Did you see my blog on optimising your YouTube videos a few weeks ago? Well, today, I’m going to talk a bit more about how to optimise your YouTube Channel.

There are lots of crossovers, but there are some things you can do to make sure your channel is set up really clearly for your visitors and, of course, Google so they understand what you’re all about.

If you take a moment to optimise your channel, viewers will stay on your channel longer and will be more likely to subscribe, which I’m presuming is what you want!

And more subscribers means more traffic back to your website, which means more leads and more clients!

So, here’s what you need to do to optimise your YouTube channel.

Step One: Optimise Your YouTube Banner

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Your YouTube is prime real estate as far as your channel goes, and you want to make it work as hard as it can for you.

Make sure you use an image that is super clear and tells people instantly what your channel is about.

Then you need to make it easy for people to subscribe. So make your subscribe button super clear by drawing attention to it in your image.

You can also optimise your banner by adding links to your website and social media channels, so make you you add these in too.

In the “Customize Channel” section, go to Basic Info and scroll down to “Links on Banner” to add your social profiles and then add your website in Contact Info.

Step Two: Optimise Your Channel Description

Make sure you spend a few minutes writing a good channel description.  It’s what shows up in your channel's About section so make sure you give your visitors some info about what your channel is about and how you can solve their problems.

Don’t forget to add your keywords here; it’s SUPER important!

And finally, make sure you add links to your social profile and website here too.

You can also add links to events you’re holding or challenges you’re running.

Step Three: Use Your Keyword in Your Video Titles and Descriptions

Make sure you use the keywords you want to optimise your video for in the file name of the video you record. It’s super simple to do. Just save your mp4 file using a filename that includes your keyword.

Then, you need to make sure you add your keyword to the video title you have to add in the Video Details section of your YouTube dashboard.

And make sure you include your keyword in the summary you add in the Description section of your dashboard.

Then the last thing you need to do with your keyword is make sure you add it as a tag. Just scroll down to the bottom of your dashboard, and you’ll find the tags section.  

Add your keyword as a tag and see if you can come up with any related ideas. If you use a plugin like TubeBuddy or VidIQ, they’ll make some suggestions for you.

Step Four: Add a Transcript of Your Video

Adding a transcript of your video works on two levels.

First, it makes it more accessible.  A transcript will help people who are hearing impaired, and it will allow people to understand what your video is about if they want to watch with the sound off, as you’ll have the closed captions function turned on.

A transcript of your YouTube video will also help Google understand what your video is all about more easily, so it will be more likely to show up in the search engines.

How To Turn On The Transcript Function On YouTube

• Go to your Video Manager and click on the video you want to add captions to.
• Click on the "Subtitles/CC" button.
• Click on the "Add new subtitles or CC" button.
• Select "English" (or your preferred language) for your captions.
• Choose "Automatic" as the method of transcription.
• YouTube will automatically transcribe your video and generate captions. After the captions are added, click the "Publish" button to make them visible to your audience.

YouTube’s built-in transcriptions are fine, but if you want to upgrade the quality a little, use an outfit like VidIQ.

Step Five: Make Sure You Optimise Your Video Thumbnails

It is super simple to optimise your thumbnails. Just add your keyword to the file name of your image and in the alt text on your thumbnail.

This will help make them more search engine friendly.

Step Six: Use An End Screen 

An end screen is what shows up when your video finishes.  

They’re really easy to create, and they allow you to promote other videos on your channel.  Not only that, they’re a great way to give super clear signals to Google on what your channel is all about.

YouTube give you templates you can use to set up an end screen in minutes. 

Just head over to the video editor and give it a go!

Step Seven: Create A Playlist.

Have you got a number of videos on your channel that are about the same subject?

Creating a playlist is great for keeping viewers on your channel - a positive marker in the algorithm, and again, playlists help Google understand what your channel is all about.

Again, it’s super simple to do

Here’s how to add a playlist to your YouTube channel

• Click on the "Library" button in the navigation menu on the left-hand side.
• Click on the "Playlists" tab.
• Click on the "New Playlist" button.
• Give your playlist a name and choose whether you want it to be public, private, or unlisted.
• Click the "Create" button.
• Add a video to your playlist by clicking the "+" icon next to the video you want to add or by dragging and dropping videos into the playlist.

Simple!

Step Eight: Create a YouTube Channel Trailer

A channel trailer is a short video that gives an overview of your channel and what kind of content people can expect to see. This can attract new subscribers and increase visibility for your channel.

Once you’ve recorded a short (really short!) trailer video, upload it to YouTube and then follow the instructions in this video to set it all up as a trailer.

Step Nine: Track Your Viewing Stats

You can’t optimise your channel if you don’t know what to fix.  

You can use YouTube’s built-in analytics to track all sorts of things like your video’s reach, engagement and who your audience is. You can even see when you lose people!

Just head over to the analytics section on your dashboard. If you want more detailed analytics, again, check out TubeBuddy’s VideoLytics.

Step Ten: Tell Your People On Social 

Don’t forget to tell people about your new YouTube videos on your Social Media channels.

Make sure you let people know you’ve got a new video to watch by posting on YouTube, FB, LinkedIn…wherever your people are and link to your YouTube Channel.

You can get a link to share by clicking on Get Shareable Link!

Step 11: Show Up Consistently

The YouTube Gods (aka Google) love it when you show up consistently, talking about stuff in the same subject matter.

So, make sure you plan your YouTube videos around a core theme. That could be content writing and SEO like I do, or hypnotherapy or fixing motorbikes.

Keep your message clear and consistent.

And talking about consistency, show up regularly.

You’ll rank better if you post regularly, so make sure you don’t have a YouTube blitz and then leave your channel to gather dust, not if you want it to help drive traffic to your website anyway.

Want to Know More?

So, there you have it, how to optimise your YouTube channel in eleven simple steps. I hope you’ll see how easy it is to get your YouTube channel in really good shape for your viewers and Google.

If you want to know anything else about optimising your YouTube channel, just drop me a comment, and I’ll get back to you with an answer.