by Doc Newell Doc the Coach
Copyright 2013 docthecoach.com You may distribute freely. You may not make a single change to the author’s content, nor may you profit from its distribution.
Brief Guide to Ranking YouTube Videos – Doc the Coach
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Introduction When Google first acquired YouTube in 2006, multimedia forever became a force in search results. Consumers have every right to expect rich content waiting at the end of their searches and the growth of YouTube in the seven years since has been nothing short of stunning. The question is, of course, how can it serve YOUR business? In this brief guide, we will cover that in detail, but it should take very little space to convince you that video marketing is a brilliant strategy. Video is a monster!
The Opportunity in Brief Google.com and YouTube.com are still separate for just one reason: synergy. When you search in the standard google.com, the results are nearly limitless. Tens of thousands of hits , often a mix of text articles and videos. But YouTube videos usually reach the coveted google.com Page One status (first ten search results), and they stand out because of the thumbnail image that sits beside the descriptive text. There are good reasons for this. The official Google company stance is that a dose of video content in search results is a great thing for those who process info visually. Makes sense, right? But let's follow the money for a minute. What search results are boxed ABOVE and to the right of a normal search? That's right. PAID ads. Google decided that, all other things equal, monetized listings deserve priority over free results. They’ve got shareholders. Shareholders want profit. And a large number of YouTube videos show Google’s sponsored ads. MO’ MONEY! And if you will let Google run ads on your videos, you're now a part of the team. Everyone's back is scratched and you just might rock the first page of results for your keyword!
Can You Rule YouTube? So now we turn to the YouTube search engine. If your channel and videos are optimized for top rankings you should do well in searches at Google, too. So let’s get to it. Use this opportunity to configure your YouTube channel. Take the time to do it right.
Brief Guide to Ranking YouTube Videos – Doc the Coach
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You can have unlimited YouTube channels. Do this, because you do not want to confuse search engines (much less visitors!) by mixing your consulting business promo videos with the ones you've created around your paintball hobby! And because of the Google connection, integrating your YouTube account with a Gmail address and a Google+ presence is an easy thing. You'll share profile pics, descriptions etc. All good ranking juice! YouTube also lets you match the look of your channel with your branding. Use a branded header graphic that ties in well with any authority website that you maintain.
Also, you can tell YouTube what your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Orkut and Google+ URLs are. These will then become clickable icons at the lower-right end of the graphic that you uploaded in the step above.
Next, build playlists of other YouTube videos that complement what your own videos cover. It makes your channel function more like a content hub; sort of a one-stop shop for targeted keywords. This can be a great way to encourage your visitors to subscribe to your channel. And if you can capture a subscription, that person will then be notified whenever you post new videos, keeping them coming back for more and more. Also provide a link to your optin page, ideally one at your blog site that is linked to your autoresponder. This way you can reach out to your YouTube subscribers in new and monetized ways.
Brief Guide to Ranking YouTube Videos – Doc the Coach
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And finally, have your channel feature an introductory video prominently so that new visitors learn about you and your business.
Lights, Camera, Action! Let's discuss good video design, creation and optimization for search engine rankings. YouTube is able to accept video created in high definition (HD). Many people believe that they give a ranking bonus if your video is recorded in HD. So do HD! YouTube can adjust to the screen size of the user who comes to watch your videos, including mobile devices. These smaller screens are rapidly becoming the majority of viewers and it impacts the way you design your video. For example, if you are recording content on your 19" inch desktop screen – say, a PowerPoint presentation - remember what happens to readability if your vid suddenly gets scrunched down to fit a 2" screen! DON’T USE TINY TEXT. And an important factor in highly ranked videos is striking the balance between too short and too long. Include all details relevant to your subject, BUT being boring is not a formula for success! In fact, YouTube tracks both the number of views for your videos and the average time that viewers stop watching. If you bore people and they quit watching early, you rankings will drop. For example, if you want to attract people who search for "email marketing," don’t ramble on about Wordpress site design. When a viewer quits a video early, YouTube is concerned that the content doesn’t match the search keyword. Stick to the point. Focus on your main subject area.
On-page SEO At this point, our video is created and uploaded to YouTube. Now we optimize for high rankings. Brief Guide to Ranking YouTube Videos – Doc the Coach
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What is your video subject? What two or three-word query should somebody use to find your video? Back to the email marketing example. Make sure that this keyword is in both the name of the file AND the title as shown on the video’s YouTube page. Continue using this focus keyword at least a couple of times in the video's description block. And make sure to put a link back to where the user can take next steps at the very top of your description.
Email marketing should be the first of the video’s tags. Other related keywords can be used for tags, but don’t throw them in carelessly. If those areas aren’t covered in your video, it will create a spammy red flag when you include it in tags.
Brief Guide to Ranking YouTube Videos – Doc the Coach
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YouTube also provides an annotation toolkit, and you can use it to overlay text and links with your video at crucial points. Here is a list of useful things you can do with annotation: - add written commentary, clarification or humor - ask the viewer to "like" your video - ask the viewer to share a link to the video - ask the user to subscribe to your channel (link included) - point the viewer to a related video (link included) - remind your audience of your email or site address - reference a call to action URL (perhaps an optin page) - point to a video playlist - point to another YouTube channel
The possibilities are almost endless. Use annotation at EVERY opportunity to get the user to watch your video to completion - not just to encourage a call to action!
Miscellaneous Strategies Here are a few more steps that are definitely worth your effort: - If you have an authority site in the same niche as the video, use YouTube's embed code within a page or post on that authority site. Then surround the embedded video with relevant content. - If you have a mailing list, notify those subscribers when a new video is posted. In the email, explain what you are sending them to watch and why it is crucial that they watch to completion. - Promote videos to your audience on social media platforms. Again, set expectations appropriately, because a viewer who exits your content quickly will NOT help your rankings. Brief Guide to Ranking YouTube Videos – Doc the Coach
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- Allow ads on at least some of your videos. The $$$ are ridiculously small, but Google loves 'partners' and will reward you in search results.
- Upload a text file with a transcription of your video's content. Google has a speech recognition engine that will match the text in that file with the spoken audio in your video. This proves that your content matches your target keywords, and can mean a tremendous boost for your ranking.
Conclusion This is not a complete guide. But it contains plenty of tips to launch your channel and begin ranking the videos you create. One of my Facebook groups is called "Watch My YT Video" and is open to the public. It's free, and I want you to join at the link below. We share tips for higher rankings, but the primary goal is to actually have a community that views each other's videos. It's a tremendous SEO boost to have views flood in from around the world. Join up and bring your questions to help our group become an internet marketing force! Doc
Brief Guide to Ranking YouTube Videos – Doc the Coach
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Brief Guide to Ranking YouTube Videos – Doc the Coach
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