail can be created with Canva, and it’s free!
Another way is to use an online YouTube thumbnail downloader to get design inspiration.
When you create your thumbnail image, you should also save it with the correct file name.
You want to make sure that you include your target keyword in the file name so that YouTube knows what your video is about.
You should also be sure to include an Alt tag when you upload your thumbnail image. This is the text that appears if the image doesn’t load correctly.
Here are a few things you can do to spice up your YouTube thumbnail:
- Make sure it’s high quality and crystal clear.
- Use bright, contrasting colors.
- Include a human face.
- Make it relevant to the video’s content.
Write a Good Description
Writing a compelling description for your video is another important ranking factor.
This is the text that appears under your video in the YouTube search results and plays a major role in getting your YouTube video ranked.
Just like your title and tags, your description should include your target keywords.
You should also include a call to action, such as “subscribe to our channel” or “like this video” in your video description to improve engagement.
Your description should be keyword rich after you have optimized your title and thumbnail.
You want to make sure that your description include not just your target keyword, you should add the keyword variations as well.
You want people to read your description and be encouraged to watch your video. A good description should tell people why they need to watch your video.
Include the major keywords you want to rank for in the first sentence of your description so that when someone searches for those words, your video appears as one of the results.
By including these key elements in your video description, you can ensure that your video is more likely to be seen by those who are interested in it, and that it stands out from the rest.
Use YouTube Hashtags
In addition to using video hashtags to drive YouTube search results, you can also use them to increase the reach of your videos and get more views. Here are a few tips on how to do that:
1. Use relevant and popular hashtags. Relevant hashtags are those that are related to your video topic.
Popular hashtags are those that are frequently used by other users. Using both relevant and popular hashtags will help you reach a wider audience.
2. Use a mix of general and specific hashtags. General hashtags are those that are more likely to be used by a wider audience, while specific hashtags are more targeted.
Using a mix of both will help you reach a larger audience while still being relevant to your video topic.
3. Use keyword-rich hashtags. Keyword-rich hashtags are those that contain one or more keywords that are relevant to your video.
Using keyword-rich hashtags will help you get found more easily by users who are searching for videos like yours.
4. Use hashtags that are easy to remember. Easy-to-remember hashtags are those that are short, simple, and easy to spell.
Using easy-to-remember hashtags will help your video get more engagement and reach more people.
Add YouTube Timestamps
Giving viewers the option to click on timestamps in your videos makes it more likely that they will watch your videos for longer periods of time.
By adding timestamps, you are giving viewers the ability to choose what parts of your videos they want to watch.
This not only allows them to control their viewing experience, but also makes it more likely that they will watch your videos for longer periods of time.
In addition to increasing watch time, adding timestamps to your videos can also improve your video SEO.
When viewers click on timestamps, they are taken to specific points in your videos. This helps YouTube understand what your videos are about and can result in your videos being shown in more search results.
Adding timestamps to your videos is a simple way to improve your videos and increase watch time. Give it a try!
Get YouTube Video Backlinks
As we all know, YouTube is a powerful tool that can help promote our businesses and drive traffic to our websites.
But did you know that you can also improve your YouTube video ranking by getting more backlinks?
That’s right, by creating backlinks to your video from your website or social media, you can improve your video ranking.
Now, you may be thinking, “What the heck is a backlink?” A backlink is simply a link from one website to another.
So, when you create a backlink from your website to your YouTube video, you’re essentially telling Google that your video is a valuable source of information.
And the more backlinks you have, the higher your video will rank in YouTube’s search results. There are a few things to keep in mind when creating backlinks from your YouTube videos.
First, make sure that your videos are high-quality and informative. Google values quality over quantity, so it’s important to make sure that your videos are of good quality.
Secondly, make sure to include a link to your valuable resources in the description of your video.
You can also include a link in the annotations of your video. Finally, promote your video! The more people that watch your video, the more backlinks you get.
Promote Your YouTube Video
After you have uploaded your videos, don’t forget to promote them. You can promote your videos by sharing them on social media, in forums, on your website, and in other places on the internet.
The more places that your videos are shared, the more likely they are to be found by potential viewers.
Don’t know how to promote your new YouTube video? Here are some tips:
1. Share your videos on social media. Make sure to share your videos on all of your social media accounts. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are all great places to share your videos.
You can also share your videos on social media groups and forums.
2. Embed your videos on your website. If you have a website, make sure to embed your videos on it. This will help your videos to be found by potential viewers who are already on your website.
3. Use video SEO. Make sure to optimize your videos for SEO. This will help your videos to be found more easily on search engines like Google and YouTube.
4. Advertise your videos. You can also advertise your videos on Google and Facebook. This will help to bring more viewers to your videos.
5. Get creative with your promotion. There are many other creative ways that you can promote your videos.
Get creative and think outside of the box. There are endless possibilities when it comes to promoting your videos.
Watch the Results Roll In
If you’re using YouTube Analytics, you can see how well your videos are performing. This will give you insight into whether people are watching your videos, and where they’re coming from.
This is important because you can use this data to improve your video content and marketing strategy. However, there’s more to YouTube Analytics than just watching the results roll in.
You can also use it to track your progress and compare your performance over time.
This is a valuable way to see how your videos are faring in the algorithm and what changes you need to make to ensure they’re being seen by your target audience.
This report should help you get a better understanding of your audience base, which will in turn guide you toward making improvements to your videos.
If you’re looking for more ways to rank your YouTube videos and increase website traffic in general, or you are camera shy, and you prefer to write articles instead, then starting a blog might be your forte.
By following these tips, you will learn how to rank YouTube videos fast on the first page and increase your chances of reaching a larger audience.
