What Most Creators Get Wrong About YouTube SEO

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SEO isn't dead, but it's often misunderstood.

Nowadays, you'll hear from people that SEO is dead and that you don't have to think or worry too much about it. But if they give advice, they're often talking about discovery.

If you're not aiming for search, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) isn't going to be as important. Meanwhile, for discovery, your packaging is the most important aspect.

What is discovery and search? Here's an example.

Imagine your viewer is going out shopping. They're not looking for anything in particular, but they're looking for something. As they're scrolling down the streets of YouTube, your packaging is like your storefront. It should make viewers think, "Oh, that's interesting. I'll pop in there and see what's available." That's what discovery (or browse) is all about.

Whereas with search, your viewer is looking for something specific. Let's say they're looking for some screws. They'll be in the screws aisle, looking at the signposts for where the screws are. This is where you want to make sure that you have the screws your viewers are looking for.

Note

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tl;dr version from Danielle, CEO of TubeSpanner:

"I want something, but I don't know what" = Discovery
"I want a specific thing" = Search

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What does 'packaging' mean for your YouTube content?

The packaging includes your title, thumbnail, and description.

Your title and thumbnail works in tandem and should garner a viewer's attention and make them click through. If you're aiming for search, then the title should be searchable and about a topic people are looking for.
The first 2 lines of your description should enforce your title and topic of the video.

"Your package should tie everything together. Your title needs to match your description, and it needs to match your thumbnail. They all feed into each other." - Andrew Kan during the livestream.

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Search vs Discovery titles

Search: How to fix a leaky faucet
Discovery: The one plumbing trick plumbers don't want you to know

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Not everything is SEO appropriate.

Some topics have very low search, especially if their seasonal. For example, the term for Coachella has skyrocketed because it's currently ongoing (and it's being streamed on YouTube). However, before and after the event's over, searches for Coachella will fall.

Before you even start recording, make sure to research on the topic and see if anyone is looking for it.

If you made a video and used SEO, but only for 1,000 views... well, if only 10,000 people are searching, you have a 10% click-through rate, which is 1,000 views. This video is performing as well as it can given how many people are looking.

"The views that you earn and the views that you want do not always align. And the amount of search that's actually there and the search you want to be there do not align as well." - Andrew Kan.

Warning

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Should you pay for SEO help?

If someone's offering to improve your SEO for any amount of money... this is most likely a SCAM. Do not take their offer! Real SEO is a learnable process, and it's FREE.

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What's the difference between tags and SEO?

SEO is a process. Tags are a part of that process.

Tags are the sprinkles on top of the cake, but sprinkles along don't make the cake. You need to worry about the foundation, which is where SEO comes in.

With SEO, comes research.

You need to research the house you're going to build before you build it. If your client wants a 2-story house, but you didn't do the research, looked at what they wanted, and gave them a 1-story house... it could be a great 1-story house, but your client would say, "Well, I wanted a 2-story house." You didn't meet the needs of your client, or in the case of YouTube, your audience.

The research still matters even if you skip it

So replace the importance of tags because it hasn't been relevant since 2020. Transcripts, what you say in your livestream and video, matters way more than tags. In fact, YouTube tends to look at your title, then your description, then your transcripts, before finally looking at tags.

How TubeSpanner's free plan actually helps.

TubeSpanner has over 50 free features including the browser extension, Discovery Optimizer, SEO Optimizer, Audience Avatar, and more.

The SEO Optimizer and Discovery Optimizer help you find the right keywords and position your content where people are actually looking. And free users get 30 search ideas and 30 browse ideas (60 content ideas to work with at no cost).

Want a glimpse of the TubeSpanner work flow?

See how TubeSpanner works step by step.