How to Optimize on YouTube: 10 Powerful YouTube Optimization Tips

If you want to make it on YouTube, you have to optimize on YouTube. 

Even with the right tools and strategies in place, standing out on YouTube is a challenge. There’s no point pretending it’s not. But with the right YouTube optimization strategies, you up your odds significantly.

In this article, we’ll guide you through 10 powerful YouTube optimization tips to improve your video visibility, engage your audience, and grow your channel. Along the way, we’ll throw in a bunch of shameless plugs for TubeBuddy tools. Because we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: If you put in the work, you can and will grow your YouTube channel and if you put in the work and you use TubeBuddy, your channel will grow faster.  

So, let’s get to it.

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1. Do Your Keyword Research

The first step of your YouTube optimization strategy is figuring out what people are searching for on YouTube. If you’re in the research phase of your production, YouTube keyword research can help shape your video idea. If you already have a video in hand, your keyword research will help you make sure viewers can actually find your content.

In either case, you’re looking for a “longtail” keyword or keyphrase; something that has a good search volume but not a ton of competition. 

Think about the type of person your video is (or will be) made for, then think about what they may be searching for. 

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You’ll need to get specific. Especially if you’re in one of YouTube’s top 15 niches. For example, instead of “Minecraft” or “Minecraft tutorial,” try for something like “easy Minecraft redstone trap tutorial.” Instead of targeting broad terms like “cooking tips,” aim for more specific phrases like “easy vegan meal prep ideas for beginners.” Adapt this advice to your niche and your content. 

Basically, you need to think about the type of person your video is (or will be) made for, then think about what they may be searching for. 

You can do a fair bit of keyword research on YouTube and on Google. in YouTube Studio, you can find out what search terms have brought people to your content, and what other types of content they watch. Using a tool like TubeBuddy Keyword Explorer will give you more and better insight. 

The point is this: keyword research is the foundation of your YouTube optimization. It’s how to get YouTube videos to rank higher in search results, it helps you understand what your potential viewers are searching for, and it shapes your overall content strategy.

2. Optimize Your Video Titles

So, what do you do with all that keyword research? Start with your video title. Once your thumbnail grabs attention (more on that in a moment), your video title is the first thing viewers will read, making it crucial for attracting clicks and improving your visibility in search rankings. Here are some tips for creating optimized titles:

1. Include your target keyword near the beginning of the title.
2. Keep titles under 60 characters to prevent truncation in search results.
3. Make your titles compelling and descriptive of the video content.
4. Use power words to evoke emotion and curiosity.

TubeBuddy’s YouTube Best Practice Audit tool can help you ensure your titles are optimized. It checks your title length, keyword placement, and other factors, providing suggestions for improvement. Like many TubeBuddy tools, it’s a shortcut for how to optimize on YouTube.

For more insights on crafting effective titles, check out this blog post on YouTube title ideas.

3. Craft Compelling Descriptions

Your thumbnail stopped them mid-scroll, your title set the hook. Now, it’s time for your description to reel them in. The description field is useful for telling both viewers and the YouTube algorithm what your video is about. Here’s how to make the most of it:

1. Front-load important information and keywords in the first 1-2 sentences.
2. Provide a clear summary of your video content.
3. Use timestamps in your description to create chapters. Include keywords in your chapters.
4. Include relevant links to your website, social media, and other videos.

TubeBuddy Video SEO Studio can help you optimize your descriptions by suggesting keywords and checking your description’s length and keyword density. TubeBuddy Chapter Editor helps to simplify chaptering.  

Learn more about creating effective descriptions in this guide on YouTube description templates.

4. Create Eye-Catching Thumbnails

Thumbnails are your video’s billboard on YouTube. They are probably the biggest factor impacting click-through rate (CTR) and as such, they’re a key factor in overall performance. When you’re trying to determine how to optimize on YouTube, time spent on creating thumbnails that grab attention is time well spent:

1. Use high-contrast colors to stand out.
2. Include text that complements your title.
3. Show emotion or action to create intrigue.
4. Maintain a consistent style across your channel.

TubeBuddy’s YouTube Thumbnail Generator tool is no match for a tool like Canva but it can help you create professional-looking thumbnails directly within YouTube. It offers templates, custom text options, and basic image editing features to make your thumbnails pop.

There’s much more to say about thumbnails than we can cover here, but we go in-depth on YouTube thumbnail tips and ways to make your thumbnails pop elsewhere on the TubeBuddy blog.

5. Use Tags Effectively

Tags used to be a big deal on YouTube. Not so anymore. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore tags. Tags play a role in helping YouTube understand your content. Here’s how to use them effectively:

1. Start with your target keyword and variations.
2. Include broader category tags.
3. Add some specific, long-tail tags.
4. Use five to eight tags per video.

TubeBuddy’s YouTube Tag Explorer can help you find relevant tags for your videos. It suggests popular tags based on your content and allows you to see which tags your competitors are using.

Learn more about tag strategies in this article on YouTube tags and their importance.

6. Optimize Your Channel Page

Your channel page is like your YouTube homepage. When you’re trying to figure out how to optimize on YouTube, do not ignore your channel page. Your channel page can help attract subscribers and showcase your best content. Here’s how to make the most of it:

1. Create an engaging channel trailer.
2. Use a clear, branded channel icon and banner (read this primer on creating great YouTube channel art).
3. Organize your videos into playlists.
4. Fill out your “About” section, share what’s important and use your main keywords.

TubeBuddy’s YouTube Channel Valuation tool can give you insights into your channel’s performance and areas for improvement.

7. YouTube Cards and End Screens

Cards and end screens are interactive elements that can keep viewers engaged with your content. Use them:

1. Use cards to link to relevant videos or playlists.
2. Add an end screen with a subscribe button and links to other videos.
3. Experiment with different card and end screen layouts.
4. Ensure your end screen appears for at least five to 10 seconds.

TubeBuddy’s YouTube End Screen Templates feature can help you create professional-looking end screens quickly and easily.

TubeBuddy YouTube Bulk Editing tools make it easy to change cards and end screens across all or some of your videos at once.

Learn more about these high-impact YouTube features in our blog post on cards and end screens.

8. Encourage Engagement

YouTube loves watch time above all other metrics. Engagement signals including likes, comments, and shares signal to the YouTube algorithm that viewers care about the content. i.e. watch time. Encouraging engagement can boost your video’s performance. Here’s how:

1. Ask viewers to like, comment, and subscribe straight up, because it works.
2. Respond to comments promptly to foster community.
3. Create content that sparks discussion or debate.
4. Use polls and community posts to interact with your audience.

TubeBuddy YouTube Comment Management tools include canned comment responses and can help you manage and respond to comments more efficiently.

Read more on ways to boost YouTube engagement in our blog post on the subject.

9. Create and Use Playlists Strategically

Playlists can increase watch time and session duration, both important metrics for YouTube’s algorithm. Here’s how to use them effectively:

1. Create themed playlists that group related content.
2. Use keyword-rich titles for your playlists.
3. Add your most popular video at the beginning of the playlist.
4. Promote your playlists in video descriptions and end screens.

You can do this manually or save yourself some time using the TubeBuddy YouTube Playlist Manager tools to organize and optimize your playlists more efficiently.

Take a deeper dive into YouTube playlists in our blog post on the subject. 

10. Analyze and Act on YouTube Analytics Data

All your optimization experiments are for naught if you’re not tracking results. Regular analysis of your channel’s performance is crucial for ongoing optimization. Here’s what to focus on:

1. Monitor your click-through rate (CTR) and average view duration.
2. Identify your top-performing videos and understand why they’re successful.
3. Look at your audience retention graphs to see where viewers drop off.
4. Use the data to inform your content and optimization strategies.

If you love spreadsheets, you can track a lot of this data manually. For the rest of us, TubeBuddy’s advanced YouTube analytics tools (AKA Videolytics) can help with in-depth analytics and insights to help you understand your channel’s performance better.

And we’ve covered YouTube data and analytics extensively on this blog. Start with our post on mastering YouTube Analytics.

How to Optimize on YouTube: Conclusion

The key to YouTube success is creating high-quality, valuable content for your viewers while doing everything in your power to ensure those viewers find your videos.

Optimizing your YouTube channel and videos requires consistent effort and analysis. By implementing these 10 powerful optimization tips — and using tools like TubeBuddy to make things easy —  you can improve your channel’s visibility, engage your audience more effectively, and grow your YouTube presence. 

get an unfair advantage on YouTube

Give your YouTube channel the upper hand and easily optimize for more views, more subs, and more of every metric that matters.

get started