According to Alexa and SimilarWeb, YouTube is arguably the second largest search engine and third most visited website. Google recently announced that there has been a significant increase in users who are utilizing Youtube as a search engine. In fact, “how to” related searches have been increasing each year on YouTube by 70%.
Included by both Google Web and Video Search, YouTube continues to grow in popularity.
In 2014, Google only displayed video rich snippets for YouTube and made a pretty significant update to Google Trends which includes YouTube trending topics in the tool. What does this mean? This means that YouTube traffic is so significant that Google needs to incorporate it to better display trending topics and stories.
Creating a Presence on YouTube
Once you come up with a strategy for YouTube, it’s time to optimize!
1. Branding & Channel Name
Make sure that your channel name icon and banner are fully optimized. Avoid pixelation by using a high-quality banner. You must meet the qualifications below to claim a vanity URL:
- 500 + subscribers
- Channel is 30 days old
- Channel has uploaded channel art
- Photo has been uploaded for the channel art
2. Channel Keywords & Targeted Country
Your channel can rank higher in YouTube search if you select relevant keywords. Make use of the Google Adwords Planner for accurate search volume data.
3. Channel Description & Links
A major component of YouTube optimization is placing branded and keyword-targeted content into the description of your channel. Also, include links to your website as well as social profiles.