So you did all the hard work creating that video and uploaded it on YouTube thinking that it would result in wonders. But alas, you didn’t expect this!! Your video has managed a meagre 100 views in 3 months time. That’s awful! What went wrong? Why so less views? Where did you slip? Well, these and perhaps several questions could boggle your mind and you are in desperate need of answers!!
The above case is nothing new. It happens with most of us where we think we have done enough and it’s time to relax. Generally applicable to those who do not understand the basics and importance of video optimization. Yes, optimization is the answer here to most of the problems we face online. Just like Search Engine Optimization, Video Optimization too is the key to your visibility online. It is what eventually makes your video stand out in terms of reach and engagement.
Let’s delve deeper into video optimization and unfold the very basics of the same. As YouTube is the most popular video platform currently on the web today, our focus should be on the same and here we go! 
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What is Video Optimization?
As explained above, Video Optimization is a technique to make your videos more visible on platforms like YouTube. Just like Search Engine Optimization, Video Optimization too can help you improve the ranking of your videos if done in a right manner. Keywords here also play the same role as they play in search engine optimization. In fact, Search Engine Optimization and Video Optimization have most of the things in common as far as optimization in concerned. But one most important thing to note here is that the keyword research for Video Optimization is done in a completely different manner than the same for Search Engine Optimization. Also, search for videos on YouTube and Google yield completely different results.
Why Video Optimization?
Well, read some of the stats below and decide yourself.
- 55% of people watch videos online every day.
- 52% of marketers believe that video is effective for brand awareness.
- Almost 50% of internet users look for videos related to a product or service before visiting a store.
- Online shoppers who view demo videos are 1.81x more likely to purchase than non-viewers.
- 48% of marketers plan to add YouTube to their content strategy.
- 8 out of 10, 18-to-49-year-olds watch YouTube in an average month.
- 52% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI.
- Marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users.
Do I need to explain more?? Videos are vital…That’s it!
Video Optimization Tips for YouTube Marketer
Now you have understood the importance of video optimization, its time now to get real and start optimizing your videos. Below are some of the most basic tips to optimize your videos for best results on video platforms like YouTube:
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- Put the keyword in your video title – This is the most basic thing you must do as a video optimizer. If you are not sure about what keywords should you target in your videos, you can use YouTube video keyword research tools like keywordtool.io/youtube or keywordtooldominator.com/k/youtube-keyword-tool
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- Add your keyword in the video description – Yes, you must optimize your video description by including relevant keywords in the same. The same keyword used in video title must be used in the video description.
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- Add your keyword in video tags – Tagging has always been a part of optimization process. You must optimize your video tags by including relevant keywords as you did in video title and description.
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- Description must contain min. 200 words – More the better. That is the content mantra today. Gone are the days when 2-3 lines of text would seem enough. If you are really serious about seeing your video rank well then you must make sure you have at least 200 words of textual description added for the same.
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- First 125 characters in description are vital – Yes, focus on first 25 characters in the video description. You should make sure that you have your keyword strategically placed here.
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- Put Custom thumbnail – While thumbnails are automatically generated from the video, you must still try to add your own customized thumbnail for better engagement. It should be catchy and professional.
- Add transcript for the video – Transcript may not necessarily help with video optimization but is still not a bad idea to write and upload it for the video you want to optimize. Here’s some tips to create transcript for your YouTube video https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734799?hl=en
Well, here you go. The most basic video optimization tips for any YouTube marketer. Work on the above tips and see your video soar in rankings like never before!
But this is definitely not the end of video optimization process. There are several other video ranking factors which one must know to get videos rank on top. We will see it in detail here. Before moving further, let me tell you that only awesome video rank on YouTube. And any awesome video on YouTube is measured by certain metrics as listed below. These metrics can be analyzed in YouTube Analytics.
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● Watch Time
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● Audience Retention
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● Session Time
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● Engagement
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● CTR
Watch Time or Total Watch Time
It is the amount of watch time minutes that your video accrues. For any video to be awesome to rank on top, it is required that people spend longer time to watch the same. And how to make people watch videos for longer time?
Make longer videos. Yes, longer videos are the answer to your problem. If you search for videos on YouTube, you can easily find that most top ranking videos are longer videos. Average length of top ranking video is between 15 – 40 minutes. So, you should make sure that your videos play for the same duration at least.
Audience Retention
It is another metric to judge the quality of your video. Retention refers to the amount of video (in %) people watch. 
How to improve audience retention?
First 15 seconds…this is where you can make it or break it. If your video can hook any audience in first 15 seconds, you are sure to win the race. As a video maker or creator, you should put special emphasis on first 15 seconds of your video. Even YouTube recommends the same.
You must check out for peaks and valleys in your video. It can be accessed from the audience retention report in the YouTube analytics.
Anything which makes your audience leave the video should be properly checked and eliminated. Contrary to the same, double down on what really works for you.
Session Watch Time
A very essential metric that often gets unnoticed. How often have you been hooked to YouTube after watching any single video? And for how long? Session watch time deals with the same concept where YouTube rewards videos which make people stick to its platform. Longer the people stay on YouTube after watching your video, higher is the chance of your video making it to the top.
To improve the session watch time, you should consider creating playlists for your videos. Also, you should add a link to any of your videos or your channel in the end screen. It is sure to make a huge difference.
User Engagement
Needless to say, YouTube is also a social network where engagement matters a lot. You should make every effort to increase likes, shares, comments and subscribers for your videos. You can start it by requesting people to leave comments on your videos. Once commented, you should also make a habit of replying to those comments.
Make sure you are ending your videos with a proper Call-to-Action (CTA). A clear CTA should definitely increase engagement on your videos.
CTR (Click Through Rate)
Are your videos getting enough clicks on the platform? If yes, then you are doing a great job. Videos receiving a lot of clicks in video search can boost rankings.
In order to improve click through rate, you should always write a compelling title for your videos. The same goes for video description. Make it all stand out. Last but not the least, add an eye catchy thumbnail for your video. It should definitely improve the CTR.
Well, enough for now. The above tips and tricks should surely help you to achieve your video goals easily on platforms like YouTube. As a YouTube marketer, you should definitely make the most of it. Please feel free to leave your comments if any.
About The Author
Author Bio: The above content has been penned down by Aswani. Aswani is an avid blogger and social media freak. He is the admin, owner of One Stop Blog where he has been blogging since 2008. His blog specializes in technology, mobile apps, software, business updates, etc..
Thank you for sharing this very useful information!