From Startup to Stardom with YouTube SEO Basics

The 12-step YouTube SEO Guide for Beginners Who Want More Views

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

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The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.

Well, let’s change that!

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.

Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors

Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?

Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.

Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.

Step 1: Find Related Videos

Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.

Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:

While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!

Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.

Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:

- To be entertained

- To learn something new

- To be inspired

A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.

So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .

Step 2: Find Keywords

Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.

Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:

Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.

This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.

Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.

How to Read Keyword Suggestions

Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:

- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.

- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.

- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.

The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.

In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!

Step 3: Write Title

I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.

A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.

Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs

But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.

Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…

Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.

Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.

So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?

Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.

You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.

See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?

Step 4: Write Description

You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.

This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.

But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.

Step 5: Write Tags

Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.

Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.

Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.

Organize your keywords in the tag as such:

Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:

Specific: How to make scrambled eggs

General: Scrambled eggs

Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs

Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible

It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.

Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.

Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook

The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .

What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.

Step 7: Film B-Roll

One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.

In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.

While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.

So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.

Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video

Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.

While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.

The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.

For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”

Who knows, who will respond.

Step 9: Design a Thumbnail

You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.

Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.

Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.

Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?

You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.

Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .

Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization

Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.

Come on, keep going!

Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets

The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.

Step 11: Add Transcripts

In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.

While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.

You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.

Step 12: Add Video to Playlist

Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.

When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.

So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.

I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!

If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.

Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.

Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

The Pathway to Creating High-Quality YouTube Ads on a Dime

How to Create Video Ads for Free in YouTube Video Builder

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Many people find it challenging to create compelling video advertisements for their brand promotions. While some of the creative tools might be expensive, the easy ones have a steep learning curve, and engaging a professional designer wouldn’t be something you might be ready for. YouTube Video Builder is a great solution for any such situation.

With that being said, the following sections talk about what YouTube Video Builder is, how is it useful, what advantages does it offer, and how can you create professional video adverts using the tool.

• Part 1: What Is YouTube Video Builder?
• Part 2: How Does YouTube Video Builder Work?
• Part 3: How to Get YouTube Video Builder?
• Part 4: How to Make Video Ads for Free with YouTube Video Builder?
• Part 5: Tips for Making Good Video Ads with YouTube Video Builder

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Part 1: What Is YouTube Video Builder?

YouTube recently came up with an online tool, YouTube Video Builder, that, as the name suggests, enables you as an organization to prepare videos for free. These videos could be anywhere from 6 to 15 seconds long and are most appropriate for advertisements. Once created, the films can be used in the campaigns to promote your brand and/or products online.

However, you must keep the following few things handy before starting with YouTube Video Builder to prepare a video advertisement:

• Logo

You must have a good-quality photo of your brand logo that you want to add to the video as a watermark. This gives your organization online recognition.

• HD Images

At the time of this writing, YouTube Video Builder only allows you to add still images. The tool compiles these photos using a theme that you select, and enables you to add background music to make the advert more engaging. Therefore, it is imperative to have high-definition images of your product(s) that you want to create a promotional video for.

• Google Chrome Browser

You must have the latest version of the Google Chrome web browser installed on your computer.

• YouTube Channel

Because YouTube Video Builder will publish your video advertisements on YouTube itself, you must have your own YouTube Channel created , configured, and properly functioning so the posting process remains smooth and seamless.

• Availability of the Tool and Features

YouTube Video Builder is still in the Beta phase, and therefore you may not have access to all the features that the tool has to offer. However, this majorly depends on the region of your residence. As of now, the utility is not even available in some countries of the world.

Part 2: How Does YouTube Video Builder Work?

As explained earlier, YouTube Video Builder is an online tool that works on the latest version of the Google Chrome browser. The web interface of the utility has separate blocks (or placeholders if you want to call them) for different types of images. For instance, there is a placeholder for your logo, and a couple of other blank slots where you can import the photos from your computer.

There are some text input fields that you can populate with the relevant information such as the name of the video, the product’s name that you wish to promote, and many other things. There is a storyboard at the bottom of the interface that helps give your video a theme and the alignment of the ingredients that you have imported from your computer.

Finally, you can add background music to the video from the royalty-free tracks that can be accessed from the built-in library, and you are all set to go.

Part 3: How Can I Get YouTube Video Builder?

Because YouTube Video Builder is in its Beta phase, at the time of this writing you are required to send an access request to Google using your account that you want to use to create the videos from. You can send your requests to: https://services.google.com/fb/forms/videobuilderbeta/ .

Once your request is approved, you can then use the same Google account to sign in to the YouTube Video Builder portal, and start preparing your video advertisements. Here, it is important to understand that the Google account that you use to send an access request and prepare the videos must be the same ID that has your active and functional YouTube Channel.

Part 4: How to Make Video Ads for Free with YouTube Video Builder?

Once you have access to the Beta version of YouTube Video Builder, you can start creating the video ads for free. You can learn the process of how this can be done by following the simple instructions given below:

Step 1: Prepare a Console

After signing in to your YouTube Video Builder account, on the main interface, click Select Layout from the navigation bar at the right if not already selected, pick a layout that best suits your needs, and click Use Layout.

Next, from the Color & Logo section, choose the base (background) and text colors using their corresponding tools from under the Brand colors section.

After this, insert an image of your brand logo in the block under the Logos category.

Step 2: Add the Ingredients

When you are on the Images & Text section of the navigation bar, pick the high-definition photos from the Storyboard at the bottom, and add them to the Image 1, Image 2, and Image 3 boxes accordingly.

Now, scroll down to the Text section, and add the relevant content in the available text input fields. Make sure to add a compelling Call to action text to give the viewers a free passage to connect with you.

Step 3: Make Cosmetic Manipulations

From the Pick a Font section of the navigation bar, click the Google Fonts catalog link to search for a unique font, and once found, type its name in the available field to use that font.

Alternatively, you can leave the default one selected. When on the Select Music section, choose your preferred background music from the drop-down list that is present under the section.

Finally, click Create video, and wait while YouTube Video Builder takes you to the Preview, Save, Share section, and generates your video.

Step 4: Save the Video and Begin Promotion

After the video is generated, play to preview the film. If everything looks good, click Save video.

On the next page, click Copy to copy the video link, and share it with your friends, colleagues, and family members for their feedback.

Next, scroll down to get to the Create Campaign section of the navigation bar, and from the left screen, click Create campaign to begin a campaign to promote your brand and/or product(s).

Part 5: Tips for Making Good Video Ads with YouTube Video Builder

The whole point here is to prepare your video adverts with the least investment and almost no effort. The following few tips would help you achieve this with ease:

• Make sure to gather all the ingredients such as the photos of the products, brand logo, etc. before starting with the video creation process
• Set a layout, font, theme color, and background music that compliments the product(s) you wish to promote
• Remain consistent with the theme color, fonts, etc. throughout the video
• Make sure to include a catchy ‘Call for action’ text in your video ad
• Make as many modifications as you want before publishing the ad on your YouTube Channel. Avoid doing any amendments after the ad has been posted
• Share the link of your video with as many people as you possibly can to make your product(s) and brand visible and popular
• Make sure to use the ad in your campaigns to make people aware of your brand/product(s)

Conclusion

The bitter truth is, producing videos, especially for brand promotions requires expert creators, expensive tools, and a good amount of work experience. Although all these can be managed if you have some spare funds, YouTube Video Builder helps you create advertising videos of up to 15 seconds with ease and for free. All you need is access to YouTube Video Builder, your own YouTube Channel, your brand logo, and high-definition photos of your product(s).

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett