20 Sep Reaching a Wider Audience with Your YouTube Video Through Click-Through Optimization
According to several research and the numbers available, without a doubt, YouTube is currently the number one place to watch videos online. A glance at the numbers confirms this:
- YouTube is the second biggest search engine, after Google
- 74% of Americans tune in every month
- YouTube has over 2 Billion users around the world
People all over the world are drawn to YouTube for different purposes, whether it’s to search for a solution to a problem, entertain themselves, or simply relax. Therefore, no matter what your business is about, you have an audience on YouTube.
In this YouTube SEO guide, we will be exploring one of the ways to rank your video on YouTube so your videos can enjoy a wider reach.
Google search’s algorithm is very similar to that of YouTube. Several factors contribute to a high-ranking video; one of such is Click-Through Optimization.
Click-Through Optimization
Every time someone watches a video on YouTube, the platform calculates what is called a click-through rate. In a layman’s language, click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage number of people that start watching a video after seeing its thumbnail on YouTube.
Below is a simple way to calculate the CTR of a video
CTR = (Clicks/Video Impressions) x 100
In the above example, you can see the CTR for one of our webinars, The PR Woman is reported as 5.8%.
According to research conducted by Databox, the average CTR on YouTube is 4 – 5%.
However, this is simply an average CTR. Your CTR can vary widely based on certain factors, namely, your number of subscribers, your number of views, your niches, and how long the video has been uploaded to YouTube. The goal should be to get your CTR to double figures over time.
How to improve your CTR?
CTR is one of the most important ranking factors on YouTube, so how can you improve your CTR?
- Create an interesting video thumbnail: The most-watched YouTube videos usually have a custom thumbnail image specifically designed for the video. For example, below is a custom video thumbnail we designed for the video of our webinar titled ‘’The PR Woman with Efe Obiomah’’ to celebrate International Women’s Day 2021.
It must be visually appealing, highlight what the video is about, simple and straight to the point.
- Use compelling video titles: Another way to improve your video CTR is to use enticing and compelling titles. Craft your video titles in a way that users would want to click through. For example, the title of our webinar video used above reads ‘’The PR Woman with Efe Obiomah’’.
Other worthy strategies you should consider include:
- Build a loyal following
- Conduct keyword research for your video title
- Focus on engagement (encourage your users to like, share, comment, and subscribe to your videos)
It is important always to remember that your video’s CTR is a significant YouTube SEO ranking factor. Therefore you should spend as much time as possible on it until you get it right.
Click here to register for the DMI Certified Digital Marketing Professional programme to learn more.
***Adapted from the Digital Marketing Institute, Ireland.
No Comments