How to Make a YouTube Hit, Get to TOP and Get Traffic

The day is great, it's warm outside, fresh wind is blowing, it was raining yesterday, though. I'm feeling a bit tired after 7 days in Costa Rica, where if it's not raining then it's going to rain )) All of this inspire me greatly to finally get back to business and share the info with forum members.
I've been a freelancer for many years and these days I try to join the forum discussions, where I can get useful tips on issues that interest me, because I'm not only used to get info, but also share with the interested users.
I've made lots of videos and pictures, and it means that I'll make a short instruction course on how to make a video on YouTube. I think almost all SEO-optimizers have to face it every single day, the sheer volume of projects from freelancers is incredible as well as the questions on YouTube promotion forum.

Here's the result of YouTube promotion:

• TOP keywords position in YouTube search list.
• TOP keywords position in Google search, often with videos.

Actually, these elements are closely related; let's have a look at both of them.

Key points in video or channel promotion:

1. Picking out the right keywords;
2. Video optimization;
3. Link building;
4. Getting your result in search engine list;
5. Actual analytics and control of getting into the TOP list.

You probably know that freelance.com is full of requests like "can you get me a hundred views" or "get me a million views... How much does it cost?". Yet, they don't give a link for the video. Sounds like "how much can you give for a car?" Of course, there's always a way to make a video popular - paying students for watching, for instance. This option has viability and no one can stop people from getting money for the views. Well, it means that this way of promotion deserve closer attention also. Nevertheless, you should realize that promoting a non-optimized website is as hard as promoting a non-optimized video.

PAID ADS

The first way is paid one with the use of YouTube or Google AdWords.
-- in-Search
It's when you type the search query and get pre-paid videos on top of the list as well as in Google search results.

-- in-Display
It's when the ads show up in the video itself. When the ad shows up in the very beginning of the video, a small percentage of viewers turns the video off.

-- in-Stream
It's when the ad is shown in the very beginning of the video. I remember the good-old times of convenient YouTube with no ads in the beginning of the video. Nowadays it really bothers me when I need to watch a short video, but have to wait out for the ad to end even if you have to do that for 10 seconds before skipping it.

Just want to clarify one thing here - it's gonna work if it's done right! Of course, a lot depends on the topic. You'll have to pay attention to that before creating a certain ad type related to your topic.
I always do everything through Google AdWords. Video settings interface is fairly convenient to use.



One of the most popular types of requests on freelance.com is to check and make necessary corrections in Google Adwords ad. The pricing varies from $10 to those where you get a lesson. I call them that because the bad specialist who is ignorant of the way the system works and the way the settings are used can totally waste your budget. He'll study the interface on a hunch and wash all your money down the drain. This experience will make you forget about that certain ad and get a real specialist, because a setting like this demands certain knowledge and takes much time.

My recommendations:

• Create interesting, best-selling videos (in case if you're trying to save money on this certain step - remember, that the users are fed up with plain things, they've seen it all). The best way to measure the quality is to see whether the users like it or not. If you've managed to get the subscription to your channel, it's gonna be an extra bonus, because you'll get regular views from your potential clients.
• Be strict about your topic.
• Send the visitors of your webpage to relevant resources.
• Sell stuff in the very videos.

YouTube is now bursting with successful paid ads: marketing, services, consulting. If the company's ad serves for a long time it means it's effective and it actually pays off.

FREE OPTION

We love it all - harmonious search results just like the ones of Google search engine. Here we'll also have to work with On-page SEO and Off-page SEO.

Let's revise the key points impacting YouTube ranking:

• Working with meta-information: title, description, tags and timeline;
• Links to the videos;
• Posting the videos on credible sources;
• Likes, comments, sharing;
• Your channel's credibility.

In general, the promotion depends on all of these points, because their performance determines whether your video gets to the top or not.
Now let's put it in detail:

1. Video optimization

I can outline it like this:
-- write the title (the title of your video with a keyword in it)
-- create the description of the video (never forget about the presence of keywords in it)
The most important thing in description is to make it unique for the people, especially if it's a commercial. Put the links to the websites in the very beginning if you want your users to get there.

2. Links to the videos

It's about backlinks on the video. Practice shows that the greater the amount of backlinks, the better.
Note that:
-- you shouldn't use direct anchors in your video;
-- create links without anchors (a simple URL text for the video)

How can I check competitor's backlinks?

Actually, backlinks are easily checked. Use Ahrefs.com resource. There's a mass of similar resources, but my experience tells me they've got the largest base.
Simple copy and paste the URL text for the video into the Ahrefs' search bar.


Then you should pay attention to the amount of video posted on other resources.

Enter the HTML, copy the video URL together with "embed", and paste into the backlinks check service window.



What are the types of links to use for the video?
There are two constant variants:
-- White hat links (normal)
Just contact websites that are related to your subject matter and ask them to post your videos.
If your video is really catchy, people are going to share it with other users, which is normal.
-- Grey hat links
You can buy links on the market directly or through "social bookmarks" service:
-- automated registration in 5000 catalogues;
-- registration according to the list of .edu webpages.
This kind of link profile will look like spam, though it gives quite positive results.
Of course, the worst thing here, that if you push too far, your channel can be simply banned and you'll have to do everything from the very beginning.
Don't ask me about how to get backlinks on your video - that's your personal business. You should understand how it works after analyzing the situation on other resources. This way you'll understand how to make it better. As for me, I order some on Fiverr. Be attentive while studying the profile of someone you want to work with - it sometimes helps get what you really need.

3. Video on a credible source

It's almost the same as with backlinks, but this time I'll talk about embed videos. It means that the video is outsourcing.
For example, we've got an article called BRIAN DEAN "YouTube SEO: The Ultimate Guide".

The more websites post your video, the better the result.

4. Views (view depth)

This option determines how fast your video gets to the top or whether it gets to the top at all. That's why it's important to get as many views as it's possible for the first couple of days.
These are the ways of doing it:
-- A normal way (white way)
You can use:
-- social networks;
-- personal webpage;
-- e-mail newsletters;
-- paid ads;
-- other YouTube channels;
-- other types of traffic (media, teasers, etc.).
It doesn't mean you gonna get a huge load of visitors if your video is plain and not viral. Well, it's 99% chance that you are going to have a plain video. It means that you'll have to spend some cash and time to get the viewers watch it.
-- Gray way
There are a number of services allowing to cheat on traffic according to certain scenario and criteria. You'll be able to get a lot of users in affordable way.
For example, you can get a 1000 views (or even more) for about $5.
This way you'll make a significant progress in promoting your video and making it to the top. Nevertheless, you should understand that it's always risky.
It will be a low-quality traffic, but it will affect the ranking in video search results.
View depth is an important criterion
If the video is dull, don't make it longer than 30 seconds. It will rise the view depth significantly.
You should also get that in commercial sphere almost all the videos are the same and your aim is to get as many viewers as it's possible.

5. Likes

Likes is one of the key moments of ranking. The more like you get, the better the results and ranking position.
Note that dislikes are not as good as likes, but it also affects the ranking.

How can you get likes?

The situation is the same as with all the previous factors. There's a white and grey way of doing that.
-- White way
You can:
-- ask friends, co-workers and people you know like your video (provided that they've got Google account).
-- if the video is good, a part of the viewers will do that themselves.
-- Grey way
This way is as easy as pie. There's a number of resources where you can get freelancers (hungry students). You can:
-- give a task
-- add certain criteria to it
-- get likes really cheap
If you do this, don't overdo. Besides, you should understand the risky consequences: you may get banned with all your videos on all the channel.

6. Comments

They are also important. The more comments you get the better. It will be awesome if someone uses your keywords in the comments (but it happens rarely in most cases).


If you want to get a satisfactory amount of comments, get back to number 5. The plan is the same. Alternatively, you can:
-- create a provocative video to make everyone comment on it;
-- ask friends;
-- pay to those who can comment.

If you choose a paid way, remember:

-- to give a clear, understandable task;
-- answer to the comments.
Then it will be ok. In any case, you'd better pay attention to the quality of your video, then people will start to get tightened. You can call for action, leave a comment or put a question in your video to attract the attention.

7. Share

Social factors also influence on ranking. For example:

The more people share your video in YouTube, the better it is for the ranking.
How to attract people?
The plan is the same as for likes and comments.
-- ask;
-- cheat.
Both variants work, but the best way is always the first one for social factors. Focus on that.

8. Channel's credibility

It's the same as with a website. The more credible the channel is, the easier it will be to get the video to the top. Here are the vital points:
-- total number of views;
-- total number of likes;
-- total number of comments;
-- the age of the channel;
-- video update frequency.
Experience tells that it's better to have permanent dynamics. If you've got it, you'll be in YouTube list of preferable channels for regular updates.
These are the key moments you should pay attention to if you want to get top results in search requests, views and visiting.

Analysis and results tracking

You can easily view the channel's statistics, for example:

In general, you can keep track of:
-- views;
-- demographic data;
-- where the video was viewed;
-- traffic sources;
-- policy;
-- maintaining the audience.


Here's the screenshot of a company's YouTube channel, that hasn't been promoted properly yet, but the search engine shows a small amount of interested viewers.
You can also view the list of keywords that the visitors used to get to your video:


Analysis should be done on the intensive promotion. So, with a normal approach, the number of your thematic link followers will get to 80% or even more.
Most important stuff and double profit
If your video got on TOP of YouTube, if it's a high-quality video according to all the above-mentioned points, it may become competitive and to become TOP in Google search list.
It looks like this:

Or like this:


In short, finding your video in Google search results will become a lot more easier.
How to track moves on your site through the video and analyze results
There's a huge amount of variables, here are the basic ones:
-- URL Shortening Services (bit.ly, goo.gl, etc.)
It looks like this:

Paste your URL into the landing page of a URL Shortening Service.
-- Labels
These are usual utm labels for Google Analytics. However, I would recommend doing that through URL Shortening Services. My experience shows that more people will follow your link.
Other analytics
If it's a selling video, you can also track incoming calls. It's simple:
-- get a virtual number;
-- insert it in the video and leave it in the description below;
-- track the number of incoming calls.
What are the best types of videos?
Most popular on YouTube:
-- Entertaining;
-- DIYs and instructions;
-- Music.
Focus on these types of videos. For business issues, they are usually instructive videos on how something can be done.
Bottom line
Sometimes it's enough to simply optimize the video to make it attract the visitors, but everything depends on your personal interest in it.
You can use this guide to promote the video on YouTube on your own and get a desired result. It's too hard to create the full guide, but you can add your info in the comments down below.