There are plenty of theories about getting more views. I believe it is a combination of two factors: good content and seo. Your video can be viewed a million times; if the viewers don't find the content of the video interesting, then it is not a successful video. The other way around, of course. Even if you have good video content, the video will not be a success if no one is watching the video. SEO and good content need each other.
Whether or not viewers find the content of your video interesting also affects SEO: even if your video is viewed 400,000 times, YouTube, and therefore Google, will not put it at the top of the search results if viewers drop out after 5 seconds.
Four Important SEO Tips
To start with, four common and effective technical SEO tips:
1. Use relevant keywords
Google and YouTube cannot (yet) scan your video for content. Suppose you have developed a new software called 'Hype X4G'. It may be obvious to you that this software will change the world, but the chances of people searching for the term 'Hype X4G' are very small. So how do you get people who might be interested in your software to find your 'HYPE X4G' video?
The answer to this is with keywords. Take the time to find out what trending keywords are. You can use various keyword research tools for this. Then see which keywords match the content of your video. Then you process these in the title, description, and tags of your video.
2. Provide a detailed description with your video
To give Google and YouTube a clear picture of what your video is about, it is important to provide an extensive description of the video. You can also use the above keywords in this description. A description of at least 200 words is best. Do not forget to include the URL where visitors can go for more information. In addition, make sure that the texts of all your videos are aligned so that your other videos are shown as 'related videos. One viewer thus generates multiple views for different videos.
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3. Link to the video in social media
Even the best marketing campaigns won't work if they're not shown to the target audience. If you want to promote a video, social media are the perfect platforms. Share the video on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, Pinterest, and Google Plus. Your own channels are also important. Use your own website or blog to link to your video. Is it possible to share the video for your contact with customers? You may even be able to include the video in a newsletter.
4. Motivate viewers to take action
To give the video as much exposure as possible, the viewers of the video must take action. Ask your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn friends to share the video. In addition, subscriptions and likes on a video are some of the most important metrics for YouTube to rank videos. Therefore, motivate the viewer to like the video or to subscribe to your channel.
Three content tips
To generate a successful video, you need good video content. Three tips:
1. Don't give too much information
Nobody wants a video with a deluge of information that is impossible to follow. Make sure the content is engaging, with the right amount of information or rock-solid editing. No unnecessary information; get to the point quickly. Alternate the video images to create some variety and to avoid monotony.
2. Give your video the right length
The length of your video partly determines whether or not people watch your video. Long videos can do very well on YouTube; one-third of YouTube videos are 20 minutes or longer. But, does your target audience have the time and desire to watch a 20-minute video? Most likely not.
3. Don't make a sales pitch from your video
The most viewed videos on YouTube are those that don't contain a clear sales pitch. Of course, attribution is not a bad thing. The most-watched video campaign in 2014, with over 97 million views, was WREN's 'First Kiss' video. The name was only mentioned after 3 minutes. This video has been widely shared on social media.
Advertise for an extra boost
Finally, you can also give the video a nudge in the right direction with YouTube advertising. A video that has been viewed a lot is ranked higher on YouTube and therefore reaches other viewers. An interesting option is Trueview, where the first five seconds are free, and you only have to pay if the video is watched in its entirety or for longer than 30 seconds. Handy, because as mentioned before, a viewer must watch your video for longer than five seconds to affect your position in the search results.
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