YouTube SEO Basics: How to Get More Views

YouTube is the world's second-largest search engine. If your videos aren't optimized for search, you're leaving views on the table. Here's a practical guide to YouTube SEO that actually works.

How YouTube Search Works

YouTube's search algorithm considers multiple factors when ranking videos: 1. Relevance: How well your metadata matches the search query 2. Engagement: Watch time, likes, comments, and shares 3. Authority: Channel's history of producing relevant content 4. Freshness: How recently the video was published

Keyword Research

Before creating a video, research what people are actually searching for:

• YouTube Search Suggest: Start typing in the YouTube search bar and note the autocomplete suggestions
• Google Trends (YouTube filter): Compare search interest for different topics
• Competitor analysis: Use TubeAnalytics to see which competitor videos rank for target keywords

Focus on keywords with moderate search volume and low competition, especially if your channel is smaller.

Optimizing Your Title

Your title is the single most important SEO element. Best practices:

• Include your primary keyword near the beginning
• Keep it under 60 characters to avoid truncation
• Make it compelling — combine SEO with click-worthiness
• Avoid clickbait — misleading titles hurt retention, which hurts rankings

Good example: "How to Edit YouTube Videos for Beginners (2024 Guide)" Bad example: "YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS EDITING TRICK!!!"

Optimizing Your Description

YouTube's description field gives you 5,000 characters. Use them wisely:

• First 2 lines: Include your keyword naturally and hook the reader (this shows in search results)
• Paragraph 1: Expand on what the video covers (150-200 words)
• Timestamps: Add chapter markers for longer videos
• Links: Include relevant links to your website, social media, and related videos
• Keywords: Naturally incorporate related terms throughout

Tags and Hashtags

While tags have less weight than they used to, they still help:

• Start with your exact target keyword
• Add variations and related terms
• Include your channel name as a tag
• Use 5-15 relevant tags
• Add 3-5 hashtags in the description (the first 3 appear above the title)

Thumbnails and CTR

Thumbnails don't directly affect search rankings, but they dramatically affect CTR, which does. A higher CTR tells YouTube your video is relevant to the search query.

Closed Captions and Transcripts

YouTube auto-generates captions, but reviewing and correcting them improves accuracy. Accurate captions help YouTube understand your content better and can improve search rankings.

Engagement Signals

Encourage engagement in your videos: - Ask viewers to comment with their opinion - Create polls in community posts - Respond to comments promptly - Use end screens to keep viewers on your channel

Measuring SEO Success

Track these metrics to evaluate your YouTube SEO: - Search traffic percentage (in Traffic Sources) - Impressions and CTR for specific keywords - Average ranking position for target keywords - Watch time from search traffic

Getting Started with YouTube SEO

Start by optimizing your next upload with these basics. Track the results over 2-4 weeks, then refine your approach based on what the data shows. YouTube SEO is a long-term strategy — the results compound over time.

Pair your SEO efforts with better thumbnail design to maximize your CTR, and use TubeAnalytics' video analytics to track how your optimizations perform. For a complete growth strategy, see our channel growth tracking guide.