Custom Thumbnail
When we upload a video, we are given the possibility to add an image that will appear next to the video in searches. By default, we can choose one of the three frames of the video itself, although we can also upload our own custom thumbnail. To make it more striking, many users choose to add text to that image or any other visual claim to stand out from the rest. It is recommended to upload them with a resolution of 1280 × 720 or a smaller one but maintaining an aspect ratio of 16: 9.
Upload HD Content
Youtube is able to play your videos at different resolutions, and given the constant improvement in the speed of our Internet connections, it is already common to find them at full HD resolutions (1920 × 1080). Since there is a tag in searches within the platform that identifies videos in HD, this is a key feature when users choose to reproduce our content.
Transcribed Text and Subtitles
If our video has spoken audio, YouTube is able to transcribe it in text form so that it can be viewed in the form of overlapping subtitles. Although the automatic tool is quite accurate, there are words or expressions that it will not be able to detect, although we can always modify them as we please from the ‘Subtitles’ section of the editing menu.
In addition, we can also download these subtitles to translate them into other languages and upload them again, greatly increasing the reach of our video by making it understandable by more users.
Use Tags in the Description
Any advice regarding the improvement of SEO for web content is applicable to the attached text of our videos. The main title should be as concise and explicit as possible regarding the content that we are going to show, and in the description we must include all the keywords that we consider appropriate to be found when conducting a search, which will be applicable both within the own YouTube search engine like in Google. This text, seasoned with the tags recommended by the service itself, will make our videos much more visible.
Link your Account to other Social Networks
There are two ways to take advantage of other social networks in which we are active to encourage traffic in both directions. On the one hand, we can add links to our Google Plus, Twitter or Facebook pages on the main page of the channel. For this we will access the edit button located in the upper right of our header image, from where we can add the URL of both said channels and any other external page.
Customize your Channel
In addition to the content we upload, the ideal is that our channel has a professional and sober appearance. To do this, we can customize our global header image that will be used on all playback platforms, that is, web, smartphones and televisions. To do this, in the same configuration drop-down where we had the option to link social accounts, we can access the option ‘Edit channel design.
And the Most Obvious: Quality content!
Let no one forget. All these tips are nothing more than a dressing to improve the reach and visibility of our videos, but not a magic formula to make them better. After all, the content itself is ultimately the key to success. What we can do is maximize their performance and make them reach the largest possible audience.
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Interesting related article: “What is Social Media?“