Every minute, more than 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube, making it a highly competitive space. Growing your YouTube channel isn’t only about creating quality content. It’s also about making sure people see it.
While many factors influence your visibility on the platform, the number of views your videos and channel receive plays a key role.
In this article, we’ll cover proven strategies to help grow your YouTube channel and increase your viewership. Whether you’re new to YouTube or looking to boost your current numbers, these tips will help you reach your YouTube marketing goals.
10 Tips to Boost Your YouTube Views This Year
- Focus on creating video series, not just individual videos
- Master YouTube SEO techniques
- Collaborate with other content creators
- Utilize cards and end screens effectively
- Write a blog post to support each video
- Include timestamps in your video descriptions
- Promote your videos on social media
- Design eye-catching thumbnails
- Craft compelling and thoughtful titles
Create Unique Content That Sets You Apart
I’ve made this my number one suggestion for a reason. If you search hard enough (and it doesn’t take much effort), you’ll find all sorts of unethical and dishonest ways to boost YouTube views. I’m confident that none of you would resort to those tactics, but it’s important that we’re all on the same page from the start.
The best way to succeed on YouTube is by making videos that people actually want to watch and watch all the way through. It’s all about offering value. If you’re not willing to deliver value to your audience, then content marketing isn’t for you. It’s as simple as that.
YouTube, like its parent company Google, is essentially a search engine. And what is the purpose of a search engine? To guide users to the best and most relevant content available. That’s why Google consistently advises SEO to focus on delivering value to their visitors. YouTube operates the same way.
Engage with your audience. Learn about their pain points and what keeps them up at night. Use that insight (along with these often-overlooked YouTube metrics) to shape your content. Let others rely on shortcuts and gimmicks.
On the topic of metrics, take a look at these four YouTube Studio reports that you won’t find in Google Ads.
Approach Content as a Series, Not Just Single Videos
Many YouTube creators organize their videos into playlists, and there’s a good reason for that.
When a video is part of a playlist, the next video in the playlist will automatically play as soon as the current one ends.
This allows viewers to watch multiple related videos without having to do anything extra. While this setup benefits YouTube by increasing ad revenue, it also benefits you by boosting viewer engagement and increasing your video views.
It’s clear that simply throwing together unrelated videos into a massive playlist can lead to a poor user experience. Instead, I recommend planning your YouTube content as series rather than individual videos. This approach makes it easier to organize your videos into coherent playlists as you create more content. Your viewers will enjoy a more seamless experience, and you’ll see an increase in views. It’s a win-win!
For example, if I were promoting a baseball academy, I would create several video series: one on pitching, another on batting, and another on outfield play, among others. Starting this series-based approach will help set you up for success on YouTube.
YouTube SEO: The Secret Ingredient to Viral Videos
Building a Keyword Strategy
Once you have a list of target keywords, you can begin optimizing your content. This involves incorporating keywords naturally into your video titles, descriptions, tags, and even in the spoken words of your video. By doing this, you’ll improve your chances of appearing in relevant search results and reaching a wider audience.
Additional Tips for YouTube SEO
Create high-quality content: Engage your viewers with interesting, informative, and visually appealing videos.
Optimize your thumbnails: Use eye-catching thumbnails that accurately represent your content and encourage clicks.
Encourage engagement: Respond to comments, ask questions, and create a community around your channel.
Promote your videos: Share your content on social media and other relevant platforms.
By following these tips and focusing on YouTube SEO, you can increase your channel’s visibility, attract more subscribers, and achieve your goals on the platform.
Optimize Your YouTube Titles for More Views
When YouTube ranks videos for a specific search query, the video title is a crucial factor. If you want your video to appear at the top of the search results for a particular keyword, that keyword should be prominently included in your title. While it’s essential to include your target keyword in your title, the placement also plays a role. Anecdotal evidence suggests that starting your title with the keyword can provide a slight ranking boost.
Optimize Your YouTube Descriptions for More Views
While the video title is the most important factor for YouTube search rankings, your video description also plays a role. While it may not have the same impact as the title, optimizing your description can still help improve your video’s visibility. To ensure your video is found by relevant searches, be sure to include your target keyword at least once in your description. This helps YouTube understand the content of your video and match it to appropriate search queries. Aim for a description that is around 200-300 words long. Incorporate additional keywords related to your video’s topic. encourage viewers to subscribe, like, and share your video. Use rich text formatting: Use bold, italics, and links to make your description more visually appealing. By following these tips and optimizing your video descriptions, you can improve your video’s discoverability and attract more viewers.
SEO Tips for YouTube Video Tags
YouTube Tag SEO: A Hidden Advantage
While your video title and description are visible to viewers, tags are a behind-the-scenes tool that helps YouTube understand your content. Although not required, tagging your videos is a simple and effective way to improve your search rankings.
How Tags Work
YouTube uses tags to categorize videos and match them to relevant search queries. By using relevant tags, you can help YouTube understand the topic of your video and connect it with potential viewers.
Tips for Tagging Your Videos
Use relevant keywords: Include keywords that accurately describe your video’s content. Use both general and specific tags to target a wider audience. Experiment with different combinations of tags to see what works best. Don’t overuse tags, as this can negatively impact your rankings. By effectively using tags, you can improve your video’s visibility and attract more viewers.
Grow Your YouTube Channel Through Collaborations
The competitive landscape of YouTube can sometimes lead to a mindset of rivalry. By forging symbiotic relationships with other content creators, you can create value for viewers and expand your reach.
The Benefits of Collaboration
Increased exposure: Collaborating with another YouTuber can introduce your content to a new audience.
Enhanced credibility: Partnerships can lend credibility to your channel.
Shared resources: Collaborating can help you pool resources and create more impactful content.
Stronger community: Working together can foster a stronger sense of community among your viewers.
Focus on Creating Value :Remember, the ultimate goal of YouTube content marketing is to create value for viewers. By collaborating with competitors, you can achieve this goal more effectively. Instead of viewing them as rivals, see them as potential partners who can help you reach a wider audience and create more meaningful content.
Boost Your YouTube Reach with Blog Posts
If you’re already using blogging as part of your content marketing strategy, consider pairing each of your YouTube videos with a related blog post. While this requires additional time and effort, the benefits can be significant.
Key Advantages of Pairing Videos and Blog Posts :
Increased website traffic: Blog posts can drive visitors to your website, where they can then discover your YouTube channel.
Improved SEO: Both videos and blog posts can be optimized for search engines, increasing your visibility online.
Enhanced user experience: Offering both visual and written content provides a more comprehensive experience for your audience.
Leveraged content: By repurposing your video content into a blog post, you can maximize its reach.
Since you’ve already written a script for your video, creating a corresponding blog post is relatively easy. Simply transcribe your script, add relevant keywords, and include a strong call to action that encourages viewers to watch the video.
By implementing this strategy, you can effectively leverage both video and blog content to expand your audience and achieve your marketing goals.
Capture Attention: Tips for Engaging Your Audience
By appealing to your audience’s curiosity, you can create YouTube titles that are more likely to attract clicks and views. This involves crafting titles that spark interest and make viewers want to know more. While it’s tempting to use sensational or misleading titles to attract clicks, this is a short-term strategy that can ultimately harm your channel’s reputation. Instead, focus on creating honest and informative titles that accurately reflect the content of your video.By understanding the psychology of curiosity and crafting engaging titles, you can effectively tap into your audience’s desires and increase your YouTube views