Keyword Optimization

The dynamic development of the platform makes the competitiveness of content increase in each thematic category. Thanks to referral algorithms, the right content goes to the right user. How to match content to the audience, increase the number of views and take care of optimization with the use of keywords on YouTube?

YouTube Studio — what is it?

YouTube Studio is a treasure trove of knowledge for Creators, where you can check interesting metrics. It offers extremely extensive analytical tools, ahead of the competition. Thanks to the panel, you can, among other things: look at the general condition of the channel, carefully analyze each of the videos and information on how viewers came to the content, how long they watched the content, whether they subscribed to the channel while watching, at what point they decided to turn off the video, what other content on the platform they watch, what age they are and from which country the viewing comes from.

It definitely makes it easier:

Analysis of the dynamics of the increase in views of a given video since its publication,

Develop a strategy to increase views on the channel,

Comparing the result with previous materials on the channel and measuring the results in the long term,

Monitor any changes in the way viewers consume content over the past year.

Whether and how content is recommended to your audience is influenced by hundreds of factors. However, it should be borne in mind that the weight of the individual components varies depending on the current stage of development of the channel.

Keyword Optimization on YouTube

Both the channel and the first publications should be based on keywords that will reflect the subject matter of the content. The former is a carrier of information and is based on keywords that can be searched by the audience. Based on this, the algorithms will notice that the material overlaps in terms of keywords with content from movie-themed channels. This may be an incentive to the fact that it is this film that will appear as recommended for further viewing next to other film reviews. The second title does not convey any information that could in any way direct algorithms to the topic of content.Each author, creating his channel, should think strategically, create an ecosystem on his channel, which will prolong the contact of the audience with the materials.

Playlists, as a tool to organize videos

In this field, YouTube also offers helpful tools. Combining content into thematic playlists in an appropriate way will expose them through the main page of the channel. Let the contents correspond to each other thematically.

Thanks to this, using tools such as end screens (interactive elements during the last 20 seconds of footage) or tabs (appearing in the upper right corner when watching a movie) you can redirect viewers from material A to material B. All this will extend the time that viewers will spend with the footage, thus accumulating valuable watchtime. Over time, when the channel begins to accumulate views, the proportions begin to reverse. Less important are the “dry” keywords, and the information about the recipients of the content becomes significantly more important.

Social features to increase engagement on YouTube

The creator must take care of the loyalty of the audience and build a relationship with them. This will make them more likely to come back for more movies. It is worth using additional tools that the platform offers, such as:

Community tab (space for publishing surveys and posts in text or photo form),

YouTube Stories (short video forms available to the audience for 7 days from publication, similar in its formula to Instagram Stories)

YouTube Shorts (vertical video materials with the ability to add music and additional effects).

How does YouTube's algorithm work?

The platform's algorithms know which viewers have reached previous videos, what type of content they watch most often, what they skip, what age they are and what type of device they use YouTube on. The platform's audience is profiled based on many factors. Having knowledge of them, algorithms immediately after the publication of the film can assess which viewers should recommend the material to and which not.

The text originally appeared on pages 21 of the magazine “Social Media Manager”.