Video SEO: The Definitive Guide [2024]
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Video SEO: The Definitive Guide

This guide has everything you need to know about video SEO.

So if you want to rank your videos on YouTube and Google, you’re in the right place.

Keep reading…

Video SEO: The Definitive Guide
About Brian Dean

 

About The Author

I’m Brian Dean.

My first YouTube channel was a complete disaster.

I consistently uploaded high-quality videos…but no one watched them. (In fact, each of my videos averaged only 27 total views).

Yikes.

That’s when I decided to take YouTube SEO seriously.

Today, I rank for some of the most competitive keywords on YouTube, like “YouTube SEO”…

YouTube SERPs – Backlinko ranking for "YouTube SEO"

…and “link building”:

YouTube SERPs – Backlinko ranking for "link building"

And today I’m going to show you exactly how I did it (step-by-step).

Chapter 1:Video Keyword Research

Chapter 1: Video Keyword Research

Keyword research for videos is completely different than for text-based blog posts.

Why?

Two reasons:

Reason #1: Most of your views come from YouTube suggesting your video to their users.

(Not from search engines)

Yes, you should optimize your videos for YouTube and Google search. But most people only get around 15-25% of their video traffic from search.

YouTube Search

The rest come from suggested videos and “browse features”. I’ll show you how to optimize for these features later in this guide.

Reason #2: People use Google and YouTube in completely different ways.

A keyword that gets 100k monthly searches in Google (like “life insurance”) may get only 50 in YouTube.

On the other hand, a keyword that gets a bazillion searches in YouTube (like “cute cats”), will get significantly less in Google.

(That said, tons of people search for cute cats on any platform. It’s the internet after all 🙂 )

Now it’s time for me to show you my 5 favorite video keyword research techniques.

In the near future, I’ll also walk you through the new workflows in tools such as the Semrush apps Keyword Analytics for YouTube, or Rank Tracker for YouTube.

YouTube Suggest

This works just like Google Suggest.

Type a keyword into the search field. Get a list of suggestions:

YouTube Suggest

Don’t underestimate the power of this technique. YouTube is literally telling you the exact keywords people search for. HUGE.

TubeBuddy Tags

This nifty (free) extension show you the exact tags your competitors use for their videos.

First, install the extension on your Google Chrome browser:

Install TubeBuddy

Then head over to a competitor’s video. Click the “tags” tab:

Click "Tags" tab

This will show you that video’s tags:

Show video tags

Also, the green numbers show you where that video ranks for those terms in YouTube search:

Video rank

So if you find a poorly-optimized video that ranks for a keyword, add it to your list.

You can probably outrank that video by publishing a high-quality, keyword-optimized video (I’ll show you exactly how to optimize your videos in Chapter 3).

VidIQ Keyword Search

VidIQ is a powerful freemium tool that with a focus on YouTube keyword research. And it’s one of my favorite ways to uncover amazing keyword and topic ideas for my videos.

Here’s how to use it:

1

First, head over to the site and sign up.

VidIQ – Signup
2

Login and click on “SEO” in the top navigation.

VidIQ – SEO
3

Then, enter a keyword into it:

VidIQ – Search
4

Boom! You get a list of keyword ideas. And helpful info to help you uncover low-competition, high-volume terms.

VidIQ – Search results

YT Cockpit

YTCockpit is one of the few keyword research tools on the market designed specifically for YouTube.

1

To use it, enter a seed keyword into the tool:

Enter seed keyword
2

YTCockpit will show you a slew of keyword suggestions…and important metrics for each keyword.

Like any keyword research tool worth its salt, YTCockpit shows you basic information for each keyword suggestion (like search volume and CPC).

Keyword Suggestion information

(It’s important to note that “Monthly Searches” in YTCockpit represent the amount of Google searches. So yeah, it’s not 100% accurate. But these numbers give you a rough idea of the interest people have on that topic).

3

But what I REALLY like about this tool is that it sizes up the competition in YouTube.

YTCockpit shows you the average video length, number of likes and amount of comments for each video that ranks for a given keyword:

Competition information
4

And if you click on a keyword suggestion, they’ll show you a detailed breakdown of the YouTube SERP:

SERP breakdown

Why is this helpful?

If you see that the first page is packed with massively successful videos, you probably want to scratch that keyword off of your list.

(It takes A LOT of time and energy to make a video. And don’t want to create a video that’s going to get buried.)

This competition analysis feature helps you avoid this pesky problem.

YouTube Studio Stats

I saved the best for last.

If your channel has at least some traction, YouTube Studio will be your BEST source of awesome keywords.

Why? Because YouTube Studio shows you keywords that you already rank for.

Let me show you how it’s done:

1

First, head over to your YouTube Studio dashboard.

Head to YouTube Dashboard
2

Click “Analytics” and “Reach Viewers”:

Click "Analytics" and "Traffic Sources"
3

Click on “Traffic Source: YouTube Search”.

Click "YouTube Search"
4

Voila! You can see all of the keywords that you rank for:

See all ranking keywords

You can do two things with the keywords that you find on this list…


Thing #1: Optimize an Existing Video Around That Keyword

If you have a video that ranks for a keyword — but it’s not well optimized for that specific keyword — optimize your video for that term.

With some video on-page SEO, you can usually blast your way to the top of the search results.

For example, this video of mine ranks #7 for “Google SEO”

But this video isn’t well optimized around that keyword.

1

So all I’d need to do is add that term as a tag…

Add term as a tag
2

…and mention it in my video description.

Mention term in description

Simple yet effective.


Thing #2: Create a New Video For That Keyword

This is pretty straightforward:

Instead of optimizing an old video around a keyword, create a whole new video.

This way, your video is laser-targeted for that keyword. Which means it’s likely to rank better than a video that’s only partially optimized around that term

OK, so you have a list of keywords in-hand. Nice work.

What’s next?

It’s time to create an awesome video. And that’s exactly what I’ll show you how to do in Chapter 2.

Chapter 2:Create Awesome Videos

Chapter 2: Create Awesome Videos

If you want to rank in YouTube, your videos need to be awesome.

The question is:

What does “awesome” actually mean?

A video that’s “awesome” to me might make you want to toss your laptop out the window.

Well in the world of YouTube, “awesome” is measured by a few key metrics, like:

  • Session Time
  • Watch Time
  • Audience Retention
  • Engagement
  • CTR

And when you create videos with these YouTube ranking factors in mind, you can find yourself sitting pretty at the top of the search results.

With that, it’s time for me to break down each of these ranking signals…

…and show you how to create videos optimized for each one.

Total Watch Time

Total Watch Time is likely YouTube’s #1 ranking factor.

What is Total Watch Time?

Total Watch Time (TWT) is the amount of watch time minutes that your video accrues.

You can see this metric in YouTube Studio:

Total Watch Time (TWT) Metric

How can you optimize for TWT?

First, create long videos.

Let’s say you publish two videos:

Video A is 12 minutes. Video B is 4 minutes.

And on average, people watch about 40% of each video.

At the end of the day, Video A will have 3x the watch time of video B!

In fact, if you look at the results for competitive keywords, you’ll notice that the top-ranking videos are pretty darn long:

Top ranking video time

Second, create videos that maximize audience retention.

I’ll show you how to do that right now.

Audience Retention

YouTube’s other big “on video” ranking signal is audience retention.

Audience retention is the amount of your video (as a percentage) that people watch.

Audience retention

Obviously, the more of your video people watch, the better.

Here’s how to maximize your video’s audience retention:

Focus On The First 15 Seconds

The first 15 seconds of your video is HUGE.

In fact, YouTube recommends focusing on this critical part of your video.

First fifteen seconds

Why?

Because their data has found that if you hook someone in the first 15 seconds, you’ve hooked them for good.

(The opposite is also true. If you lose someone in the first 15 seconds, they’re not going to stick around).

Look For Peaks and Valleys

Spend a few minutes checking out the audience retention reports for your videos.

Specifically, look for spots where audience retention peaks…

Audience retention peaks

…and drops:

Audience retention drops

Then, in future videos, double down on what works. And eliminate elements of your video that’s making people click away.

Use “Pattern Interrupts”

Pattern interrupts are moments in your video where you change things up.

And sprinkling in one or two Pattern Interrupts per video can make a BIG difference in your audience retention.

I always add 1-2 pattern interrupts per video (usually me doing something silly):

These brief funny moments reset people’s attention. And instead of clicking away, they keep watching.

Pattern interrupts

Session Watch Time

Session Watch Time is YouTube’s “uber metric”.

It’s basically how long viewers spend on YouTube’s platform after seeing your video.

When YouTube confirmed this ranking factor they stated:

“As with previous optimizations to our discovery features, this should benefit your channel if your videos drive more viewing time across YouTube.”

In other words: “We reward videos that keep people on YouTube.”

Unfortunately there’s no way to directly measure Session Watch Time.

(Why? If someone clicks on a video that doesn’t belong to you, you can’t see any analytics for that video. But it WILL add to your video’s Session Watch Time)

If you can’t measure Session Watch Time, how can you optimize for it?

1

First, create playlists.

That way, your Session Watch Time automatically increases whenever someone watches your playlist.

Create playlists

(A win-win)

2

Next, include links to one of your other videos at the end of each video… and a link to your channel:

Include links

(You’ll need to use YouTube’s End Screen feature to set this up).

Again, this encourages your user to stay on YouTube instead of clicking away.

User Engagement

Now it’s time for another key video ranking signal: User Engagement.

YouTube doesn’t want their users to passively sit back and watch your video.

Instead, they want to see that people actively engage with your video.

Specifically they measure how many people:

  • Like
  • Comment
  • Subscribe
  • Share
  • Add your video to a playlist

The more of these signals YouTube sees, the more they know that your video is keeping their users engaged on the platform.

Here are 3 tips to maximize user engagement signals:

#1: Ask People to Comment on Your Videos

People LOVE giving their opinions.

But people HATE thinking.

So to increase the odds that people comment on your video, give your viewers something specific to comment on.

Comment guidance

#2: Add a Clear “Subscribe” CTA To Your Script

Don’t be afraid to ask people to subscribe to your channel.

In fact, I recommend adding a clear call-to-action at the end of every video, like this:

(Yes, I realize that I look crazy in that shot 🙂 )

Ask people to subscribe

#3: Reply to Comments

When you reply to comments, you encourage more people to comment.

More comments=more engagement=higher rankings.

I make sure to reply to 100% of the comments that come in during the first 24 hours that my video goes live:

Reply to comments

Now that you have an awesome video, it’s time to keyword-optimize it.

That’s what Chapter 3 will show you how to do.

Chapter 3:Video Optimization

Chapter 3: Video Optimization

Like with a blog post, there’s more to video SEO than publishing an awesome piece of content and hoping for the best.

You also need to optimize your video around keywords that people use on YouTube (and in Google).

Here’s how:

Video Title

You have two goals with your video title:

Goal #1: Include your target keyword.

Goal #2: Maximize click-through-rate (CTR).

I’ll show you everything you need to know about CTR later in this chapter.

But for now, let’s focus on keyword-optimizing your title.

All you need to do here is include your target keyword ONCE in your title.

Video title goals

Video Description

I recommend writing 200+ word descriptions for each video.

Why?

Longer descriptions give YouTube a deeper understanding of your video’s topic.

And this deeper understanding helps your video show up as a suggested video on more videos:

Video description
Suggested videos

YouTube Video Tags

Tags aren’t nearly as important as they were back in the day.

That said, YouTube still asks for tags. So I recommend using them.

I honestly don’t put a ton of thought into tags.

I simply include 5-ish tags that make sense for my video.

YouTube Tags

And I make sure that one of the tags is my target keyword.

That’s it.

Say Your Target Keyword in Each Video

Remember that YouTube can understand what you say in your video.

They’re not perfect at it…

YouTube understanding

…but in my experience they correctly understand 90% of the words in a given video.

Plus, you can upload a transcript to make sure YouTube gets every word right (more on that next).

And when YouTube hears you say your target keyword in your video, it helps them understand that your video is about that keyword.

That’s why I make sure to say my keyword once or twice per video:

Keyword repetition

Upload a Transcript

A transcript helps YouTube fully understand your video’s topic.

In my experience, this helps your video show up in more suggested videos.

Optimize Your Video for CTR

My experiments have revealed that YouTube uses CTR as a BIG ranking signal.

If lots of people search for a keyword in YouTube — and click on your result — you’ll likely get a rankings boost.

The question is:

How can you optimize your video for CTR?


CTR Booster #1: Compelling Title.

Yes, you want to include your target keyword in your video title. But the rest of your title should be dedicated to attracting more clicks.

Compelling title

Pro Tip: Don’t use clickbait titles. Yes, you’ll get more clicks in the short-term. But your audience retention numbers will make YouTube bury your video.


CTR Booster #2: Eye-Catching Thumbnails.

Pro YouTubers know that your thumbnail can make or break your video’s success.

So make sure to create a custom thumbnail that stands out.

Eye-catching thumbnails

CTR Booster #3: Attention-Grabbing Description.

YouTube displays the first 125 characters of your description in the search results.

Attention-grabbing description

Your first 125 characters should compel someone to click on your result.

OK so you have a kick-butt video that’s optimized for your target keyword.

Now it’s time to dive into one of the most underrated video SEO ranking signals: channel authority.

Chapter 4:Channel Authority

Chapter 3: Channel Authority

Your channel’s authority plays a direct and indirect role in how your videos perform in YouTube.

In general, videos published on a channel with lots of authority and a strong community will rank above the same video on a new channel.

Here’s how to quickly build up your channel’s authority.

 

Your Channel’s Branding and Messaging

Here’s where you answer the question:

“How is your channel different than all the others on YouTube?”

If your channel doesn’t answer this question, new visitors have to wonder why you exist. And you’ll miss out on potential subscribers.

But when you broadcast a consistent message, your target peeps will slam the “subscribe” button.

In my case, I knew that my target audience wanted to get “higher rankings and more traffic”.

So I made my channel’s slogan: “higher rankings and more traffic”.

Simple, yet effective.

And in the rest of this chapter I’ll show you actionable tips you can use to boost your channel’s branding and authority.

Your Channel Header

Make sure to include your channel’s slogan here.

Here’s an example from my channel:

Channel's slogan

Animated Logo

Your animated logo is HUGE for your channel’s brand.

In the early days of my channel, I’d simply include my company logo:

Animated logo

Today, I also include my channel slogan:

That way my brand message is reinforced with every video view.

Include slogan

About Page Description

Don’t forget to include your slogan early in your channel’s about page:

Remember slogan

Pro Tip: Also include a few keywords in your channel description. This can help your channel show up in the search results. Here’s an example:

Include keywords in description

Playlists

Your playlists should represent what your channel is all about.

For example, my channel has a playlist called “Advanced SEO Strategies and Case Studies”:

Advanced SEO Strategies – Playlist

Because my channel targets pro marketers (not newbies), this playlist appeals to that group.

Pro Tip: Keyword-optimize your playlists for long tail keywords. That way your playlists can rank for that term:

Optimize playlists

Number of Subscribers

Do channels with more subscribers get a built-in rankings boost?

It’s hard to say.

After all, popular channels get more views every time they publish a new video.

So it’s impossible to know whether your subscriber count is a direct — or indirect — ranking factor.

Either way, the more subscribers you have, the better your videos will perform in YouTube.

Here’s how to get more subscribers:


#1: Channel Trailer

Your trailer is your channel’s pitch.

Besides your header, it’s the first thing someone sees when they visit your channel:

You have about a minute to answer these questions from potential subscribers:

  • Who are you?
  • Why should I care?
  • What makes your channel unique?
  • Why should I subscribe?

But if you can answer these questions, you can turn your viewers into loyal subs.

Channel trailer

Here’s an example of an excellent trailer:

What makes this trailer awesome?

  1. It’s short (a shade over a minute)
  2. It’s funny
  3. It leaves ZERO doubt about what the channel is about

#2: Ask People To Subscribe At The End of Every Video

I mentioned this in chapter 2, but it bears repeating here.

Ask viewers to subscribe to your channel…at the end of every video.

If someone made it all the way to the end of your video, they’re primed to subscribe. And sometimes all they need is a little nudge.

Your “subscribe to my channel” CTA is that nudge.

I mean, even the Star Wars YouTube channel does it.

Ask people to subscribe

(Consider your subscription CTA a Jedi Mind Trick. At least that’s what I do ;-D )


#3: Link to Your Channel From Your Site

Make sure to add a YouTube link to your list of social media profiles.

Link to your channel

Chapter 5:Ranking Videos In Google

Chapter 5: Ranking Videos In Google

In this chapter you’ll learn how to rank videos in Google.

The Secret to Getting Your Videos Ranked in Google

Here’s the deal:

Google earmarks certain keywords for video results.

I call these “Video Keywords”.

And the secret to ranking your videos in Google is to target Video Keywords.

In my experience, if you optimize your video around a keyword that doesn’t already have a video in Google, it’s going to be VERY hard for it to rank.

For example, “how to clean an iphone” is a video keyword:

Video keywords

How to Find Video Keywords

The simplest way to find Video Keywords is to search for your potential keyword in Google.

If you see at least one video result in the top 10, great.

If not, you may want to consider a different keyword.

Finding video keywords

Pro Tip: The top 3 spots in Google get 55% of all clicks. So keep an eye out for keywords that have a video result in the top 3. Your video won’t get nearly as much traffic if it ranks in positions 4-10.

How to Rank YouTube Videos in Google

Now that you’ve created a YouTube video around a Video Keyword, how do you get it to show up in Google?

The “secret” is to create an awesome video (which covered Chapter 2) and then optimize that video (which is what Chapter 3 is all about).

Other than that, it’s all about getting backlinks to your video. Like any page on the internet, the more high-quality backlinks you build, the higher you’ll rank.

I show you how to promote your videos in the next chapter.

Ranking Self-Hosted Videos in Google

What if you self-host your videos on your site?

For example, let’s say that you post your videos to your blog with a service like Wistia.

Can you get those videos to rank?

Technically…yes. But it’s A LOT harder to rank a self-hosted video than a YouTube video.

In fact, 82% of all video results in Google are from YouTube.

(Considering that Google owns YouTube, this shouldn’t come as a surprise).

That said, it is possible to rank self-hosted videos.

Here’s how:

YouTube integration share

#1: Put The Video at The Top Of Your Page

This shows Google that your video is the main piece of content of that page.

So make sure your video is at the very top of the page…or right after a brief text-based intro:

Video at top of page

#2: Publish a Transcript Below Your Video

A full transcript below your video helps search engines understand what your video is all about.

Video transcript

Pro Tip: Optimize your transcript for readability. Most people just copy and paste a big ol’ transcript. Instead, make your transcript easy for people to read and skim. This will improve your dwell time and reduce bounce rate –two key Google ranking factors.


#3: Use Video Schema

Google and Bing both support Video Schema markup.

This guide from Google will give you the full run-down.

But in general, here’s what you need to have in place:

  1. Keyword-Rich Video Title: Don’t use a generic title like “video 5_version 3.4”. Instead, write a title like: “5 Ways to Rank Videos in Google”.
  2. Video Description: This is a brief description of what your video is all about. Make sure to use your target keyword once here.
  3. Video Duration and Upload Date: No description needed (I hope 🙂 )
  4. Eye-Catching Thumbnail: This is what will appear in Google’s search results, so make it good.

You can set up this schema code manually. But it’s kind of a pain. Instead, I recommend hosting your videos with Wistia or using the the Yoast WordPress plugin for videos.

Now that your video is live, it’s time to get the word out.

Chapter 6:Video Promotion Strategies

Chapter 6: Video Promotion Strategies

400 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube…every minute.

(Seriously, take a second to think about how crazy that is).

With so much video flying around the platform, even your best videos need serious promo.

And in this chapter I’ll show you how to promote your videos.

Announce New Videos to Your Email List

This is simple…but darn effective.

Whenever you publish a new video, let your email subscribers know about it:

Inform your subscribers

This is a win-win.

Your subscribers get access to premium video content. And your video generates lots of high-quality views.

This view spike can push your video to people’s YouTube homepages…

Popularity spike

…which leads to more views.

Pro Tip: YouTube suggests videos on your homepage that are similar to videos you recently watched. And this is now bigger than YouTube search and “Suggested Videos” combined. So you 1000% need to optimize videos so they appear on the homepage.

You can easily see if your video shows up on people’s homepages. Go to your YouTube Studio Analytics. Click on “Reach Viewers”—>”Traffic Source Types”—>“Browse Features”:

YouTube Analytics

If your video is high-quality and well optimized, it should pop up in the homepage after a few days of promo.

And if your video is up to snuff, it’ll rank in YouTube’s search results in no time.

Share Your Videos On Social Media

I know what you’re thinking: “Thanks Captain Obvious!”

It’s not as effective as promoting videos to your email list. But you can get some buzz on your new video by sharing it on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest:

Social media shares

Pro Tip: Ask your social media followers to subscribe to your YouTube channel.

Ask for subscription

If they follow you on social they’re VERY likely to hit your channel’s subscribe button without thinking twice.

Embed Videos In Your Blog Posts

Embeds help your videos rank for two reasons:

  1. Embeds are a YouTube ranking signal
  2. Embeds create a backlink to your video

So don’t be afraid to embed your best videos in your blog content.

These embeds can make a HUGE dent in your video views (especially if you don’t have a lot of subscribers yet).

And it’s a subtle way of letting your readers know that you have an awesome YouTube channel.

Embeds

Promote Other Videos In Your End Screen

I always put a “Next Video” on my end screen.

This little trick promotes videos that need some TLC. And it boosts your Session Watch Time.

Next video

Share Videos on Forums and Quora

First, keep an eye out for a question that your video could help answer.

Quora

Then, provide a full answer in text form.

Full text answer

Finally, link to your video as a way for people to find more info on that topic.

Link to video

333 Comments

  1. This is another realy great tutorial! May I ask, how long did it took you to write it?

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Glad you liked the new guide, Willjan. Man, I don’t know. I’d say 25 hours? A lot.

    1. Sanjib Avatar Sanjibsays:

      Hello Brian,

      Another great post. this new post type I mean to say chapter wise guide is a great thing. I never thought that we could do so many things to optimize our video.

      Though want to know one thing Is it legal to embed somebody else’s youtube video to my website? will it have any copywright issue ??

      1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

        Thanks Sanjib. It’s perfectly OK to embed a YT video to your site.

        1. Sanjib Avatar Sanjibsays:

          Thanks a lot for the advice Brian will be looking forward to see more from you in the future

  2. Brian, this is much needed. The video you published recently was great, but I was actually looking for a full Backlinko-style guide, and boom, now we have it!
    A quick question: What would be the best place to get lots of views as soon as a video is live on YT (if you don’t have many subs)?
    Thanks, Akshay.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Boom!

      I’d check out the video promotion chapter from this guide. Has some cool stuff in there to try.

      1. Brian, the chapter is great.

        Let’s say I have a very small email list, a few followers on social media, my site gets a few hundred hits daily, then what should I do?

        Another question: After how many months did your first video (SEO strategy) got ranked on YouTube, at the first place?

        Thanks again,
        Akshay

        1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

          Akshay, I’d promote the video like any other piece of content: email outreach, guest posting, Facebook ads etc. Hmmm. I’d say a few months. Not sure how long exactly.

  3. Excellent info on YouTube marketing, Brian. The quality of your free content always blows me away… Keep up the great work!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thanks Dave. This guide wasn’t easy to put together. But I’m happy with the way it turned out. It should help a lot of people grow their YouTube channels.

  4. Another great content Brian. I did follow the older post that you wrote about ranking yourtube videos but this one has much more updated information.

    Also the browser extensions sounds great. Can’t wait to check up with the extension and use these methods for youtube videos.

    Thanks again.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      You’re welcome, Pravash. Let me know how these strategies work out for you.

  5. Awesome guide, Dude! It is evident that you have gone to great lengths to determine what works and what does not. Amazing!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thanks Franz. I’m a BIG fan of testing everything. It’s the only way to learn what really works (especially when it comes to YouTube. There’s a ton of BS advice from so-called “Video marketing experts”).

  6. Tariehk Avatar Tariehksays:

    Brian, another great guide. I think video is key because not everyone will do a video because a lot of people do not like to be on camera or they do not understand the technology. Therefore, it is always good to do something where you will not have a huge amount of people doing it so you stand apart. However, I feel video is not hard to do and your guide will help a lot of people.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Tariehk, great point. There’s a barrier to entry with video that can be a competitive advantage for those willing to put in the work.

  7. Love your content as always Brian.
    + it looks amazing.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thanks Yatin. I also really like the design of this one. Attractive but also easy to read.

  8. Amazing Brian. You’ve done it again! I’m bookmarking, sharing, linking to it, etc etc.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thanks for spearing the word, Chris 🙂

  9. Damn Brian, I gotta say this is definitely the best guide you’ve done so far – content and design wise! Thanks for putting the hours in on this one. Looking forward to trying this stuff out 🙂

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thanks, Sam. I have to agree. It wasn’t easy but I’m happy with how the guide turned out. It’s much of what I learned about YouTube marketing over the last 6 months or so.

  10. This guide could also act as a guide on how to properly make guides in general, it’s just wow. You said in a comment above that it took you about 25 hours, what about all the imagery and everything, do you outsource that work or do you do it yourself?

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      HA! Nice Ales. The 25 hours is pure writing (outlining, the writing itself, edting etc.). The design and coding of the guide is another story (my team does that part).

      1. I was wondering if you do the design stuff. Is awesome btw.

        1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

          Hi Bican, my team does the design and coding.

  11. Once again! Mammoth of a guide Brian, I’m soon starting with my own set of videos (similar to yours in style). Your guide is coming at the perfect time. (A Happy STW Student).

    Just a quick question, have you considered posting the videos on Vimeo as well? (Unless you are already doing)

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Udit, that’s perfect timing then!

      I actually haven’t done anything with Vimeo so I don’t know much about it.

  12. Fair Play Brian, fair play! Great work as ever… always raising the bar!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      🙂

      Cheers Aaron

  13. Great walkthrough on how to setup a youtube channel and videos the correct way. I’m in the process of using youtube to target my hard to reach demographic, so this will work great. Thanks!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Jason, this will definitely help. I wish I had a guide like this on day 1.

  14. Great guide Brian. I really appreciate all the work you put into and making it so aesthetically pleasing.

    Have you ever experienced your videos disappearing from YT searches? Days at a time and then resurfacing? I did a search on YT about it and other people have had the issue just curious if you ever ran into or had any thoughts on the subject.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      No problem, Carlton. Yes definitely. I’ve seen my rankings fluctuate like crazy (more than you typically see with Google). But they usually settle down eventually.

  15. Again Brian, you leave me with no words. This post worth an empire.

    You rock it, man!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thanks Miguel

  16. Quentin Shock Avatar Quentin Shocksays:

    Brian,

    Thanks for the great advice and content on YT ranking factors. I started family vlogging this past summer, and have been training in SEO for serving businesses locally. Most of all I have been mentioning to my mentor Dan @ Digital Elevator that Youtube will be playing a huge role in SEO in the future, and your guide backs this up!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      You’re welcome, Quentin. I 100% agree: YouTube is legit!

  17. Love this so much Brian. This is the kind of stuff we’re always telling our clients but it’s hard to explain all the ins-and-outs sometimes – you make it all so super simple! You’re an absolute master. Thank you for the constant inspiration, and a great resource we’ll definitely be sharing 🙂

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      You’re welcome, Lydia. Very good point: YouTube has a lot of “ins and outs” (so to speak). I’ve learned that details matter a lot with YouTube. So I made sure to include lots of deets in this guide.

  18. This is the best SEO post I have read on video SEO. I’m going to take this info and run with it to get my video SEO taking off. Thanks so much for great guide 🙂

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      You’re welcome, Bill. Go get ’em!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thank you, Goncalo.

  19. Incredible guide Brian. As usual – packed full of high quality, actionable advice. Plus, the design & layout of this one is simply superb. Love it!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thanks Daniel. As you know, design is HUGE for text or video-based content. So I don’t mind investing in it.

  20. Woah upgrade on the design, huh Brian? Looks super neat! Awesome guide as always!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      That’s right, Frederik. Always good to level up 🙂

  21. Great Guide, As always, although I think it has been missing to mention vidlQ

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thanks Jose. VidIQ is a cool tool for sure. I may add it in a future update.

  22. Youcef Avatar Youcefsays:

    Hi Brian,
    Awesome content as usual you are right about the watch time because YouTube is becoming more like Netflix they like what’s keep the viewer for a long period.
    Keep up the good work Brian

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Well said, Youcef. YouTube is definitely moving more towards a Netflix model. And total watch time (and sessions time) will be big parts of that shift.

  23. Excellent article as always Brian. This is easily content that many would charge money for. Thanks and keep it up!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      You’re welcome, Tim. That’s true: the content bar is pretty high nowadays. You gotta bring it every time!

  24. Matt Avatar Mattsays:

    Great stuff Brian. Happy #33 turned out so well 🙂

    I can appreciate how you consistently go out and “do it” FIRST, before you blog about it, unlike a lot of online marketers I’ve come by.

    And that’s why the Backlinko blog is so great: I know all the content you put out is Brian Dean tested.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thanks Matt 🙂

      That’s the “secret” to great content in many ways. Anyone can write 2000 words of regurgitated BS. It’s a lot harder to test everything in real life and then report on it. Harder…but worth it.

  25. Pamela Kay Avatar Pamela Kaysays:

    This is amazing work. Great information!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Cheers, Pamela.

  26. This is a fantastic resource.

    I’ve found a lot of success combining these strategies with influencer marketing on YouTube. Since these creators have highly engaged audiences and channels of authority, working with them on optimization can get the video ranking really, really fast.

    While the video that ends up ranking doesn’t actually come from your channel, it comes from the influencers, the landing page of a YT search is always the video and you can always control the CTA link in the description of an influencer’s video.

    That’s my little YouTube seo hack 😉

    Great stuff Brian!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Hi Aaron, great hack. I’ve talked to a lot of pro YouTubers that have used collaborations like that to get their channel on the map. Kind of the YouTube equivalent of guest posting on an authority site.

  27. Habib Rehman Avatar Habib Rehmansays:

    Yet another master piece. Quality stuff featuring complete guidance and totally actionable steps. Great for people like me, looking for freebies. Thanks Brian. I always looking for your stuff.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      You’re welcome, Habib.

  28. Wow. Another Great Article.
    Combine Video SEO with Youtube Ads are great way to drive traffic from Youtube for cheap.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thanks Mohammed. I actually don’t have much experience with YouTube ads (yet).

  29. You’re absolutely killing it Brian! The amount of time and effort you put in your content really shows, and this guide is just another example. Hands down the best guide to video SEO I’ve ever seen.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Hi Dominique, I appreciate that. My goal was to make this the best guide to video SEO online. Looks like I’m on the right track 🙂

  30. Hey Brian,

    Namaste!

    Kudos to you for your in-depth research about Video SEO and your team for putting it all together. Please pass a “thanks a million” to your designer who helped in designing this entire post.

    You are inspiration to many bloggers around the world!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Namaste, Manish. I’ll let my designer know that you appreciate his work 🙂

  31. Again, Brian you did an awesome job and provide a lot insider information, thanks again

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      You’re welcome, Ringo.

  32. Hi Brian,
    An excellent guide, dude!
    I am loving it. Tweeting it right now! 😉
    ~ Ahmad

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      NICE! Glad you liked the guide.

  33. Brian, another killer resource! Thank you!

    Quick question, for self-hosted videos you recommend publishing the transcript below them, is there any value in doing the same for YouTube hosted videos that you’re embedding in a blog post?

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      You’re welcome, Ed.

      There is. The same principle applies. That said, YouTube is better at “listening” to videos uploaded to YouTube. So it’s not as important as with a self-hosted video.

  34. Pretty much nails video marketing right there! Excellent post, and an example of the type of quality alluded to in the course.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thank you, Andy 🙂

  35. Once again, a great tutorial Brian. The design is attractive and also easy to read.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thanks Jes

  36. Todd Tift Avatar Todd Tiftsays:

    Love it Brian! You’re a great mentor. Question: What software do you use to design this and lay it all out?

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Thanks Todd. This guide is custom designed and coded in WordPress.

  37. I may come across as another tool junkie here but what set up do you use for software and equipment Brian to build these videos?

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Jim, that’s a lot to list out. But honestly, I hire a studio + pro videographer to help me with my videos. So I don’t know all of the tools used.

  38. Tony Blum Avatar Tony Blumsays:

    Totally awesome and comprehensive. Now all I have to do is implement what you teach.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      That’s the hard part, Tony. But much easier than starting from scratch.

  39. Brian, thanks much. I’ve been focusing on Youtube SEO myself and yout guide has filled in some blank spots for me. Thanks!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      You’re welcome, Mike. You’re not alone: lots of people are jumping into YouTube (myself included).

  40. Another AMAZING guide from the great Brian Dean! Thanks so much for this. I’m going to read it over twice as I want to get into video marketing for my e-commerce client.

    One thing that I did notice is the link that you have to Tubular Labs goes to Tubular Insights, which is their blog. It was kind of confusing to me at first, but I figured it out.

    Great information though!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Hey Anthony, you’re welcome. And thanks for the heads up. I’ll fix that link.

  41. So would you recommend pinging your video and building backlinks to rank in Google or not?

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Akshay, pinging: no. Backlinks: definitely.

  42. Wow! The keyword research tips for videos are awesome, I can’t wait to dive it.
    A little story: I was using Wistia for a while but switched over to Vimeo because videos were taking too long to load plus I still had the ability to add “Add to Cart” links to the end of the videos (I have an ecommerce store).
    Learning in your post about how embedded Youtube video views DO count for overall views made me want to look into switching to Youtube but… what about the “add to cart” links?
    Well, I just figured out how to do that with Cards annotations and yes the Card works even on embeds! Whoo hoo! Switching to Youtube embeds soon!
    Thank you again for this resource, I always learn something new from you.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Wow, that’s great to hear, Marissa. Rock on!

  43. Whre can I find this tubular labs tool on their website?

      1. Ok thx, I will check it out.

  44. Hey Brian,

    Truly excellent post here. And something that I needed before I rushed blindly into incorporating videos as another strategy.

    I recently purchased video equipment (lighting, screens, camera) over the holidays because I wanted to start making videos, but fortunately I didn’t because I wold have been making so many mistakes.

    Thanks a ton for this guide. This will definitely help me out.

    – Andrew

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Hey Andrew, glad to hear that. Best of luck with your new videos. Investing in proper equipment is an important first step. And this guide should help you produce high-ranking videos.

  45. Adrian Avatar Adriansays:

    Brian I’ve been ranking videos for over 7 years now. I’ve learned way more in this guide than I have in some courses I’ve paid for. You’re very in depth and keep it simple. Thanks man!

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      You’re welcome, Adrian. Same here: I’ve bought quite a few YouTube marketing courses. Most are terrible. This guide is not 🙂

      1. Adrian Avatar Adriansays:

        If you’re breaking into a new niche with no list, social media following, etc…how would you recommend video promotion?

        1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

          Adrian, I’d focus big on the video itself. I’d spend 50%+ of your time on that. Then I’d promote with guest posting, Facebook ads, outreach etc.

  46. Hey Brian! Thanks for the detailed guide!
    Do you think that is necessary for a simple blog to have a youtube channel? Youtube is growing and growing but don’t you think this is only temporary?

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Ivailo, you’re welcome. What’s a “simple blog”?

  47. Yonatan Lehman Avatar Yonatan Lehmansays:

    Hi Brian
    Very, very, very good. It is very rare to find free advice which is for real and not just a teaser to get you to sign up for something paid. I am very grateful.
    A question. My business is making videos (e.g. life story documentaries) and my site points to my videos in youtube (and some Vimeo) as examples of my work. My WordPress plugin does not know how to block the youtube suggestions when playback ends.
    Is there a way to ensure that when the video playback is complete, youtube will suggest my video and not someone else’s?
    Thanks again
    Yonatan

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      No problem, Yonatan. As far as I know there’s no way to prevent that. I recommend adding an end slate to your video that pitches your other videos (I have an example or two in this guide).

  48. Bruh Avatar Bruhsays:

    Hey I use to have a channel for 7 months have tried the keyword and compelling title have done the keywords in a 200-300 description and stuff and never really found any success that channel only got 100 views per video and only 400 inactive subscribers saying that

    I FEEL THIS GUIDE HAS helped me find some of the most useful information like extensions and tips tricks and much more so I have just started another channel and I’m trying to create a gaming brand for games which I develop and make/ also trying to make a website and emailing list also going to try your awesome video chapter and more very glad I read this but I have no idea if this will actually make me successful so I really hope this works like the suggested videos and home page that would be great and I will be overjoyed to get 20k views per video id be bouncing.

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      Happy to help, Bruh

  49. Paul Brice Avatar Paul Bricesays:

    The internet + cute cats + another epic post by Brian Dean = Awesome

    1. Brian Dean Avatar Brian Deansays:

      It’s a winning formula!

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