YouTube SEO – How to Rank YouTube Videos in 2023

Dear Vlogger, are you struggling with Youtube video ranking and loosing potential YouTube video views? If yes, then you must be lacking YouTube SEO.

Youtube SEO? Huh !! 🤔

What the heck is this?

Well, I’ll help you to crack this heck. .

Here in this step-by-step guide, I’ll explain how to Rank YouTube Videos with YouTube SEO.

Before diving deep intoYouTube SEO to rank your videos, you need to learn the basics of YouTube and why you should look after that?

What is YouTube SEO?

YouTube SEO is the process of Optimisation of Videos on your Channel to get higher ranking on YouTube search results as well as on search engines. You should perform SEO to optimize your Channel and individual Videos to get more views on YouTube.

Why do You need to perform YouTube SEO?

YouTube SEO might be a new thing for most of the New YouTubers. Because every Guru on the Internet, telling you to become a YouTuber or to start a YouTube Channel for your Business. But no one explaining to you the right way to Create YouTube Channel and further, Create Videos with perfect SEO to rank them higher.

If you are creating a lot of videos on YouTube and no one watching them, there will be no revenue. That is why YouTube SEO is very important to rank YouTube Videos higher on search results. Because higher ranking will give you more YouTube Videos views and more views will make more money.

YouTube SEO for Business or Product Marketing

It may be hard to believe, yet YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world besides Google and the second most visited webpage on the Internet.

This is the kind of free traffic you cannot ignore as a business owner. By tackling the power of YouTube, you can expand your business or product reach exponentially.

With hundreds of hours of video consumed every minute, making your content stand out from your YouTube competitors can be extreme. So, learning the systems for getting a YouTube video to rank well is of great significance.

YouTube SEO for YouTubers

If you’ve joined YouTube with a plan to become a YouTuber then you must know the YouTube SEO. Because YouTube SEO is the main player in video ranking.

A higher ranking of Youtube video will lead you to get more views on your video and more views will make you more money.

If you are creating content on your YouTube Channel tirelessly and no one watching it, means you are loosing money.

Because;

More YouTube Video Views = More Revenue

Don’t worry! As I told you in the beginning that in this article, I am going to explain to you a step-by-step process about Youtube SEO and how to rank Youtube Videos?

How to Rank YouTube Videos?

In the above paragraphs, I’ve explained why you need to perform the YouTube SEO on your Channel as well as on Videos.

Let it be, you are a YouTuber or a Business on YouTube, higher YouTube Ranking should be your priority. Because higher YouTube Video ranking gives higher visibility to your Channel, Business, Service, or Product.

Ranking YouTube Videos depends on a lot of Factors & Aspects, such as related Keywords on your Channel & in Video, appealing Video Title, a brief Video Description, Tags on Video, backlinks to your Channel or Video, etc.

This is what in short to take care of while performing SEO on YouTube Videos. Now, I’ll explain all the most important Youtube ranking factors that will help you to optimize and rank your videos at higher position in search results.


What are YouTube Ranking Factors?

You may have heard of Google Ranking Factors and may feel surprised about existence of YouTube ranking factors but they are there.

I will uncover the most critical ranking factors that are important to improving your YouTube approach. When you’re done with this article, you’ll have a far more clear thought of what you have to do to make more noticeable progress with YouTube Videos Ranking.

1. Keywords

Keywords play important roles in Blogging but don’t underestimate Keywords in Video SEO. Because the keywords has equal significance in Youtube Video SEO also. So, you need to perform deep keyword research to rank your youtube videos.

(a) Channel Keywords

An appropriately improved YouTube channel goes far in helping search engines to understand your content and accordingly, improvement can enhance your ranking both within YouTube Search itself, and within search engines, for example, Google.

You need to go to about section of your Youtube Channel, as shown in the image below:

Credit – Brian Dean (Backlinko) YouTube Channel

Here after looking at this About Section of Brian Dean’s Youtube Channel, anyone can understand that this channel is for what. Brian clearly written and indicated that his channel is about SEO, Link Building & Content Marketing. And you can do the same for your channel by writing a 100 to 200 words long intro about your Channel’s topic.

The YouTube algorithm puts a meaningful amount of importance on metadata and channel keywords (highlighted with a green underline in the above image), both are a unique part of the YouTube Ranking Algorithm. They’re one or two para description of your channel that gives YouTube an initially thought of what your video content is about. They can be added from the driven settings of the Creator Studio within your YouTube dashboard.

You can use a YouTube Keyword Tools to find these keywords. Google itself offers Google Keyword Planner; a keyword research tool.

Learn More: How To Use Google Keyword Planner For Keyword Research?

(b) Video Keywords: Choose In Autocomplete

The most useful video keywords are specific (long-tail) phrases that display up on YouTube. In this way, you can rank your videos in different places & get more traffic. Start typing a keyword into the YouTube search bar, and it will finish the phrase, or use the underline character _ to have it fill in the clear with more ideas. You can do this anywhere in words.

You need to enter your focus keyword in Youtube Search Bar & YouTube will suggest you long-tail keywords as shown in the image below:

Choose Specific Phrases and their broad keyword search forms because targeting broad keywords would you be able to get more views? However, these keywords are considerably more competitive than specific catchwords. Regardless of whether you should target general or particular phrases depend on the keyword’s competition, video quality, and how well you advance your video.

MozBar Chrome Extension can help you to perform the YouTube keyword research and also show the competition for the particular keyword. You can Download and Install the extension on Google Chrome Browser. After that Google, your keyword while searching YouTube, similar to this: site: www.youtube.com your search term. On the off chance that top results have a higher PA (page authority), the keyword is more competitive. Broad keywords usually are more competitive and expect you to make a superior video, so select a specific phrase from YouTube Autocomplete and make an excellent video than the top results.

2. Video Title

On-page search engine optimization (SEO) is similarly as crucial for YouTube videos; as considered for blogs and other web content. Once more, metadata is a significant ranking variable for YouTube videos and that incorporates, obviously, your YouTube Video Title.

As you can see in the image above, the Youtube video title gives an early introduction of your video to search engines, YouTube, and viewers. And a well-titled video will at last pull in more rush hour that improves your perspectives.

Shorter titles, for the most part, work best, as longer titles can be cut off upon the browser, application, gadget or search engine that people are using, attempt to restrict video titles to five to seven words or less.

3. Video Description

Alongside your video title, the Youtube video description is one of the most famous YouTube ranking factors.

As YouTube and Google can read data from your video, but still they need a content description to decide your video’s content. If you do eliminate one, and in this way give search engines no real way to find out what your video is about, your rankings could suffer.

So, writing a keyword-rich and brief video description will help you to rank higher on Youtube.

4. Video Tags

Tags are one or two-word descriptions that offer YouTube further knowledge into your video’s subject and content. While they don’t affect rankings as much as your video’s title or description, tags are as yet an essential part.

They can moreover assist people with finding their content. Tags are keywords – so consider the kinds of expressions people may utilize when searching for your video. For instance, if your video is about on-page SEO, at that point, you could use tags, for example, “ranking blog articles” or “on-page SEO”.


So, I’ve covered all major Youtube Ranking Factors that affect Youtube Ranking. Here ahead in this article I am going to explain to you how to optimize Youtube videos to improve ranking further in Youtube Search Results.

Must Read: Google Ranking Factors

How To Optimise Youtube Videos?

  • Use The Keyword In The File Name: Before transferring your video, mark the video record as your keyword. If you previously moved the video, there is no real way to change this (nonetheless, it’s just a small positioning variable).
  • Say Your Keyword: literally saying your keyword a couple of times matches keyword density for videos. Say it usually, don’t just say it to maintain it. Adding incomplete matches is also high.
  • Length Is Strength: this refers to both videos and material on your site. Longer videos rank high because individuals can discover all that they’re searching for, especially tutorials and reviews. Individuals will spend more time viewing your video, and you will most likely get more commitment.
  • HD Quality: you can use your Smartphone; however, a pleasant HD video camera makes a critical definition. In case you’re recording from your PC ensure you check the settings for ideal video + sound.
  • Get To The Point: alter out all unnecessary pauses and be short. I am super fussy about this and saw a significant difference in my video’s commitment.
  • Compose A Descriptive, Keyword-Rich Title: A decent title has two things: your keyword and an attractive point. Google regularly displays the first 50–60 characters, so attempt to stay inside that go. You don’t always need to use an accurate match of your keyword; however, every individual word should, at any rate, be present in the video title.
  • Compose a Long Description With Keywords, Timestamps, Links: Long descriptions are extraordinary for YouTube video SEO and give you a spot to include timestamps, useful links, and a general summary. Content is super essential for ranking any video.
  • Incorporate Keyword In The First Sentence – both YouTube & Google use the 1st 160 characters as the meta description, which appears in different search results. Specialty this sentence (or two) wisely since people will read this to decide if they will tap on your video. A standard guideline is to always use your keyword around 2-3 total times in your video description.
  • Timestamps – lets viewers hop to sections of the video so they can discover what they’re searching for, which also improves commitment with your video. This is especially useful for long videos.
  • Links – Google follows links or Backlinks to decide the importance of a video (similar to internal links on your website). Add a couple of supportive links to your different videos, blog articles, or providing resources.
  • Design A Nice Custom Thumbnail: Transfer a custom thumbnail in the video chief under Info and Settings (you should confirm your record first). Dimensions should be 1280(width) x 720(height) pixels. This will show up in search results and the “related searches” section on YouTube. Take a stab at composing something in big letters.

I hope, you got an idea about optimizing Youtube Videos with the help of the above-mentioned points and can perform better in Youtube Search Ranking.


As of now, you have a clear and brief idea about how to perform Youtube SEO and how to rank Youtube videos. Even after performing on-page SEO, you can also improve your Youtube Video Ranking if you have a blog like WordPress Blog.

If you don’t, you can learn here about How To Create A Blog.

Tips On Embedding to Rank YouTube Videos

You can embed your Youtube Video on your WordPress Blog or another blog to get better exposure. I am sharing a few simple tips on getting exposure by embedding Youtube videos on your Blog.

  • Choice 1: Copy the YouTube link and paste it to your substance (WordPress will wrap up).
  • Choice 2: Go to the YouTube video you need to the implant, at that point reorder the insert code into your HTML. This strategy allows you to specify the video’s length and size.
  • Choice 3: Open a video when you click a connection using the WP Video Lightbox Plugin.

7 YouTube SEO Tips To Rank Your Next Video

7 YouTube SEO Tips To Rank For Your Next Video

Whoever said that YouTube SEO Tips is a myth does not know that YouTube also works on algorithms. With growing awareness about off-page SEO, a lot of people have started actively taking the help of YouTube to spread their brand. 

In fact, YouTube has come to the top 5 social media platforms in the last few years. 

If you are a budding YouTuber, these 7 YouTube SEO tips are going to help you rank for your next video. 

Let’s take each step at a time!

1. Keyword Research

You heard it right. Like Google SEO, keyword research also forms the first and most important of all YouTube SEO tips.  It is through the help of keywords that the platform recognizes the subject of the video, indexes it and ranks for the search intent of the user. 

With new creators launching a channel every day, YouTube has become more competitive than ever. It is advisable to choose the right keyword. With the right keyword, I mean, a keyword that has a decent volume but less competition. 

 YouTube keyword research tools like VidIQ can help you get started. 

2. Keyword In The Title

We all know that there isn’t anything as important as the title when you are uploading content on YouTube.

This makes it absolutely essential to use your keyword in the title of your video. It helps your audience and YouTube understands whether or not your video matches the search query. 

For example, if you are uploading an unboxing video, make sure you tell YouTube in the title that it is an unboxing video. Makes things simple for you to rank for the right search query. 

3. Keyword In The File Name

A very important element of all the YouTube SEO tips is to add the keyword in the file name. 

If you have ever got a chance to upload a video on YouTube, you would see that YouTube always displays the filename along with the content link. Well, that’s your key. YouTube gives a lot of importance to the filename which also helps YouTube understand what your video is really about. 

In fact, this strategy for YouTube has also helped a lot of videos rank on the top.

4. Optimize Your Description

Description box of YouTube is the most crucial part. YouTube SEO tips suggest that you use your keyword in the beginning of the description. 

Besides, your description should be random words put together. It should be a thread of words that not only describe the video content but also uses a lot of rich keywords that help you rank for your concept. 

Your description should be useful and should help not just YouTube but also the users understand if at all your video is worth spending time on. 

Interestingly, YouTube has this habit of even bolding the search queries in the description when somebody looks for it making it a win-win situation for you and the audience. 

Another smart YouTube SEO tip would be to include timestamps in the description. All it does is make the video more user-friendly. The more user-friendly, the better chances of ranking. 

5. Use Relevant Tags

Just like Instagram, YouTube also follows a fashion of tags. In fact, it also works exactly like Instagram hashtags. 

This is why it is advisable to optimize your tags with high-volume synonym keywords. In the process, do not forget to add your target keyword. 

You can take assistance from a YouTube keyword research tool that can find similar keywords and also give you an idea of the ones with high volume. Don’t overuse the tags. 15 tags are the limit to YouTube and it may discard all the hashtags from 16 onwards. 

6. Increase CTR

Click-through rate, exactly that! Just like Google, even YouTube demands high CTR elements in the video. 

It has become one of the most important ranking factors on YouTube. If your CTR score is decent, YouTube understands that your video is satisfying the search intent and takes you up one position at a time. 

But how can you increase your CTR if nobody is clicking at all?

  1. Use keywords in the title and make your title irresistibly click-baitish. Something that increases curiosity, asks a question or makes you think.
  2. The beginning of your description should include the keyword again, and should be absolutely persuasive. So much so that the audience feels a sense of missing out. 
  3. A click-baitish thumbnail adds confetti to the cake. The smarter the thumbnail, the more clicks you get. 

7. Make Long Form Content

The top YouTube SEO tips say that long-form content has higher chances of ranking than short ones. 

YouTube considers videos of 8-10 minutes to be more descriptive and user-friendly. Most of the videos which are less than 2 minutes are considered superficial and not worthy of attention. 

It is advisable that experimenting with long videos of approximately 10 minutes can really work out for you. However, that does not mean that a video that can cover up everything in 2 minutes needs to be dragged up to 10. 

Like Google, YouTube also considers relevancy over length and quality over quantity. 

So, you can have your own way as long as you are providing an informative and engaging video. 

Bottom Line – YouTube SEO

YouTube is not just about making vlogs and posting it. Overtime is has become the go-to platform for most of the people who dislike reading blog pieces.

That is how you rank YouTube videos higher in both YouTube & Google with the help of YouTube SEO to get more YouTube video views.

Surely, if you are a Vlogger or doing it for your business, you can do it as well.

If you have questions, leave me a remark, and I’ll be happy to enable you to out.

Furthermore, the chances that you discovered this supportive, please give it a share.

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