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How To Maximize YouTube SEO and Rank on Page #1

Learn how to optimize your SEO strategy by writing Titles, Descriptions and Tags that help rank your content to Page 1 of YouTube and Google.


Step 1: Install keyword plugins

I highly recommend installing the TubeBuddy plugin for your Google Chrome web browser.

Create an account and start using Google Chrome as your web browser if you aren’t already. Google Chrome is obviously owned by Google, and since Google owns YouTube as well, this is the best browser to be using for sake of simplicity and ease.

Step 2: Type your niche video content ideas into the YouTube search bar.

Remember to use “How To” as you get started, because this ‘Help Content’ has the highest discoverability score. It will also give your first viewers a chance to know you have valuable, educational content.

Consider trying phrases like: 

  • how to make
  • how to get
  • how to get rid of
  • how to be
  • how to use
  • how to do
  • how to stop
  • etc…

Step 3: Take the Top 5-10 long-tail keywords that the YT search bar displays

Then enter them into the Google Keyword Planner to get even more keyword ideas.

These additional keywords will either be used for:

  • a list of other videos to film next, OR
  • as additional keywords to be added to a single video.

ALWAYS choose keywords that have:

  • High Search Volume (1k-100k/month)
  • Low Competition

Step 4: Write out keyword-heavy Titles, Descriptions + Tags for all of your videos

TITLES

Your titles should be very descriptive of the video and what it teaches, but also short and sweet! Consider using ALL CAPS, multiple keywords, or glyphs in the Titles to help your videos pop out from the crowd.

DESCRIPTIONS

Use as many of the long-tail related keywords in the first 2-3 lines of your video descriptions as possible. Make sure that your descriptions still sound natural though, because Google does not like robotic writing.

You can also consider using misspelled keywords, because people misspell things into the YT search bar all the time. Add these misspellings to your tags as well.

TAGS

You MUST always tag your videos intelligently. You have a maximum of 500 characters in tags available to you, so definitely USE THEM ALL!

This is where you’ll add the list of related keywords you found using the Keyword Planner, Google Trends and the YT search bar.

You can also utilize the TubeBuddy plugin to get other “suggested keywords” to add if you’d like.

Step 5: Come back to check and adjust your keywords based on their rank performance

Over time, TubeBuddy will start to show you where you are ranking for your keyword tags. If a keyword is not ranking, first check that it is properly included in the Title and Description of the video as well.

If it’s still not ranking, then consider changing that keyword by going through the same process above and re-adding another set. You can go back to Google Trends as well and look for those Breakout Terms again if this happens; make sure there’s enough search volume to display results, because if there isn’t, you need to choose something else.

If you’re a brand new channel, make sure you wait at least 1 month to check on your keyword ranks.

If you already have a few thousand subscribers, wait at least a couple weeks.

IMPORTANT: When cross-referencing your TubeBuddy keyword ranks in the search bar yourself, ALWAYS use an Incognito Window to double check your rank validity. Google shows you content in a different priority than it shows with your actual viewer.

If you are really struggling to find keywords that rank, find 2-3 other channels in your niche that are doing really well and getting lots of views and subscribers and follow the process below:

  1. Click on their ‘Videos’ tab
  2. Sort their videos by ‘Most Popular’
  3. Run a keyword analysis on their best videos using TubeBuddy

Thanks to this plugin, you can actually see what keywords other channels are using on their videos! Use this information to readjust your own keyword strategy and start again.

This will give you a better chance at “cracking the code” for your videos over time. Remember — this process takes time and practice to master!

However, these tips will give you the best chance for ranking YOUR content to Page 1 of Google and YouTube.