5 Keys to Optimizing Your YouTube Channel for the Algorithm

Are you looking to improve your ranking on YouTube and get more views on your videos? At the time of writing this blog, my YouTube channel has over 24,000 subscribers. I know first hand the importance of optimizing your channel for the YouTube algorithm. In this blog post, we'll share the top 5 keys to optimizing your YouTube channel and boosting your views and subscribers. By implementing these tips, you'll be well on your way to reaching a larger audience and getting more leads.

Have you every wondered one of the following question?

• How often should you be uploading new videos?

• What's the best way to get more subscribers?

• How can I optimize my YouTube videos to increase my rankings?

Keep reading and find out. With that said, here are 5 keys to optimizing your YouTube Channel for the algorithm... 👊

1. Watch time

Watch time is the most important factor to get your videos ranking. The YouTube algorithm favors content that is engaging and keeps viewers watching for longer periods of time. If you think about it, YouTube makes money through ads, so it's in their interest to show content that people watch for long periods of time as it makes them more money. To increase your watch time, it's important to create content that is keeps people engaged for these longer periods. Here's a couple ways you can increase your YouTube video watch time.

• Make your content more engaging with a strong edit. You can use pattern interrupts, jump cuts, good animations, lower thirds & b-roll to keep your video moving forward quickly and the user engaged. A great video is really born in the edit, so we advise to use a professional YouTube video editor as they can really make your video pop.

• Give yourself permission to make a long video and go deep on your topic. My rule of thumb is make your video as long as it needs to be to deliver the message you want to deliver, but not longer or shorter just for the sake of it. Some of my most successful videos are 50+ minutes long.

• Move your content more watchable with strong video and audio. YouTube has said it themselves, audio is the most important factor in your video. Generally speaking, people can handle watching 720p video form your phone, but they can't listen to crackly audio and poor sound quality. When considering your setup, focus your money and energy on getting the right audio.

2. Audience retention

Audience retention is a key signal to YouTube that people are enjoying your content. Audience retention simple means what percentage of people keep watching your video after they start. This is a great signal to YouTube that you're not misleading your audience with your title and thumbnail, and that people want to hear what you have to say. If you want to increase your audience retention, here are a couple ways:

• Hook your audience in the first 15-30 seconds. This is where people decide if they are going to stay or leave. We advise using the HOT intro formula (Hook, outcome, testimonial), which basically means you need to hook your audience in with a catchy intro (hook), tell them what they will get our of the video (outcome), and tell them why you are the right person to listen to.

• Bribe your audience to stay until the end. Many of my students do this by promising a bonus piece of advice, tip or trick that they will get only if they stay. Emphasize how important that piece is, so they feel like they can't miss it, and make sure to deliver!

3. Launch velocity

How many views did your video get in the first 24 hours? The first 24 hours of your video's launch is where YouTube will be testing it against your subscribers and other users to see how they engage with and watch your content. The more people that watch in the first 24 hours, the more opportunity you have to get high watch time and viewer retention. If your video delivers, YouTube will likely start ranking it in the algorithm. Instead of rushing to launch your video, here's a couple ways to increase your launch velocity:

• Have an email blast ready to send your video out to your database as soon as your video goes live. Send your video out to your email list and be sure to use a thumbnail image as your link, a catchy subject line and a short hook of why they should watch so they actually click and stay.

• Create repurposed, short form content to post social media. It's a great tool to chop up your video into 1 teaser and 1-2 short form videos that you can use to promote your YouTube video across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

• Finally, ensure you tag your video correctly. All tags do it tell YouTube what your video is about, so make sure each video gets unique tags. Your tags should almost repeat themselves and definitely repeat the title of the video. This will ensure YouTube is showing your video in the right places in the first 24 hours, which will increase your click-through rate, watch time and viewer retention all at once.

4. Click-through rate

Your videos show up in three places - the users home page, search results, and on other videos recommended videos. For every 100 people that see your video in one of those places (called impressions), what percentage click on it? That's your click-through rate, and a low number is normal. A high click-through rate tells YouTube that your content is relevant enough to the user that they would click on it, and that's a good sign! If you want to increase your click through rates, it's all about your titles and thumbnails. Here's what to do:

• Have a professionally designed thumbnail that uses high colour contrast, big (but few) words and remove unnecessary items (your logo, etc.)

• Take a photo showing of yourself showing an emotion that compliments the video title.

• Have a catchy, complimentary, keyword-researched title (ie. 5 TOP Reasons NOT To Live in Seattle in 2023, 10 PROS & 10 CONS of Living in Chicago, DON’T MOVE TO TORONTO!!!

5. Consistency over time

The YouTube algorithm favours channels that have more content and more audience history because it knows what to do with your content and has a better idea of how people engage with it. This is the single most important piece of advice:

Focus on begin consistent over time and don't expect anything from your YouTube channel for 6 months. You will only get better with repetition and the more videos you have the more the effect they have will compound and feed each other over time.

My YouTube channel get's about 50-200 views per hour on most days, and those are game changing numbers for almost any small business.

By implementing these 5 keys to optimizing your YouTube channel, you'll be well on your way to improving your ranking and getting more views on your videos. Remember to focus on increasing watch time, audience retention, your launch velocity and click-through rate and use video tags to help YouTube understand and properly categorize your content. Most of all, be consistent - a successful YouTube channel takes time. Good luck and please let us know if these work for you ;).

Be sure to watch more in this detailed YouTube video here:

At Agent Launch, we’re always excited by the success of our real estate clients... especially on YouTube. If you are a real estate agent wanting help to grow on YouTube among many other things, you can apply to work with us here: https://agentlaunch.com/apply