The title of your YouTube video is one of the first things people – and search engines – look at before they click to see if your content looks interesting or relevant to them. To optimize your video for search and entice more users to click on your video, it’s critical to have a title that’s both engaging and to-the-point, so that both search engines and people can tell what it’s about. So, how do you go about writing a great title for your YouTube video? Here are a few words we think will help you get more views on your videos.
Your Keywords – Of course, the easiest way to optimize your videos for search and get more views is to include your primary keywords in the beginning of your title. One simple way to do this is to write a title that includes your target keyword followed by a colon or dash, then the rest of your title, like in the video, “Growing Tomatoes: Try these Gardening Tips.” If you need help coming up with keywords, you can try YouTube’s keyword tool to get ideas.
“How to” or “Tutorial” – Just like you create helpful content for your blog or social media pages, you should post videos that provide helpful information to your audience. That doesn’t mean that your topic or instructions themselves have to be complex. But including the words “how to” or “tutorial” in your title shows your audience you are providing them valuable information and not just a sales pitch. For example, ReachCast client Mervis Diamond Importers shares how-to tips on everything from insuring your jewelry to picking out an engagement ring.
“Video” – Many searches for videos on search engines often include the word “video” to specify what the searcher is looking for. So using the word “video” in your title can increase your video’s relevancy when someone searches specifically for a video. So, if you have an instructional video about unclogging a drain, the title “How to Unclog a Drain Video” could help your video rank higher on search engines since it’s more relevant to the search query.
“Testimonial” or “Review” – Potential customers researching your business will be interested in seeing what other customers have to say about your business, products. and services. So posting customer testimonial or product review videos on your YouTube channel is a great way to share your current customers’ experiences with your prospects. To get more online reputation benefit from your videos, don’t forget to include your brand name– and location, if your business name is popular – in your title, so your videos will show up when your business name is searched. For instance, testimonial videos in the format “Business Name Review” can help your videos rank for those keywords on search engines and help consumers researching your company know the videos are relevant to their interests. Another approach is using the term “Video Testimonial”, like ReachCast client Atlanta ENT Sinus & Allergy has done, to combine two tactics in a single title.
“Amazing”, “Awesome”, “Expert” – These descriptive words may not be your SEO’s best friend, but they can help you increase the number of views you get on your video. Pairing descriptive words with keywords in your title content, such as “Expert Gardening Tips” or “Amazing Kitchen Remodel” shows that you are excited about your content – and gets your viewers excited about it too.
“Tips” or “DIY” – Similar to how you can title your “how-to” videos, creating titles that tell your audience you have practical information they can use to complete a task or project will help your videos get more views on YouTube. Not only are words like “tips” short and catchy, but they also quickly convey the benefit to the viewer. Plus, combining them with your target keywords, like the video “Growing Tomatoes: Try These Gardening Tips” did, lets your audience know exactly what your video is about so they’ll be more inclined to click on it.
Have you tried any of these formulas for your video titles? What words are you using to boost search engine optimization and views for your videos?
Author: Tamara Weintraub helps equip small business owners with information about local online advertising, social media marketing, and more as a blogger for ReachCast and ReachLocal.