5 Tips to Enhance Your YouTube Videos

Producing good video content is the main way to get more people to view and share your videos. There are also ways to improve the visibility of your videos and YouTube channel once you have solid content. Here are five things you can do today to your videos and YouTube channel to attract more viewers.

Compose Compelling Titles

The titles of your YouTube videos serve multiple purposes including grabbing attention, quickly conveying the general content of the video, and even improving search engine optimization or SEO. Video titles are often the first thing people see before deciding whether to click through and watch your video, so picking the right words is part of your social media marketing strategy to increase video visibility. You could title a video about your exercise device “How to Use Our Device.” Or you could instead title it: “5 Easy Ways to Get More Fit” and showcase your exercise device as part of a broader educational video. Think of the outcomes people are seeking from a product or service you offer. Chances are they are Googling those things, and your video title can help your video rise to the top of searches. More than anything, your titles should be clear and descriptive so people know what to expect when they watch your videos.

Optimize Keywords

Search engines and searchable sites operate on keywords – words and phrases that are used to conduct searches for specific content. Google is the top search engine, but did you know that YouTube is considered the second most popular search engine? Keep in mind that Google owns YouTube, and that is why you often see YouTube videos at the top of Google search engine results, even before text links to other content.

Keeping the relationship between Google and YouTube in mind, it stands to reason that keywords are an important part of your YouTube videos. The YouTube “Tag” feature lets you add more keywords to your video to help make it easier to find on both Google and YouTube searches. Think about the keywords you’re using not only in Tags but also in your video titles and descriptions. You’ll want to use a mix of both broad and specific keywords. For example, back to the exercise widget, broad keywords could be: Exercise, Fitness, Workout, Fitness, Health and Wellness. Specific keywords would include your widget’s brand name and then: Workout with widget; Get fit widget, Healthy lifestyle, Easy workout, and Widget fitness.

Pick or Create Eye-Catching Thumbnails

When you upload a video to your YouTube channel, you have the chance to pick a Thumbnail pre-selected by YouTube from your video or you can upload your own Custom Thumbnail. To create more consistent appeal for your YouTube channel and a distinctive look for your videos, consider creating custom thumbnails. With a graphics program like PhotoShop, think bold images that are easy to read or identify with bright, contrasting colors. Some experts suggest using colors other than red, black and white, the main YouTube colors, to really stand out. If you are using words on your graphics, go for bold, block letters and fewer words. Go to YouTube and scan videos on different pages and take note on the ones that catch your eye then create ones the use the best features of the most attractive video thumbnails.

Group Videos into Playlists

YouTube Playlists are groupings of your uploaded videos that are featured on your channel and that automatically play one after another. Playlists let you organize your videos for easier viewing while also encouraging visitors to your YouTube channel to watch more than one video so you can convey more messages to them.

Think about broad categories for your videos such as Product Demos, Company News, Promotions, and even compiling videos produces on other platforms such as your Instagram Stories.

Encourage Subscriptions

Attracting new viewers can be challenging and takes time. Once you get them to your YouTube Channel, do all you can to get them Subscribe so they are notified when you upload new videos. A common way to do this is to invite viewers to subscribe in each video. To do this, you need to make the text or graphic button a clickable link on your actual video and you can accomplish this using the YouTube Annotations feature. Choose where you want to add a clickable link using the video slider. When you get to the point of the video where you want the link to appear, type in the text you want to link and adjust the style of the text. Add the link where you’d like the clickable text to take viewers then publish the annotated video.

The best way to get people to Subscribe or to view more than one video is to produce content worthy of watching. All the tricks and tips in the world won’t be able to overcome poorly produced or boring videos. Work on your content first, then use these tips to attract your audience.