Video SEO: How to Rank on YouTube and in Google
YouTube is the second largest search engine. Here is how to rank on both YouTube and Google.
Video SEO is one of the most underutilised organic growth opportunities available. YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. Google surfaces video results for a growing range of queries. A well-optimised video strategy generates visibility across two major platforms simultaneously.
In this article
How YouTube SEO works
YouTube's algorithm ranks videos based on two main factors: relevance (how well the video matches the search query) and engagement (watch time, likes, comments and click-through rate). The controllable ranking factors are: title, description, tags, chapter timestamps and thumbnail. The most impactful is the title - it should include the primary keyword near the start and be under 60 characters to avoid truncation.
Optimising for Google video results
Google shows video results in three formats: Video Featured Snippets (single video above organic results), Video Carousels (multiple videos in a horizontal row) and standard results with video thumbnails. To optimise for Google video results: implement VideoObject structured data on any page where you embed videos, create a video sitemap and submit it via Search Console, and ensure video titles and descriptions match the searcher intent of queries you want to rank for.
YouTube optimisation checklist
Title: primary keyword near the start, under 60 characters. Description: first 150 characters visible without expanding - include primary keyword here. Add timestamps for chapters that YouTube displays as a built-in table of contents. Tags: 8-15 tags starting with the exact target keyword, adding semantically related terms. Thumbnail: high contrast, readable text at thumbnail size, human face where content permits. This drives CTR, which signals quality to YouTube's algorithm.
Embedding video on your website
YouTube embeds load scripts from Google's servers, slowing page load time and harming LCP. Use a lazy-loading YouTube embed solution (such as WP YouTube Lyte for WordPress) that loads the YouTube iframe only when the user clicks the thumbnail. This significantly improves LCP without harming user experience. Always implement VideoObject schema for embedded videos to make them eligible for Google's rich video results.
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