Frequently neglected, YouTube’s description boxes can often be an extremely valuable tool for video marketing and, with a little clever composition, can rocket your video to the top of people’s searches. Here we break down how to make it happen.
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Guest post by Chloe Bennet for TuneCore
YouTube video description boxes are an often-forgotten element of video marketing, but they can be very valuable. They’re like the third-string quarterback who rides the bench, until somebody realizes they’re actually one of the best players on the team. The description box’s contents are part of how YouTube decides where your videos will rank in the search results, and that’s kind of a big deal. Here are five tricks to write perfect YouTube descriptions.
1. START STRONG
The first five lines of your description are the most critical, so make them count and start off strong.
“Your first two lines will come up alongside your video in search results, so keep that in mind. The first five lines of your YouTube description are what is shown without clicking on the ‘read more’ option, so they are much more visible than the rest,” writes Alvin Jung, marketer at BoomEssays and UKWritings. One of your top priorities should be to include a link to your offer or promotion.
You should also optimize your description to include important keywords and it is good practice to include LSI keywords for extra context. Use this strategy to get your video ranked for the correct terms.
2. HTML LINKS EVERY TIME
You should always include HTML links to your website within the first couple lines of your description.
“The remainder of your description ideally functions as an index to related content. This doesn’t mean you should include a link to every site where you’ve had an affiliate account, be smart with your content,” suggests Catherine Maurice, copywriter at EssayRoo and EliteAssignmentHelp.
Remember, you only have so much space and you don’t want to be sending people anywhere they won’t be getting good value or content. Include links to your social media and be sure to use the full address, or the link will not work. Of course, the most prominent link should be the one to your affiliate site, then put the rest in order of your priorities. This could mean your vlog, website, or social media accounts.
3. USE ALL YOUR SPACE
You’ve got 5,000 characters if you want, so why not use all of them?
Your video page is like any other site and can rank on Google and YouTube, so maximize your content. Treat your box like a blog and use it as something your followers can enjoy reading as well as for SEO. This means not just turning it into a collection of links for people to follow. Create short, enjoyable little blog posts that are relevant to the content in your video. This can be a great spot to include targeted phrases, as well as some useful time stamps.
Sometimes your viewers don’t need to see the entire video, so a timestamp is a great way to give them quick access to what they actually need (and it’s better than them just clicking away, rather than watching the entire thing). Once you’re past your initial five lines and all your links, you should have around 200 words to play with, so use them!
4. CREATE A PROFILE WITH TUBEBUDDY
You can add TubeBuddy, which is a browser extension, to your browser for free. One of the options allows for YouTube users to set up different upload defaults for different profiles. If you are making different kinds of content with different kinds of optimization needs, then this extension can be very handy for you.
Think it through before you begin setting up the different profiles because you don’t want to create more work for yourself than is actually necessary. Once you’re done and ready to launch, just click on the TubeBuddy extension in the upper right-hand corner and you’re on your way.
5. CREATE TEMPLATES
Once you’ve got your profiles all set up and ready to go, it’s time to select some upload defaults. These defaults make your life a bit easier by automatically filling in your optimization fields with predetermined data. TubeBuddy lets you punch in a template description, title, and tags, which will save you a ton of time. It’s best not to make all your descriptions identical but making them consistent is actually very good for your branding.
Conclusion
You can generate a lot of leads based on the contents of your YouTube description box, so don’t neglect it as a tool. Get creative and make content you think your followers will enjoy, but make sure to prioritize links such as your affiliate page, website, and social media.