Views come from staff and friends
Videos get a few dozen views, and almost none of them come from search.
YouTube SEO
Get your videos found, watched and acted on.
YouTube is where people go to see how something is done. We plan the videos your customers are searching for, package them to be found on YouTube and on Google, and give every viewer a next step.
What we measureYouTube SEO3/3
- Views from YouTube and Google search
- Watch time on your key videos
- Site visits and leads from viewers
Get your free SEO audit
No cost and no commitment.
The search problem
A good video nobody finds earns nothing.
A company spends a week filming a useful video, uploads it under a file name, and gets forty views, most of them from staff. The video was fine. Its title did not say what question it answers, the description was empty, and nothing on the channel led a viewer to the next video or to the website.
We start with what your customers type into YouTube, shape each video around one question, and write the title, description and chapters so that YouTube and Google both understand it. Then we connect the channel to your site and count what viewers do.
In plain terms
How does YouTube SEO work?
YouTube SEO is the work of getting videos found in YouTube search, in suggested videos and in Google’s own results. YouTube says it ranks search results by how well the title, the description and the video itself match the search, and by how viewers respond, with watch time high on the list. So the job has two halves: say clearly what the video is, and make a video people finish.
Google search is the second audience. It shows videos for how-to and comparison searches, and can take a searcher to the exact moment that answers them, using the chapter timestamps in your description. A video embedded on a relevant page of your own site can earn that page a place in results as well. Tags, once the heart of YouTube advice, play a small part today.
Signs the channel is not being found
Titles describe the file
Uploads carry internal names that say nothing about the question answered.
Viewers leave the channel
Each video ends without pointing to another video or to your site.
Nobody counts what viewers do
Views get reported, and visits and leads from YouTube do not.
What we do in YouTube SEO
We research what your customers search on YouTube and where showing beats telling: a repair, a comparison, a walkthrough, a before and after. You get a list of topics in order, each with the search behind it.
A title that states the question in the viewer’s words, a description that sums up the answer in its first lines, chapters with timestamps, accurate captions, and a thumbnail that shows what is inside.
Videos are grouped into playlists by topic, each one ends by pointing to the next, and the best are embedded on the matching page of your site. A viewer always has somewhere to go.
We read search terms, watch time and the points where viewers drop off, and trace visits and leads from YouTube to your site. Those numbers decide the next round of topics.
Do this to one video
Package a video properly.
Take your most useful existing video and repackage it. The job takes an hour, and it shows you what the method is worth before you film anything new.
Chapters are the piece most channels skip. YouTube’s rules for them are simple: list timestamps in the description, start the first at 00:00, include at least three, and make each chapter at least ten seconds long. Google can then show those moments in its own results.
- 01Rewrite the title as the question a viewer would type, with the key words first.
- 02Put the answer in the first two lines of the description, where viewers see it before they click “more.”
- 03Add chapters: timestamps starting at 00:00, three or more, each ten seconds or longer.
- 04Upload or correct the captions, so every word is readable and searchable.
- 05Add an end screen pointing to one related video, and a link to the matching page on your site.
- 06Embed the video on that page.
What you get
Work you can hold.
- A topic list ranked by search demand and fit
- Titles, descriptions, chapters and thumbnails for each video
- Playlists and end screens that connect the channel
- Videos embedded on the right pages of your site
- Reporting on search views, watch time, visits and leads
The readout
How we know it worked.
We record a baseline before we change anything, then read search visibility beside the actions that pay the bills.
- Views from YouTube and Google search
- Watch time on your key videos
- Site visits and leads from viewers
Pricing
Your investment in being found
Three ways to invest in your business showing up when buyers search. Each package is billed monthly, month to month, and each one includes everything in the one before it.
Foundation
The work every site needs, done properly and kept up every month.
$1,000a month
Month to month
We recommend
Growth
Foundation, plus the pages, articles and links that reach more of your buyers.
$2,500a month
Month to month
Leadership
Growth, plus press outreach, more markets and reporting that follows each lead to revenue.
$5,000a month
Month to month
The price changes only when the scope does, such as a very large catalog, many locations or a move to a new platform, and we agree any change in writing before the work starts.
Questions
Before we start.
Is YouTube SEO just adding keywords to a title?
No. The title has to describe a video people want, and the video has to deliver on it. YouTube watches whether viewers stay. Chapters, the description, playlists and the opening seconds all play a part.
Do you make the videos or only optimize them?
Either. We can plan topics and package videos your team films, or produce them with our video team. A good first step is to repackage the videos you already have.
Can you get our videos to show in Google search?
Often, yes. Google shows videos for how-to and comparison searches. Clear titles, chapters and a video embedded on a relevant page of your site all improve the odds. No one can promise a specific placement.
How long until videos rank on YouTube?
A well-packaged video on a question with little competition is the quickest to pick up search views. Competitive topics take longer and depend on how viewers respond. Older videos can improve after repackaging, which is why we start there.
How do you measure results beyond views?
By what viewers do next. We report watch time, visits to your site from YouTube, and the leads or sales those visits produce, beside the search terms that brought viewers in.
Keep exploring
Find the next useful page.
All SEO servicesExplore the full search program and its specialized services.YouTube marketingChannel strategy and growth beyond search.Video marketingVideos planned, filmed and edited by our team.SEO Content WritingThe pages your videos sit on and link to.SEO Blog Writing & StrategyArticles and videos planned around the same questions.UX Design for SEOTurning a visit from YouTube into a lead.
Send us the channel. We will show you what your customers search on YouTube, and which of your videos could be found for it.
- How your buyers search for what you sell
- Who shows up above you today, and why
- Your website, as Google reads it
Prefer email? Write to hello@wearemachina.com
Prefer to talk? Call (831) 230-7787
What we measureYouTube SEO3/3
- Views from YouTube and Google search
- Watch time on your key videos
- Site visits and leads from viewers
Get your free SEO audit
No cost and no commitment.