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YouTube SEO

Marketing 5 min read Entry 75 of 78
Definition

YouTube SEO is the work of helping the right people find your video, through the title, the thumbnail, the description and what the video itself does for the viewer.

In plain English

YouTube is the second largest search engine, and most views on a tutorial channel arrive months after publishing, from people typing a problem into the search box.

So the question is not only whether the video is good. It is whether someone searching for exactly this problem sees it, believes it will help, and stays once they click.

Why it matters

A tutorial that solves a real problem can earn views for years. That is a different kind of asset from a post that lives for a day.

It also feeds the website. Search brings the viewer, the video earns the trust, and the description brings them to a page you own.

How it works

  1. You start from the searchFind the words people actually type. Their words, not the ones you would use as a professional.
  2. The title promises one thingSpecific and honest. Overpromising costs you the retention that decides everything afterwards.
  3. The thumbnail earns the clickReadable at the size of a thumbnail on a phone, which is smaller than you think.
  4. The first minute keeps themSay what they will have by the end and start doing it. YouTube watches whether people stay.

The description is a landing page

First line for the viewer, then the link to the written version on your site, then the timestamps. Most people never scroll past those three.