Strengthen Your Content Identity: Inserting Watermark/Logo in Videos

How to Add Logo or Watermark to YouTube Video

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A watermark is a still image that is usually plugged in the videos, for the purpose of claiming copyrights or publicity purpose. YouTube generally carries a “branding” option where you can brand your video with your channel. This doesn’t provide a stable watermark. Therefore, when someone downloads that video using a second party (YouTube downloader) it gets removed. For this purpose the legal author will have to put a Channel watemark on their YouTube videos. In this guide, we will show you how to add watermark to your YouTube videos, existing or new.

You May Also Like:
Best Watermark Apps for iPhone - How to Watermark Photos on iPhone >>

Wondershare AniEraser Seamless, Effortless, Intuitive.
AniEraser makes it easy to perfect any photo or video; no matter the device or platform - experience a smooth, effortless transformation of your image and maximize its potential with just one click.
Make your moment perfect.

Free Download Free Download Edit online

How to Add a Watermark to Your YouTube Videos

• Part 1: How to add logo or watermark to in existing YouTube videos
• Part 2: Add logos or watermarks to your videos before uploading

Part 1: How to add logo or watermark to in existing YouTube videos

To add a watermark to your previously uploaded videos you will need to have created and saved your watermark outside of your video editing program.

• Sign in to your YouTube account. Click on the thumbnail image of your account at the top right corner. This will give you a drop down menu. Then Click on the small gear (indicating settings)

• This will lead you to setting center. Click on “view additional features”

• To the left of the window, Click the third option of “branding”
• Click on “add watermark”. Then you can choose an image from your computer. After your image is uploaded, click save.

Notes

YouTube watermark size: Your watermark should be transparent, square, and larger than 50x50 pixels, which is the size it will be shrunk down to when it appears in the corner of your videos.

YouTube watermark starting time: you will have the option of choosing a start time for your watermark, making it appear only at the end of your video, or having it there for the entire length of your video. Once that is done click ‘Update’ and your watermark will be applied to your videos.

YouTube watermark color: Youtube suggests that your watermark have only one color. The point is that you should not use anything flashy that will take attention away from your video, so having two or three colors is not necessarily wrong if your design is subtle.

Here is a tutorial video for how to add watermark to Your YouTube videos:

Part 2: Add logos or watermarks to your videos before uploading

1. Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora which is one of the ideal video editing tools especially when it comes to watermarking your videos . It helps you in adding static and video watermarks over the video. The basic theme of the video watermarking is the concept of picture-in-picture .

The following steps have to be taken to add a watermark:

• Add the video and watermarking data by drag dropping it into the workspace
• Drag the required video on the timeline and the watermark on it as well
• Adjust the watermark and add pre-made special effects to it
• Mask the watermark in the shape you like
• Save the video

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

2. Windows movie maker

Windows movie maker is free default windows software that can easily add watermark to your videos to secure your copyrights. It can cater two types of watermarks; images and text. For images, it just supports PNG and GIF format files and generally doesn’t support transparency. Moreover, an external file, Windows Logo Locator is needed for placing the logo at different positions.

How to add watermark to video with Windows Movie Maker

Adding Text watermark:

• Open windows movie maker
• Click on ‘videos’ under the title of import.
• Import your video to the timeline.
• Right beneath imports under the category of edit you will find ‘titles and credits’. Click.
• Enter the text for watermark.
• Choose the title positioning, font and transparency.
• Add title. You will find it along the length of timeline. You may drag to expand it, for viewing it during the entire videos length. Select file and click publish video.

Adding image watermark:

The image should be in .PNG or .GIF format.

• Save the image in >C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared\AddOnTFX\.
• Download a logo Locator as per your installed windows from FX archives.
• Select the location of the logo in your video where you want it to appear.
• Choose the screen size and the logo size
• Type the name of the file of the logo you had already saved with the extension. For e.g. logo.png
• Copy the text that appears underneath and paste it on the notepad and save the typed file in >C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared\AddOnTFX\.
• Open windows movie maker again.
• Choose title and credits underneath the edit category.
• Press space bar once and then click ‘change the title animation’.
• You will see your image there. Click on ad title and press Ctrl+p to publish.

Part 3: How to Create a Transparent logo for Youtube Channel

Do you want to make a transparent image as logo for your YouTube? If you want to brand your YouTube channel, we believe it is a must to add transparent logo for YouTube branding. Actually, you can do this in Filmora just with a green screen image. Check the steps below to know the secret.

Step 1: Import video and image to Filmora

Open Filmora. Choose Create New Project. Click import media files here in Media library. Select your video and a green screen image. In fact, a green screen video is also accessable, but usually brand logo is image. Now drag them onto timeline.

Step 2: Import video and image to Filmora

Right click on the image clip in the timeline. Choose Green Screen. You will see the image is transparent in the preview window. Now, you need to adjust some details. You can adjust edge thickness and edge feather to better edge. If the green screen background is not totally removed, drag tolerance to adjust it.

Step 3: Scale the logo

You can clip the image clip first and go to preview window to scale it down or up by dragging the green dot. You can put the YouTube logo at corner.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A watermark is a still image that is usually plugged in the videos, for the purpose of claiming copyrights or publicity purpose. YouTube generally carries a “branding” option where you can brand your video with your channel. This doesn’t provide a stable watermark. Therefore, when someone downloads that video using a second party (YouTube downloader) it gets removed. For this purpose the legal author will have to put a Channel watemark on their YouTube videos. In this guide, we will show you how to add watermark to your YouTube videos, existing or new.

You May Also Like:
Best Watermark Apps for iPhone - How to Watermark Photos on iPhone >>

Wondershare AniEraser Seamless, Effortless, Intuitive.
AniEraser makes it easy to perfect any photo or video; no matter the device or platform - experience a smooth, effortless transformation of your image and maximize its potential with just one click.
Make your moment perfect.

Free Download Free Download Edit online

How to Add a Watermark to Your YouTube Videos

• Part 1: How to add logo or watermark to in existing YouTube videos
• Part 2: Add logos or watermarks to your videos before uploading

Part 1: How to add logo or watermark to in existing YouTube videos

To add a watermark to your previously uploaded videos you will need to have created and saved your watermark outside of your video editing program.

• Sign in to your YouTube account. Click on the thumbnail image of your account at the top right corner. This will give you a drop down menu. Then Click on the small gear (indicating settings)

• This will lead you to setting center. Click on “view additional features”

• To the left of the window, Click the third option of “branding”
• Click on “add watermark”. Then you can choose an image from your computer. After your image is uploaded, click save.

Notes

YouTube watermark size: Your watermark should be transparent, square, and larger than 50x50 pixels, which is the size it will be shrunk down to when it appears in the corner of your videos.

YouTube watermark starting time: you will have the option of choosing a start time for your watermark, making it appear only at the end of your video, or having it there for the entire length of your video. Once that is done click ‘Update’ and your watermark will be applied to your videos.

YouTube watermark color: Youtube suggests that your watermark have only one color. The point is that you should not use anything flashy that will take attention away from your video, so having two or three colors is not necessarily wrong if your design is subtle.

Here is a tutorial video for how to add watermark to Your YouTube videos:

Part 2: Add logos or watermarks to your videos before uploading

1. Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora which is one of the ideal video editing tools especially when it comes to watermarking your videos . It helps you in adding static and video watermarks over the video. The basic theme of the video watermarking is the concept of picture-in-picture .

The following steps have to be taken to add a watermark:

• Add the video and watermarking data by drag dropping it into the workspace
• Drag the required video on the timeline and the watermark on it as well
• Adjust the watermark and add pre-made special effects to it
• Mask the watermark in the shape you like
• Save the video

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

2. Windows movie maker

Windows movie maker is free default windows software that can easily add watermark to your videos to secure your copyrights. It can cater two types of watermarks; images and text. For images, it just supports PNG and GIF format files and generally doesn’t support transparency. Moreover, an external file, Windows Logo Locator is needed for placing the logo at different positions.

How to add watermark to video with Windows Movie Maker

Adding Text watermark:

• Open windows movie maker
• Click on ‘videos’ under the title of import.
• Import your video to the timeline.
• Right beneath imports under the category of edit you will find ‘titles and credits’. Click.
• Enter the text for watermark.
• Choose the title positioning, font and transparency.
• Add title. You will find it along the length of timeline. You may drag to expand it, for viewing it during the entire videos length. Select file and click publish video.

Adding image watermark:

The image should be in .PNG or .GIF format.

• Save the image in >C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared\AddOnTFX\.
• Download a logo Locator as per your installed windows from FX archives.
• Select the location of the logo in your video where you want it to appear.
• Choose the screen size and the logo size
• Type the name of the file of the logo you had already saved with the extension. For e.g. logo.png
• Copy the text that appears underneath and paste it on the notepad and save the typed file in >C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared\AddOnTFX\.
• Open windows movie maker again.
• Choose title and credits underneath the edit category.
• Press space bar once and then click ‘change the title animation’.
• You will see your image there. Click on ad title and press Ctrl+p to publish.

Part 3: How to Create a Transparent logo for Youtube Channel

Do you want to make a transparent image as logo for your YouTube? If you want to brand your YouTube channel, we believe it is a must to add transparent logo for YouTube branding. Actually, you can do this in Filmora just with a green screen image. Check the steps below to know the secret.

Step 1: Import video and image to Filmora

Open Filmora. Choose Create New Project. Click import media files here in Media library. Select your video and a green screen image. In fact, a green screen video is also accessable, but usually brand logo is image. Now drag them onto timeline.

Step 2: Import video and image to Filmora

Right click on the image clip in the timeline. Choose Green Screen. You will see the image is transparent in the preview window. Now, you need to adjust some details. You can adjust edge thickness and edge feather to better edge. If the green screen background is not totally removed, drag tolerance to adjust it.

Step 3: Scale the logo

You can clip the image clip first and go to preview window to scale it down or up by dragging the green dot. You can put the YouTube logo at corner.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A watermark is a still image that is usually plugged in the videos, for the purpose of claiming copyrights or publicity purpose. YouTube generally carries a “branding” option where you can brand your video with your channel. This doesn’t provide a stable watermark. Therefore, when someone downloads that video using a second party (YouTube downloader) it gets removed. For this purpose the legal author will have to put a Channel watemark on their YouTube videos. In this guide, we will show you how to add watermark to your YouTube videos, existing or new.

You May Also Like:
Best Watermark Apps for iPhone - How to Watermark Photos on iPhone >>

Wondershare AniEraser Seamless, Effortless, Intuitive.
AniEraser makes it easy to perfect any photo or video; no matter the device or platform - experience a smooth, effortless transformation of your image and maximize its potential with just one click.
Make your moment perfect.

Free Download Free Download Edit online

How to Add a Watermark to Your YouTube Videos

• Part 1: How to add logo or watermark to in existing YouTube videos
• Part 2: Add logos or watermarks to your videos before uploading

Part 1: How to add logo or watermark to in existing YouTube videos

To add a watermark to your previously uploaded videos you will need to have created and saved your watermark outside of your video editing program.

• Sign in to your YouTube account. Click on the thumbnail image of your account at the top right corner. This will give you a drop down menu. Then Click on the small gear (indicating settings)

• This will lead you to setting center. Click on “view additional features”

• To the left of the window, Click the third option of “branding”
• Click on “add watermark”. Then you can choose an image from your computer. After your image is uploaded, click save.

Notes

YouTube watermark size: Your watermark should be transparent, square, and larger than 50x50 pixels, which is the size it will be shrunk down to when it appears in the corner of your videos.

YouTube watermark starting time: you will have the option of choosing a start time for your watermark, making it appear only at the end of your video, or having it there for the entire length of your video. Once that is done click ‘Update’ and your watermark will be applied to your videos.

YouTube watermark color: Youtube suggests that your watermark have only one color. The point is that you should not use anything flashy that will take attention away from your video, so having two or three colors is not necessarily wrong if your design is subtle.

Here is a tutorial video for how to add watermark to Your YouTube videos:

Part 2: Add logos or watermarks to your videos before uploading

1. Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora which is one of the ideal video editing tools especially when it comes to watermarking your videos . It helps you in adding static and video watermarks over the video. The basic theme of the video watermarking is the concept of picture-in-picture .

The following steps have to be taken to add a watermark:

• Add the video and watermarking data by drag dropping it into the workspace
• Drag the required video on the timeline and the watermark on it as well
• Adjust the watermark and add pre-made special effects to it
• Mask the watermark in the shape you like
• Save the video

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

2. Windows movie maker

Windows movie maker is free default windows software that can easily add watermark to your videos to secure your copyrights. It can cater two types of watermarks; images and text. For images, it just supports PNG and GIF format files and generally doesn’t support transparency. Moreover, an external file, Windows Logo Locator is needed for placing the logo at different positions.

How to add watermark to video with Windows Movie Maker

Adding Text watermark:

• Open windows movie maker
• Click on ‘videos’ under the title of import.
• Import your video to the timeline.
• Right beneath imports under the category of edit you will find ‘titles and credits’. Click.
• Enter the text for watermark.
• Choose the title positioning, font and transparency.
• Add title. You will find it along the length of timeline. You may drag to expand it, for viewing it during the entire videos length. Select file and click publish video.

Adding image watermark:

The image should be in .PNG or .GIF format.

• Save the image in >C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared\AddOnTFX\.
• Download a logo Locator as per your installed windows from FX archives.
• Select the location of the logo in your video where you want it to appear.
• Choose the screen size and the logo size
• Type the name of the file of the logo you had already saved with the extension. For e.g. logo.png
• Copy the text that appears underneath and paste it on the notepad and save the typed file in >C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared\AddOnTFX\.
• Open windows movie maker again.
• Choose title and credits underneath the edit category.
• Press space bar once and then click ‘change the title animation’.
• You will see your image there. Click on ad title and press Ctrl+p to publish.

Part 3: How to Create a Transparent logo for Youtube Channel

Do you want to make a transparent image as logo for your YouTube? If you want to brand your YouTube channel, we believe it is a must to add transparent logo for YouTube branding. Actually, you can do this in Filmora just with a green screen image. Check the steps below to know the secret.

Step 1: Import video and image to Filmora

Open Filmora. Choose Create New Project. Click import media files here in Media library. Select your video and a green screen image. In fact, a green screen video is also accessable, but usually brand logo is image. Now drag them onto timeline.

Step 2: Import video and image to Filmora

Right click on the image clip in the timeline. Choose Green Screen. You will see the image is transparent in the preview window. Now, you need to adjust some details. You can adjust edge thickness and edge feather to better edge. If the green screen background is not totally removed, drag tolerance to adjust it.

Step 3: Scale the logo

You can clip the image clip first and go to preview window to scale it down or up by dragging the green dot. You can put the YouTube logo at corner.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

A watermark is a still image that is usually plugged in the videos, for the purpose of claiming copyrights or publicity purpose. YouTube generally carries a “branding” option where you can brand your video with your channel. This doesn’t provide a stable watermark. Therefore, when someone downloads that video using a second party (YouTube downloader) it gets removed. For this purpose the legal author will have to put a Channel watemark on their YouTube videos. In this guide, we will show you how to add watermark to your YouTube videos, existing or new.

You May Also Like:
Best Watermark Apps for iPhone - How to Watermark Photos on iPhone >>

Wondershare AniEraser Seamless, Effortless, Intuitive.
AniEraser makes it easy to perfect any photo or video; no matter the device or platform - experience a smooth, effortless transformation of your image and maximize its potential with just one click.
Make your moment perfect.

Free Download Free Download Edit online

How to Add a Watermark to Your YouTube Videos

• Part 1: How to add logo or watermark to in existing YouTube videos
• Part 2: Add logos or watermarks to your videos before uploading

Part 1: How to add logo or watermark to in existing YouTube videos

To add a watermark to your previously uploaded videos you will need to have created and saved your watermark outside of your video editing program.

• Sign in to your YouTube account. Click on the thumbnail image of your account at the top right corner. This will give you a drop down menu. Then Click on the small gear (indicating settings)

• This will lead you to setting center. Click on “view additional features”

• To the left of the window, Click the third option of “branding”
• Click on “add watermark”. Then you can choose an image from your computer. After your image is uploaded, click save.

Notes

YouTube watermark size: Your watermark should be transparent, square, and larger than 50x50 pixels, which is the size it will be shrunk down to when it appears in the corner of your videos.

YouTube watermark starting time: you will have the option of choosing a start time for your watermark, making it appear only at the end of your video, or having it there for the entire length of your video. Once that is done click ‘Update’ and your watermark will be applied to your videos.

YouTube watermark color: Youtube suggests that your watermark have only one color. The point is that you should not use anything flashy that will take attention away from your video, so having two or three colors is not necessarily wrong if your design is subtle.

Here is a tutorial video for how to add watermark to Your YouTube videos:

Part 2: Add logos or watermarks to your videos before uploading

1. Wondershare Filmora

Wondershare Filmora which is one of the ideal video editing tools especially when it comes to watermarking your videos . It helps you in adding static and video watermarks over the video. The basic theme of the video watermarking is the concept of picture-in-picture .

The following steps have to be taken to add a watermark:

• Add the video and watermarking data by drag dropping it into the workspace
• Drag the required video on the timeline and the watermark on it as well
• Adjust the watermark and add pre-made special effects to it
• Mask the watermark in the shape you like
• Save the video

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

2. Windows movie maker

Windows movie maker is free default windows software that can easily add watermark to your videos to secure your copyrights. It can cater two types of watermarks; images and text. For images, it just supports PNG and GIF format files and generally doesn’t support transparency. Moreover, an external file, Windows Logo Locator is needed for placing the logo at different positions.

How to add watermark to video with Windows Movie Maker

Adding Text watermark:

• Open windows movie maker
• Click on ‘videos’ under the title of import.
• Import your video to the timeline.
• Right beneath imports under the category of edit you will find ‘titles and credits’. Click.
• Enter the text for watermark.
• Choose the title positioning, font and transparency.
• Add title. You will find it along the length of timeline. You may drag to expand it, for viewing it during the entire videos length. Select file and click publish video.

Adding image watermark:

The image should be in .PNG or .GIF format.

• Save the image in >C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared\AddOnTFX\.
• Download a logo Locator as per your installed windows from FX archives.
• Select the location of the logo in your video where you want it to appear.
• Choose the screen size and the logo size
• Type the name of the file of the logo you had already saved with the extension. For e.g. logo.png
• Copy the text that appears underneath and paste it on the notepad and save the typed file in >C:\Program Files\Movie Maker\Shared\AddOnTFX\.
• Open windows movie maker again.
• Choose title and credits underneath the edit category.
• Press space bar once and then click ‘change the title animation’.
• You will see your image there. Click on ad title and press Ctrl+p to publish.

Part 3: How to Create a Transparent logo for Youtube Channel

Do you want to make a transparent image as logo for your YouTube? If you want to brand your YouTube channel, we believe it is a must to add transparent logo for YouTube branding. Actually, you can do this in Filmora just with a green screen image. Check the steps below to know the secret.

Step 1: Import video and image to Filmora

Open Filmora. Choose Create New Project. Click import media files here in Media library. Select your video and a green screen image. In fact, a green screen video is also accessable, but usually brand logo is image. Now drag them onto timeline.

Step 2: Import video and image to Filmora

Right click on the image clip in the timeline. Choose Green Screen. You will see the image is transparent in the preview window. Now, you need to adjust some details. You can adjust edge thickness and edge feather to better edge. If the green screen background is not totally removed, drag tolerance to adjust it.

Step 3: Scale the logo

You can clip the image clip first and go to preview window to scale it down or up by dragging the green dot. You can put the YouTube logo at corner.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

From Startup to Stardom with YouTube SEO Basics

The 12-step YouTube SEO Guide for Beginners Who Want More Views

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.

Well, let’s change that!

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.

Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors

Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?

Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.

Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.

Step 1: Find Related Videos

Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.

Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:

While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!

Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.

Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:

- To be entertained

- To learn something new

- To be inspired

A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.

So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .

Step 2: Find Keywords

Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.

Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:

Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.

This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.

Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.

How to Read Keyword Suggestions

Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:

- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.

- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.

- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.

The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.

In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!

Step 3: Write Title

I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.

A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.

Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs

But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.

Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…

Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.

Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.

So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?

Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.

You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.

See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?

Step 4: Write Description

You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.

This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.

But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.

Step 5: Write Tags

Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.

Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.

Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.

Organize your keywords in the tag as such:

Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:

Specific: How to make scrambled eggs

General: Scrambled eggs

Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs

Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible

It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.

Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.

Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook

The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .

What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.

Step 7: Film B-Roll

One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.

In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.

While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.

So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.

Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video

Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.

While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.

The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.

For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”

Who knows, who will respond.

Step 9: Design a Thumbnail

You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.

Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.

Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.

Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?

You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.

Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .

Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization

Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.

Come on, keep going!

Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets

The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.

Step 11: Add Transcripts

In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.

While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.

You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.

Step 12: Add Video to Playlist

Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.

When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.

So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.

I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!

If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.

Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.

Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.

Well, let’s change that!

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.

Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors

Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?

Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.

Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.

Step 1: Find Related Videos

Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.

Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:

While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!

Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.

Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:

- To be entertained

- To learn something new

- To be inspired

A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.

So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .

Step 2: Find Keywords

Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.

Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:

Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.

This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.

Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.

How to Read Keyword Suggestions

Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:

- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.

- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.

- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.

The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.

In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!

Step 3: Write Title

I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.

A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.

Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs

But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.

Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…

Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.

Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.

So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?

Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.

You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.

See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?

Step 4: Write Description

You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.

This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.

But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.

Step 5: Write Tags

Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.

Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.

Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.

Organize your keywords in the tag as such:

Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:

Specific: How to make scrambled eggs

General: Scrambled eggs

Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs

Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible

It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.

Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.

Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook

The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .

What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.

Step 7: Film B-Roll

One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.

In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.

While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.

So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.

Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video

Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.

While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.

The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.

For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”

Who knows, who will respond.

Step 9: Design a Thumbnail

You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.

Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.

Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.

Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?

You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.

Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .

Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization

Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.

Come on, keep going!

Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets

The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.

Step 11: Add Transcripts

In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.

While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.

You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.

Step 12: Add Video to Playlist

Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.

When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.

So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.

I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!

If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.

Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.

Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.

Well, let’s change that!

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.

Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors

Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?

Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.

Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.

Step 1: Find Related Videos

Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.

Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:

While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!

Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.

Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:

- To be entertained

- To learn something new

- To be inspired

A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.

So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .

Step 2: Find Keywords

Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.

Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:

Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.

This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.

Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.

How to Read Keyword Suggestions

Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:

- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.

- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.

- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.

The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.

In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!

Step 3: Write Title

I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.

A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.

Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs

But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.

Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…

Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.

Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.

So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?

Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.

You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.

See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?

Step 4: Write Description

You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.

This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.

But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.

Step 5: Write Tags

Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.

Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.

Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.

Organize your keywords in the tag as such:

Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:

Specific: How to make scrambled eggs

General: Scrambled eggs

Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs

Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible

It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.

Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.

Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook

The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .

What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.

Step 7: Film B-Roll

One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.

In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.

While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.

So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.

Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video

Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.

While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.

The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.

For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”

Who knows, who will respond.

Step 9: Design a Thumbnail

You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.

Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.

Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.

Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?

You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.

Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .

Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization

Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.

Come on, keep going!

Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets

The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.

Step 11: Add Transcripts

In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.

While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.

You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.

Step 12: Add Video to Playlist

Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.

When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.

So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.

I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!

If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.

Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.

Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.

Well, let’s change that!

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.

Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors

Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?

Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.

Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.

Step 1: Find Related Videos

Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.

Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:

While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!

Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.

Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:

- To be entertained

- To learn something new

- To be inspired

A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.

So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .

Step 2: Find Keywords

Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.

Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:

Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.

This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.

Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.

How to Read Keyword Suggestions

Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:

- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.

- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.

- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.

The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.

In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!

Step 3: Write Title

I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.

A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.

Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs

But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.

Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…

Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.

Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.

So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?

Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.

You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.

See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?

Step 4: Write Description

You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.

This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.

But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.

Step 5: Write Tags

Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.

Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.

Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.

Organize your keywords in the tag as such:

Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:

Specific: How to make scrambled eggs

General: Scrambled eggs

Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs

Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible

It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.

Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.

Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook

The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .

What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.

Step 7: Film B-Roll

One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.

In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.

While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.

So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.

Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video

Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.

While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.

The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.

For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”

Who knows, who will respond.

Step 9: Design a Thumbnail

You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.

Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.

Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.

Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?

You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.

Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .

Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization

Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.

Come on, keep going!

Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets

The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.

Step 11: Add Transcripts

In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.

While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.

You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.

Step 12: Add Video to Playlist

Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.

When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.

So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.

I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!

If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.

Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.

Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox