YouTube is arguably the most popular video streaming platform today and has been so for over a good decade. Billions of users, billions of videos, and billions of hours of watch time make YouTube the phenomenon that it is in the virtual world.
Making YouTube videos is not just a fun pastime anymore like it used to be, but almost a whole different profession. So you need to treat it like one as well. The description of a YouTube video can make a lot of difference and here are some tips to get the most out of it.
Table Of Contents
- 0.1 1. Do not overthink
- 0.2 2. Be clear and straightforward
- 0.3 3. Find keywords
- 0.4 4. Use keywords the right way
- 0.5 5. Maintain the right frequency of keywords
- 0.6 6. Make it readable and easy to understand
- 0.7 7. Use links to drive traffic
- 0.8 8. Include CTAs
- 0.9 9. Don’t hesitate to make it fun
- 0.10 10. Decide the tone
- 0.11 11. Avoid stretching
- 0.12 12. Do not give away the entire plot
- 0.13 13. Promotions
- 0.14 14. Research hashtags
- 0.15 15. Use tags the right way
- 0.16 16. Refrain from clickbait
- 0.17 17. Provide Timestamps.
- 1 Conclusion
1. Do not overthink
While the description is definitely important, you do not have to brainstorm for hours to come up with something. Sometimes it is just better to go with the flow and pick something that is easygoing and fits your all needs.
2. Be clear and straightforward
The prime purpose of a description will always be telling your viewer about your video and you need to be clear with that. Keep it short, contained, and centered on the content of the video.
3. Find keywords
You can further optimize a video description by including specific keywords that people search for on YouTube. Doing so favors your chances of having a better position in the search results.
4. Use keywords the right way
Using keywords doesn’t mean you can spam a bunch of them anyhow you want. The trick is to properly incorporate them into your words without making them look out of place.
5. Maintain the right frequency of keywords
Using too many keywords can look out of place and even minimize the effect they could have had on the algorithm. Hence, the frequency should be kept under check.
6. Make it readable and easy to understand
If your viewers can’t make the sense of your description, it has essentially lost its all meaning. Instead of using complex words and sentences, keep an easygoing and understandable approach.
7. Use links to drive traffic
The box gives you a lot of space and a lot of words to use. It can be used to drive traffic to your website, external portals, or even other videos on the channel.
8. Include CTAs
Using Call-To-Action buttons is another way of productively utilizing the space you are provided by YouTube. It urges your viewers to make a decision and has been proven to bring an impact. You can also use it to remind new viewers to subscribe to your channel.
9. Don’t hesitate to make it fun
While you have to keep everything simple and to the point, there is no harm in throwing jokes and inside references in.
10. Decide the tone
Before getting into the writing, you can take a couple of minutes to decide the kind of tone you want to have. Be it formal or conversational, everything is entirely subjective.
11. Avoid stretching
What you really want to avoid while writing a description is turning it into an essay. While some videos do require, longer descriptions, it is usually better to keep them short and sweet.
12. Do not give away the entire plot
If you give away the whole of the video in your description, there are some changes that a percentage of the viewers might walk away without watching. It is better to avoid giving out too much information.
13. Promotions
The description space is absolutely perfect for all kinds of promotions. From a shoutout to your sponsor to a link to your merchandise store, there is space for everything.
Alongside keywords, hashtags too are present in nearly every YouTube video and they do help. Finding keywords relevant to your content is pretty easy and doesn’t take a lot of time.
Again, as is the case with keywords, the tags shouldn’t be simply spammed either. Using 10 to 15 hashtags is enough to make a positive impact.
16. Refrain from clickbait
Clickbait does bring views today but it is detrimental in the long run and hence should be avoided. You do not want to mislead your viewers and risk losing them as a result.
17. Provide Timestamps.
Providing timestamps for various stages and events in your videos is something your audience will always appreciate. Especially on longer videos. It also makes your channel look more organized and professional.
Conclusion
The description of a video might not automatically bring you a couple of million views but it does increase the chances of it happening. The main purpose of the description on YouTube is to get the viewer an idea of what they should expect from the video. While doing so, you can optimize your video according to the algorithms by using the tips mentioned here.