Every creator wants to get more views on YouTube. That singular goal drives people to improve their videos in various ways, such as generating more watch time, getting a higher click-through rate, and enhancing audience retention. After all, these are the YouTube analytics you want to pay attention to because they serve as powerful ranking factors.

But as you focus on those areas, don’t forget 

 and understand how to get clicks, SEO is like gasoline for your content, blasting it to thousands of additional viewers on YouTube.

YouTube SEO (search engine optimization) is a set of methods for optimizing content, whether that’s individual videos, playlists, or even an entire channel. The practices range from using popular keywords in your video and its metadata (such as titles and descriptions) to using hashtags that reach more viewers.

SEO is important for YouTube because it helps the recommendation system understand what a video is about. Over time, this should help the content get featured on search pages. After all, the goal of YouTube SEO is to make videos rank higher and 

Ready to get started? If so, it’s time to build a YouTube SEO strategy. Read the tips below for a complete optimization checklist, from enhancing titles to adding hashtags to writing video descriptions.

1. Choose a Target Keyword for Your Content

Before you can optimize your video, you have to know what keyword you’re targeting on YouTube. Most of this knowledge comes from keyword research, so once you have a topic in mind, the next step is identifying the 

Any keyword research tool can help you with this. The best ones will show you the most important things about a keyword, such as:

From there, you can see which keywords are easier to rank for and plan your video accordingly.

For example, let’s say you want to make a video about teacakes. When you type this phrase into vidIQ’s keyword research tool, you’ll notice the term has 

The term "tea cakes" has a keyword score of 60

Because competition is low and searches are fairly high, “tea cakes” will make an excellent target keyword. Few creators are exploring the topic on YouTube, but 

 for that content every month; you can be the one to fill the gap!

Of course, that’s just the beginning of keyword research. Your target keyword could be hiding in another section of the tool, such as matching terms, related terms, or questions people ask.

So here’s a full guide for understanding YouTube keyword research!

2. Include Keywords in Your Video Title and Description

Once you have a target keyword, find a natural way to add it to your title and description.
For example, if your keyword is “London train views,” use that in your title just once and make sure everything is understandable.

Compare these two titles to see the difference:

Natural-sounding title: “Amazing London Train Views for $40 a Ticket”

Unnatural-sounding title: “London Train Views Vlog: Cheap Views From London Train Stations"

The second title confusingly over-uses the keyword. The first title is clear, informative, and intriguing!

9 Ways to Write Exciting YouTube Titles for Your Videos

Also, try to repeat the keyword in your video description. You can even throw in a few related keywords if you have them.

All of this will help the YouTube algorithm understand your content and display it on the right search pages, leading to a higher video ranking.

3. Make Sure the Video’s Thumbnail Reinforces the Title

Most people don’t think of thumbnails when it comes to YouTube SEO, but they’re extremely important. Thumbnails are the first thing people notice about a video — not the title, description, or how SEO-friendly those assets are. More than anything, viewers use the thumbnail to confirm the video matches their interests or offers something special.

That’s why you should always add a custom YouTube thumbnail to your videos. That way, you can design the image to reinforce the title and draw people in.

For example, let’s say you have a title that reads “Modern Billionaires versus Historical Ones: How They Spent Their Fortunes.” To reinforce the title, you might have images of Elon Musk and Henry Ford, the word “versus” nestled between them, and $100 bills scattered throughout the thumbnail.

A YouTube thumbnail showing a millionaire and a billionaire surrounded by money

As you design, remember to optimize your thumbnail from a technical standpoint, too:

You can also read this guide for more tips on designing thumbnails.

Using YouTube hashtags is another way to optimize your video content. These clickable pieces of metadata help people find what they’re looking for on YouTube, so adding a couple to your title and description never hurts. Simply type the # symbol followed by the descriptor you want to use.

Two hashtags in a YouTube video description

By using the right hashtag(s), your video could show up on a popular 

. Getting featured in this lucrative part of the app or website gives your video more exposure!

Featured videos on the hashtag page for #makeupasmr

The key is to research these hashtag pages ahead of time. Which ones are popular enough to boost your video but small enough that you can still get featured there?

5. Add Captions and Subtitles for Accessibility

It’s tempting to skip the entire process of adding captions, especially when you’re ready to upload. But what if we said you could miss out on 

This reason why is because people have different viewing experiences on YouTube. Some prefer watching videos with the sound off and reading captions instead. Others need captions 100% of the time because they can’t hear the audio. And a third group of viewers needs language-based subtitles to understand the video in their native tongue.

YouTube can help with some of this, as each video you upload comes with automatic captions. The translation technology on YouTube does most of the work; you just have to review the transcript and correct a few errors here and there.

You can also add subtitles during the video-editing process if you have a multicultural audience. For example, 

 creates videos in Japanese with English subtitles and vice versa.

English subtitles for a video with Japanese audio

If you want your video to get more views, one solution is to put it in a story-based playlist. Not only do playlists encourage people to binge your content, but they also help people discover your videos in the first place. After all, viewers can filter a YouTube search to show playlists only.

The playlist filter within YouTube search

Here are eight ways to grow your channel with YouTube playlists.

7. Promote Your Video Using Cards and End Screens

Once you’ve optimized your video, promoting it within other videos on your YouTube channel is a good idea. You can do this easily with cards and end screens.

YouTube cards are clickable elements that pop up when someone’s watching a video. They’re typically used to refer people to another piece of content, which is usually related to the topic at hand. So if you want a video to get more views and exposure, make it a YouTube card in your next video!

 are interactive outros that appear in the last 5-20 seconds of a video. You can add many things to an end screen (subscribe button, website link, etc.), but the best option is to recommend 

 to watch next. That way, viewers click the next video without thinking too hard. This is the perfect place to give more exposure to a fully optimized video!

A youtube end screen recommending another video to watch

Promote your entire YouTube channel with this handy guide.

Knowing the latest YouTube SEO tips will take you far, but you don’t have to become an expert. Realistically, it’s faster to use SEO tools that analyze content for you. That way, you can get back to what truly matters, like coming up with video ideas and filming content.

This is where vidIQ can help you out with a 

. Each time you upload, this tool will analyze your video’s SEO and tell you what’s missing. There’s even a checklist to remind you of the important stuff, like adding keywords to your title, putting your video in a playlist, and adding closed captions to your content.

YouTube SEO: The Key to Unlocking More Views

If you take these tips to heart, you can start improving your YouTube ranking today. You’ll increase your channel’s visibility and get more people watching your videos, which makes room for even bigger goals like YouTube monetization.

Does that sound like the direction you’re headed in? 

If so, here’s a quick breakdown of how to make money on YouTube!

Hands typing on a computer with a search bar overlayed on the image

Person using laptop keyboard with search bar overlay and digital pen in hand

Do you put a lot of effort into making quality YouTube videos? If so, don’t skip the most crucial step in getting your content discovered: YouTube SEO.

YouTube SEO: How to Optimize Your Videos for Maximum Views

If you want to get a significant amount of views on a video, ranking highly on YouTube is a must. But securing a place in the top spot isn't an easy task. Even when you do everything right it doesn't guarantee that you will be in the top position when someone searches for your keyword.

So what can you do? How can you get your videos to rank and how do the YouTube algorithms actually work? In this episode you will learn:

How YouTube research plays into creating your titles

Are you really competing against other creators for ranking?

Even perfect SEO doesn't guarantee a good position in the search results

 for more tips, tricks, and advice on being the best creator you can be.

How to Rank #1 on YouTube with Keyword Research

Everyone knows that keyword research is hard work - but it's a skill that every video creator should have in their toolbox. 

Here are 7 ways to rank on YouTube using the best keyword research hacks!

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Are your videos ranking much lower on YouTube than expected? Find out how why on this episode of TubeTalk.

How to Get Your Videos to Rank on YouTube

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YouTube SEO: How to Optimize Your Videos for Maximum Views

How to Get Your Videos to Rank on YouTube