YouTube has been a dominant force in the online world since its inception. It has provided many with a medium through which they can share their thoughts, product reviews, and various other forms of entertainment.
Increasingly though, YouTube is becoming a very powerful marketing tool for businesses. This is thanks to Google's concerted efforts to integrate YouTube into their search engine algorithms as well as offline marketing efforts that emphasize the importance of YouTube.
Best practices for YouTube are constantly changing, and it's important to stay on top of what works best for your channel. These are what to look out for in 2022.
Develop Clear Branding Across Your Channel
When a user lands on your channel, you want them to feel like you mean business. This includes having proper channel art (banners, PFP, social links), and organizing your channel with curated playlists to guide the viewing experience.
Create a cohesive look across all platforms by using similar graphics and colors on your website and social media posts related to your videos.
A consistent look also helps users find your content when they search for specific topics on other platforms.
You also want to develop a unique voice for your channel that sets you apart from other channels in the same genre or niche as yours.
You can do this by incorporating keywords into titles and descriptions of videos (which will help rank better in search), using tags wisely, and making sure that all of your videos have unique elements that set them apart from one another but still feel cohesive with your overall brand identity.
This aspect is often overlooked, but is one of the most essential best practices for YouTube.
Every Detail Counts
Your thumbnails, descriptions, and tags have now become arguably equally or more important than your actual content. These three aspects all directly contribute to the likelihood users will click or even be able to discover your content.
Make sure that each video has an eye-catching thumbnail that captures the essence of what people would want to see in the video itself (not just a random image from the video).
Make sure that each video's description includes relevant keywords so that viewers will be able to find it when they search those terms on YouTube or Google Search.
And make sure that every tag is relevant and carefully selected so as not to confuse viewers or mislead them into thinking they're watching one kind of video when in fact it's something else entirely.
Take Advantage of YouTube Shorts & Clips
No matter the length of your main content, utilizing YouTube Shorts and Clips functions serve as mini trailers for your work.
YouTube is heavily pushing Shorts to compete with TikTok, and Clips allow you and users alike to share moments that resonate.
Utilize Verified & Official Artist Channel Once You Qualify
Similar to Twitter’s “blue check,” becoming verified adds another layer of credibility to your channel.
An Artist Channel aggregates content and subscribers from YT, Vevo, and Topic channels. While being verified gains you a check and indicates that this is THE official channel for your brand.
Cross-promote When Possible
Always use in-video cards, end screens, and “featured channels” to show viewers relevant content and keep them digging into your hard work for as long as possible.
End screens are great for driving traffic back to previous videos in a series or encouraging viewers to subscribe or check out other channels. They also make it easy for people who missed parts of a series to catch up without having to go back through the whole playlist again.
Think of this as a way to make your channel as Netflix-binge-worthy as possible. If they enjoyed the video they just watched, why not point them in the direction of their next favorite video?
While we believe these are the best practices for YouTube, there will always be aspects to tweak as you find out what works best for you and your audience.
