Video Optimization

1. Metadata helps Youtube understand YOUTUBE Example video upload Description Video Optimization Hashtags Translations Subtitles & closed captions 1

2. VIDEO SET-UP Overview chapter In this chapter you will learn more about how to set up your videos on Youtube. For the video setup it is important to – when uploading – always fill in a catchy title and description that triggers viewers to click on your video, to make sure you use tags for your video, to use custom thumbnails that are recognizable for your brand and stands out between the rest and at least: to utilize different options YouTube offers to boost engagement such as I-Cards, Community tab, YouTube Stories and channel comments. 2

3. METADATA HELPS YOUTUBE UNDERSTAND What is important in the metadata? Metadata refers to information about the video. This includes: Title Description Hashtags Tags Category Thumbnail Subtitles Closed captions ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● The reason we have metadata is so that you can add additional contextual information to your videos to help them be discovered by the correct audience. 3

4. 1. Video title 2. Video description 3. Add I-Cards 4. Add an End screen 01 02 03 04 4

5. 01 02 03 1. Custom thumbnail 2. Video tags 3. Add video to playlists 5

6. TIPS VIDEOS ARE RANKED BASED ON A VARIETY OF FACTORS INCLUDING HOW WELL THE TITLE, DESCRIPTION, AND VIDEO CONTENT MATCH THE VIEWERS QUERY

7. TIPS Things you need to know Keep titles concise (100 characters) with the most important information up front. ● Save episode numbers and branding towards the end. ● Check that your titles don’t get cut-off in suggested videos, search results, and mobile. ● 7

8. DESCRIPTIONS Important in your description Descriptions can convey valuable information that helps viewers find your videos in search results and understand what they’ll be watching. Well-written descriptions with the right keywords can boost views and watch time because they help your video show up in search results. 8

9. DESCRIPTIONS (EXAMPLE: Zabrena) A clear overview is key This is an example of how to set-up your description. This channel makes use of an introduction, components that are talked about in the content are mentioned and links are used. ● 9

10. CREATE SEARCHABLE DESCRIPTIONS Find relevant keywords Give an overview of your video using natural language — not just a stream of keywords. ● Place the most important keywords toward the beginning of your description. ● Identify 1-2 main words that describe your video and feature them prominently in both your description and title. ● Use Google Trends and YouTube search to identify popular keywords and their synonyms. Including these terms can help you maximize traffic from search. (see chapter #4 for more information about keywords) ● 10

11. TIPS Things you need to know See what words people use to find your channel in Traffic Sources in YouTube Analytics. Consider incorporating the most relevant search terms for each of your new videos. You can add them as titles and descriptions -- as long as they’re accurate (and not excessive). ● Write relevant descriptions up to 1-2 paragraphs long. ● Consider implementing YouTube’s Translation tools to reach an international audience. ● Brainstorm new video ideas by looking at search results for popular and less competitive queries. Identify opportunities to serve an audience that isn’t already well-served. ● 11

12. SEE IN ACTION (EXAMPLE) When searching for “Morning yoga” 12

13. DESCRIPTION LAYOUT What is important? You can think about the description as two parts -- what viewers see before they click “Show more” and what they see after. ● Consider prioritizing the first few lines of your description to describe your video because it’s what viewers will see first. ● You can add other key information about your channel, metadata, and even links to social networks or your website below that so that viewers can learn more. ● 13

14. DESCRIPTION LAYOUT (EXAMPLE) How to setup a proper YouTube video description Video description (above the fold) It is important to provide the first 2 lines with as many keywords as possible and use the third line for a subscriber link. ● Playlist description The 2nd paragraph is for the description of the format, of course with as many keywords as possible. This is the same description for every video within this format. ● Channel description / info The last part of the description is for information about the channel and all relevant links. This is the same for every video on the channel. ● 14

15. TIPS How to upgrade your video description The description field can only display text, but it doesn’t have to be a boring experience. ● You can add interactive features that could help increase views, drive sales, and grow your subscriber base. ● Possible actions you can take: ○ Use time stamps to help viewers skip to important parts of longer videos. ○ Link to playlists of related videos. ○ Don’t forget to put the http:// prefix in front of all web addresses to make them clickable. ● 15

16. #HASHTAGS Why to use them You can use related hashtags (#) to help viewers find your video when they search for a specific hashtag. ● When you upload a video, you can enter hashtags (#hashtag #example) in your video’s title or description. ● Ensure that you only use hashtags related to your video. ● There is a maximum of 3 hashtags that can show up on your video. ● 16

17. TRANSLATIONS Giving both your audience and the algorithm context It is possible to translate the title and description of videos. ● For example, if this information is translated into Spanish, someone from Spain will see the video in his/her own language. ● All text that is added through translations is used by YouTube as keywords for the video. ● This makes videos easier to find for viewers abroad and viewers who speak poor English will also click on a video faster. ● 17

18. SUBTITLES & CLOSED CAPTIONS And its relevance Subtitles and closed captions open up your content to a larger audience, including deaf or hard of hearing viewers or those who speak languages besides the one spoken in your video. ● By uploading the subtitle file on YouTube, all these words will be indexed by YouTube’s algorithm and used as extra keywords for your video. ● Next to this, it also helps YouTube to understand what your video is about and therefore, recommend it to the right audience. ● 18

19. WHAT ARE TAGS? And why to use them The most important keywords through which your video is found! ● Tags are relevant for the channel and video. ● Only use relevant tags, maximum 500 characters! ● Tags can also consist of several words (long tail keywords) ● Long tail keywords often work better because they are more specific. This means there is less competition on the keyword. ● 19

20. Tags YOUTUBE IS THE SECOND LARGEST SEARCH ENGINE IN THE WORLD, SO OPTIMIZING KEYWORDS WITHIN YOUR VIDEOS IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS OPTIMIZING KEYWORDS FOR GOOGLE

21. BEST PRACTICES What keywords are best? Make your first tag your target keyword and order the rest by importance. YouTube heavily accounts for your video’s first few tags when ranking content in their search results, especially the first tag. ● Use some broad keywords that describe the overarching topic your video falls under as other tags. Using broad keywords as other tags helps YouTube understand your video’s context. ● Use some specific keywords that describe the topics you covered in your video as other tags. Using broad keywords as other tags helps YouTube understand your video’s context. ● 21

22. TIPS Things you need to know Update your tags often to follow viewers trends ● Match your title / description and tags ● Include misspellings! ● 22

23. Thumbnails THUMBNAILS AND TITLES ARE THE FIRST THING VIEWERS SEE WHEN BROWSING ON YOUTUBE. THEY WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM TO BUILD ENGAGEMENT WHILE ACCURATELY REPRESENTING WHAT’S IN YOUR VIDEO

24. THUMBNAILS Using custom thumbnails is important Thumbnails give viewers a snapshot of your video as they browse YouTube. ● Implementing a good and effective design for thumbnails on YouTube is essential for the success of your channel. ● That’s why 90% of the best-performing videos on YouTube have custom thumbnails. ● It not only gives your channel a face, but it also increases the Click Through Rate. ● Good performing thumbnails should get a CTR of at least 7-8%. ● 24

25. THUMBNAILS Using custom design It’s a good idea to think about your thumbnail even before you shoot your video so that you’ve got several options when you upload. ● Design mobile first, where the text on mobile (small) must be clear and legible. ● Look for a distinctive design, where you make it simple, recognizable, calm, clear, but striking. ● Use bright colors, which makes the thumbnail stand out among all other suggested videos. ● Create space for a short and readable text in the thumb. ● 25

26. CLOSE-UP THUMBNAILS WORK BEST Especially on mobile Close up pictures work best! ● Facial expressions attract attention. ● Give your thumbnail a title. ● 26

27. I-cards I-CARDS ARE PRE-FORMATTED NOTIFICATIONS THAT APPEAR ON DESKTOP AND MOBILE WHICH YOU CAN SET UP TO PROMOTE YOUR BRAND AND OTHER VIDEOS ON YOUR CHANNEL

28. I-CARDS Using purposes I-Cards are a perfect way to interact with the viewer and send them to a website. ● You can add five i-cards per video. The different options are: ● Link to other video ● Link to a playlist ● Link to an external website ● Links to videos, websites perform best, so always add these to your videos. ● 28

29. END SCREENS Why to use them End screens are a powerful tool which can help extend watch time on your channel by directing viewers to something next at the end of your videos. ● You can add them to the last 5-20 seconds of a video and they appear on both desktop and mobile. ● 29

30. END SCREENS How to setup end screens Use end screens to promote up to four different elements: ○ a video or playlist, ○ encourage viewers to subscribe ○ cross-promote another channel ○ link to approved websites. ● Consider leaving space at the end of your video for your end screen elements to sit. ● Card teasers and branding watermarks are suppressed during an end screen, so make sure you do not use both during an end screen. ● 30

31. END SCREENS Especially on mobile With end screens, viewers stay on the channel longer and are more likely to subscribe. ● The format that works best here is 2 videos and a subscribe button. ● Optionally a link can be added to a website. ● Caution! End screens can only be placed behind videos with a 16: 9 format. ● 31

32. Engagement IF YOU DON’T HAVE RESOURCES TO PRODUCE NEW VIDEOS, YOU CAN STILL INTERACT WITH YOUR FANS IN OTHER WAYS.

33. ENGAGEMENT POSSIBILITIES Aiming for high engagement rates Place the first comment on your videos ● Pin a comment with a question ● Respond to comments from viewers ● Stimulate shares and likes ● Community posts ● YouTube Stories ● 33

34. COMMUNITY TAB Interacting with your audiences The community tab is an additional tool to reach your audience on YouTube and increase engagement. ● In addition, this also provides additional commitment for the channel. ● Community posts are also shown to users who are not subscribed yet. ● The Community tab is only available to channels with more than 1.000 subscribers. ● 34

35. We have created a handy Upload Checklist which you can use when you will publish a new YouTube video.