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Features / 10 Oct 2017

Our top 10 YouTube optimisation tips you NEED to know

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Join us as we count down the top 10 things you can do to get the most out of YouTube.

YouTube: the stats.

YouTube is a massive video-sharing website with almost 5 billion videos watched every single day. With this and other mind-blowing stats in mind (courtesy of Fortunelords) proving its limitless potential, it is imperative for ANY business to maximise YouTube to its fullest potential.

🔓 A quick tip before you read on is to verify your account. You can’t do many of these things we’ve highlighted without verifying your account first!

So without further ado, here are our top 10 tips to optimise your YouTube channel, no matter the amount of subscribers, views or uploads you currently have.

10. Channel icon/header

Setting your own channel icon and header is an obvious must. Set your brand identity by giving your own channel its own unique look and feel that will set you apart from other channels in your niche.

Note: The header will look different on desktop, mobile, and TV displays — larger images may be cropped so it’s important to optimise your header to look great on all devices!

9. Channel Trailer

First impressions matter. Impress your unsubscribed viewers with a captivating channel trailer. Perhaps for new visitors it’s a welcome or introductory video to shed some light on who you are and what you do. Returning visitors might be shown your latest video, or playlist they should watch next.

8. Playlists

A playlist is a collection of videos – anybody can make and share them, and include any video you find on YouTube! This is important as it proves a great organisation tool, makes your videos more discoverable, and allows viewers to watch more of your videos in one hit.

The best bit is you can display these playlists on your YouTube homepage with a custom layout – but more on that later!

7. Featured Channel

As YouTube is very much a community-based platform, where ‘the more you give, the more you receive.’ It’s a great idea to feature YouTube channels of clients, complementary brands or products, even competitors!  Treating opposing channels as allies rather than competitors can reap rewards for all parties involved including exposure and advice. Win-win!

6. Custom Thumbnails

In a nutshell – having a clear, effective and attention-capturing thumbnail can be the difference between viewers clicking on your video or just scrolling right past it. Make sure it is consistent with your branding and other videos.

5. Watermark

Branding matters. You want viewers to associate your own videos with you, and a super easy way to do this is by adding a logo to your channel, which pops up on all your videos automatically. Further to this, the watermark also hyperlinks to a button allowing users to subscribe to your channel without any need to stop the video. Click here for more.

4. Subtitles

Having subtitles in your video drastically opens up your content to a larger audience, including deaf viewers, those who speak languages besides the one spoken in your video, or even commuters who forget to bring their earphones! YouTube have an inbuilt feature allowing subtitles and closed captions on all videos. Check it out.

3. Cards

Utilising cards in your videos allows interactivity, convenience and call-to-actions for all viewers. Cards can point viewers to specific locations such as videos, playlists, and other associated websites at any time of the video.

2. End Screens

When someone finishes watching a video, a decision is made as to what to do next. Help your audience make the right decision – to watch more of your videos! Utilise YouTube’s end screen tool to increase video views and subscribers by directing viewers to other videos, playlists or channels.

1. Homepage Layout

Lastly, ALWAYS make sure to organise your content with sections that allow your audience to easily navigate around your channel and decide what they want to watch. Underneath your channel trailer, you can add playlists, recent uploads, liked videos, live streams and more. You can also organise each section horizontally or vertically to create an engaging visual layout.

* Bonus Tip (where would we be without one)

If you’re an artist (or representing one), make sure you are using your official artist name. This is crucial if you wish to be eligible for an official artist channel. Added to this, you’ll also need at least three music videos uploaded.

And that’s it!

Check out all these tips at play on our YouTube channel, and let us know what you think!

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