Disclaimer: these are all my carefully-crafted opinions are just that – my opinions. Thus, please take this information as education, not advice. Contact me if you have any questions.
Not long ago, videos on the internet were exclusive. To find something specific, you would have to search on the specific site, such as YouTube, to find videos. And even then, the results were poor.
Eventually, Google realized how powerful video clips were. They introduced algorithm updates to rank videos from YouTube in organic results. Searchers looking at a general term, say Tsunami, would now find a video in their results.
Not only did it increase the reach of YouTube videos to expanded audiences, it gave more value to the user. Google’s AI recognized the immense impact of videos very quickly.
We won’t talk too much about the benefits of YouTube (which are endless). But for businesses and individuals looking to building a brand in search engines, creating a channel is a great start. Here is how to get your YouTube channel to the top of your brand’s organic search results.
Profile Optimization
Google is incredibly picky regarding what is considered ‘quality content’. Thus, we want to optimize our profile in a way that we know Google will value highly.
Let’s break down each profile section and walk through simple steps to profile optimization
ABOUT
We will start with the about section. This section allows us to insert the following information:
- Name – this should match your brand and be spelled correctly. The name for your YouTube channel matches the name on your Google account.
- Description – a description of your brand and/or channel. More on this below.
- Details – country of origin and email address for business inquiries.
- Links – links to your website, related social media channels, and other media go here. More on this below.
As a general rule, filling out each of these fields completely and accurately is what’s important here. YouTube will also show users the number of subscribers and the number of views your videos have overall. Keep this in mind for when users are evaluating your channel.
Channel Description
YouTube’s about section has a description component that allows up to 1000 characters. This is a great place for users to learn about your brand after coming across your channel.
For ultimate optimization, it is recommended to get as close to 1000 characters as possible. The more content we can push, the higher the value of the page is to Google.
*IMPORTANT* – on YouTube, or any platform, NEVER use the same content twice. It’s important to add unique content wherever possible. In another post, I will share with you how to make sure your content is unique for the web.
HOMEPAGE
You can add playlists you’ve created, feature videos, start a live stream all on your homepage. To be able to spruce your channel as such, click the pencil in the top right. Then click edit channel navigation. Finally, you click enable for the “Customize your channel layout” option.
From there, you can add anything you’d like to show on your front page.
It’s important that this page is full of content (videos) for Google to value it highly.
And don’t worry about having to create your own videos if you aren’t an expert on that. You can still populate the page with playlists, liked videos, channels you subscribe to and more.
Getting the hang of it? Optimizing YouTube Channels isn’t so bad, right?
Playlists
The playlist tab is not as important, but still should be utilized. Create anywhere from 5-20 playlists with unique titles. Then, add videos related to the playlist title to each.
If you set your homepage up correctly, your playlists will help fill your homepage with content. Additionally, it is recommended to keep your playlists updated with new videos semi-regularly. Google loves fresh content.
CHANNELS
The channel tab shows what other YouTube channels you are subscribed to. A good baseline to start your YouTube account is following at least 50 channels of your interest.
Keep in mind that you must have the right security settings for content to show here. Ensure that all of your liked videos, playlists, and activity is not private. If you need help finding these settings, comment below.
Videos
Promoting your brand through informative videos can be incredible, but I won’t get into YouTube marketing in this post. That’s an entirely different process and strategy.
For our purpose, you’d ideally like to have a few videos on your channel. They do not have to be elaborate but should be related to your products or services that you provide. There are affordable sources such as Fiverr to create said videos or you can create your own using free online tools.
Promotion
Once your profile is as clean as a whistle, you can go a step further and promote your channel.
Follow related channels
Follow channels in your niche and engage with them.