10 Best YouTube SEO Tactics: An Ultimate Guide for Explosive Growth

Are you struggling to grow your YouTube channel and increase your video views? 

Then, you need to master YouTube SEO which will give you exceptional results! 

Because without SEO, your YouTube video is like a bird without wings.

By applying YouTube SEO strategies and optimizing your videos for search, you can improve your video ranking, attract more viewers, and increase engagement. 

In this post, I'll cover the 10 best YouTube SEO tactics you need to know for explosive growth.

1. Do Your Keyword Research

Keyword research is the foundation of YouTube SEO. It involves finding the keywords and phrases your audience is searching for, so you can create content that aligns with their interests. 

Use keyword research tools like Google AdWords Keyword Planner, TubeBuddy, or VidIQ to find relevant keywords for your videos.

For example, if you run a cooking channel on YouTube and want to create a video on "How to make vegan pancakes" then, you can use these keyword research tools to find the related keywords and phrases that people are searching for. 

Have a look at this:

By including these keywords and phrases in your video title, description, and tags, you can improve the chances of your video showing up in search results when someone searches for those keywords.

2. Optimize Your Video Title

Your video title is one of the most important SEO elements for YouTube. It is the first thing people see when they come across your video, so it needs to be compelling and optimized for search. Use descriptive language, include your target keyword, and make sure it accurately represents the content of your video.

Let's continue with the example of the cooking channel creating the video on How to make vegan pancakes. 

Its SEO-optimized video title can be "Fluffy Vegan Pancakes Recipe | Healthy & Delicious"

This title includes the target keyword "vegan pancake recipe", is descriptive and engaging, and accurately represents the content of the video. The addition of "Healthy & Delicious" also makes it more enticing to click on.

Keep in mind that you have a title limit of 100 characters on YouTube. But, it would be best if you keep your video title between 60-70 characters. Because longer than 70 characters will show up as a truncated title.

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3. Write a Compelling Video Description

Your video description is your chance to give viewers more context and information about your video. Make sure it includes your target keyword and provides a clear call to action. Use the description to engage with your viewers and inspire them to engage with your content.

By continuing the above example let's write a compelling video description:

"In this video, I'll show you how to make fluffy and delicious vegan pancakes from scratch! Using simple plant-based ingredients like flour, almond milk, and flax eggs, you can create pancakes that are better than any boxed mix. Follow along with my step-by-step instructions and learn tips for getting perfectly golden vegan pancakes every time. Don't forget to let me know in the comments how your vegan pancakes turned out!"

This description includes a brief introduction to the video topic, highlights the key benefits of the recipe, and encourages viewer engagement with a call to action at the end. 

It also includes relevant keywords such as "vegan pancakes", "fluffy vegan pancakes", "golden vegan pancakes", and "vegan pancake recipe" to improve search visibility.

4. Use Video Tags

Video tags help YouTube understand the content of your video and improve your search rankings. Include relevant tags that describe your video content and target keywords.

Some relevant video tags for vegan pancakes video could be:

• vegan pancakes
• plant-based pancakes
• pancake recipe
• vegan breakfast
• breakfast recipe
• easy vegan recipe
• healthy breakfast
• plant-based recipe
• vegan cooking

By including these tags in the video's metadata, you can increase the chances of your video showing up in search results when someone searches for those keywords. It's important to use tags that accurately explain the content of your video and are relevant to your target audience. 

Using too many irrelevant tags or "tag stuffing" can actually harm your search rankings, so it's best to focus on quality over quantity.

5. Increase Engagement

Engagement is a crucial metric for YouTube SEO. YouTube rewards videos with high engagement rates. The more likes, comments, and shares your videos get, the higher they'll rank in search results.

Encourage viewers to engage with your content by asking questions, responding to comments, and creating content that resonates with them.

For example, in a cooking video, you could ask viewers what their favorite ingredient to cook with is.

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6. Improve Audience Retention

Audience retention is the amount of time viewers spend watching your video. The higher your audience retention, the better your videos will rank in search results.

Create engaging content, use annotations and cards to direct viewers to related videos, and keep your videos short and to the point to improve retention.

7. Optimize Video Length

Video length is another important factor in audience retention. Consider your audience's attention span and the topic of your video when deciding on the optimal video length. Generally, shorter videos perform better than longer ones.

For example, a tutorial or how-to video may need to be longer to cover all the necessary information, while a promotional video should be shorter to keep viewers' attention.

8. Experiment with Video Formats

Experiment with different video formats to keep your content fresh and interesting, which can help attract and retain viewers. Tutorials, product reviews, interviews, and vlogs are all popular formats on YouTube. 

Choose the format that works best for your content and audience.

9. Use YouTube Analytics

YouTube Analytics provides valuable insights into your channel performance, including your video views, engagement, and audience demographics. Use this data to optimize your content and improve your YouTube SEO.

10. Promote Your Videos

Promoting your videos on social media and other channels can help you reach a wider audience and improve your YouTube SEO. 

Consider running YouTube ads or collaborating with other YouTubers to reach new viewers.

In conclusion, mastering YouTube SEO is essential for growing your channel and increasing your video views. By implementing these 10 best YouTube SEO tactics, you can improve your video ranking, attract more viewers, and build a loyal audience around your channel. 

Start with these strategies and continue to experiment and optimize your content for even better results!