Getting Discovered on YouTube
YouTube has become so popular to the point where it isn’t just a social media platform anymore it has basically become another form of a search engine since the start of the pandemic. The platform has become so popular that according to Hootsuite in 2022 so far on average there is about 1.7 billion unique monthly viewers, and it tallies up to around a total of 19 minutes a day on YouTube which is a considerable amount of time to spend on a website or social medium. More and more people are becoming content creators on the platform and many people are very confused with how the YouTube algorithm really works and how to get your own content discovered.
What is the YouTube Algorithm?
A visual representation of the YouTube algorithm in 2022.
To put simply, the YouTube algorithm is a loop that takes any videos that are uploaded on the platform and using the searched data recommends you videos based on your searches. It’s considered a two-step process in which the content for you is generated based on your searches and then ranked on a scale based on your individual searches, interests, and the channels that you have watched in the past and are currently subscribed to as of now. You see the algorithm works in three ways.
It shows up on the homepage of your YouTube by showing you many suggestions based on your searches and who you are subscribed with rows and rows of video suggestions.
It’s affected mainly in your search because if two users by searching the same phrase the results will vary based on content and ranking based on your search history before on YouTube
The last way is on your suggested videos which is shown at the end of the video with many videos popping up on the screen and then showing up on the right side of your screen on desktop and below the video on mobile devices. It is then queued on auto play to then play the next video on your suggested which is done to keep you on the site and potentially on the content creator.
How To Get Your Content Discovered
So, you now have a solid grasp on how the YouTube algorithm works but now the question becomes, “How do I get my own content discovered on YouTube?” Well to start I made a video giving you all five useful tips on how to get your channel discovered when you are starting off on YouTube and you have a small following. It can be a difficult challenge, but these tips will help with starting off on the right foot. These tips can be used to not just promote your videos but also if you do podcasts since they have also had a boom in popularity, but these tips work the best with YouTube videos.
Five Useful YouTube SEO Elements
The video has given the foundation of ideas on how to get yourself in a correct state of mind and schedule to get your content generated in a well formatted and consistent way which is the first step to growing on the YouTube algorithm. The second step revolves around getting your content ranked and that is done by performing SEO with your videos cause remember YouTube is just as much a search engine now as Google or Bing. Here are five useful elements to note with your videos so they get ranked better in the algorithm but note this strategy isn’t perfect if your market is big then sometimes size of not just the area of interest but the channels you are competing against are sometimes a factor.
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Your watch time is something very important because this element is basically how you get views if you have a high watch time then people are interested in your content because their watching most of the video.
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With SEO you want your keywords to match well with the searches results. You can check to match your keywords by doing searches on both Google and YouTube and see if your video comes up. If you can match your title with what the people might be searching your video will jump ahead of other videos because your title will be another form of SEO along with your tags that you put in the video before you upload.
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A title is important as shown with the last element, but it is not just in terms of matching keywords. Titles that are usually shorter that max out at around 50 characters while making a description that ranges around 200 to 350 words. Keep it short and sweet while adding important keywords into the description one important tip is to try and shoot for low-competition keywords. This is very useful if you are a very small channel that does not have a big following as it can help shoot your videos up the algorithm.
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As discussed in the second element having tags is important because these words are how YouTube will rank your video when a user goes and makes a search for a YouTube video. The more tags that you can add into your video the better of a chance you have to get your video seen by the public when they go and make a search.
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The average length of a video that is recommended to get the best ranking in the algorithm is around the 10-minute range. This is also helpful when you can monetize your videos because when a video is over the 10-minute range you can add more than one midroll into your video which will help you in gaining revenue and attention.
When it is all said and done building up your content comes with a mixture of doing the right things with SEO, building a solid brand name for yourself, and finding a schedule to post consistently. Being able to get our content out to the public is the hardest step to help build ourselves up so it starts with an idea and trying to fit yourself into some form of an online community. The most important tip when it comes to getting your content discovered is the hardest one to follow which is be patient and stay consistent. From someone who has done YouTube for a year it can be disheartening when a video doesn’t do well but the most important thing is to keep trying and stay consistent that’s how you grow your content and get seen by more people.