I'm Liron Segev and I'm the Director of Customer Success here at vidIQ, which basically means I speak to creators of all sizes. I speak to YouTube creators with two subscribers, grand subscribers, a 1000000 subscribers, or 9.8 million subscribers, and all within one day. Information technology means I take a helicopter view of what'south going on, on YouTube so that I can help you. I know what's working. I know how to give you lot assistance. I know how to strategize with y'all using the vidIQ tool then that you could practise YouTube well.

Typically, this grooming is usually for our internal customers, merely nosotros know everybody actually wants to understand their YouTube journey, where they're going, what they're doing, and how they tin can get better. And then, we're sharing this noesis with everyone, considering we're hither to help you. Delight check out the vidIQ aqueduct on YouTube where you'll find a huge range of resources about succeeding on YouTube. Live webinars for YouTube and the vidIQ tool can be found at vidIQ Live Training - the sessions are held every Wednesday at 10am PT.

If y'all're new to vidIQ and y'all've never used it earlier, please download the Chrome Extension - it's gratuitous to use simply we also have paid options available to all users if you desire to admission even more features. Nosotros have a 30 twenty-four hour period gratuitous trial of our Heave package bachelor so you tin attempt out the full range of features - just click here.

Winning on YouTube: The Basics

YouTube is a search engine, which ways people go there to do searches for the content they desire to scout. They want to be entertained, they want to know how to do things, they want to sympathise things about the project they're nigh to do, or the product they're about to buy. They get to YouTube to research. YouTube has a very clear mission, and that mission is to marry up your videos with what people are searching. If yous practise random stuff that nobody is searching for, you're merely non going to get those views.

Many of us at vidIQ really own our ain YouTube channels, and we utilise those channels to sympathise what you guys are going through, because we are going through the same affair. We know that when you lot randomly do stuff, it never comes out as expected. This is what happens with YouTube. We catch a camera. We randomly shoot a whole bunch of videos. We come home. We edit frantically. We recall, nosotros have a point to be fabricated. We throw up a championship, throw upwards a clarification, upload it, and go, "I promise this one works." But that really isn't the correct fashion to do information technology considering no formula, or 'recipe' is actually being followed. It's no wonder that the results are often random or very disappointing.

The 3 D's of YouTube Success

At that place's 3 D's when information technology comes to YouTube:

  • Discoverability
  • Deliverability
  • Distribution

Discoverability. People need to discover your content - if people don't know about you or your content you lot're never going to be seen past lots of people because yous didn't brand it easy for YouTube to discover you.

Deliverability. Are you delivering? When somebody watches your video, are you delivering value? Are you giving them what they came hither to find? Because if you are, you'll unlock the third D.

Distribution. People that love your content will share it, and YouTube is going to see that people are loving your content and will distribute your video for you. It's all about the three D's, merely you've got to be discovered in order for you to evangelize on your promise and in society for your videos to be distributed.

The Kickoff Fundamental to Success on YouTube: Keyword Research

Almost every successful YouTube video starts with the creator knowing what the audience is searching for. For the purpose of this video, let'due south assume they are searching for 'chocolate cake'. With the vidIQ Chrome Extension installed, let'due south go to YouTube and type that term in. Yous should meet this screen:

The first affair to wait for is the 'Search Volume' score. Chocolate Block is a solid 100, which is the highest it can exist. What does that mean? Substantially, lots of people are looking for chocolate cake, which is great, there is no point making a video nobody's even searching for. At present we've told y'all the search volume is nice and high. Perfect. Practice nosotros go ahead and but make this video now? No, non yet.

The next thing we got to expect at is something chosen the 'Competition Score.' What does that mean? Well, nosotros accept a high search volume, but look at the contest! Wait how many other people are delivering value on this keyword, and how many videos are being made. The 'Competition Score' is a solid 89, which ways the odds of your ranking amongst these major videos are going to be pretty slim if you only title your YouTube video with the words "chocolate cake'.

vidIQ Tip: Ideally, find a keyword with lots of search volume, and very little competition. It'southward rare, merely when you find information technology, it'south amazing.

How to Know YouTube Content is Still Relevant?

For many people, the corporeality of views a video has generated indicates how successful it has been. For instance, this video from Tasty has generated 6.5M views to date so nosotros can assume information technology has done well, right?

Yep, because information technology has an impressive number of views since being published in October 2017. But how many views is it still getting afterward all this fourth dimension. With the vidIQ extension installed, y'all tin check how many views per hour whatever video is withal generating. Zero views per hour would strongly indicate there is no interest in this video content right now, and that's something to bear in listen while researching content to create. While total views tell one story, views right at present tells another. The 'Views per Hour' (VPH) score for the Tasty video above is 395.eight, which is still very good.

There is more. Click on the 'Historical' tab and it will evidence you the video's views over time. This will instantly prove you the amount of viewer interest in the topic over time. Are people still watching? Is there still a demand for this keyword? Remember, we haven't picked upward our camera still. All we're doing now is the research. We want to be discovered, and so we've got to do that research before we bear upon that camera. Hither I can see very clearly, it's still on the upward and upwardly. People are withal really interested in chocolate cake, and that's already a practiced sign.

vidIQ Takeaway: You win on YouTube past making content that's relevant today.

How to Observe the Best Keywords for YOUR Content

'Chocolate cake' is still a hugely competitive keyword, and so I wouldn't create a video without farther research on the topic. Let's talk about narrowing your search down using YouTube's ain algorithm. Its 'auto-complete' feature is basically YouTube'southward mode of maxim, "Hey, so many people take searched for chocolate block, only they've as well searched for whatever it is." Let me show yous what you do.

You type in 'chocolate cake, and you press A. Look at these titles that are coming up. Chocolate cake ASMR. Good, that's a thing now. ASMR no talking. Twice. Chocolate cake and kool assist. Just rinse and repeat using all the letters of the alphabet for this flim-flam.

Wait at all these titles that it is suggesting to u.s. for 'chocolate cake A'. Substantially, information technology's YouTube's own algorithm that says, "Look, and so many people have searched for 'chocolate block from home without oven'. Well, isn't that a perfect title for you lot to make your video?" You run into how I'm honing in on the perfect title, and the perfect direction for my video earlier I even pick upward my camera?

YouTube is showing you what people are searching for. Therefore, the odds of yous beingness discovered suddenly starting time to skyrocket because you lot're marrying upwardly your videos with search intent. Win win.

But that'south not the end of it. YouTube is a search engine and what do nosotros do with a search engine? We ask questions. Blazon 'chocolate cake' into the search bar, but this type preface it with 'which', 'what', 'where', 'who', 'how', 'when' or even 'why'. Look at the suggestions that pop up that tell you what viewers are searching for!:

Solid keyword research is how you go discovered. You need to make sure that YouTube knows your video is going to respond a specific need and what amend mode to do it, than understanding the search volume, and contest, then immediately using the YouTube algorithm to understand what's working and what isn't working. That really is the way you lot start.

vidIQ Takeaway: Don't just pick up your camera and kickoff shooting. Ever, always, always start with keyword inquiry first.

Optimizing Your YouTube Videos for the Right Keywords

Permit's take a await at how you should exist optimizing your video before you publish. The first thing we look at is the championship. The title is arguably the nigh important thing for YouTube discovery right now. If you're going to hit anything right information technology'southward the title, then clarification, then tags.

Think of it this way, YouTube is a search engine, and the more than you can feed the search engine information well-nigh your videos it can only help. The near important thing is non to clickbait, not to mislead YouTube engine in any mode considering it will know. Let's accept a look at how we optimized 1 of our own videos for a item keyphrase: 'How to Grow Your Aqueduct Fast in 2019'

We added that keyphrase in the tile, description and tags to tell YouTube in 3 dissimilar ways what this video is about. Basically, we're showing YouTube via metadata what this video is near and if anybody is searching for it marry u.s.a. upwards to that search.

Using YouTube Keyword Tags for Extra Inquiry

Now, here'southward a slap-up fox we want to testify y'all. On the upload page you can add tags and see how they might perform for you in real time. With the Chrome Extension enabled, let'southward type in 'Valentine's Day' as a search term. The tool will showtime to advise other terms, each with their own vidIQ score:

At present, if we click on the 'Valentine's Day' tag we've just added a new page opens with a new list of related keywords that immediately tell you lot what you should be using.

On the same new page, in the 'Involvement Over Time' report, you lot tin can choose from the last 30 days (not recommended for once-a-yr events like Valentine'south Day if you lot're searching in September), from the last 365 days, or by all time.

When you add a keyword that'southward so highly searched for, always look at all time because it gives y'all a much more realistic overview. Considering Valentine's Day is a tentpole consequence, every single year since 2008 information technology'south been a thing on YouTube, so the odds of it existence a thing adjacent year are pretty practiced. If yous didn't make a Valentine's Day video, be certain that it's going to trend once again next year and then be prepared.

Going dorsum to chocolate cake content, I'd be thinking about content like 'how to make a chocolate block for Valentine's Day for your boyfriend', or wife, or husband or girlfriend 2020 or 202.. That'south evergreen content that will live forever, and interest and traffic will spike every single year at that right opportunity.

vidIQ Takeaway: Search for tentpole events yous tin create evergreen content around.

Views Per Hour: The Best Time to Publish to YouTube

Remember how we mentioned how of import Views Per Hour (or VPH) was? One of the cardinal signals that YouTube is looking for when y'all launch a video is what'southward the audience like? Exercise people care about this content? Are they watching a fiddling bit or are they watching a lot? Are they sharing? Are they leaving comments? Are they giving it thumbs up? All of these are nuggets of data for YouTube to piece of work out which video to promote. YouTube wants to help you, and show your video to lots of audiences, not just your own. It wants to discover new audiences for you lot, but you've got to send it the right signals. This is where the initial velocity is really important, which is why the vidIQ tool suggests the best time to publish videos to your aqueduct.

Staying on the upload page with vidIQ install, just select the date, and you'll automatically see the best times. In this example, nosotros chose a Mon, and the tool suggests that peak traffic occurs at 3am and 12pm PT. To ride the moving ridge of the 12pm spike, we suggest posting your video between 3am and 5am PT. (Don't worry, the tool adjusts the time zone based on your location).

Why it'south of import to launch just before the best published fourth dimension? It's because that's when your audience is online, and that's the best opportunity you accept for your video as you launch. That is beautiful signals for YouTube in watches that video takeoff because a lots and lots of people started to lookout.

Optimization Checklist: Requite YouTube the Data it Needs

On the upload page with vidIQ installed, you'll too find the optimization checklist. Ticking off everything you know your video needs to send the right signals to YouTube is a huge fourth dimension-saver so please brand sure y'all use this tool every time

Recommended Tags & Videos to Gain Views From

Staying on the upload page, roll further down and you'll encounter sections called 'Recommended Tags' & 'Videos to Proceeds Views From'. Recommended tags offer up extra suggestions for you, and if y'all scroll over you'll get a popular-up that shows the competitor score and other metrics. Just click on any keyword tag to add to yours.

When nosotros researching something on YouTube, nosotros tend to watch more than i video, and the platform knows this and will serve up extra content on the subject for yous. The 'Videos to Gain Views From' section suggests other amazing creators doing similar content to you, and whose videos are probable to be served upwards to your audience. You can see the keyword tags being used on these videos and add together to your own.

Understand Your YouTube Competitors

With the vidIQ Chrome Extension installed, you'll find a section called 'Competitors' on the left manus side of the upload page. Competitors are other creators publishing the same type of content every bit you - it's skillful to know who these are and so you lot can learn from them! You can see from the screenshot that nosotros keep a very amicable and loving eye on our friends in the online video space and have added their channels to empathise what'southward working for them and what gets their audition excited. This feature really allows yous to confirm if you lot're on the aforementioned track because, again, YouTube is a search engine and people are definitely searching for similar content.

The Competitors tool is sorted by different time frames, and by views, views per hour (VPH), or by date uploaded, so y'all tin can actually accept a deep-dive into the information.

For instance, sorting by VPH will tell you what'southward really working at the moment. If you keep an eye on competitor content sorted by VPH by by 48 hours, this week, this calendar month or all time, y'all'll actually get an thought of what type of content is working for them.

What sort of thing should you be taking notice of here? Exercise their thumbnail pop? How tin can you make your thumbnails even improve? Are there video titles long, or brusk? What type of content is working for them - how to'south? listicles? What trends are they jumping on that you lot should exist aware of?

vidIQ Takeaway: DO NOT COPY your competitors - it'south one of the biggest mistakes that people often make on YouTube. They compare themselves to a competitor, and they re-create everything that creator does and 99% of the time information technology merely doesn't work. We advise understanding what like creators are doing so confirm anything in your video strategy that might exist missing or could be improved.

Tendency Alerts: Get Insights into What People are Watching on YouTube

Talking of trends on YouTube, in the same left-manus column y'all'll observe a characteristic called 'Trend Alerts'. Using this feature is really a golden ticket for YouTube creators because instead of keeping an eye on the trends, you tin say, "Hey, trends come to me!"

Let's utilize 'Fortnite' as an instance. Add that term equally a keyword, and select a VPH Threshold of 100 views per hr. And so select how often you desire to be notified of any Fortnite-focused video on YouTube that's achieving that view metric.

Why should you intendance? Because yous are going to get a report that confirms how content around a sure keyword is performing, and if you see a topic going from 100 views per 60 minutes to 500 views per hr and then the aforementioned videos hit a thousand views per hour the following solar day, guess what? It's a trend! Keeping an heart on videos that are generating significant VPH gives you an opportunity to create your own content - and rapidly.

vidIQ Takeaway: Load up those trend alerts, and allow united states do the piece of work for you. We'll permit y'all know when something hits those milestones.

Discover the Most Viewed Videos on YouTube Right Now

In the left-hand carte bar you'll also find the 'Most Viewed' tool. This gives the user some insights into what's happening on YouTube right now, but sorted by VPH, non just what's trending on YouTube'southward official page. At the exact fourth dimension of writing, Disney'due south official trailer for 'Frozen ii' is the height event on its Trending page:

Using the vidIQ most viewed tool, it's also the top result but we can go 1 footstep further and confirm how many views per hour information technology'due south really generating in real time - an incredible 337.5K! How awesome is that?

This tool is nifty for research and so you can truly uncover what videos are getting the most views on YouTube correct at present as the results sometimes differ from the official Trending folio results. But you tin also determine what content is most viewed over 48 hours, 7 days, 30 days, and in the final 6 months.

Y'all can besides filter the search results by keyword, engagement, category, location, duration and YouTube channel size. The latter is a great feature equally you can choose to sort by ignoring all channels with 1 meg subscribers and in a higher place, or those that have between 10 and 100,000 subscribers, which might match your channel size more than closely.

YouTube Channel Audit: Notice Out How Yous Are Really Performing

Sticking with the left-hand menu, take a await at the 'Channel Audit tool, which does exactly what it says on the tin. You're making videos simply what's actually working for you and what isn't? This is where the Channel Audit tool comes into play, as it's going to give you lot an insane amount of information.

The first thing you're going to see is how you are performing month over month? Are you lot growing or shrinking? Are yous getting more than subscribers? More YouTube views? More Lookout time? Those are the important metrics you should have at your fingertips.

So comes 'Content to Double Down On' which you lot can ostend by VPH, engagement rate, views, and subscribers gained. Double down is an American term, and it basically means do more of this, it works!

The vidIQ tool will do this for your own channel by taking a expect at your published content and confirming which of your videos are giving y'all new subscribers, plus other invaluable information.

As you roll further down on the Aqueduct Audit dashboard you'll also discover which search terms viewers are using to find your content, what your End Screen and Card click through rates are, also as a host of other metrics over thirty, sixty, or ninety days.

Publicise Your Achievements!

Going dorsum to the vidIQ YouTube Channel, are we hitting those milestones? Are y'all hit yours? We have something chosen Achievements that goes out, fetches your information that says, how are you lot doing, and allows you to share those milestones. Here'south a snapshot from our current achievements - pretty expert, right?

In the tool, just option an achievement, and open it up to reveal a new certificate that you can share it with your audition. This works especially well on social media, considering your audience desire to be part of your journeying. How many of us exercise this at the moment? We come across a big creator who is celebrating another milestone and we like that tweet and we retweet it. We reply dorsum to the creator, "Hey, I was with yous when y'all had 400 subscribers. Wait how well you've done at present."

Our audience loves it, why non share information technology your achievement with you? Yous should exist proud of what you're doing on your aqueduct.

Join Us Every Week for Live vidIQ Preparation

Join us every Wednesday for a alive webinar that takes you through every feature, including those we've merely released. Download the free vidIQ Chrome Extension and accept reward of the costless 30 Solar day trial of Boost to really explore what it tin can do for your videos, your content strategy, and your YouTube channel.

Want To Become More Views on YouTube?

If you desire to take your YouTube aqueduct to the next level then make sure to download vidIQ. It will help you lot research YouTube, clarify videos, inspect your own aqueduct, and take actionable steps click here to install now!