Video description SEO helps YouTube’s algorithm identify the content of a video and can play an integral part in ranking them as suggested videos.
Tag videos carefully by including keywords relevant to their subject matter; though their weight in YouTube’s algorithm remains uncertain. But tags can make an impactful statement about your video!
Keywords
Your YouTube description is essential to the success of any video uploaded on YouTube or Google. It helps viewers quickly locate what they’re searching for, targeting keywords they will likely search for while browsing or searching YouTube and Google, providing valuable information such as timestamps or links to resources on your channel or even affiliate marketing opportunities or donor requests.
YouTube gives you 5,000 characters to showcase your content in its video description box, giving you plenty of room to include a lot of details but remembering you are writing for humans first and algorithms second. The most successful descriptions have a clear call to action that grabs viewer’s attention quickly while being easily understood and providing immediate benefits for them as viewers.
Keywords are crucial when it comes to YouTube and should be strategically used within your video descriptions; however, make sure not to overstuff them as this may look spammy and could incur penalties by the platform. Your primary keywords should appear near or above the fold (that area between “show more” expansion and video playback), where viewers and the algorithm pay particular attention.
Start off your video description by discussing the topic or idea that will be explored, while including all relevant keywords early so YouTube’s algorithm can recognize their relevancy to specific search queries. Be sure to use keywords related to your video’s topic without overusing them as this can come across as spammy.
Be sure to test your video descriptions on various devices and browsers, and monitor their display on YouTube watch pages and search results. Verify that text doesn’t become cut off or difficult to read across platforms – especially considering that most videos on YouTube are watched via mobile phones!
Descriptions
The YouTube description is an integral component of video SEO, helping YouTube robots understand your video’s topic and ranking it higher in search results. Furthermore, the description can entice viewers to click and watch your video, increasing view count and engagement as well as potentially offering calls-to-action (CTAs) that move viewers down sales funnels.
An engaging description should include relevant keywords in an organic way. Avoid oversaturating your description with keywords as this will be seen as keyword stuffing and harm your search rankings. Also important is keeping the same tone throughout all of your channel’s content; an excellently written description can engage viewers and prompt them to take specific actions like visiting your website or leaving comments.
Your video description should be brief, succinct, and include a call-to-action (CTA), such as linking back to your website or subscribe button; leaving comments; liking videos etc. By including CTAs in your video description you can increase views, engagement and build communities around them.
Be sure your video description can be seen by all devices, including mobile phones and tablets. YouTube truncates the first 200 characters of your description so be sure they are engaging and include any keywords. Furthermore, testing your description across different devices and platforms to see how they look is also recommended – the YouTube mobile preview tool also provides this opportunity. This way you can catch any errors before they go live!
Titles
An engaging title is at the core of every YouTube description, communicating what your video is about to search engines and viewers alike, helping viewers decide whether or not they want to watch it. A compelling title also contributes to YouTube’s Suggested Video algorithm; start with relevant keywords from your content that describe it and include them into your title; use tools like Google Keyword Planner or auto-suggestions on YouTube to identify popular terms associated with your topic – though be wary not to overstuff keywords as doing so can harm your ranking!
Video descriptions are an ideal place for including keywords that will help search engines better comprehend your content, while simultaneously giving viewers the chance to engage with it by asking them to like, comment, subscribe, or follow links. In order for it to work successfully it must contain engaging text that draws viewers in; writing compelling copy that compels viewers is key here.
Your video description should be as descriptive as possible. YouTube offers up to 5,000 characters for this, but keep in mind that most viewers only read up to 150 or so words of it. Your description should entice viewers by providing valuable information and naturally including any keywords into its writing.
As part of your description, it can also be beneficial to include other relevant keywords that help search engines understand your video’s context better. Avoid keyword stuffing but feel free to incorporate some of the same words found in both titles and descriptions into this field.
Though tags may not be as essential to YouTube video discovery as titles and descriptions, they still can be useful tools in helping search engines find your videos. When creating tags, use as many keywords that relate to your video as possible without violating YouTube guidelines. They also add context to your video, helping audiences quickly locate it when looking for specific versions.
Writing captivating titles and video descriptions may be challenging, but the payoff can be well worth your efforts. By following these tips you can produce videos that engage viewers while improving your ranking on search engines like YouTube.
Tags
YouTube search algorithms cannot view your videos directly; thus they rely on video descriptions and other metadata to understand what the video is about. These descriptions help the algorithm understand whether or not it is relevant to specific searches; in addition, they enable YouTube’s algorithms to categorize content so it reaches those most likely to find it engaging – this is why including keywords and keyword variations in your description can help ensure maximum viewership of your video.
Add industry tags and keywords to your video description when adding keywords; placing these at the end is best, though if necessary they can also be placed early if it seems fitting. Just be careful not to overdo it or it could trigger Google’s spam filters and have adverse repercussions for your rankings.
When selecting keywords for your videos, aim to use both short-tail and long-tail terms – this will ensure your video can be found by both people searching directly for the topic you’re targeting as well as by people using different variations or spellings of terms that could lead them to it.
YouTube search results display the first few lines of a video’s description as its ‘Above the Fold’ copy, making this area important for SEO purposes. Optimizing this section involves including CTAs, links to websites or channels as well as CTAs that require action or calls-to-actions (CTAs).
YouTube is a visual platform, so including images and screenshots in your video’s description is essential for searchers to easily comprehend its subject matter and increase the chance that they click it. Furthermore, including an appropriate thumbnail image that matches up with the video and selecting a descriptive file name are good practices as well. Furthermore, adding transcripts may help optimize it for search engines and potentially appear in suggested videos sidebars that drive additional traffic back to your site.