YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world. Almost 122 million people open the platform daily to find video content. So, the chances of a YouTube channel NOT working are pretty low – though it takes a bit of time.
Of course, some people have good budgets and zero patience levels. They grow their channels in days with the help of YouTube promotion services. But if you go down the organic path, it will take you at least 3 to 6 months.
During this time, you need to post high-quality content consistently and promote it. Here are 5 effective ways to get you started:
1. Complete the YouTube Channel Profile
First things first, make sure your channel looks genuine and visually appealing. YouTube offers multiple options to customize the look and deliver a specific feel to your viewers. You can add:
➔ Profile Picture
➔ Banner
➔ Description
➔ Links
➔ Trailer
➔ Featured Videos
Upload all of these things so that the channel visitors have enough information to understand what is your channel about and what type of videos you upload. If the channel resonates with the target audience well, they might even hit the Subscribe button.
2. Use the Right Keywords and Hashtags
Most so-called YouTube gurus teach people to add all the auto-complete words to the description. This is not the right way to use keywords!
Overstuffing keywords can confuse the algorithms and make your video appear sketchy. It is important that you understand the search intent for the video and then, pick a primary keyword using SEO keyword tools.
Use this keyword in your Title naturally. For the description, use the primary and secondary keywords to craft an informative text about what the video is about. If there are keywords that don’t fit in naturally (maybe due to grammar), list them at the end.
Also, add popular hashtags to boost the reach. But, again, remember to ensure their relevancy to the video content.
3. Add End Screens and Cards to Your Videos
End screens are added to the last 5 to 20 seconds of the video, whereas cards are added in between the video. The purpose of both features is the same; to direct the viewers to more content from your channel.
You can add links to other related videos, playlists, and even your website. The end screen further allows you to customize the layout and decide the number of elements you want. You can add up to 4 elements on videos with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
4. Upload an Attractive Video Thumbnail
The thumbnail is like the visual headline of your video. Your audience sees it first to understand what the video is about. If it isn’t catchy or appealing, they might move on to another video that fulfills this need.
Usually, YouTube will generate an automatic thumbnail for every video. But it is not something different – just a visual from the video. Since 90% of the top-performing videos have a custom thumbnail, we recommend designing your own thumbnails.
5. Share Your Videos
Lastly, don’t forget to benefit from the power of social media. Create accounts on different platforms and use their audience to boost your YouTube video’s performance. But this doesn’t mean you should make more unique content for those social media accounts.
Instead, repurpose the old YouTube videos. Create short snippets from a video and post them with a link to your channel.