7 Secret strategies to get your YouTube videos seen

With over a billion users visiting YouTube each month, how on earth are your videos going to be seen? Here are 7 clever ways we've discovered to make them stand out.

YouTube is the biggest video platform on earth, and the key to getting your video seen by millions. But it could just as easily sink to the bottom unless you optimise your video's information.

1. Choose your username carefully

The first thing YouTube searches is names of users, then video titles, then video descriptions, then tags. If you're serious about getting your video content seen, choose a username related to your subject matter.

Keep it short and easy to remember. The easier it is to remember the more likely you are to have people return to your channel.

2. Name your video file accurately

Giving your video file a name that reflects the content will help it come up in Google search results.

If your video is about a puppy eating cake, video1.mov just won't cut it. But puppy-eating-cake.mov will do nicely.

3. Consider your title

Keep it short – only the first 60 or so characters of your title will fit into the suggested videos sidebar. But 60 characters is loads. If you can't define what your video's about in under 60 characters, you've got bigger problems than the title!

Add important keywords about your video into the title. But don't overdo it – try to sound like a human, not a keyword robot. Think about what people will search for when they're looking for your video.

4. Provide a clear video description

As with the title, aim to use words that people are likely to search for if they're trying to find your video.

For example, in our promotional videos we use words like 'create', 'whiteboard', 'animation' and 'video', as well as 'Sparkol' and 'VideoScribe'. This helps the people looking for whiteboard animation software find us.

5. Describe your video contents

If your video is a tutorial or broken down into different sections, it's a good idea to list and link to all the chapters in your video description. This will help people find what they want more quickly and people searching for specific sections will find you more easily.

6. Take advantage of the tagging option

It is very unlikely that your video will be near the top of searches if you are using only one word as a tag. Tagging gives you the opportunity to use the words that you didn't manage to include in the video title or description. Think about the different search terms and alternate phrases people might use to get to your video.

7. Put videos into relevant playlists

If your viewer watches just one of your videos and then clicks onto someone else's, you've missed an opportunity. Boost the discoverability of your videos by organising them into relevant playlists. People are much more likely to click on another of your videos if it's sitting right there in the playlist sidebar.

These tips are the first step to ensuring your message is getting out to the world!