YouTube SEO checklist: How to improve results with 13 tips
Over 500 hours of videos are uploaded on YouTube every minute. It’s a social media platform we love as well as a top search engine. So, ranking in YouTube video search results is key. We’ve assembled our 13 best tips in an easy-to-follow YouTube SEO checklist.
Use this SEO guide for every video you upload and watch the views roll in.
What is YouTube SEO
YouTube SEO (search engine optimization) is how you improve the visibility of your videos and channel. It gets your content seen. Creating stellar video content is only half the battle. Your videos must rank in YouTube search results to reach the right audience and get the views you deserve.
Many factors affect YouTube search optimization, including keywords, video engagement, visuals, tags, and captions. With the right SEO strategy, improve your search ranking, increase views, and grow your channel.
13 tips for your YouTube SEO checklist
Getting your videos in front of the right audience takes more than just hitting “upload”. Perfect your YouTube SEO strategy to make the algorithm work in your favour.
Here are our best 13 tips to increase your search rankings. Let’s dive in! 🌊
1. Conduct YouTube keyword research and plan content
Always start with YouTube keyword research. It’s how you see what words and phrases people search for on the platform. To rank in search results, find keywords related to your video and include them in your content.
To conduct keyword research:
- Use a YouTube keyword analysis tool. Paid YouTube SEO software like Semrush shows search volume, competitiveness, and data on trending keywords.
- Check your YouTube Analytics research report. Search for a term and see related keywords your viewers also searched for, keyword competitiveness, and find content gaps. Your YouTube Search Report also shows keywords that brought views to your content.
- Use YouTube’s autocomplete feature, which suggests popular keywords as you type in the search bar.
- Review your competitors’ video content to see what keywords they use.
Aim to create a list of YouTube video keywords related to your channel. Assign a level of intent to each (based on the customer buying journey) and group related words and phrases.
As you work, certain keywords should jump out as potential video topics. These become target keywords. Each YouTube video should have one (and only one) target keyword, which is included in all visual and text elements (more on that below). Related phrases can be included in descriptions and tagging to add context.
Use keywords with different search volumes, competitiveness, and intent to see what works on your channel. And don’t sleep on longtail keywords—longer and very specific phrases that drive traffic.
Having a list of potential keyword targets helps you plan content in an SEO-focused way.
2. Use your target keyword in your video’s file name
Next, a simple item to cross off your YouTube SEO checklist. Before uploading your video to YouTube, change its file name to include your target keyword.
Don’t upload files with names like “companyname-YTvideo-final.mov”. Instead, use your target keyword. For example, name a how-to at-home leg workout video “how-to-leg-workout-at-home.mov”.
This tells YouTube what the video is about and helps with ranking. The file name is also crawlable by Google, helping it rank in Search results.
Note: Do this when uploading new content. Skip this step when optimizing existing content on your channel. Don’t delete and re-upload a video just to change the file name.
3. Optimize your YouTube video title and description with keywords
Include your target keyword near the beginning of your video’s title and description.
Your title is the first thing people see in search results, so you want to tell users (and YouTube) what the video is about. For example, this video does a great job of including its target phrase in its title:
Make your title short, but descriptive. Aim for 50-60 characters so nothing is cut off in search results.
Also, include your target keyword in the first few lines of your video’s description. Descriptions can be up to 5,000 characters, but only 120 characters are shown in search results. So, have important information upfront to encourage clicks.
Use your target term evenly throughout your video’s description and include related keywords. This tells search engines what the video is about, helping it rank. Your description is also a great place for hashtags.
Important - avoid keyword stuffing. Including too many keywords or using them where they don’t make sense confuses. Your description has to sound appealing to your audience, plus YouTube and Google penalize videos that overuse keywords.
4. Tag your video with keywords
Next on your YouTube SEO checklist, add keywords to video tags. Do this for new videos and existing channel content.
Tag each video with its target phrase and related keywords. Include general, high-volume words and phrases related to the video’s topic, plus specific longtail keywords. Using some keywords related to your overall channel is also a smart move.
Add as many tags as you’d like within the 400-character limit, but don’t abuse this feature. Use tags to show YouTube what your video is about. Don’t stuff your video with unrelated or too many tags to get more views, it’ll do more harm than good.
(Note: Google has a step-by-step guide for adding YouTube video tags.)
5. Select a video category & allow free promo opportunities
When uploading, categorize your video. This may not directly influence YouTube SEO, but it can help with the algorithm. If your video performs well in its category, YouTube is more likely to recommend it in search results and feeds.
There’s a list of categories to choose from in the Details section, so pick what applies best.
Another top YouTube search optimization tip - select the following in the video Details section (basically allowing free promo):
- Check “allow embedding”, so people can embed your video on their website.
- Check “publish to subscriptions feed and notify subscribers”, so your audience knows when you create a new video.
- Check “allow people to sample content”, so users can create shorts of your video.
6. Upload a unique thumbnail image
Social media users love a nice visual and YouTube video thumbnails have a major impact on clicks. YouTube prioritizes videos with high engagement, so a custom thumbnail that increases CTR helps your video rank.
Don’t let YouTube autogenerate a thumbnail image for your video. Add a custom one. Create an engaging image related to the video and add text that includes your target keyphrase. Users are likely to click on images with their search terms.
(Note: YouTube Help has some great tips for video thumbnails.)
7. Add video captions and subtitles
Next on our YouTube SEO checklist are captions and subtitles. According to Amberscript, adding these can increase video views by up to 80%. It also makes content more accessible and is a YouTube SEO best practice.
Captions are word-for-word text of video audio that appears on-screen. They make content more inclusive for hearing-impaired users and come in handy for viewers who choose to watch videos without sound.
Subtitle text shows audio in other languages, so a wider audience can enjoy your content.
Captions and subtitles also boost SEO, since search engines can index more of your content. YouTube has auto caption and subtitle translation features, or you can upload your own files (which we recommend—accurate transcripts increase watch time).
8. Include Video Chapters (timestamps)
YouTube Video Chapters or timestamps break your content into clickable sections, so viewers can quickly find specific info. Adding Chapters to your video and its description improves user experience and engagement. Plus, there are SEO benefits.
Use Chapters to include top YouTube keywords related to your target phrase. This helps the algorithm understand your content and improve its chance of ranking for extra search terms.
Chapter phrases can also appear in Google search results, so users can jump to the exact part of your video that answers their question.
9. Encourage engagement with CTAs, video cards, end screens and playlists
Your YouTube SEO checklist should also include using CTAs, video cards, end screens, and playlists to increase engagement.
Add a call to action in your video’s description, on screen, in pinned comments, and/or verbally at the end of your video. Encourage viewers to like, comment, subscribe, and watch more of your content.
Cards are interactive pop-ups that appear throughout a video and direct viewers to related videos, channels, links, etc. End screens appear at the end of videos to promote your other content, channel subscription, or external links. Playlists group similar videos and encourage users to binge-watch on your channel.
Increase watch time and engagement with these tips to show YouTube your content should be more visible in search results and suggested videos.
10. Promote and link videos
Another YouTube SEO tip—extend your videos’ reach by sharing them beyond the platform. Share videos on social media, ads, blog posts, email newsletters, and community groups.
This engages your audience across platforms and shows YouTube your content is valuable. The more external views and interactions your video gets, the better it can rank in search results.
11. Analyze and further optimize with YouTube Analytics
YouTube Analytics shows your video performance, helping you refine your strategy and improve SEO. Key metrics to track include:
- Watch time to see how long people watch your videos.
- Audience retention to see what percentage of your videos people watch and where viewers stay engaged or drop off.
- Traffic sources to see if viewers find your videos through YouTube search, suggested videos, their YouTube homepage, your channel page, or external sources. Click further into the YouTube Search Report to see YouTube keyword analytics, showing keywords that brought views to your content.
- Click-through rates (CTR) to see if your thumbnail, title, and description get clicks or if changes could improve performance.
Use this info to optimize future and existing content. If your videos rank but get few clicks, rework titles, descriptions or thumbnails to increase CTR. Review keywords to see what ones to use more often or find opportunities for new content. Use watch time and audience retention to experiment with video length and layout.
YouTube’s algorithm favours videos with strong performance. Look at Analytics regularly to optimize your content for search and grow your channel.
12. Update old content
Updating old content should also be in your YouTube SEO checklist. Use Analytics data to see how old videos perform and find opportunities to change titles, descriptions, tags, timestamps, CTAs, etc. to improve results.
Regularly revisit content on your channel to keep it relevant, maintain ranking potential, and drive new traffic.
Note: You can only cut or edit a video on YouTube once. So, use other features on our list to improve performance before editing the actual video.
13. Add YouTube channel keywords
In addition to individual video factors, YouTube’s algorithm analyzes the overall theme of each channel to suggest videos in search results. Tell YouTube about your channel with keywords.
YouTube channel keywords are words and phrases that describe your channel. They’re great for SEO. Adding keywords at the channel level helps your videos rank in search and appear as suggested videos.
These can be added through your YouTude Studio account settings. Follow this path: Dashboard > Channel > Basic info, and then scroll to the keywords section.
Conduct keyword research to find the right words and phrases for your channel. Include 5 to 10 channel keywords and use a mix of broad and longtail terms.
For more tips, Semrush has a great guide to YouTube channel keywords.
YouTube SEO FAQ
In case you still have questions about creating your own YouTube SEO checklist, here are some related FAQs.
How to do keyword research for YouTube
There are many ways to conduct keyword research for YouTube:
- Use a YouTube keyword planner like Semrush.
- Check your channel’s Analytics research report and YouTube Search Report.
- Use YouTube’s autocomplete feature.
- Review your competitors’ video content.
The best YouTube SEO tools
Premium YouTube SEO services like Semrush are great. But free SEO tools for YouTube can also provide valuable insight. Find keyword opportunities specific to your channel and audience with YouTube Analytics. YouTube’s autocomplete feature also acts as a free keyword finder for YouTube.
How to add keywords to YouTube videos
Add keywords for YouTube video SEO by including them in its title, description, tags, file name, transcript (for captions and subtitles), and Chapters.
How to block keywords on YouTube
To block keywords from appearing in video comments, follow this path: YouTube Studio > Settings > Community > Automated Filters and then add the words you want to block in the “Blocked Words” section.
You can also select “Block links” to prevent comments that include links to other sites or videos.
Do YouTube links help SEO?
Links to your YouTube videos on social media, websites, and blogs do help with SEO. This external traffic increases engagement and watch time, and shows YouTube your content is valuable. Backlinks from high-authority sites especially boost your YouTube SEO score.
High-performing videos seen as credible by YouTube’s algorithm are more likely to rank in search results and as suggested videos.
Does embedding YouTube videos help SEO?
Yes, embedding YouTube videos on your blog or website helps with SEO. This gives your video more views and drives traffic to your channel. Increased watch time and engagement show YouTube your content is valuable, so it’s more likely to rank.
Plus, there’s a bonus. Embedded videos on your website can increase time on page, which positively impacts your website’s SEO.
SEO for YouTube final thoughts
Our final SEO tip for YouTube - SEO is an ongoing process, not a one-time task. Use this YouTube SEO checklist to build a foundation for channel growth, but also regularly review performance to find opportunities to improve.
Manage all your clients with one social media scheduler. Every HeyOrca plan comes with unlimited users. So you can build communities and client trust – without being penalized for growing your team. Sign up for a personalized tour of HeyOrca for free (and enjoy special agency pricing and perks when you subscribe).
Every member of your team deserves a seat at the table. That's why every HeyOrca plan comes with unlimited users. Choose the social media scheduler that helps you create, collaborate, and build community – without worrying about extra fees. Start your free trial.
Looking for the best social media scheduler? Hi, we're HeyOrca: the all-in-one social media scheduler that comes with unlimited users. Start a free trial today. No card required.
You found it: the best social media scheduler for teams and agencies. Every HeyOrca plan comes with unlimited users. So you can create content, build communities, and report on your success. All without sharing passwords or paying extra for per-user pricing. Try HeyOrca for free today.
