You may have produced the best video content in the world, but it will be for nothing if you haven’t effectively setup the video in YouTube. You may already know the standard tips, but one thing that is often easily missed is the YouTube description box. When you browse YouTube, take note of how uploaders utilize the description. See how many use the following tactics.
Put Relevant Information in the First Few Lines
Five lines are good, two are better. This is effectively your meta-description so it should contain the keyword and a very brief summary. The opening two lines will appear next to your video in the YouTube search list so ideally, the most relevant information should go here. The first five lines will appear beneath your video once the user has clicked through. Most people will not click the MORE button to read the remainder of the description so make these first few lines count.
Links are Vital for Customer Follow Up
YouTube designs its site for maximum user retention – watch a video and move on to the next video based on YouTube’s suggestions. They want people to watch more videos and stay as long as possible. Naturally, this is at direct odds with what you want from the user, which is to investigate your product or service in greater detail. You want them to watch your video then visit your site for more information, preferably to buy something from you. This is why your description should contain a link to your website, more product information, an enquiry page and any other relevant page.
Use Keywords with Appropriate Placement and Density
You want to attract people to YouTube as well as those potential customers who are already there. You have some 5000 characters to work with in the description, so think of it as a new landing page; the video and text description must complement each other. That means using common or the most effective keywords that work for your main site. Don’t simply copy your landing page as you may be penalized by search engines for duplication. Rewrite the content, put in some links and an appropriate introduction, and use a call to action.
Minimum & Maximum Limit
It’s tempting to ignore the feature entirely; after all, the viewer is there to watch a video and not read your website. However, the title is not always descriptive and it is designed only to hook the viewer, not inform them. Providing a succinct description about the content – who you are, what the video is about, even references to others such as “this is the third in our series of …” gives a bit more information. Put in as much detail as possible into the description, but at the same time keep it tight and relevant. 300-500 words should be more than enough to inform the viewer so they can make a decision on whether the video is useful.
