Ranking better in YouTube with YouTube Playlist SEO, Video SEO can help boost views and grow a YouTube Channel. YouTube Playlists are often overlooked but can be a very powerful tool to boost your youtube channel views. Playlists help hook viewers into a session, extending YouTube watch time which has a positive effect on the authority of your channel.
How Does YouTube Playlist SEO Help You Rank Better & Make More Money?
YouTube Session Time is an important factor in the way YouTube promotes your channel. It is in YouTube’s best interest to help channels that actively drive new users to the site and keep them engaged for longer. The longer a user in on the site the more advertisements they can be shown and the more money it can make for its parent company Google.
How Does YouTube Playlist SEO Boost Views?
Playlists can help attract users users to themed videos or niches. If you have a collection of 5-10 videos all about a set topic and putt them all in a playlist it helps YouTube learn that they are related and can increase how often they are suggested against each other on the right hand right of the video. You can also use SERIES PLAYLISTS that has an even stronger effect on what is auto played as YouTube are told that not only are they are related but just like a TV program that best viewed in a set order.
How to find YouTube Video Ideas or Vlog Topics. Finding new ideas for YouTube Video Topics can be hard at times but I have 3 Tips On How To Find Video Topics which will give you Unlimited YouTube Video Ideas & YouTube Video Topic Ideas so you never have to worry again.
Writing block is common in most creative fields and ideas for YouTube videos can be hard for new YouTubers to come by when you can’t see the wood from the trees.
That is why I have a method to discover my YouTube Video Ideas and topics.
1 – Personal YouTube Video Ideas
Pull from your own personal experiences. Your life can be a very deep well of information, opinions, hobbies and content ideas.
I know sometime it can feel like you have nothing to think about but why not look at your hobbies and explain that to your audience. Are you a video gamer?
Why not tell us about your favourite game!
Do you like fashion or makeup?
Why not make a video about your new summer look, your favorite make up and how you put it on. Or talk more personal, tell us about your family, your friends, your day at school. You can always find something to talk about in your personal life.
2 – Trending Topic Videos & Other YouTubers
Trending topics can be the source for UNLIMITED YouTube Video Ideas in its own right. Trending topics can be anything that is in the news right now.
Why not react to the news, a new music album, a theatre play or the latest new toy trends like Fidget Spinners. Trends can also pop up out of nowhere like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge did in 2015 or the Harlem Shake. To find trends just watch what other large YouTubers seem to be doing and make a video about it, react to it, talk about it or watch that tv show or movie.
3 – Breakdown Large Topics into in-depth smaller videos
These videos are 10-15 minutes long and have 10-30 tips on how to survive a music festival. They are good videos and have been well received but if I wanted to make more videos from the same topic I could drill down into the discussion and dedicate more time to each part.
From a top 10 tips video I could make 10 smaller videos giving each tip more explanation for example how to pitch a tent, what food do you need, festival recipes, best things to pack for a festival, how to survive the good/bad festival weather.
All of those videos have merit in their own right and could easily be made into videos people want to see as well as the top 10 video compilation..
Top 5 Tools To Get You Started on YouTube
Very quickly before you go here are 5 amazing tools I have used every day to grow my YouTube channel from 0 to 30K subscribers in the last 12 months that I could not live without.
1. VidIQ helps boost my views and get found in search
I almost exclusively switched to VidIQ from a rival in 2020.
When I first started I threw things together in Window Movie Maker, cringed at how it looked but thought “that’s the best I can do so it’ll have to do”.
Big mistake!
I soon realized the move time you put into your editing and the more engaging your thumbnails are the more views you will get and the more people will trust you enough to subscribe.
That is why I took the plunge and invested in my editing and design process with Adobe Creative Suite. They offer a WIDE range of tools to help make amazing videos, simple to use tools for overlays, graphics, one click tools to fix your audio and the very powerful Photoshop graphics program to make eye-catching thumbnails.
Best of all you can get a free trial for 30 days on their website, a discount if you are a student and if you are a regular human being it starts from as little as £9 per month if you want to commit to a plan.
3. Rev.com helps people read my videos
You can’t always listen to a video.
Maybe you’re on a bus, a train or sat in a living room with a 5 year old singing baby shark on loop… for HOURS. Or, you are trying to make as little noise as possible while your new born is FINALLY sleeping.
This is where Rev can help you or your audience consume your content on the go, in silence or in a language not native to the video.
A GREAT way to find an audience and keep them hooked no matter where they are watching your content.
4. PlaceIT can help you STAND OUT on YouTube
I SUCK at making anything flashy or arty.
I have every intention in the world to make something that looks cool but im about as artistic as a dropped ice-cream cone on the web windy day.
That is why I could not live on YouTube without someone like PlaceIT. They offer custom YouTube Banners, Avatars, YouTube Video Intros and YouTube End Screen Templates that are easy to edit with simple click, upload wizard to help you make amazing professional graphics in minutes.
5. StoryBlocks helps me add amazing video b-roll cutaways
I mainly make tutorials and talking head videos.
And in this modern world this can be a little boring if you don’t see something funky every once in a while.
I try with overlays, jump cuts and being funny but my secret weapon is b-roll overlay content.
I can talk about skydiving, food, money, kids, cats – ANYTHING I WANT – with a quick search on the StoryBlocks website I can find a great looking clip to overlay on my videos, keeping them entertained and watching for longer.
Getting YouTube Subscribers can be hard when starting out and people always ask How To Get YouTube Subscribers. But begging for subs, buying subscribers and trading subscribers in Sub 4 Sub could be hurting your channel and may even get your YouTube Channel banned.
It can be hard to find that motivation to start making YouTube videos. You can take months to find the right camera, test your microphone, decide on what content you want to make and then finally muster up the courage to record and upload that first video. Only to then get hit with that frustration and sinking feeling that all that hard work might not get seen because you only have 3 subscribers, and this is where you seek out ways to buy subscribers or trading them in Sub 4 Sub groups or websites.
Sub 4 Sub means Subscriber for Subscriber and its the practice of promise to subscribe to someone else’s channel in return for getting them to subscribe back to you. This can seem like an easy way to get YouTube subscribers but what you are actually getting in inactive sub 4 sub subscribers that are very unlikely to watch your content or engage with your videos at all. This can harm your youtube channel as YouTube monitors video view velocity when a video if first published. If YouTube doesn’t think the video has enough views compared to the channels subscriber base within the first 48 hours it can negatively affect your videos ranking in search and suggested videos.
Making YouTube Videos, Why Delay? Start making YouTube Videos Today!
Many new youtubers hesitate and worry about making youtube videos. They worry about How To Start Making YouTube Videos and keep making excuses why they can’t start just yet. In this video Alan Spicer tells you to stop delaying and make youtube videos today – START CREATING!
Everyone finds an excuse to delay making YouTube Videos. I tend to find people are worried about the quality of their first few videos, their YouTube video equipment or even over think how much time they need. It is this delaying that actually stops people from making YouTube videos entirely. Making YouTube Videos is an art that needs to be honed and practiced. The more YouTube videos you make the better you will get.
When I started making videos in 2013 they was horrible, tinny, shaky and hard to watch. However, this gave me a baseline to improve from. I can look back at the video and take notes on what I need to improve. If each time you make a video you take notes and try and fix 1 thing that bothers you, it can act as a way to teach yourself to get better. After making YouTube videos for 2-3 months you should then be able to look back and see how much you have improved since day one…. but if you dont start….. you cant get better!
YouTube is a huge platform with millions of channels and maybe even billions of users watching hours & hours of video every second. This can be a huge needle in a haystack when it comes to companies or branding so you need to Build Your YouTube Brand, make it STAND OUT and drive authority.
I can be hard to get noticed but if you make your brand UNMISSABLE then it will help attract some attention. Here are 28 tips to Build Your YouTube Brand.
#1 – Choose your identity – Start to Build Your YouTube Brand
If you want viewers to subscribe to your channel and come back for more later, then they need to know what they are getting themselves into.
While there are endless YouTube video ideas to choose from, it is important that you have an identity. Whether that means talking about beauty, travel, sports, gaming, or anything that comes up in your life, make it very clear to the audience so that you get subscribers who stick around!
#2 – Follow a passion (yours and theirs)
First of all, make sure that YOU are passionate about everything you are saying and doing on your YouTube channel. If you don’t then none of the rest of the list will matter, and you won’t have any fun!
Once you know what you are passionate about, find the groups of people that are equally passionate and likely to make a large, loyal fan base. If you know that you love all Technology, then think about making great videos catered towards viewers who are passionate about virtual reality, or artificial intelligence.
If you become a trusted source in passionate niches, you will have a great channel.
#3 – Make great video thumbnails
Your video’s thumbnail is the first thing people see so make it count!
Boring, or grainy images are going to look weak beside other YouTubers who are competing for the same viewers so take a few minutes to make a great thumbnail and you will see the difference.
4 Tips for Better YouTube Thumbnails
1. Use closeups of your face: Humans like eye contact and this will catch their attention in search results!
2. Convey strong emotion: Strong emotion on your face can set the tone for the video and prime the audience for what is in store.
3. Use bright backgrounds: It’s all about being eye catching in a sea of YouTube results all over the screen. Bright screens get people’s attention, and also tend to create stark contrast with your main image.
4. Be consistent: It helps your brand to have similar thumbnails all the way across your page
# 4 – Show off a great channel logo
Your channel logo may be small, but it can say a lot about you. Don’t underestimate the first impression that people will see representing ALL the hard work that you put into your videos. Before creating images like logos and banners, you should make sure that you are making them the appropriate size
#5 – Use Awesome Art for your banner
The images that you use on your channel can influence viewers to hit that ‘subscribe’ button.
#6 – Make a compelling channel page
Your channel page is the home base for anyone looking at your body of work. First and foremost, make sure it looks pretty with the logo, banner, and thumbnail tips above. Now that you look like a pro, you should remember that some people might actually read (yes read!) your channel description. Use this opportunity to tell your story, and let your personality shine through.
This is an area where you can show off the benefits of subscribing to your channel, and use a call to action to try and get their sub while you have their attention. You can (and should) also organize your content with playlists. This will let any potential YouTube subscribers find the content that is most interesting to them quickly.
It also makes for a good viewing experience for anyone who wants to binge watch your videos
#7 – Add some contact info
If you are putting yourself out there on YouTube, and you want to build an army of subscribers, it helps to be accessible. Who knows what opportunities might come up – a fellow YouTuber might want to connect, or a fan might want interview you on their blog.
One thing is for sure is that if you make yourself hard to get a hold of, it is a lot less likely that golden opportunities will fall into your lap.
#8 – Have recurring segments
Recurring segments!What do the Tonight Show, Jeopardy, and Bill Nye The Science guy all have in common? RECURRING SEGMENTS! Audiences return again and again for DECADES because they like the reliable structure and familiar nature of their favorite shows. Think about how many clicks Jimmy Kimmel gets every time he posts a “Mean Tweets” video.
If you can come up with a handful of structured segments that you can perfect, you are guaranteed to get more views. People want to see the next segment that they know they are going to love.
#9 – Upload Often
YouTube viewers subscribe to channels that are clearly active and posting new videos all the time. If you are stingy with your posts, then there is no reason for them to follow you.
Try to start out with at least one video per week. That way you will quickly build a library of content that viewers can go back and watch, with a pattern that they know they can count on in the future.
#10 – Have a content calendar and stick to it
Calendars aren’t just to help you stay on schedule
With so much YouTube competition, your subscribers need to know that they can rely on you for consistent content.
Make 2 key decisions
How many videos will you produce each week?
When will you publish them?
Once you know these answers, your YouTube channel should run like clockwork for your subscribers. Try to hit ‘publish’ at the same time each day/ week.
DON’T OVER COMMIT – If you get subscribers with the promise of daily videos, don’t be surprised if you lose them when you downgrade to weekly episodes instead.
#11 – Choose good titles – Eye Catching
Along with the image, your video’s title will form a viewer’s first impression of whether or not you are worth a view.
People tend to click titles that are intriguing or useful to them. Using exciting terms like “Amazing” “Hilarious or “Unbelievable” tend to get people’s attention.
You should also think about driving urgency. Suggesting that watching your video will have an immediate benefit will get more views than static titles. Think about the difference between ‘How to dress better’ vs ‘How to start dressing better today’
#12 – Keep your titles brief but teasing
Don’t give everything away in one long sentence. Keep your video titles relatively short, and leaving them wanting more. Try to keep titles below 50 characters to have the best chance of people clicking on your video.
#13 – Cross Promote Your Videos to Build Your YouTube Brand
Always try to turn one view into many views! When someone is watching your channel, you have a few different opportunities to cross promote your other videos. The best ways are:
Mention a suggested video during your video
Include a call to action button as an annotation, or at the end
Put links to suggested content in your video description
#14 – Pick the right tags
Many YouTubers actually forget about tags entirely. What a waste!
Tags are a key factor in helping Build Your YouTube Brand and get your videos in front of the right people. They will inform the search algorithm when people are looking for content, and will also give new viewers an idea of what your videos and your channel are really about.
#15 – Include Annotations & End Screen Options
YouTube has built in excellent features to build in interactive moments during your video, as well as multiple calls to action at the very end.
Here is a helpful video Derral Eves.
#16 – Use keywords, and SEO to Rank & Build Your YouTube Brand
Speaking of titles, you should think very carefully about the specific words you use in those titles. They will have a big impact on whether new viewers can find you in the first place.
YouTube is the second biggest search engine in the world, and people everywhere are looking for answers and entertainment in that search box. Before anyone can subscribe to your channel, they need to find you first! That’s where keywords come in.
#17 – Use Google Trends to Build Your YouTube Brand
Using Google Trends is the best way to see what people are getting more and less interested in over time.
Why does this matter?
When the pros think about how to get more views on YouTube, they know that it helps to be talking about things that more and more people actually want to see. You aren’t going to attract a big audience reviewing season 2 of The Adams Family in 2017.
#18 – Use multi-part episodes – Extend & Build Your YouTube Brand
Who doesn’t love a little suspense?
If all of your videos are standalone pieces with no mention of a follow-up, then there is much less incentive to hit the sub button. However, if they want to know what happens next, then they are more likely to follow your channel long term.
#19 – Keep the audience in mind
If you want to get YouTube subscribers, then don’t just make videos that you think will be fun. Pay attention to trends in your niche. For example, if you talk about TV shows, make sure you know what shows are rising in popularity and make content geared towards that rather than only shows that you think people SHOULD want to hear about.
#20 – Always ask for a subscription
Whatever you need your viewers to do, don’t be afraid to ask! Many YouTubers miss out by forgetting to simply ask people to subscribe if they enjoyed the video.
Just be sure to keep the call to action quick and simple
In many cases we are looking for a lot of things – a like, a subscription, a click to our website, a follow on Instagram etc. Don’t overwhelm your audience with a check-list of ways they can help you. Pick one or two that are most important and mention them quickly at the beginning and end of the video
#21 – Use Channel Trailers
Channel trailers are an awesome way to establish what your channel is about, and why people should care. Just like a movie trailer is a fast moving clip that shows the best that a film has to offer and gets people excited for more, your channel trailer can be the difference between a viewer subscribing, or moving on to the next thing that catches their eye.
First of all, if your title and thumbnail catches a viewer’s attention, the next thing they will check out is the description. If you don’t have a compelling reason for them to stick around, they won’t make it far in the video.
Secondly, YouTube can’t listen to every word in your video, so it relies on descriptions for its search engine. This means that a good description can help you show up in search results for potential new subscribers.
#23 – Add a channel watermark
You can build in your own personalized watermark that will show up on each video. This is a subtle reminder embedded right onto the video content that the viewer should subscribe
#24 – Look for helpful resources
If you are reading Vlogging Guides, then you are already off to a good start ?
BufferBlog, Vlogging Guides, and communities like YTTalk can help you learn how to get more views on YouTube from fellow vloggers.
#25 – Attend Events
From local meetups, to massive international events, there are many opportunities to attend YouTube related events. Use these opportunities to network with other content creators, and meet your fans!
#26 – Learn from your most popular videos
If you want more YouYube views, it helps to know what has worked in the past. Use successful videos as inspiration for similar content and build a reputation for viral videos that people love to watch.
#27 – Avoid too many ads
Ads can be a good thing to let you make money on YouTube and fund great content, but don’t go overboard. You get several options on what type of ads you are OK with permitting on your videos.
While it might be tempting to go all out and try to maximize your earnings, keep your viewers in mind. You will get more views on YouTube if your subscribers think that you aren’t just in it for the money.
#28 – Be transparent with your audience
If you do want to make money with your videos, just make sure you are honest about it. For example, if you are being paid to review a product, mention that in the video. It doesn’t mean you can’t give your genuine opinion!
This doesn’t end with just money issues. You can gain a lot of trust by telling people what is going on behind the scenes and making them feel a part of your channels. Loyalty brings more YouTube views back to your channel then trying to outsmart the audience.
Want more help? Need more hands on assistance? Get in touch we do YouTube Coaching >>
YouTube for most people is the the aggregator of fail compilations, the disseminator of cat related humour and a beacon for everything viral. Killing time on YouTube is the most productive way to be unproductive, but there’s so much more to it than salacious thumbnails and unrelated debates about political theory in the comments section, there is also hidden unknown youtube tips and tricks
Aside from a few easter eggs to please medium-core trekkies and Star Wars fans, there are some genuinely useful hacks that can enhance your YouTube viewing experience ten-fold. I mean, if you’re prepared to sign away three hours of your life by watching late-nineties wrestling videos, then you should do it in style, right?
Ever heard of YouTube Leanback? Or how about turning any video into a GIF? No? Then there’s so much more to show you. Here’s a run-down of my top five YouTube hacks:
1. Make any YouTube Video into a GIF
You can turn any video into a GIF by simply adding “gif” just after the “www.” in the URL. For example “www.gifyoutube.com/watchx”
Once you type that in, you’ll be taken to a simple gif making tool page that lets you cut out a section of the video and export it.
Select the point at which you want to start the gif and then select how long it lasts, and you’re done. You’ve made a gif in a matter of minutes.
2. YouTube Disco Your YouTube Videos
You already knew that you can use YouTube to stream music, but did you know it can be a DJ too? YouTube Disco automatically puts together a playlist of songs from your prefered genre or artist.
Go to www.youtube.com/disco and enter any artist, song, or genre and YouTube will populate a playlist of the most watched/popular videos from your search.
You can also set it to play the current top hits and it will tell what videos are most popular at the moment.
3. Slow Motion YouTube Videos
There are a couple of ways to slow down a YouTube video, with the simplest way being to hold down the spacebar during a video. This cause the video to rapidly play and pause, which creates a budget slow motion effect.
If, however, you want some more advanced controls, head to www.youtubeslow.com and enter your video’s URL into the specified field. You can then either speed up, slow down, play on repeat or set a loop.
Wesley Snipe’s “always bet on black” moment in Passenger 57 in slow motion.
4. YouTube Leanback – YouTube and Chill
YouTube Leanback is the friendlier version of YouTube on the big screen. If you’ve ever tried to watch videos on the normal desktop version of YouTube on your TV, you’ll know it’s a pain. Entering characters into the search field with your TV is just not practical, and you need to get right up close to the screen to see what’s going on.
This is where YouTube Leanback comes in. It’s a simplified YouTube UI that only requires use of the arrow keys to control. Also, if you have a smart TV, you can connect your phone or tablet to control what’s on the screen – and you don’t even have to be on the same Wi-Fi connection to do it.
Anyone in the room, providing they’ve gone through the verification process, can connect to the YouTube page and chuck videos into the communal playlist.
All you need to do is go to www.youtube.com/leanback and begin flicking through the availble sub sections of videos. To pair up your phone or tablet, go to www.youtube.com/pair on your mobile device and follow the instructions.
5. Google Video Quality Report
Buffering. Endless, rage inducing, buffering. But whose fault is it? Well, it’s your throttling, lacklustre ISP, according to Google.
Google’s YouTube Video Quality Report was launched earlier this year to help consumers understand why their videos take so long to load and can’t be streamed in the best quality. Some childlike illustrations show you how video makes its way to your screen, but don’t let the welcoming graphics fool you. This is video report is a shaming exercise, designed to embarrass ISPs for providing little bandwidth.
The report, which isn’t available everywhere, will tell you how good your connection is in the area and which ISPs are offering the most YouTube friendly internet speeds. This is done via a verification system, which labels each ISP as either ‘HD verified’ or not.
Check it out here (as I said, it may not be available in your area) and see if your connection can sustain 20 minutes of 1080p footage.
Just like there are a things you can do to increase the likelihood of success in YouTube (including YouTube SEO Tactics), But, there are also many youtube mistakes which are commonly overlooked and avoiding these mistakes can help increase your chances for success within YouTube.
Terabrite on Vlogging (Personal Vlog Channels – YouTube Mistakes)
If you’re a looking to create a vlog on YouTube, you may be thinking that it’s you’re going to get famous vlogging. That’s not how it works. There are a few things that you can do to increase volume which will help you reach that goal.
1)Have a main channel where you do something like music, skits, comedy, or something. 2)Make your vlogging channel unique, so as to stand out from all the other bloggers. 3)Try humor or something else to keep your viewers interest.
The Fine Brothers (How to Annoy Established YouTubers – YouTube Mistakes)
4) Don’t steal or just copy other people’s tags, descriptions, or titles for your video. Many new YouTubers will copy the metadata from a successful video verbatim in the hopes that they will rank similarly, as often times with the hope that the original YouTuber will take notice and be honored that you found their work to be well optimized. In reality, you will end up annoying these people that you look up to, and they may never want to talk to you as a result. Not a good approach for attempting to become connected to a YouTube influencer.
5) Don’t just keep putting up videos on your channel over and over when nothing’s happening.
You may have 100 views, 200 views, 300 views, or even 4,000 views, but what you really need to be doing is developing one skill. Then collaborate with people who have more subscribers, but less skill. For example if you’re a really good 3D artist and go to someone with 10,000 subscribers and say let them know it. Tell them you can do something 3D for them. Maybe they do composing. You can suggest that if you do a 3D for them, they can mention you in their video. Just doing an amazing video and putting it up on your channel will probably not bring you the success you want. Collaborating with the community is a good way to start.
6) Don’t try to be someone else.
Originality is important, but being yourself and don’t just follow a trend. If you do, it just adds you to the crowd. If you are the needle in a haystack, it’s difficult to stand out. You should focus on originality and create something that will make you stand out.
7) In the description box, don’t forget to have hyperlinks.
Some people have their YouTube accounts set up, but they don’t have their Facebook or Twitter linked in the description box. It is important to have a hyperlink, which is a link they can easily click, because people want to click it and go right to the page. They really don’t have the time to just copy, paste and put it in the browsers.
8) Don’t make everything long – YouTube Mistakes
It is best to keep things short.
9) Don’t forget to have a Subscribe button at the end.
You want people to subscribe to you.
10) Don’t do something just because you think it might get views.
Do content that you care about. Do something that really interests you, and make sure you find your voice. Don’t be one of those people who just show up once in a while. Have a long-term plan and don’t say, “If it doesn’t happen within a couple of months, I’m not going to do this.” Show up consistently and work on your craft. Think long-term and focus.
11) Don’t forget to watch other stuff. Watch stuff that you love. A lot of people on YouTube, when they’re starting out, don’t watch other stuff. Watch your peers. Watch the people that inspire you. And I just think if you find your voice and you’re authentic and you keep stuff relatively short, you can do some good work and you hopefully will succeed.
Success on YouTube is not going to happen your first week and it’s not going to happen without creating unique content that you’re passionate about, and that is distributed in a strategic way. It’s going to take some time, but these tips will hopefully help make success easier for you.
In 2012, YouTube began de-monetizing non advertiser friendly videos based on new advertising-friendly guidelines. This is not done by people, but by an algorithm that looked at the metadata of videos and other factors to decide whether it is likely to be something an advertiser wouldn’t want to be associated with.
Over the last five years, this advertiser friendly algorithm has regularly removed videos from the pool of advertised-upon content. However, when much of the YouTube community started looking into this process after it hit the news in August 2016, they realized that the algorithm can be over-sensitive. Creators provided examples of videos that talk about subjects like depression, LGBT rights, world events and news, acne scars, refugees, antibiotics, and more, which were deemed advertiser-unfriendly and de-monetized. Many of these videos, when reviewed by a human, were manually granted monetization.
What is Advertiser Friendly? Advertising-Friendly Guidelines
YouTube’s guidelines cast a broad net (a little too broad, in my opinion).
Sexually suggestive content, including partial nudity and sexual humor
Violence, including display of serious injury and events related to violent extremism
Inappropriate language, including harassment, swearing and vulgar language
Promotion of drugs and regulated substances, including selling, use and abuse of such items
Controversial or sensitive subjects and events, including subjects related to war, political conflicts, natural disasters and tragedies, even if graphic imagery is not shown
While the exact criteria aren’t known, key words in title & tags seem to play a significant role. For example, the channel “Healthcare Triage,” which talks about healthcare policy realized they had 27 videos flagged because–in talking about prescription drug costs, the opioid epidemic, and treatments for diabetes–the algorithm thought those videos were celebrating illegal drug use. This was possibly due to the tag “drugs.”
WHY DOES YOUTUBE DO THIS?
YouTube needs to create a brand-safe (advertiser friendly) environment in order to maintain and grow the platform, including the Adsense monetization that creators benefit from. They need to be able to guarantee to blue chip companies that there is control over what their brand appears alongside. The Internet Creators Guild is aligned in finding ways to increase ad rates in order to make careers for professional online creators more sustainable. However, we expressed some concern about this issue and suggested (1) more human spot checks (2) an easier way to sort and review in video manager (3) refining the algorithm.
NOTIFICATIONS & APPEAL
Whereas it was previously unclear if a video had been demonetized, YouTube started rolling out features in 2016 in order to:
Let you know when a video has been de-monetized.
Show a notice next to all de-monetized videos.
Allow you to request a manual review of a de-monetized video.
Re-monetize videos that the appeal process finds to be not in violation of YouTube’s ad-friendly policy.
When your video is de-monetized, this little yellow $ shows up.
Based on the ICG’s investigations, it looks as if re-monetization (if it happens) occurs in between 12 and 24 hours after a manual review is requested.
According to a YouTube representative, overall, less than 1% of partner videos have been de-monetized, and the appeal process is currently taking around 24 hours with a high rate of re-monetization.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW AS A CREATOR?
It’s not the case that YouTube won’t be monetizing channels that cover current events or world news. But it’s worth being aware that creators who speak on sensitive subjects may be particularly affected by the algorithm erroneously de-monetizing videos.
Erroneous de-monetization will always result in lost income. Even now that the notification & appeals process is in place, a video could still be de-monetized for hours or days after upload while the manual review is pending. That could particularly hit hard at timely or viral content (which often means news-related and sensitive-subject videos).
We hope the new appeals process can help YouTube refine this system. In gathering data on videos that creators are submitting for manual review and studying what gets re-instated, the platform has the opportunity to refine the algorithm.
Want more help? Need more hands on assistance? Get in touch we do YouTube Coaching >>
How does the YouTube decide which YouTube Adverts play on your videos?
Turns out YouTube Adverts work a lot like Google and Facebook ads do. Like on other free sites, the advertisers help fund the YouTube experience in return for exposure to ads. You’ll see certain ads over others because of your demographic groups, your interests (which is judged in part by what you search on Google and YouTube) and the content you’ve viewed before, including whether or not you’ve interacted with the advertiser’s videos, ads, or YouTube channel.
YouTube Adverts algorithms also try to make sure that people aren’t overloaded with ads while watching videos — so it actually sometimes won’t show ads on monetizable videos, even when there’s a demographic match.
Here are the five ad formats you can expect to see on YouTube, and how they work:
a) YouTube Adverts – Display ads, which show up next to the video and only appear only on desktop and laptop computers. The advertiser gets paid when you see or click on the ad, depending on their selection.
b) YouTube Adverts – Overlay ads, which appear across the bottom 20% of the video window and currently only appears only on desktop and laptop computers. You can X out of the ad at any time.
c) YouTube Adverts – TrueView in-stream, skippable video ads, which are most common ads. These are the ones you can skip after watching for five seconds. Advertisers can put it before, during (yikes!), or after the video plays, and they get paid only if you watch at least 30 seconds of the clip or to the end of the video ad — whichever comes first.
d) YouTube Adverts – Non-skippable video ads, which are those longer, 15-or-more-second ads you see before plays and can’t skip after any period of time, no matter how much you shout at your screen.
e) YouTube Adverts – Midroll ads, which are ads that are only available for videos over 15 minutes long that are spaced within the video like TV commercials. You need to watch the ad before continuing through the video. How the advertiser gets paid depends on the type of ad: If the midroll is a TrueView ad, then you’d have to watch 30 seconds of the end or the entire ad — whichever is shorter. If it’s a CPM-based ad, then you have to watch the entire ad no matter how long it is.
f) YouTube Adverts – Bumper ads, which are short- non-skippable ads up to six seconds long that play before the video the viewer has selected. Bumper ads are optimized for mobile devices and must be watched in their entirety before viewers can progress to the video they want to view.
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Increase Video Engagement with YouTube End Screens and Cards
Over the last 10 years mobile browsing has seen a huge shift towards mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. New websites are now built with Responsive Website Design in mind to maximise the traffic engagement you can get from mobile smart device users. YouTube has also seen a massive boost in smartphone and tablet views and now you can add YouTube End Screens and YouTube Mobile Cards (YouTube Cards) to grab mobile viewers and get them to interact. This blog is here to help you get the most out of YouTube End Screens and Cards!
Do your favorite YouTube creators have a fancy closing screen that encourages you to keep watching their videos? For example, here’s one from Saturday Night Live:
You can create a customized end screen, too. They help keep viewers on your channel by suggesting other videos and sites they can check out. Here’s how to do it:
Navigate to your Video Manager, tap “Edit,” and select “End screen & Annotations” from the drop-down menu:
From there, you’re taken to the End screen creator studio, where you can play around with different templates and background to determine how you want your end screen to appear. Then, click the “Add element” menu to decide where you want to send viewers from your end screen.
Any YouTube creators can add an end screen to customize their channels. Here’s an explainer article with more details and inspiration ideas.
How to Add a YouTube Mobile Card (YouTube Cards)
You can use cards to advertise products used in your videos or links on your website you want to market on YouTube. If viewers tap the “i” in the upper-right hand corner of a video, the cards expand, as in the example below:
To add a card to a YouTube video, head to your Video Manager, tap “Edit,” and select “Cards” from the drop-down menu.
Then, choose where in the video you want cards to appear, and tap the “Add card” drop-down menu to choose what you want the card to promote. From there, customize the content that will appear to viewers when they tap the “i” while viewing your video:
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YouTube Playlists – The secret powerful YouTube Hack
Just like on your other favorite media sharing sites like Spotify and iTunes, you can create a “playlist” on YouTube (YouTube Playlists) — which is really just a place to store and organize the videos (your own and others’). You can keep YouTube playlists private, make them public, or even share them directly with others.
YouTube Playlists are useful for a variety of different types of users, from an individual collecting cooking videos for their upcoming dinner party to a brand segmenting its YouTube video content by topic. For example, Tasty’s YouTube playlists break up recipes by meal type, making it easier for people to browse and find what they’re looking for:
To create a playlist on desktop: Go to your Playlists page by clicking here or clicking your account icon in the top right, choosing “Creator Studio,” clicking “Video Manager” on the left, and choosing “Playlists.” Then, click “New Playlist” on the top right and choose whether you’d like to keep it private or make it public.
To create a playlist on mobile: Click here for instructions explaining how to create new playlists using your iOS or Android mobile devices.
To add a video to a playlist: If you’re adding a video to a playlist while you’re watching it, click the “Add to” icon below the video title and check the box next to the playlist you’d like to add it to.
If you want to add a video to a playlist right from your Playlists page, simply click “Add Video” and either paste in a video URL, choose a video from your uploads, or search for a video on YouTube. Once you find the video you want to add, select the “Add to” menu from that video and add it to the playlist.
Your friends can contribute to your playlists, too. All you have to do is turn on the ability to collaborate on playlists. Once you turn it on, anyone you share a playlist link with can add videos to that playlist. (They can also remove any videos they’ve added, too.)
To add friends to a playlist: Go to your Playlists page again and open the playlist you want to collaborate on. Click “Playlist Settings” and choose the “Collaborate” tag. Toggle on that collaborators can add videos to the playlist, and from there, you can send them a link where they can add videos to the playlist.
Once your friend’s been invited to a playlist, they’ll be able to add new videos to it and remove videos they’ve added in the past. They just have to follow some on-screen instructions first to confirm they want to be a contributor and to save the playlist to their own account.
When you add a video to a playlist you’re collaborating on, your name will appear next to the video in the playlist, and everyone who’s been invited to collaborate on that playlist will get a notification that a new video has been added.
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Make a Sponsored YouTube Video Without Getting in Trouble
For many YouTubers, getting the chance to review or get a free product in a Sponsored YouTube Video and maybe even get paid from a third party sounds too good to pass up! In the past few years we have seen YouTubers become influencers with hundreds of thousands to millions of subscribers in their respective spaces such as technology, gaming, beauty and more. Advertisers and companies are attracted to YouTubers now as they captivate an audience (Subscribers) they want to target. There are a few things you should consider before taking a product placement or engaging in a sponsored video!
Is it safe to Buy YouTube Views and Buy YouTube Subscribers?
Many YouTubers are excited to kickstart their youtube careers some even buy youtube views in order to try and leap ahead, but is the practice of buying video views safe?
People buy views in order to increase the view count of their videos, grow their channels and make their videos look more attractive to the people who search for a video as it looks like the video is “Better”. For example if you were looking to find a Review of a phone or make up which video would you click on? One with 100 views or one with 50,000?
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Buying YouTube Views & Subscribers is against YouTube’s Terms of Service
Unsurprisingly, Yes buying views is against YouTube’s Terms of Service which could see your video removed or worst case scenario of your YouTube Channel being banned. If you are a partner or use Adsense on your videos then you also risk being banned from the network and banned from adsense for sending fake traffic.
The following is YouTube’s ToS in regards to Buying Views
Do not click on your own ads or use any means to inflate video views, impressions and/or clicks artificially, including manual methods.
Do not encourage others to click your ads or use deceptive implementation methods to obtain clicks, including clicks on your videos to inflate views. This includes commissioning third party agencies that advertise these services to increase your viewership. The purchase or gaming of subscribers, views or any other channel features is a violation of our Terms of Service.
Do not manipulate or incentivize others to click on video features, such as “Like” or “Favorite,” to improve your standing and visibility across the site. We consider these to be fraudulent clicks and/or queries.
Do not employ third party sites and tools to automatically generate artificial subscribers or views. (from Partner Program Policies, www.youtube.com/yt/partners/program-policies.html, Accessed 22 November 2013
If it is detected that you are buying views and/or subscribers, your account will be terminated.
What are the negative effects? Buy YouTube Views & Subscribers
There are many negative effects of fake views & inactive subscribers. The biggest negative risk to the and effect of the “Buy YouTube Views” strategy is the possible takedown of your video or YouTube Channel, and you wont get a refund for those views!
Fake views and fake subscribers can be blatantly obvious. Let’s say you buy 20,000 views, your video has now 20,000 views with little to no comments and likes/dislikes. This screams fake video to viewers which might put them off watching you. The fake views can also lead to low retention rate. Retention rate is how long the viewer stayed to watch the video,since these are fake views the fake views will only stay there as long as it needs to register a view which may only be a few seconds. If you’re worried about how you rank in YouTube’s search, you should avoid buying views or else buy expensive views with a retention rate of over 40%.
Buying YouTube Subscribers has the shame hollow affect. If you have 100,000 subscribers but only get 1,000 views with very little comments or interaction it can be a huge red flag that your subscribers are inactive and not engaged in your content. Organic subscribers are more likely to interact with a video, like, comment or share. It doesn have to be 1-to-1 subscriber count to view but you will notice a baseline average that should growth comparatively as a channel grows.
How Does YouTube Detect When You Buy YouTube Views?
YouTube detects YouTube views in a variety of ways. The first way is through low retention rate, if the retention rate for the video is low it is a red flag, a lot of views without likes or comments or subscriber gain are also a red flag for YouTube. On the technical side of things, they can see that some view providers send views from multiple VPN’s. This traffic is obvious to YouTube as it is coming from a company and not a home/residential internet service provider.
Not all YouTube view providers are detected depending on their methods of sending views. If you are to buy views make sure the views are sent gradually and not in one burst as this can be detected.
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Increasing Video Views Doesn’t Have To Be A Mystery
I have been making YouTube videos since June 2013 but not matter if you are starting out on youtube or are a seasoned youtube veteran you may still wondering how to increase youtube views on your videos on your channel. In this blog post I will try and break down this Good Mythical Morning of a topic into VlogBrother sized chunks. This will explain exactly how to increase your youtube video views and make your video popular with a few easy steps. Increasing YouTube views doesn’t always start by just throwing traffic at a video, it starts with what’s in the content itself.
Quality Over Quantity – Every Video Is a Chance to Increase YouTube Views
You have probably heard this phrase thrown around millions of times but it is very important when creating youtube videos. So what does quality mean? Quality isn’t just a “High Definition 1080p” video filmed by a DSLR, it’s the content within your video such as your ideas and delivery on camera and how you interact with your audience. By creating high quality youtube videos that are entertaining, you are more likely to increase your audience retention rate (How long someone stays on the page watching your videos) which in turn increases your visibility on youtube (due to their algorithms), Increase YouTube Views and if the viewer finds you entertaining they’re is more likely to subscribe and come back to watch your next video too, therefore increasing your future YouTube view count.
Upload Schedule – Consistency Helps to Increase YouTube Views
Plan an uploading schedule for your videos, if you have an uploading schedule your audience will know when to expect a video. Humans are creatures of habit and once you have a schedule they will come back at around the same time during these days to watch your next video. Think of successful youtubers like Grace Helbig, Philip Defranco, The VlogBrothers (John Green & Hank Green) and Good Mythical Morning (Rhett & Link) they all have video schedules.
Even if you can only commit to 1 video a week to start with that is better than none. Also if you feel you can do more than that but not consistently then promising 1 a week and giving them 3 videos in 2 weeks means the viewers feel they are getting more than they expected as a little bonus, and who doesn’t like a freebie every now and then! Consistency breeds Loyalty and Loyalty is a great way to Increase YouTube Views.
YouTube Video Optimisation – Get Found In Search and Increase YouTube Views
Video Optimisation & Customisation is critical these days on youtube as it’s hard to find videos that stand out. Video SEO (Video Search Engine Optimisation) is a legacy from YouTube’s owners, Google! Just like you need to make your website search engine friendly you need to make sure your youtube video has a good Title, Video Description, Thumbnails and Video Tags to help Google rank you. When Google can rank the video it will Increase YouTube Views as your video is more discoverable.
Video Title & Description
Your video title must stand out among a sea of generic titles. Make it BOLD and make a sensationalist title based on the topic of the video or based on something you said in the video. In the description of the video make sure you include your title phrase, your social media links and a description of 50-120 words.
Tags
Tags are also vital. Tags are the things that make you searchable on YouTube, so use tags wisely. Tag what you think you would search to find your video on youtube or what you want to be found under. Also tag any relevant related word/content as thats how that sidebar with videos is generated.
Thumbnails
Thumbnails are one of the main factors if someone will click your video or not. Make your thumbnails interesting. Get a screenshot of a scene in your video, edit it in a photo editor and then add some text/ images/your video title and viola. That looks 100 times better than that auto generated youtube thumbnail!
There are many tools out there that can help you with YouTube Metadata (Titles, Descriptions, Thumbnails and Tags) one of those is TubeBuddy or you can always chat to our YouTube Consultant.
Video Promotion – Share Your Videos to Increase YouTube Views
Video promotion is a really important factor when increasing views directly and indirectly. When you promote your videos through social media you get direct viewers from these sites and your video ranking also goes up due to SEO. YouTubes Ranking Algorithm sees you have social presence on other social media websites and will rank you higher in search and visibility.
Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram)
It is important that you have established a social media page for your youtube channel outside of youtube. You should have a Facebook Page, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. When your video comes out, send out a tweet/post/IG that you have made a new video and link it. For sites like Instagram and Twitter throw a few HashTags onto your post to increase exposure.
Other Promoting through Your Own Blog, Buzzfeed, Reddit, Stumbleupon etc
These social media platforms are sometimes overlooked by youtubers. These social media platforms are the reason for a number of viral videos, especially Reddit and Buzzfeed. Create a post on Buzzfeed and include your video and Reddit your video in an appropriate subreddit. Stumbleupon can be useful too, add your video to the site and add relevant keywords that relate to your video and your video will be shown to people who have entered in similar interests.Why not upload your videos to your own blog? It’s a great way to have control over your audience and content outside of the YouTube platform. Need a Custom Designed WordPress Blog/Website, get in touch!
Join Youtube Social Media Groups.
YouTube Groups on Social Media platforms like Facebook can be incredibly helpful when your starting YouTube. In most cases you can post your video to gain views but always ask for feedback on your videos as they are more likely to be honest with you and you can improve your video quality. You may have local YouTube Groups for your country, city etc have a look on Facebook’s groups section, Joining groups can also be really helpful for collaboration opportunities.
YouTube Collabs & Cross Promotion – Team Up to Increase YouTube Views
Collabs can also bring you a ton of views. Collabs are best done with tag videos, challenges etc. When collab-ing, it is best to find a YouTuber with similar content/audience and a similar number of subscribers on their channels. This will make sure both of you get the equal amounts of promotion and hopefully subscribers. To find a collab partner you can join a social media group or just connect with some youtubers on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook/YouTube/Tumblr and go from there.
Cross promotion is a great way to increase your view count. For Cross promotion you will need to be friends or have contact with a fellow YouTuber, preferably in the same genre that you are with a similar number of subscribers/followers on social media. You can ask them to post your video on their Twitter/Tumblr and you will do the same when their new video comes out. If you’re in need of youtube friends join a social media group.
Audience Interaction – Talk to YouTube Viewers, Make Them Feel Involved!
Building relationships with your audience is an important part of gaining and retaining views on your videos. If you have time after you upload a video, try and reply to some comments on your video. This shows you’re dedicated enough to your audience and have time for them. On other social media sites, if you get questions/comments about your videos reply/RT them.
YouTube is a beast in the social media world and it’s not just all pranks and cute kitten videos. Countless hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute! Not all of it will go viral, in fact not all of it will be seen at all. So this is where I can hopefully nudge you in the right direction to Grow a YouTube Channel.
So many YouTubers start uploading videos to an account before they have done their legwork to Grow a YouTube Channel and it can be a real pain to change later. A good example of this is “NicePeter” who started a project with his friend “EpicLLOYD” recording parody rap videos. But when their videos started to get popular people were looking for “Epic Rap Battles of History” and found them on a Nice Peter’s YouTube channel instead, which could confuse people. They have since opened a new channel to match their branding and boast over 12 million subscribers.
Picking a name at this stage can help you match social media accounts together helping people find you. For example, if your YouTube account is MrHairyBrit, you could grab your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Snapchat accounts with the same username to help people find you should they want to see more of your work.
BRANDING AND CHANNEL DESIGN
You don’t have to be a web designer or a branding graphic designer to Grow a YouTube Channel and make your channel stand out. YouTube channels, as with most other social media profiles, have a header banner and a YouTube channel avatar. These banners and avatars are a way to let your audience know who you are, what you do, and a way to establish a recognised look.
The header banner needs to be 2560w x 1440h pixels as this is then used and scaled down for mobile devices such as phones, tablets and notebook laptops. As for the avatar or profile image I personally use and image that is 275w x 275h and I try and match the colours to the header banner so people are used to my avatar and my channel colours when they try to find my videos.
YOUTUBE CAMERA, YOUTUBE AUDIO, AND YOUTUBE VIDEO IDEAS
You don’t have to be rich to get into vlogging and Grow a YouTube Channel. YouTube is a great tool for any new curious vlogger who wants to find an audience on the internet. I personally started with a webcam that cost me £15. This had 720p video format and a fairly good microphone. The core thing to remember with videos is that even if your video quality is great, if you cannot hear the video properly a viewer will very quickly tune out.
After a lot of testing I found that my webcam microphone was great depending on distance and that assuming I wasn’t in a dark room then the video quality wasn’t so much of an issue. I have since moved onto a £35 Logitech c920 1080p Full HD webcam to film my vlogs and have a pretty reliable set up.
“Ok, so I have a camera and I have a microphone… But what do I make videos about?”
A very good question. Now when you started this journey you may have had an initial thought of what the channel would be for, whether it’s business, hobby, factual or just weird. Now why not open a notebook and throw words/questions at the page that would describe that topic? For example, if you want to make a video diary then these could be, “Where do I live? What’s my job? Do I have any pets? What did I think about the football game this weekend?” Already you have a few topics for a video. If it’s business based, then why not explain who you are, what you sell, any examples, or your work, etc.
HOW DO I GET YOUTUBE SUBSCRIBERS? HOW DO I GET YOUTUBE VIEWERS?
It’s time to build an audience. You have some videos recorded and you are ready to get them seen, but for that you need subscribers and random viewers. There are 7 important tips to help you boost your YouTube subscribers and boost your YouTube channel video views.
– Make videos:
Sounds obvious, but you need to keep feeding your channel with new content so people can find you.
– Make videos regularly – schedule:
As you start to get random views you need to start building the routine for a viewer. Why not upload a video on a set day? This could be daily, weekly or monthly but try to stick to it that way people know when to expect a new video from you
– Let your viewers know when you will make a video and how to subscribe:
Tell your viewers when you will be uploading your videos. That way they will come back but also make sure you ask them to subscribe that way when you do upload a new video, YouTube will send them an email to tell them you have a new video for them.
– Share videos with your social media:
You’ve made a video so make sure people know it exists! Share it with friends, family and your social media accounts otherwise you may have well put a sign post in the middle of a field that no-one ever walks in.
– Share videos on related sites:
This is a good tip for expanding your audience. Your social media is full of people who have seen you before and expect videos from you while other sites are full of people that have yet to find you so this could be a way to spark their interest.
– Stick to it
Rome wasn’t built in a day and a loyal YouTube viewer and YouTube subscriber base isn’t either. The more videos you publish, the more chances people will have to find you and share your content. And then the more subscribers you have, the more they can share, so make sure you stick around for the long haul.
SHOULD I BUY YOUTUBE SUBSCRIBERS? SHOULD I BUY YOUTUBE VIEWS?
It can be very tempting to take short cuts in social media. Everyone has seen them and no doubt you may have had an email or a social media message offering you the chance to “Buy Active YouTube Subscribers” or “Buy Fake Twitter Followers,” etc. Although these offers can look nice and the subscriber count may go up, these are indeed inactive user accounts and in the long run will either get removed by the YouTube subscribers account checker looking for fake YouTube accounts, or in the worst case scenario, could get your account banned entirely due to YouTube community standard breaches.
Also with YouTube subscribers it is QUALITY over QUANTITY! You want active YouTube subscribers to watch your videos so they can share them with friends, like your videos and comment on them. YouTube comments, YouTube likes, and YouTube subscribers are the most powerful and effective ways to help your channel get seen, shared, and grow.
AND FINALLY….
YouTube is not a get rich quick scheme! YouTube should be a place for you to share your opinions, have a laugh and to expand a business or social media reach. If you are looking to join YouTube wondering, “How do I make a viral YouTube video?” rather than How to Grow a YouTube Channel then you are looking at this in the wrong light entirely.
YouTube is a social media platform and is there for you to make friends, build connections and have fun, so make sure you don’t forget the fun!