How to Rank YouTube Videos High in 2021

Last Updated on 2 years by Francesca Egay

You don’t have to be an SEO professional to get your videos to the top. But the surprising thing is that the number of YouTube channels that earn over USD 10,000 per year grow 50% yearly.

You can easily optimize your videos for higher rankings yourself by spending zero dollars and finally become one of those who quit their 9:5 day jobs to earn money online.

Let’s walk through the simple 7 step process to get your channel the attention it deserves.

First, let’s start with the basics.

YouTube is just one of the typical search engines. When a user types in a specific question or request, the algorithm automatically displays search results according to the query. Similar to Google SERP (Search Engine Result Pages), YouTube places Advertisements at the top, followed by the Organic results. Content relevancy and its quality, are those focus points for the algorithm to know what content to show first. That is why to rank higher on YouTube; you must play by its rules. And this is where SEO (Search Engine Optimization) comes into play!

If you’re beginning your YouTube journey or maybe you already have an established channel but want to boost its traffic, this article is the perfect fit for you!

So what are those precious seven tips you need to follow to rank high on YouTube in 2021?

1. Keywords, keywords, and keywords.

We cannot stress enough how important keywords are. Because the algorithm’s job is to match search results with the user’s query, those YouTubers who understand and follow this simple logic, win the whole game.

“It is much easier to create content that people are already searching for than to invent one from scratch.”

Why? Because users already have issues, they want to solve and are looking for the ready-to-use video to solve them.

But how to know what videos people are eager to watch? 

Here you have two options.

The first one is to invest in paid tools with a pool of proven data for you to use. If you want to find low competition keywords with high traffic and business potential, track your ranking progress, and find out what keywords your competitors have the most traffic for, Ahrefs or SEMrush may become your best friend. If all you want is the extended analytics of what keywords to use, you are welcome to use Keywords Everywhere or Keyword Tool.    

The second option that you have is to do the keyword research yourself. But it doesn’t mean it’s ineffective. How does it work?

The fastest and FREE way to figure out what people are looking for is to use the best source of trending topics – YouTube autocomplete. You might have noticed that an algorithm automatically suggests you a list of search terms to complete your query when you type something in a search bar. It is NOT a randomly generated list, but a precious asset you have for free to research what exactly users are searching for.

It doesn’t matter what option you will opt for, do it!

2. Optimize your Title

Now, as you’ve done your keyword research and have created an incredible video on a topic people are interested in, you have to help the YouTube algorithm realize how priceless it is.

This is when it’s time for title optimization to do its job!

Your video’s name plays a significant role in its ranking as it’s the perfect place for you to nicely organize your preplanned keywords into a Title. But the most important part with your video’s name is not only to use those relevant keywords but also to come up with a clickable phrase that will push people directly to your content. Tip: Stick to simpler word combinations so that users won’t have trouble digesting what meaning you want to convey.

If you’re eager to dive into this topic deeper, we recommend you check out a priceless blog post by EzRankings on How to Optimize your Videos for Better Ranking on Google Search.

3. Optimize your Description

YouTube shows the first 125 characters of your description, but don’t limit yourself to that.

Users tend to read video summary as well to decide which video is the most relevant for them. That is why it is a good idea to use your main keywords at the beginning of the summary, followed by brief information about the video and your channel overall.

The description is the most important place where you create connections with the audience as you can put useful links to things mentioned in the video and the affiliate links that can potentially bring you revenue.

TIPS for SEO-friendly descriptions:

• Include as many keywords as you can;
• Write in your unique style to engage with your audience;
• Don’t forget to include important URLs of your channel, other relevant videos, and your social media accounts to increase your brand awareness.

4. Don’t forget to add Tags

After mastering your Title and Description, it is important to add relevant tags to your video.

Here you can choose as many options and combinations of your keywords as you wish because this step is necessary for YouTube’s algorithm to distinguish one video from the other. Don’t worry; those Tags won’t be visible to your viewers.

Tips:

• Tags don’t have to super-specific;
• Use Chrome Extension for YouTube called Tube Buddy. This is a Keyword Rank Tracker that has a function of Tags search rankings for you to use;
• Use VidIQ app to research what Tags work well for your competitors. This way, your video could appear in the “Up Next” as you will be in the same niche.

5. Write a Killer Script

The average visitor on YouTube checks out 8.89 pages per day.

This means that your Title and Video description might spark interest in the audience, but boring and irrelevant content will force users to scroll to the next. That is why you have to work hard to create valuable content to decrease your videos’ bounce rate.

Having a prepared script doesn’t mean you would sound unnatural. It will work out vice versa as when you have a ready-to-use plan, the content you are sharing will sound more professional and will be more valuable for your audience.

Tips:

• Include a brief introduction at the beginning so that viewers would know what to expect from your piece of content;
• Don’t forget to include a short reminder about your channel for those who see it for the first time;
• Add the trigger to watch your video till the end by hinting at precious information you would provide them later.

6. Create an engaging Thumbnail

If you are one of those who think that as long as your content is good, Thumbnails are not important, it is the perfect time for you to change your mind!

Two main things grab users attention: the Video Title and the Thumbnail. These should be the two focus points when increasing your videos clickability. As humans, we tend to pay more attention to visuals as these are much easier to comprehend. That is why Thumbnails with visual details processed 60,000 times faster than text!

Of course, you can skip this step. In this case, YouTube will automatically generate a Thumbnail for you by choosing a random shot from your video. Why ignore such a valuable step that will boost your engagement and help you thrive online?

Tips:

• Use a free tool called Canva to create a top-notch design for your Thumbnails;
• Add brief information about the video, but don’t fully duplicate the Title;
• Don’t forget that it is easier for people to interact with other people, so put your professionally taken photo if possible. It will increase the clickability.

7. Focus to Keep them Watching

You can be creating the most amazing content with great Title and Description full of high ranking keywords, but if people decide to close your piece within the first minutes, you failed!

The thing is that the YouTube algorithm takes into account the relevancy of keywords and how long you are keeping your audience watching. This is how the search engine understands what content is truly valuable.

For YouTube SEO, watch-time is extremely important, so retention of the audience is crucial. You need to make sure they are as visually entertained as possible if you want to keep people watching your videos. Too many creators are just sitting and chatting in front of a camera, but that’s not entertaining.

Tips:

• Try incorporating b-roll, transitions, and voiceovers to make sure your videos look cinematic;
• Work on you editing so your video would look more professional;
• Get to the point quickly. Tell the audience about the video, how you can help them, and then get started right away;
• Analyze the time spent on watching your videos to compare what content stands out.

Know Now How to Rank YouTube Videos?

The potential of YouTube is huge. This platform is a helpful source of brand awareness as well as lead generation.

To succeed, you have to remember that content is the King, but it is your job to frame it well to become friends with the YouTube algorithm. Keep in mind that your top priority is sharing your audience’s knowledge, not persuading them to buy your products.

We hope you found these tips helpful, and you will use them to successfully implement SEO optimization for your high rankings on YouTube.

Be authentic and invest your time in engaging content, and it will pay off.