7 Easy Steps to Get More Views on Youtube

No gimmicks, no paid promos. Just pure, organic traffic.

As of 2021, Youtube has over 2 billion active users who are eager to watch videos to their interest. So if there’s so many people logged on, why am I getting so little engagement?

The fact of the matter is Youtubers have a lot of competition. With 500 hours of new content uploaded every minute, your videos need to stand out of the massive crowd to get noticed at all. Much less opened and watched to completion!

Step 1: Make Your Channel Specific and Unforgettable

Before you even get started making videos and playing your hand at Youtube’s algorithm, you need to make sure your channel is intriguing to your viewers and potential subscribers.

Here are some important parts to consider:

• Your channel name: Make sure it’s simple, easy to remember, and creative. If people want to look you up later, they’ll struggle and give up if your name is something like xxDylan1988xx.
   
• Your channel icon: This is the picture your viewers will associate with you. It should be a high quality, charming picture of yourself or something you like. If your Youtube channel is a business account, it could be our logo. Again, the important thing is that your channel is memorable.
   
• Write a killer About section: This doesn’t need to be your life story. Just summarize in a fun and interesting way what your channel is all about so your viewers are still curious about you and want to watch your videos to get to know you better. Pro tip: Use strategic keywords here!
   
• Pick a niche: As marketers, we know a jack of all trades is a master of none. By making specific, niche content that’s extremely relevant to a certain group of people, you’re more likely to get more views and subscribers.

Step 2: Make Your Thumbnails Pop

Thumbnails are the image you see before you click on the video. They usually contain keywords, bright colored backgrounds, and a picture of the youtuber to catch the viewer’s attention. Your thumbnail should also be high quality—the minimum being 1280 x 720 pixels.

So don’t just put a random thumbnail from your video. According to Youtube, a whopping 90% of Youtube’s high performing videos have custom thumbnails.

Make sure you verify your account with Youtube so you’re able to create custom thumbnails!

Step 3: Write Attention-Grabbing Video Descriptions

Like your About section, your video description should be chock full of relevant keywords while informing viewers about your content.

Check out these useful tips so you can write some amazing video descriptions:

• Start off on the right foot with a strong introduction. Summarize what the video is about, using relevant keywords to rank your video well in the search.
   
• Go into detail in the body of your video. What many viewers find helpful is when you leave timestamps for certain topics, so they can jump around the video as they please.
   
• Add links to your other social media channels. Get connected with your viewers and subscribers so they can reach out to you on multiple platforms!

Step 4: Categorize Your Videos with Playlists

By creating a playlist that’s based on a certain niche, you’ll capture viewers' attention. Instead of wandering over to other youtube channels, viewers will seamlessly enter deeper into yours.

While the idea is to mostly have your videos in the playlist, it’s a good idea to feature videos with content you think goes well with the topic of the playlist. Another good idea is to collaborate with fellow youtubers on a playlist, so you can get more visibility with different audiences.

Step 5: Write a Snappy Video Title

Just like an advertiser who works and reworks their headline more than the actual body of an article, your video title is a make or break point for your viewers.

Write it well, and you’ll drive new traffic in the blink of an eye. Write it poorly, and your video will sink below the flood of videos uploaded every minute.

Don’t be intimidated, though! Here are some quick tips to craft an excellent video title:

• Don’t trick your audience with clickbait. You can pique their interest and even tease them a bit, but using clickbait will guarantee unsubscribes.
   
• Make your title simple and to the point. A good exercise for this is to type what you would want to see in the Youtube search bar.
   
• Use numbers, keywords, parentheticals, and typical phrases like “how to” to hone in on your audience-

Looking for some inspiration? Here’s a couple of good examples:

• “How to Cast On (Start Your Knitting Project) for Beginners”
• “5 Soups that’ll Keep You Warm and Full this Winter”

Step 6: Get Your Video in Youtube’s Suggested Videos

Youtube users can find videos on their homepage or by a targeted search. If they put in “New Tricks to Try with Inline Skates,” several videos pop up in the search. Once they click a video, in the sidebar, there’ll be a list of suggested videos to watch.

Youtube uses video metadata to show viewers other videos they might like to keep watching. Positioning your video in the suggested videos sidebar is an excellent way to get more exposure, so let’s take a closer look on how you can take advantage of it:

• Find a video title that uses the same relevant keyword as yours
   
• Use 10-12 hashtags, making a variation of the title’s main keyword. (Remember! Youtube will ignore all your hashtags if you’ve put more than 15. So don’t go overboard!)
   
• Write at least three sentences in your description
   
• Link newer videos in the description so you get more exposure

Step 7: Use Trends to Your Advantage

Something a lot of people seem to forget is that Youtube is more than just a streaming service. It’s also a search engine.

That’s why using trends and hot topics in your videos is a great way to rank high in Youtube’s search results.

There’s many tools you can use to hone in on global and local trends. Google Trends is a great choice and it’s free to use! There’s also an explore section so you can look for inspiration.