YouTube breeding is not as easy as it was a few years ago. The YouTube algorithm is constantly evolving and has been through several iterations. Therefore, you need to prioritise some key indicators if you want to grow your channel in 2022.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of best practices and examples of successful channels to inspire you for the future. But alongside all these practices, there’s one more thing you shouldn’t forget: the quality of your videos, which need to be well written, filmed and edited. Rav.ai Video Editor makes it quick and easy to edit and create engaging YouTube videos.
Proven ways to boost your YouTube channel
Over the years, YouTube has prioritised several metrics when optimising and maximising videos for users. Given the recent changes, you should focus on three aspects: click-through rate (CTR), audience engagement and viewing time, as these are key to determining whether your video will attract the right audience.
Click-through rate is the percentage of people who view a thumbnail and click on the video. For example, if your video has a click-through rate of 5%, this means that out of 100 people who see your thumbnail, 5 will click through and watch your video.
View duration is the percentage of people who continue watching the video after 30 seconds. YouTube uses an indicator called viewer engagement to measure this. You can check this for each video in the Video Analysis tab.
Viewing time is the time in minutes that users watch a video. For example, if 200 people watch a video for 10 minutes and the average viewing time is 60%, you get 600 minutes of views.
For a more detailed explanation of these statistics, see this blog post. Let’s take a look at how to optimise your channel and content to improve these numbers by 2022.
Optimise your YouTube channel profile
An attractive profile is a great way to promote your YouTube channel, improve SEO and show new subscribers what they can expect when they subscribe to your channel.
Take Nick Niemin’s YouTube channel profile as an example and you’ll see why it works!
The profile description should immediately show visitors the benefits you offer. You also need to build social credibility, so make sure viewers have a reason to subscribe to your channel, rather than you giving them more options.
Finally, let your audience know when they can expect your new posts and, in Nick’s case, when the live stream will start. It’s important to use hashtags in your profile description, but YouTube recommends not using them too often.
Include contact details such as email addresses or social media profiles in the profile description and provide space for links to websites, online shops or other resources you want your users to know about. If someone comes to your YouTube channel and asks for recommendations or advice, it can help you get more subscribers.
Start with keyword research
Optimize the title, content and description with keywords to make sure your video ranks well on YouTube and in Google searches. If you want your video to be found, you must prioritize search results because of the large amount of content created on YouTube.
If you are looking for keywords, start with a search on YouTube. Enter the topic you want to create a video about and YouTube will automatically show you the most common keywords related to that topic. These keywords can all be potential topics. They show you which keywords are most searched for, so you can tailor your content accordingly.
For example, if you type “cake baking” into the search box, the following results will appear in order of popularity.
Remember, it’s best to use long keywords. This gives you a better chance of ranking well. Therefore, the best keywords are questions and explanations. You can go one step further and click on one of the results to watch a video on the topic.
But often a simple search on YouTube is not enough to beat the competition. You need to use specialized tools like VIDIQ to monitor keywords and identify their specific potential on YouTube. You can register this tool and install a browser extension. The system provides search volume data and has a point system that shows how competitive a keyword is and how likely it is to rank on YouTube.
NVIDIA also has a trend-tracking tool that allows you to track growth trends related to your interests. Simply set up a trend alert and VIDIQ will notify you when similar terms or keywords related to your channel are searched. This allows you to take advantage of trends before they develop.
Seeing similar content on YouTube
This step is almost indispensable after the keyword research. When searching for keywords on YouTube and Google, don’t hesitate to look for content already listed for those keywords.
This will not only help you discover what resonates with your target audience but also identify gaps in the content and its quality. You can follow different youtube and instagram influencers to get some ideas on how they are publishing their content.Â
Critically analyze the video and identify what you think could be better. Take the next step and read the comments to see what your users think. You will find many comments about what viewers expect, what they like and what they don’t.
