Crafting the perfect title and thumbnail combo

In March 2018, YouTube launched Beta Studio, their new analytics platform. One of the new metrics that was added is “impressions click-through rate.”

To emphasize the importance of CTR, YouTube is pushing creators to increase CTR in their video analytics funnel (for every video).

You can increase the chance of YouTube suggesting your content by increasing your click-through rate and your video watch time.

Why YouTube SEO is Important:

Higher Rankings: Proper SEO strategies help videos appear in the top results when people search for relevant terms, increasing visibility and the likelihood of being watched.
Increased Traffic: With the right SEO tactics, your video will attract more viewers, leading to higher traffic and more subscribers.
Channel Growth: A well-optimized YouTube channel can lead to more subscribers, increased watch time, and better monetization opportunities.
Better Recommendations: YouTube’s algorithm favors videos with high engagement, and proper SEO ensures that your content gets recommended to viewers who are most likely to engage with it.

The first 10-15 seconds are critical for your video’s success. Hook your readers, and you’ll have audience retention graphs that look like this.

Forego the hook and lose the majority of your viewers before you have a chance to deliver value.

The first 10-15 seconds are critical for your video’s success. Hook your readers, and you’ll have audience retention graphs that look like this.

Every niche is different and unfortunately, there isn’t one formula that works for everyone.

For example, Mama Natural immediately hooks her audience of moms within 2 seconds.

The first 10-15 seconds are critical for your video’s success. Hook your readers, and you’ll have audience retention graphs that look like this.

Follow the RIP formula, and you won’t be laying tombstones for your videos.

This lets the viewers know that they’re in the right place that could potentially solve a problem they’re facing. Perhaps “being in the top 5% of the entire internet” part was a little cheesy, but it’s true (according to our data). And it worked.

From an attention standpoint, the results have been quite good. Within two weeks, we’ve had over 100,000 watch minutes, 28,700 views, and over 1,400 subscribers from that video alone.

A YouTube SEO Specialist is an expert focused on optimizing YouTube content to improve its visibility, ranking, and engagement within the platform’s search results and recommendations. With over 2 billion logged-in monthly users, YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world, and optimizing videos for the platform is crucial for creators, brands, and businesses that want to maximize their reach and grow their audience.

1. Relate

Everyone wants to be understood. So what better way to grab someone’s attention than to show them that they’re not alone?

Our YouTube audience primarily consists of marketers, specifically with a focus on SEO.

And in this space, we all have our own share of questions and struggles.

Here are a few things I’ve tried that have worked well:

start with a rhetorical question that viewers might have asked themselves. While I can’t see who’s behind the screen, my goal is to get a physical nod of approval.
start with a stat where they fit into the negative majority.
entertain with real-life scenarios and tie it back to the topic of the video.

2. Proposal

Last but certainly not least, you want to give them a reason to stick around. In this particular introduction, I said:

So what can you do get more organic traffic and be in the top 5% of all pages across the entire internet? You’re about to find out in this video.

Translation: watch this video if you want to get traffic. Who wouldn’t want to get traffic?

From an attention standpoint, the results have been quite good. Within two weeks, we’ve had over 100,000 watch minutes, 28,700 views, and over 1,400 subscribers from that video alone.

Key Actions and SEO Strategies:

Keyword Research: Conducted comprehensive research on high-traffic keywords using tools like VidIQ and TubeBuddy. These keywords were incorporated into the video title, description, tags, and thumbnails to ensure we targeted the right audience.
Optimizing Video Titles and Descriptions: Worked with the content creators to craft SEO-friendly titles that were both compelling and contained primary keywords. I also wrote detailed video descriptions that highlighted key aspects of the content and incorporated secondary keywords.
Custom Thumbnails: Collaborated with the design team to create custom thumbnails that were visually appealing and aligned with our brand’s aesthetic. Thumbnails were designed with bold text and contrast to make the videos stand out in search results and recommendations.
Engagement and Retention: Integrated calls-to-action (CTAs) in both the video content and description, encouraging viewers to like, comment, and subscribe. I also advised the content creators on how to increase audience retention by keeping the videos engaging, with quick pacing, relevant visuals, and compelling hooks.
Analytics and Iteration: After the videos were published, I worked with the data team to monitor performance in YouTube Analytics. We adjusted the SEO strategy based on performance data, such as improving titles and descriptions for underperforming videos or creating follow-up videos based on successful topics.

Outcome of the Project:

Increased Views: Over the course of the campaign, we saw a 40% increase in video views compared to previous months. Our optimized titles, descriptions, and thumbnails contributed to improved visibility in both YouTube search results and recommendations.
Higher Engagement: There was a 25% increase in user engagement, with more likes, comments, and shares across videos. The strategic placement of CTAs and optimized video content led to stronger community interaction.
Better Ranking: Several of our campaign videos achieved top rankings for high-traffic search terms related to our product, generating organic traffic from YouTube searches.
Increased Website Traffic: The videos served as a funnel to drive users to the brand’s website. We tracked a 15% increase in website traffic directly from YouTube, contributing to a higher conversion rate for targeted landing pages.
Brand Awareness: Beyond metrics, the project successfully raised brand awareness among the target audience, as reflected in audience growth and positive feedback in the comments section.

Reflection:

This project highlighted the power of collaboration and data-driven decision-making in YouTube SEO. By working closely with content creators, marketers, designers, and data analysts, we were able to align creative and SEO strategies to drive meaningful results. The outcome was not only increased video performance but also measurable business results, such as higher website traffic and better brand recognition.

Through this project, I also gained a deeper understanding of how to optimize for YouTube’s unique algorithm and improve my ability to adapt strategies based on ongoing performance analysis.

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