Ever wonder how Youtubers manage to grow their reach and audience in a short period of time?  It may seem like some spell but actually the truth is that no sorcery is needed here and with just some fine tuning practices and tweaking tips one can get surprising results. In the case of Aviation Youtuber, Pilotphotog he did just that by applying several best practices for Youtube SEO.

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If you have access to internet and aren’t living at Hogwarts then you must have heard about SEO (Search Engine Optimization). SEO is the process of driving traffic to one’s content from free, organic, natural or editorial search results in search engines. It aims to improve your website's position in search results pages, which results in greater exposure for ones’s content. 

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Many creators put great effort into making their quality content but then miss the mark when it comes to reaching greater potential audiences and exposure for their content. It appears that many talented creators seem to be somewhat unaware of the multitude of available tools and how much the use of correct SEO practices can help them take their content that extra mile. 

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At ThoughtLeaders our work with independent publishers extends far beyond just getting them brand sponsorships. As part of our collaboration with creators, we monitor the performance of their content on a weekly basis. We put a great emphasis on internal learning so that our employees in general, and talent partnership managers in particular, are leaders in the field of YouTube and podcast sponsorships. They are equipped with the tools and skills to understand and pinpoint the exact characteristics of what makes up an excellent partnership and sponsorship.  

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We enjoy working with publishers that take pride in their content and who aspire to improve and grow their channels. Creators who are in it for the long run, bringing a seriousness and dedication to the work that they do. With creators like these we have the privilege of assisting them and arming them with tools, skills and best habits for excelling in their field by using the top industry practices for great SEO. It is important to note that seeing results from SEO doesn’t happen overnight - emphasizing the fact that creators wanting to see better results on YouTube must be in it for the long-run. 

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Now let’s take a closer look at one example - PilotPhotog. Juan Artigas started his channel ‘Pilotphotog’ in January 2022, which focuses on his love for aviation. In March 2022, Artigas joined our ThoughtLeaders Independent Creators’ Program. The creator uploads weekly videos to his YouTube channel, reviewing planes with 3D aircraft models (made by the creator!). Pilotphotog is a creative and flexible channel aspiring to make his mark on the world and has been an absolute pleasure to work with.  

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In the case of this YouTube channel, we observed that his views were steady and frequent yet they were not increasing exponentially or as fast as as we believed they could be. One of our talent partnership managers, Juliana Ciesla, stepped in and helped the publisher increase his views dramatically within just 3 weeks (see graph below). This was done through one-on-one sessions with the creator where he received personalized tips and pointers onbest practices for his upcoming uploads, including visual and SEO improvements that he was suggested to make. By implementing these tips, Pilotphotog increased his views by 93% from the end of May to the middle of June. This innitative is an example of why ThoughtLeaders is emerging as a leading force in the creator economy, specifically with  Youtube and podcast sponsorships. 

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Here are some SEO best practices to keep in your back pocket 

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Keywords, keywords, keywords

One of the simplest yet most effective ways for increasing a video’s views was as easy as changing the title from one using the plane’s official name (unrecognizable to most) to a description of it as the world’s largest plane (something that immediately positioned the video as attractive to all kinds of audiences as opposed to just an audience versed in the world of aircrafts).

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Thumbnails

Thumbnails can make or break a video’s chances of catching viewers attention and ultimately succeeding. In order to avoid losing audience’s interest due to a bad thumbnail, be sure to have a clear and catchy thumbnail that will draw in the viewers. Thumbnails with simple text and bold color, as well as, a facial expression tend to see the most success with gaining a wide reach. Get creative but always remember less is more!

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Trends

Keeping up with trends is crucial and Google Trends is a valuable tool for all! One may think that niche channels may have a hard time joining in on trends, but surprisingly enough with a little research and creativity one can always create videos or tie the content of one’s videos to popular topics. Here’s a great example - PilotPhotog created a video based around the new movie, Top Gun: Maverick in which he reviewed the fighter jets used in the film. Believe it or not, this video still stands as his most popular video with close to 900k views in just 4 weeks! If you want to learn more about Google Trends and how to take full advantage of this free tool - check out this article. 

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Our SEO program subsists of numerous avenues, yet the most obvious and important are thumbnails, keywords, descriptions and title. Pay attention to these aspects of SEO in your content and see how the views rack up!

Our recommendations 

Here is a list of online tools (some premium and some free) to help you get started on the road to growing your channel’s viewership and popularity. We also have a more in-depth article listing the best tools for YouTube creators - all the online tools you need in your creator toolbox:

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Thumbnail:

Design your YouTube thumbnail for free: https://www.canva.com/create/youtube-thumbnails/ 

The TubeBuddy extension (paid) allows you to try two thumbnails and gives you information on which one has a greater CTR (click through rate): https://www.tubebuddy.com/

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Keywords:

Ultimate keyword research (free): https://ahrefs.com/youtube-keyword-tool

Discover what's trending (free): https://trends.google.com/trends/?geo=IL

Google Chrome extension that analyzes YouTube analytics data so you can understand what people are searching for, and make sure to get your content on their radar (Free trial, paid premium): https://vidiq.com/

Description:

AI-powered writing assistant that can help you nail your YouTube description (Free trial, paid premium): http://writesonic.com/

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Title:

Need help coming up with more engaging video titles? The headline analyzer will score your headline quality and rate its ability to result in increased views (Free trial, paid premium): https://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer

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Here's our quick checklist of YouTube SEO tips 

• Before recording your video, define the Keywords and  try to define the video's title
• Write a keyword-optimized title, description, and tags
• Say the keyword more than 3 times during the video
• Design your thumbnail, this can makes a huge difference in your CTR.
• Tag your video with popular keywords that relate to your topic, to increase your YouTube channel's viewership.
• Categorize your video.
• Add cards and end screens
• Try to encourage viewers to share, like, or comment on your videos, and take the time time to respond to comments and messages.
• Track your analytics
• Make playlists

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We are excited to continue working with creators and help them succeed on YouTube in every way possible. With that in mind, we decided to share with you some of our favorite online tools that can get you on the right path to SEO-success, as well as, our go-to checklist for YouTube SEO tips and tricks. 

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If you are a YouTuber and want to amplify your YouTube channel - don’t hesitate to reach out!