How To Add Keywords to a YouTube Video

Do you know how YouTube ranks videos? While it’s fairly common knowledge that learning how to add keywords to a piece of written content can boost SEO, many creators don’t realize that optimizing video content to rank higher in search results on YouTube and Google is possible. You can get more views and subscribers to your channel by learning how to add keywords to a YouTube video. Get tips for researching and using keywords on YouTube, and learn how to use search engine optimization (SEO) for video content keywords.

Learn 6 Ways To Add Keywords to a YouTube Video

Organic SEO for websites can be challenging, but it is relatively easy for creators on YouTube to do basic keyword research and put the findings to good use. If you do not know what keywords are, learning more about how search engines work can be helpful.

There are several ways to pick keywords when optimizing videos. Start by checking out the suggestions based on real searches that appear as you type in the search field on YouTube. You can also use an SEO keyword research tool (we use SEMRush) or a YouTube keyword generator. Once you know which keywords you want to use, follow the following six ways to add keywords to your video.

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1. Rename the Video File as a Keyword

Start the process of adding keywords to a video with the file name. As you prepare to upload and post a video to your channel, change the name of the video file to the top keyword for which you want the video to rank. If you want to add keywords to videos you have previously posted, you should review some of the following steps.

2. Use a Keyword in the Video Title

Video titles are the most visible location for adding keywords on YouTube. The title of a video should be 60 characters or less and relevant to the content. Depending on the length of a keyword, a title can include the keyword in a natural phrase or just consist of the keyword.

3. Add Keywords to the Video Description

The description is one of the best places to add multiple keywords to a YouTube video. A description has a 1,000-character limit, and the user interface displays the first two or three lines or about 100 characters. Viewers will have to expand the description to read more, but the entire description can provide SEO benefits.

Most experts recommend using keywords within the first 25 words, increasing the likelihood that it will be visable without having to expand the description. In a 250-word description, you can use a keyword between two and four times. More frequent usage could raise the risk of YouTube flagging content for spamming. Optimized video descriptions can increase the likelihood of a video appearing in the suggested sidebar for related content.

4. Use Keywords as Video Tags

Tags are one of the most effective ways to add keywords to a YouTube video. The first tag should be the target keyword for which you want a video to rank in YouTube or Google video search results. You can add several more tags with variations on a keyword or other relevant topics.

One of the most effective YouTube SEO strategies is to use the same tags as your competitors. Third-party resources, such as YTube Tool, make it easy to extract tags from videos. Adding too many tags or using unrelated tags could lead to penalties for spamming.

5. Say Keywords in the Video and Add Subtitles or Closed Captions

One of the most effective ways to add keywords to a YouTube video is actually to say these words in the video. A video transcript will also include these keywords. You can provide subtitles or closed captions by creating a SubRip Subtitle or SRT file, uploading a supported text transcript or making a timed subtitles file.

In the Video Manager, go to “Videos” and use the drop-down arrow next to the edit button to access “Subtitles/CC” and select an option to add a transcript. The YouTube algorithm will recognize that keywords in a video’s title, description or tags match the content.

6. Include Keywords in Channel Info

Adding keywords to the basic information about your channel is another way to optimize your videos. YouTube recently replaced the About section for every channel with an expandable description in the header.

Using keywords in your channel info can reinforce the keywords you add to videos and help raise your content’s ranking in search results on YouTube and Google. Any keywords you use to describe your channel should reflect the purpose of your channel and apply to some or most of your videos.

Tips for Using Keywords in YouTube Videos

Once you know how to add keywords to a YouTube video, you are ready to optimize your videos for youtube content marketing. Here are a few tips for effective keyword research to get videos to rank higher in YouTube and Google video search results.

Do YouTube Keyword Research

A dedicated tool can provide specific data about keywords and tags on YouTube. Some of the most popular resources include TubeBuddy, VidIQ and YouTube Analytics in Studio Content Manager. In general, creators with smaller subscriber bases should try to rank for low-competition keywords with fewer search results and monthly searches.

Identify Video Keywords for Google Search Results

Video keywords automatically include videos on the first page of results in Google Search. Videos on Google tend to get more views than videos that only appear in YouTube search results. You can identify video keywords by checking Google search results while doing YouTube keyword research.

How To Add Keywords to a YouTube Video for SEO

You can add keywords to a YouTube video when you post new content or optimize existing videos on your channel. A well-planned organic SEO strategy can increase the visibility of your videos. BKA Content specializes in keyword research and can identify ways to attract more viewers and subscribers. Get in touch with us to find out how our organic SEO packages can benefit your YouTube videos and online presence as a whole.

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