In the pursuit of doing the best SEO work we can, one thing that may be overlooked or undervalued is optimizing for voice search. 
![voice recognition](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/7GbHFiFrUOoRh3w2K5zths/729723c516067c1ad0f4c0aff9ba22c6/voice_recognition.png)

Here is a list of things you can review to make sure you are getting the most out of the voice search capability.

# Have you read the official guides to voice search for each major platform?
Who loves to read the official “how to”s published by companies? Anyone? I didn’t think so. In this case though, it might be a great place to start so you can really understand the ‘behind the scenes' of voice search.
![read official guides](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/6qrvUv7b4MKCDPdyNYrwUK/2cf475bfbe818916d09563603bd1ceae/read_official_guides.png)
Google's <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/guidelines-eyesfree/evaluation_of_search_speech_guidelines_v1.0.pdf" target="blank">Evaluation of Search Speech - Guidelines</a> might be a great place to start. 

__Follow that up with guides from:__
- <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/getstarted-cortana-tips" target="blank">Cortana</a>
- <a href="https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2940021?hl=en" target="blank">Google</a>
- <a href="http://www.apple.com/ios/siri/" target="blank">Apple</a>

__Also these guides to commands from CNET:__
- <a href="http://www.cnet.com/how-to/the-complete-list-of-siri-commands/" target="blank">Siri</a>
- <a href="http://www.cnet.com/how-to/the-complete-list-of-cortana-commands/" target="blank">Cortana</a>
- <a href="http://www.cnet.com/how-to/complete-list-of-ok-google-commands/" target="blank">OK Google</a> 

# Do you understand your customers and their devices?
Have you evaluated the generation that is your targeted audience? 

Think about the Gen Zers versus the Baby Boomers. Is there an infant out there that doesn’t know how to navigate their parents' smartphone? On the other end of the spectrum, a lot of the Baby Boomers limit how they use their phones, yet they seem to use personal assistants, such as Siri and Alexa, more.

In the <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/form/pdf/state-of-the-connected-customer-2nd-edition/?d=7010M000000uQVWQA2" target="blank">State of the Connected Customer</a> report it shows the differences for each generation.
![generation voice search graph 1](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/4QsaadULZbvEXMhRoT5kie/bb00b095c36106b03c27e01cb5a3413a/generation_voice_search_graph_1.png)
While 39% of Baby Boomers “love or like” personal assistants, only 10% of them use or prefer it when communicating with companies. 

Whereas 64% of Gen Zers “love or like” personal assistants and 35% use or prefer them when communicating with companies.
![generation voice search graph 2](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/xWbca8qjXjwaAFo0UK165/4ed2fe2245a2ea9289b2257dff341940/generation_voice_search_graph_2.png)
Understanding the behavior of who you are targeting, and with what device can help you focus on, and market to the right group of people. 

# Is your content personal and compelling?
Why are customers going to look for your services/product? What are their pain points that you can solve or answer for them?

Compel your audience to engage with your product by reaching them on a personal and informative level. Because people’s emotions are touched more visually, you should have relatable pictures to accompany the text.
![personal and compelling content](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/2BZsUbxvG3dmF7FH7PwKNw/a37697ffa6f9e8ec98fe6b95df2da97e/personal_and_compelling_content.png)
Ask a question they may have and then answer it in a succinct way that reaches their emotions. Feel free to elaborate more after that and incorporate the keywords that you are targeting. This format is attractive to <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/search-engines/algorithms/" target="blank">Google’s ranking algorithm</a>. 

# Do you use conversational words?
![use conversational words](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/6sts5XbiwW3UKcgSBFbjcB/71269e8225a8774ec809e5e03f3c67cc/use_conversational_words.png)
To optimize for voice search, optimizing for conversational queries is a must. 

Think about when you __type__ in a search versus using __voice__ search. With voice you tend to use more specific and conversational speech such as “show me” or “what do I need for” rather than just using a short phrase. It gives a direction for your answer to take you.

What are some questions your audience might ask?

For example, if they are searching for information on pruning fruit trees you may optimize for these questions:

- How do I prune fruit trees?
- When is the best time to prune fruit trees?
- What equipment do I need to prune fruit trees?
- Can I prune fruit trees if the leaves are still on?

Another great resource for thinking of targeted questions is using the People Also Ask (PAA) boxes to see what people are actually asking Google about your niche. <a href="https://nozzle.io/" target="blank">Nozzle.io</a> is a great resource for this. They generate a <a href="https://nozzle.io/paa" target="blank">PAA report</a> with all of the questions asked related to your keywords.

# Have you focused on long-tail keywords?

Now that we know that people’s voice search is more natural than a typed search is, long-tail keywords should be your focus, as they will be what those using voice search will use more. 
![long tail keywords](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/10uKEgUrL96z2dBG4M2vtd/418e01c95f97e995b4d1f4e3bb421224/long_tail_keywords.png)
This is where the <a href="https://nozzle.io/paa" target="blank">PAA report</a> comes in handy. It shows search term variations people are looking for. You can also use <a href="https://moz.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-the-google-search-console" target="blank">Google Search Console</a> to discover the queries that are bringing people to your site. 

Another resource is using questions people have asked your customer support.

Your content pages based on these questions should contain long, conversational terms.

# Have you built an FAQ page?

Do you have a Frequently Asked Questions page?

![build faq pages](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/2dWsj4nNn8ErN6gKXU1vWz/9cea5341a8e6b74612dce70daa8ac987/build_faq_pages.png)
When you use voice search I’m guessing it starts with the word “Who,” “What,” “Where,” “When,” “Why,” or “How.” You have a need, and you want it answered quickly.

"FAQ pages are also vital to organic performance. As they answer prominent questions of current and prospective customers, they lead them down to the path of solving their problems. Eventually, it may be a conversion for the business." according to <a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/2-underutilized-onsite-optimization-strategies#FAQ_Schema_Markup" target="blank">Bernie Wong</a> of <a href="https://social-stand.com/" target="blank">Social Stand Limited</a>. 

To provide this information have a FAQ page that answers all of these questions (don’t forget, conversationally) for your audience. <a href="https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/structured-data/faqpage" target="blank">Google loves FAQ page</a>s and often uses them in the SERP.

<a href="https://www.zendesk.com/blog/the-best-faq-page-examples-and-how-to-make-your-own/" target="blank">Here are some tips for writing a good FAQ page</a>:
1. Use data to pick the right questions
2. Form clear criteria around responding
3. Offer multiple solutions
4. Track your progress
5. Make your FAQ page easy to find

# Have you claimed your Google Business Profile and is all of your info up to date?
A key factor in optimizing for voice search is building your local listing and presence. <a href="https://www.webfx.com/blog/marketing/voice-search-digital-marketing-2019/" target="blank">Over 55% of people</a> use voice search to find local businesses.
![google my business profile](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/7BOh9KACJShAzlGTnLZW9V/cd7e915f6b54e8e328d5b70b16e53e72/google_my_business_profinle.png)
If you haven’t claimed your <a href="https://support.google.com/business/?hl=en&_ga=1.197736111.1817838323.1480536666#topic=4539639" target="blank">Google Business Profile listing</a> yet, you need to. This is where you add your business’ information such as hours of operation, address, phone, services, reviews, pictures, link to your website and a short bio about your business. The more information you share on your listing the more confidence people will have in your business and the easier it will be for someone to choose you.

<a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/how-to-rank-better-in-google-maps-in-2022" target="blank">These are suggestions by Patty Malowney</a> from <a href="https://www.badasswebgoddess.com/" target="blank">Badass Web Goddess Agency</a> to optimize your Google Business Profile:
- Use your keywords in your GBP name
- Fill out your GBP completely
- Add photos
- Post updates
- Ask clients and customers for Google Reviews
- GBP Behavioral Signals

Don’t forget to use keywords related to your business while setting up your information. Also, take into account the regional slang or dialects that might be pertinent in your area. For example, in Utah fried dough is called a “scone” but is referred to as “fry bread” in most other places. In Wisconsin a drinking fountain is called a “bubbler”.

# Have you added microdata?
![add microdata](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/W03Kg383nHnX5FvYprLME/82e9a294a3499f4f9ed8f14d14394a71/add_microdata.png)
Who remembers Jerry Maguire’s famous line, “Help me, help you.”? That’s what microdata does for Google.

 “You’ll need to submit a sitemap to Google including information such as: prices, directions to your physical location, store hours, your address and phone number. Next, use microdata to help Google understand what this text means. Create markups for various use cases.” according to the <a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/seo-how-to-optimize-for-voice-search" target="blank">Digital Marketing Institute</a>.

Helping Google to help you answer people’s voice search.

<a href="https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/structured-data/faqpage" target="blank">This is an example from Google of microdata.</a>

# Does your brand have an abnormal spelling that you need to take into consideration?
How well can people pronounce your brand? Does it transcribe well? Is voice search going to recognize it easily?

We’re all familiar with the company Xerox. They’ve been around for decades, therefore recognized by Google, but what if it was a new company that no one was sure how to say their name? 

Be aware of the limitations that Google might have in recognizing uniquely spelled brands. You could add a pronunciation guide to help.

If your brand name is a bit ambiguous, at least try to make the product memorable, unique and easy to search for.

# Have you optimized your schema markup?
Again, “Help me, help you.” with schema markup. This helps make sense of your content and make your site discoverable to search engines.
![optimize schema markup](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/3fyrfgnV8BoA4xhPXxTP1j/388291590af1999f009fea5929eefe13/optimize_schema_markup.png)
Structured data can be used to mark up all kinds of items from products to events to recipes. It is most often used to provide additional information about the following:
- Creative work
- Event
- Organization
- Person
- Place
- Product

A full list of items you can mark up with schema is available <a href="https://schema.org/docs/full.html" target="blank">here</a>.

"Each type of information has properties that can be used to describe items in more detail. For example, a "book," which falls under the category "creative work," can have the properties "name" (title), "author," "illustrator," "isbn," and more, depending on how fully you want to describe it. Similarly, an "event" can be classified as anything from a "businessevent" to a "theaterevent." according to <a href="https://moz.com/learn/seo/schema-structured-data" target="blank">Moz</a>.

Have you adopted schema markup for voice search by including an indicator of intent and relevancy to your site?

# Does your website load fast and is it mobile friendly?
![website speed](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/5MpR1gt8tqmPe1VuIKHGsg/1822fd1780848354f08e282ef3a8d7e9/website_speed.png)
A big factor to bounce rate, especially in relation to voice search is your load speed. Who wants to sit and watch a circle spinning when you have lots to do?

If you’re using voice search, chances are that you are busy or in a hurry. Google is too. They will offer sites with greater loading speed and with less bounce rate.

<a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/speed-is-a-killer/" target="blank">According to Neil Patel’s research</a>, 47% of consumers expect a website to load in no more than two seconds.
![every second counts](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/4CyXyRAqbOYReIpLWIAqCG/9a89022c299670e57d204d9912cf7804/every_second_counts.png)
Every second afterward damages user experience. Viewers don’t want to wait for your page to load, and they’ll often bounce to find another business with a better user experience.

In a study cited by <a href="https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/speed-up-your-website/" target="blank">crazyegg.com</a>, the relationship between load times and conversion rates showed a <a href="https://conversionxl.com/blog/testing-tools-site-speed/" target="blank">25% decrease in conversion rates</a> with just one extra second of load time.
![loading time impact](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/5Ly3ngvfiWvqUvRtqNGEwz/171e96e9ebd63ebe64405862b48f7465/loading_time_impact.png)
It’s clear that putting in the effort to increase your site speed — even by one second — could have a major impact on conversions.

<a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/mistakes-in-seo-that-can-lead-to-google-ranking-drop" target="blank">Stephanie Long</a> from <a href="https://stephaniemariemarketing.com/" target="blank">Stephanie Marie Marketing</a> says: A tool I like to use and test my website for speed regularly is <a href="https://developers.google.com/speed" target="blank">Google’s PageSpeed Insights</a> (PSI) because it shows how fast your website is loading for both mobile and desktop. It also provides detailed solutions on how you can fix any issues, plus it also gives you a grade from 1-100, with 100 being the best. The tool that I think does a great job on showing what images are too large and are causing slow loading times is <a href="https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/seo-spider/" target="blank">Screaming Frog</a>.

“In the summer of 2015, more Google searches were carried out via mobile than desktop for the first time ever – and you’d better believe they’ve only gone up since then!” according to <a href="https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/building-websites/how-to-make-website-mobile-friendly/" target="blank">WebsiteBuilderExpert</a>. 

<a href="https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/building-websites/how-to-make-website-mobile-friendly/" target="blank">To make your website mobile-friendly, you’ll need to</a>:
1. Choose a mobile-responsive theme or template
2. Strip back your content
3. Make images and CSS as light as possible
4. Avoid Flash
5. Change button size and placement
6. Space out your links
7. Use a large and readable font
8. Eliminate pop-ups
9. Test regularly

So, is your site updated with the fastest speeds possible?

Is it mobile friendly?

# Is your content scannable?
Do you know what the very best guarantee is that I will exit a site just as fast as I opened it? If there are a lot of ads or sign-ups that pop up before I can even see that homepage. I’m gone and won't return.
![scannable content](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/3AVpBnGWJ7Yy4rsDsL06Ka/555584880bdfd5cf437a902002bb7969/scannable_content.png)
If I’m using voice search for something, I want to be able to scan the content quickly and easily without interference.

Is your site easily scannable with headers and links offering information that is easy to grasp? Will I find answers easily just by scanning your homepage? 

Need some ideas to get you started? <a href="https://www.bigdcreative.com/5-ways-to-make-your-sites-design-scannable/" target="blank">Here are 5 from bigDcreative</a>.
1. Design With Visual Hierarchy in Mind
2. Make Your Navigation Menu Easy to Spot
3. Take Advantage of White Space
4. Write for Brevity
5. Use Numbers Where Possible

# Do your videos rank in Google?
![videos rank in google](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/2m3xoudiSsGmbq25CIcodk/f4a5d809abb371c1a468529a46f3d0f0/videos_rank_in_google.png)
How well do your videos rank in Google? In SEO you need to utilize every resource you have available, and a big component of that is video. People love to be visually stimulated, and most people learn better through being shown. 

If you’ve never made Beef Wellington before, are you more likely to use the recipe from the blog with the video tutorial, or relying on the typed out recipe?

Most sites can find a place for useful videos and then optimize them so they will draw people in. 

If you’re not sure if YouTube is something worth investing in, you should know that YouTube is owned by Google. Perhaps that is why <a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/youtube-best-practices-for-beginners" target="blank">over 80% of the videos that rank in the top ten for video-related searches in Google are from YouTube</a>, as opposed to other video platforms, embeds on websites or natively hosted video.

According to <a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/content-marketing-for-small-businesses-and-coaches-2022-edition" target="blank">Thomas Anthony</a>, an organic marketing consultant: 
- Videos have higher engagement than written content
- The average consumer spends 100 minutes a day watching video
- <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/youtube-stats-marketers/" target="blank">YouTube is the world's second most visited website</a>
- Views increase as more people work from home

## In conclusion
Optimizing your site for voice search will help increase your traffic and decrease your bounce rate. It’s worth taking the time to do.

<a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/2-underutilized-onsite-optimization-strategies#Optimize_for_Voice_Search" target="blank">Paige Arnof-Fenn</a> of <a href="http://mavensandmoguls.com/" target="blank">Mavens & Moguls</a> said:

"Websites must be optimized for voice search adding usability/functionality to your site making it accessible to all users including those with limitations/disabilities. It’s not just about complying with the ADA/responsible web design/CSR goals but it is also good for the bottom line by reaching a broader audience."

voice recognition

Optimizing your site for voice search will help increase your traffic and decrease your bounce rate.

Optimizing your site for voice search will help increase your traffic and decrease your bounce rate. This is a check list to help evaluate your voice search optimization.

Voice Search Optimization Checklist

# Content Marketing For Small Businesses And Coaches [2022 Edition]
The online coaching space is mutating faster than the coronavirus.

If your small online coaching business wants to make money in 2022 you need to market yourself differently.

Differently means standing out among the other <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/what-is-a-life-coach.html#:~:text=ICF%20estimates%20there%20are%2071%2C000,Global%20Coaching%20Study%20Final%20Report." target="blank">71,000 coaches</a> out there. To do so, you can't take any shortcuts.

The preferred shortcuts of so many other coaches involve paid ads and DMing on Instagram and LinkedIn.

But these marketing channels just don’t work for small businesses. 
How do I know? 

Because I've tried them and I've gotten burned.

You don't need to invest heavily and fail to realize that paid ads and cold calling don't work. 

Just think back to the last time that you responded to an email from a stranger or clicked on an ad on your Facebook feed. If you're struggling to recall a time in which you gave into disruptive advertising, then I've made my point.

Back in 2012 I started <a href="https://emlovz.com/" target="blank">emlovz.com</a> (a dating coaching site) and applied every shortcut I could.

We tried:

- Google AdWords
- YouTube Ads
- FB Ads
- Cold outreach

Nothing worked.

We were about to call it quits before I decided to try one last maneuver: <a href="https://thomasanthony.co/whats-the-difference-between-inbound-vs-outbound-marketing/" target="blank">inbound marketing</a>.

__Inbound marketing__ is all about attracting attention through high-value content. 

Think <a href="https://thomasanthony.co/articles/" target="blank">articles</a> that answer a searcher's burning questions, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHO8hSNDfi8" target="blank">YouTube videos</a> that potential clients can binge for hours, and a podcast that they're dying to listen to every morning on the way to work.
![Outbound vs inbound marketing](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/1o0DLeygQw7B8v1RRH1Q21/36b664bdaf79d72a2b7a42b73b3c2535/Outbound_vs_inbound_marketing.png)

We decided to invest heavily in creating unique content that addressed our ideal client's pain points.

Five years later and emlovz has experienced a sea change we could only dream of.

Nowadays emlovz.com is one of the largest coaching sites in the dating space.

In fact, emlovz.com sees enough traffic for me to claim we're a 1% website with regards to traffic.
![Inbound marketing](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/5Y5rdfHWwNrqvQVvkKaES4/3502a2a2a39663727386d7005ef40c30/Image_2.png)

As you can see from the screenshot above, we've racked up just under 3 million clicks from May to September of 2021.

But has this translated into earnings?

Yep.

emlovz is also in the top <a href="https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Online-Coaching-Salary#:~:text=While%20ZipRecruiter%20is%20seeing%20annual,annually%20across%20the%20United%20States." target="blank">5% percentile as far as online coaching revenues go</a>.
![top 5 percent](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/Oqtcp4pciQQmZ1WW6Og2Y/e8aca0bfc60ac8dc9b0885090c1737b3/top_5-.jpg)

*So how did we go from 0 traffic and 0 revenue to a top 5% coaching company?*

It was because I decided to stop skipping the line and we decided to start adding value to peoples' lives with evergreen lead funnels like high-quality articles and YouTube videos.

In this article, we'll break down everything you need to do to launch an effective content marketing strategy even if you’re a coach or small business. 

## Content Marketing For Small Businesses
"In this day and age, a big part of <a href="https://technerds.com/how-ai-can-transform-content-marketing-in-2022/" target="blank">content marketing</a> is connecting with the customer on a personal level. When done correctly, content marketing can go a long way in building brand trust and adding value to your business."

It doesn't matter if you're the personal finance messiah, if you don't have a quality marketing strategy to connect with people and spread the green word, no one will know you exist.

In the first portion of this article let's take a look at the vehicles you'll use to attract potential customers.

### Blogging Up The Traffic 

Blogging isn't an activity reserved for teenagers and soccer moms.

Creating high-quality written content is the best way B2B, B2C, and coaches like yourself can attract users to your website.

Google Search is where people go when they want to learn something and/or want to spend money.

With a market share of over 90%, it's no surprise that <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/18/how-does-google-make-money-advertising-business-breakdown-.html#:~:text=More%20than%2080%25%20of%20Alphabet's,ad%20spending%20globally%20in%202021." target="blank">Alphabet makes 80% of its earnings through ads</a>. 

With all eyes on Google, ranking on the first page (but specifically within the first three results) can bring serious traffic to your business.
![organic keyword research](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/39GAnFHdCUM2hpcxlfMO8u/da9bd93a30b4fdccb8495f3e4fd7fe1c/organic_keyword_research.png)

Getting to the top of Google means your website and brand is an authority.
Being an authority is exactly how to make money through content marketing in 2022.

By landing at the top of a <a href="https://www.wordstream.com/serp" target="blank">SERP</a> and providing a future client with helpful information, you're building trust, respect, interest, and ideally a following.

__This is something that paid ads just can't do.__

I should also mention that creating targeted content is also more pocket-friendly than throwing money at paid ads.

To generate the same traffic with paid ads (which we don't use at all) that we do through our blogs we'd have to spend $36,800 every month.
![organic research](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/4SpaZGpUDJ7j0fgHQYY4C5/bb58b66c9d00688306e64dad3908b04e/organic_research.jpg)

Instead, we spend just a fraction of creating viral pieces of content that thousands of people read every day.

### YouTube Videos That Are Binge-Worthy

Blogs aren't the only content strategy for small businesses. 

YouTube is the #2 best evergreen lead source you can find on the internet today. 

However, many experts think that <a href="https://quoracreative.com/article/video-vs-written-content" target="blank">video is the future of content marketing</a>. 

They say this because:

- Videos have higher engagement than written content
- The average consumer spends 100 minutes a day watching video
- <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/youtube-stats-marketers/" target="blank">YouTube is the world's second most visited website</a>
- Views increase as more people work from home

When you're blogging - you're catching an evergreen traffic funnel of "__readers__." 

When you're pumping out youtube videos - you're catching an evergreen funnel of "__viewers__."

Generally speaking, there are lots of people who consume content either/or.

For example, about <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/09/21/who-doesnt-read-books-in-america/" target="blank">25% of Americans haven't touched a book in the last year</a>.

You can bet the first $10k you make from online coaching that those same people prefer watching your content to reading it.

By only creating written content you're refusing to speak to a large portion of potential clients.

But hey, even if your ideal clients love reading, who doesn't like watching a video every once in a while.

Speaking of which…

At emlovz, before we meet with a new inbound client. we automatically email them a form to complete - and we ask them where they found us.

Many say <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHO8hSNDfi8" target="blank">YouTube</a>.
![keyword strategy session](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/FsjLun9ZC05SZaRjZUeJf/6e810c355d30e65d47ad81ea176027e4/keyword_strategy_session.png)

Only choosing a certain type of content means only speaking to certain customers.

Create evergreen written and video content to cast a wide net and speak to as many potential clients as possible.

### YouTube/TikTok Educational Shorts 

Nobody has time or patience to watch a 20-minute YouTube video anymore.

As we've seen with the rise of TikTok, YouTube Shorts, IG reels, and yes even Quibi, consumers are beginning to favor short-form video.

Refining your content marketing strategy means creating targeted short-form videos.

After you write a 2k-word blog post and then repurpose it for a long-form YouTube video, you now want to make bite-sized videos clips.

Here's an example of what a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpStGznWoLM&feature=emb_title" target="blank">YouTube short looks like</a>.

So how did this YouTube Short perform?

Take a look at the analytics provided by YouTube below.
![YouTube analytics](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/74tyX3QLJC2gwWu6RVicyi/670650efb26d1d7f09eb88592062011f/YouTube_analytics.png)

3 YouTube subscribers in just 287 views.

Think about that for a second - you take 1 minute to create a short, upload it to youtube, and 3 new subscribers in a matter of a day or two.

Remember, __one subscriber today could turn into a $5k client of yours in the coming months__ (after they follow you for a bit). 

### Guest Posting Boosts Perceived Value Of Your Website

Guest blogging, also called “guest posting” is the act of writing content for another company's website.

Generally, guest bloggers write for similar websites within their industry in order to attract traffic back to their website.

Guest posting needs to be a marketing tool you use -- not only will you be introduced to another company's audience, but any do-follow links that you embed in the guest post will <a href="https://moz.com/learn/seo/backlinks#:~:text=Backlinks%20are%20especially%20valuable%20for,from%20one%20site%20to%20another.&text=If%20many%20sites%20link%20to,worth%20surfacing%20on%20a%20SERP." target="blank">BOOST your domain authority</a> -- just make sure you're guest posting on sites with a higher domain authority or Alexa ranking.

You can use tools like SEMRUSH and AHREFS to confirm a website's domain authority.

## Think LONG TERM From The Start

Creating a quality content marketing strategy involves understanding who your target audience is and which areas of content creation are worth investing in.

All your content creation efforts won't be worth a thing if you don't first establish your ideal audience.

### Select A Niche!

There are over <a href="https://ilifecoachtraining.com/life-coaching-is-currently-a-2-billion-industry/#:~:text=There%20are%20currently%2020%2C000%20coaches,second%20only%20to%20Information%20Technology." target="blank">20,000 coaches in the USA</a>20,000 coaches in the USA.

Most are defined as __"life coaches."__

A life coach is pretty explanatory, it's a coach that helps someone get their life together.

The issue with this is that our lives are layered, nuanced, and all our problems can't be fixed by some life guru that magically has all the answers.

To stand out you must define your niche.

What kind of coach or small business are you?

You could label yourself as a generic "life coach" but what sets you apart from all the other coaches out there?

Either way, you'll need to define your niche.

Emyli for example isn't a life coach, she's a __dating coach. More specifically she's a dating coach for men that targets men in urban areas that are upper-middle class and between the ages of 30-50__.

You may think that by creating a super-defined niche you're turning your back on a large swath of people.

That's true, but it's only one way to think about refining who you are and your target audience.

I like to think that by creating a specific niche you're able to create more meaningful services and content for the audience that your coaching skills can best serve.

### Side Hustle Until You’re In The Green

Be sensible when starting off.

I understand your desire to ditch your corporate job and dive headfirst into the water - but not everyone knows how to swim and even fewer of us know how to swim using the correct technique.

Don't be afraid to build your small business and make money through online coaching as a side hustle to start.

Hell, Emyli didn't leave her corporate job until our revenue was close to $70k.
Take your time to learn the ropes and build a sustainable business before <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/leadership-lessons-from-alexander-great-hern%C3%A1n-cort%C3%A9s-jay-harrison/" target="blank">burning the ships</a>. 

### Delegate And Build A Small Army Of Creators

Being an entrepreneur is a lot like running a country - albeit an incredibly small one.

As the president of your newfound country, you can't possibly imagine doing everything yourself.

How are you supposed to run each branch of your country, build the infrastructure, and make diplomatic visits to other countries all by yourself?

The best entrepreneurs know how to delegate.

Your first appointments as an entrepreneur should be to hire a:

- Ghostwriter
- Social media intern

This is certainly the case if you're building your business as a side hustle and don't have 5-10 hours a week to create new content and execute an SM strategy.

## Research and Build Your Small Business Program BEFORE You Launch

Whether you’re a coach or small business owner you first need to understand your target audience before launching.

Jumping into the fire that is being a small business owner will only work if you first know what you’re getting yourself into.

Don’t get burned by refusing to do your due diligence in learning both about your competitors and target audience. 

Use SEO tools like SEM Rush and Ahrefs to figure out what type of content your ideal client is interested in learning about. 

During the nascent stage of your company, it’s important to identify your ideal client and understand their pain points. You can do this by interviewing those you think would be interested in your business. 

Understanding their psyche and pairing that with keywords they’re looking for is a recipe for creating amazing content. 

If you have more questions about content marketing for small businesses and coaches feel free to check out my website and <a href="https://thomasanthony.co/" target="blank">contact me for a brief strategy call</a>.

content marketing for small business

A break down of everything you need to do to launch an effective content marketing strategy even if you’re a coach or small business.

Content Marketing For Small Businesses And Coaches [2022 Edition]

# Video SEO
 
I posed the question to SEO professionals what they thought was the most underutilized SEO strategy or tactic. I got over 100 responses which I broke up into <a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/44-underutilized-seo-strategies-and-tactics" target="blank">8 categories</a>, and 44 sub categories. This is part 7, which highlights the underutilized strategies related to video SEO.

__Video SEO Sub Categories:__
- <a href="#Optimizing_YouTube_Videos/Website_Videos">Optimizing YouTube Videos/Website Videos</a>
- <a href="#Audio_and_Video_Transcription">Audio and Video Transcription</a>
- <a href="#Product_Videos">Product Videos</a>
<a id="Optimizing_YouTube_Videos/Website_Videos"></a>
 
## Optimizing YouTube Videos/Website Videos
![Optimizing YouTube videos](//images.contentful.com/z8uwv83tofbw/1akswNx3yqXOfWvGGBpw5b/5c10d71d611957be0faf948456cc30da/YouTube.png)
__Alex Shute, Editor-in-Chief of <a href="https://faithgiant.com/" target="blank">FaithGiant</a> shares his thoughts on why you should optimize with videos:__
"Videos are one of the SEO tactics that often get overlooked but can significantly impact your website and brand performance. It is a digital marketing tactic that isn’t used to its full potential by many businesses. YouTube in particular is one of the most consumed forms of content available today. People spend a ton of time watching videos, and data shows users often watch several videos during each session. YouTube videos are favored heavily by Google and it is also favored by millennials.

"Videos are great for tutorials, demos, client testimonials, firm overviews, and more. It increases engagement, boosts conversions, and increases revenue. It’s actually a good idea to conduct keyword research before producing videos so you can make sure there is an audience for the video topic. Use Google Trends to determine how a keyword topic is trending and to see what other variations you may want to use. Be sure to optimize your video content for accessibility by including video transcription, subtitling, and captioning."

__A great example was given by Thomas Anthony, Founder at <a href="https://www.thomasanthony.co/" target="blank">thomasanthony.co</a>:__

"Repurposing content + embedding YouTube videos into blog articles is an under-utilized SEO tactic that can help niche websites OUTRANK big brands. One of my clients, <a href="http://emlovz.com/" target="blank">emlovz.com</a>, was seeing ~225,000 monthly readers on their blog about 8 months ago. That’s when they started repurposing their blogs by converting them into scripts, then filming a YouTube video, and then embedding that video into its associated blog. Their traffic has jumped to nearly 275,000 readers since then."

__Julian Lloyd from <a href="https://www.mindsetmedia.ca/seo-search-engine-optimization.html" target="blank">Mindset Media</a> tells us how he does this:__

"What I typically do with clients as part of my larger SEO approach is I create a YouTube channel for them (if they don't already have one) and create some quick videos to post on it. Honestly the quality of the videos doesn't even matter that much as far as I can tell - but that doesn't mean I'm putting garbage videos up for them. You still need to keep in mind that bad videos can hurt their brand image if they get lots of people to go to their YouTube channel. But I see the technique working regardless of quality.

"For example, one of my clients in the mental health industry has written many blogs on a large area of topics so what I do is take that content and repackage it and send it to someone on Fiverr to create a 1-minute cartoon animated video. They have someone read out the script that I've created from the blog and they animate it to keep viewer attention. Once it is approved by the client I take the video file and upload it to YouTube and choose my title and description carefully. Sometimes I literally have the title of the YouTube video match the blog title and other times I vary slightly. Within the description of the video I put a lot of information about the topic and even include a reference to the fact that we have written a more in-depth article about it on our blog - at which time I backlink over to our blog using rich anchor text. Just for kicks, I like to also embed this video in the blog itself. This is something I consider very simple to do but nobody seems to be taking advantage of it. Another separate benefit of this is that you can re-use the video for your social media as well."

__Charles Leduc, Chief Operations Officer at <a href="https://www.bustmold.com/" target="blank">Mold Busters</a> also touts using YouTube videos to rank:__

"Google ranks relevant Youtube videos very high on the search page. Any business looking to take advantage just needs to create compelling video content, and drive traffic to their website through Youtube. Not only does it drive traffic toward your business, but it builds authority on your industry, and we are the go to authority for mold and indoor air quality as a result."

__<a href="https://kevinmiller.com/" target="blank">Kevin Miller</a>, a digital marketing expert, who was recently named "Entrepreneur of the Year” for the 2021 American Business Awards states:__

"I believe an underutilized SEO strategy is to post videos on your website. Videos are great for both entertainment and education. The best part about it is that video content ranks really well in search engines, so you get two benefits for the price of one. In addition, it keeps people on your website for longer periods of time. Not only are videos beneficial to SEO, but they also have the power to go viral across social media platforms. If you own an eCommerce store selling products online, adding instructional videos will help with your sales by providing educational content in the form of short films. And lastly, video marketing helps you rank in search results organically instead of using PPC ads."

__Paula Glynn, Director of Search Marketing & Digital Strategy at <a href="https://pixelstorm.com.au" target="blank">Pixelstorm</a> also recommends:__

"Create short videos to let people know about your site and how it can help them, then post those videos on YouTube and other sites. People love watching videos online. Videos are more personal than text, and they're great for conveying your message quickly and efficiently."

<a id="Audio_and_Video_Transcription"></a>
## Audio and Video Transcription
![audio and video transcription](//images.contentful.com/z8uwv83tofbw/23jrYqsOc9xMggameB95tg/976e11d3fde5d5a3a5fd195d09f593b1/audio_and_video_transcription.png)
"Audio transcription is an SEO strategy that helps you stand out from the competition but is one of the most neglected SEO strategies", __says Imani Francies, a digital marketing expert with <a href="https://clearsurance.com/" target="blank">Clearsurance.com</a>__. 

"The process of translating various audio and video products into text files is known as media transcription. Audio and video recordings are incapable of doing so, and subtitles beneath them are sometimes insufficient. Subtitles can be created from transcribed material. The videos become more intelligible and accessible to a larger audience as a result.

"Having your podcast or video transcribed ensures that it receives the same SEO advantage as, for example, a blog article. So viewer engagement can be increased by using transcriptions. Basically, it ensures that you have covered all of your SEO bases."

__Jignesh Gohel, Founder & Marketing Head of <a href="https://www.olbuz.com/" target="blank">OLBUZ</a> agrees__:

"Getting Your podcast/video transcribed is a great way to make engaging media and to make sure that it will get the same SEO benefit as say a blog post."

__Lauren Amor, Organic Search Specialist for <a href="https://tandem.buzz/" target="blank">Tandem Buzz</a> explains:__

"By transcribing the audio of a podcast or video, not only are you catering to ADA compliance (which contributes to SEO's E.A.T standards) but you're also getting those keywords on your site/content that wouldn't otherwise be there. Without a transcription of your audio, you're trying to pack in keywords into your title and description (which shouldn't ever be too long)." 

<a id="Product_Videos"></a>
## Product Videos
![product video](//images.contentful.com/z8uwv83tofbw/6nAY0QUeU07uciJUGKAjjr/6bc4abdf1597aaef32163a014264c946/product_video.png)
<div><center><a href="https://www.videosforeveryone.com/product-videos-production/" target="blank">Image Source</a></center></div>
 
__The benefits of using product videos is explained by Jeff Neal from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCritterDepot" target="blank">Critter Depot</a>:__

"One of our favorite digital marketing strategies is product videos. Some of our best selling products are live worms and crickets. And having a tutorial video on what it's like to get worms in the mail has been great for boosting on page retention and time on site. These metrics have helped us earn first page rankings for making our highest converting products.

"But its benefits go beyond our site. Because now we have a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/TheCritterDepot" target="blank">YouTube Channel</a> that provides supplemental income to our main site.

"So we emphatically express that product videos are amazing."

### In conclusion:

Perhaps focusing more efforts on audio and video resources will be just what you need to up your SEO game!

__Other Categories in this Series:__
 
<a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/1-underutilized-keyword-research-strategies" target="blank">#1- Underutilized Keyword Research Strategies</a>

<a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/2-underutilized-onsite-optimization-strategies" target="blank">#2- Underutilized Onsite Optimization Strategies</a>

<a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/3-underutilized-content-strategies" target="blank">#3- Underutilized Content Strategies</a>

<a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/4-underutilized-link-building-strategies" target="blank">#4- Underutilized Link Building Strategies</a>

<a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/5-underutilized-technical-seo-strategies" target="blank">#5- Underutilized Technical SEO Strategies</a>

<a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/6-underutilized-local-seo-strategies" target="blank">#6- Underutilized Local SEO strategies</a>

<a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/8-miscellaneous-underutilized-seo-strategies" target="blank">#8- Miscellaneous Underutilized SEO Strategies</a>

video seo

This is what the experts say are the most underutilized SEO strategies regarding video SEO

#7- Underutilized Video SEO Strategies

Video SEO Keyword Strategy - YouTube SEO Strategy

Nozzle lets you track more than just webpage links, <a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/featured-snippet-competitor-analysis" target="blank">featured snippets</a>, and <a href="https://nozzle.io/paa" target="blank">People Also Ask questions</a> in the SERPs--you can also monitor which videos are doing the best among the other organic listings.

After discovering the highest ranking videos, you can analyze them and use similar tactics in your videos to overtake your competitors in Google’s video results. And the importance of video in digital marketing just <a href="https://www.smartinsights.com/digital-marketing-platforms/video-marketing/video-marketing-statistics-to-know/" target="blank">keeps</a> <a href="https://biteable.com/blog/video-marketing-statistics/" target="blank">on</a> <a href="https://www.srmailing.co.uk/blogs/sr-mailing-blogs/91-video-marketing-statistics-you-need-to-use-to-your-advantage" target="blank">growing</a>, so it’s important to get ahead now.

![Track video rankings in the SERPs](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/4jhh9IXs02AzwXbzVhRXut/bed5bfc8d337ef19c69f5df7bb1b34b1/Example_of_Videos_in_SERP.png)

## Finding Domains with Ranking Videos

To examine video result owners, all you need to do is visit the Competitive Share of Voice dashboard in Nozzle, select Domains in the Rollup dropdown, and apply the "Is Video" segment using the Segment dropdown. Select the Keywords tab and sort by Keywords. You can also filter by keyword group as desired. This will pull up a list of all the domains that have video results for your keywords.

![Video rank tracker - Is Video segment](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/rILxFFJaq9xesSfOTDrUW/52ded8202d861bc12a0becdd7bd47881/Is_Video_Segment.png)
![Video rank checker - ranking charts and table](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/1RrX9inKSBYzXNYMktqipj/a7be426f727923d0a3c7f2f72bc4846b/Tracking_with_YouTube.png)

As you can see in the table above under Keywords, YouTube has ranking videos for 241 of my keywords. Since it’s an outlier, it can be helpful to filter out results from YouTube, and sometimes Facebook or other sites, in order to make the charts more readable.

To do this, create a custom segment. Follow the basic instructions <a href="https://help.nozzle.io/how-do-i-add-segments" target="blank">here</a> if you’re unfamiliar with creating custom segments.

Name and describe your segment depending on which sites you plan to filter out. Then, add the conditions "Result > Video > Is Video | is | True" AND "Result > Url > Domain | != | youtube.com," as well as any other conditions you need. Finally, create your segment.

![Video keyword tracker - exclude youtube.com](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/12EMgsyaLTRs3ilexuhImS/d9bedc450686acc7f45d0e74e6384ea0/Create_YouTube-free_Segment.png)

It may take a few hours before the system will allow you to apply your new segment in the Competitive Share of Voice dashboard. When it’s ready, just select your new segment in the Segment dropdown and click the Keywords tab. You’ll now be able to see much more detail in the charts below.

![Video keyword tracker - ranking charts and table excluding youtube.com](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/4Hu669dGzK3zlnkyTbbdRe/95d43b38a8f6e20a49f57272407d86bf/Tracking_without_YouTube.png)

The By Rank Group chart gives a nice visual overview of your competitors with video results. You can choose to show more than 10 domains using the dropdown underneath the table. 

Notice how cio.com has 5 video results for my keywords: 1 ranking #2, 3 in the 7-10 rank range, and 1 in the 11-15 range. As you can see from the dark blue, lotame.com is the only one with a video ranking #1 (besides youtube.com, of course, which we filtered out). Lotame.com also has the most videos that rank for my keywords.

## Discovering Video Rank and More

If you click on one of the domains in the table (I prefer to right click and open in a new tab), you will be taken to a performance overview for that domain. Double check that your original segments and filters are applied, then scroll down to the table to see what keywords that domain has video results for, along with each video’s URL. 

I clicked on lotame.com, and you can see the keywords for which they have ranking videos (I've limited it to 10, but it's easy to view them all). Plus, you can see the exact rank of their videos, along with other useful data.

![Check video rankings - video rankings keywords](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/6v3NAqB813F4SwKomsl1bt/a9949ed407e32835289b169c164fd1d1/Video_Rank_Keyword_Table.png)

Clicking on a top URL will open that URL in a new tab, where you can analyze the competing video and webpage to inform your SEO strategy. 

Clicking on a keyword will take you to its performance overview page, where you can view its full SERP results and HTML with the help of tools like <a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/introducing-nozzle-vision" target="blank">Nozzle Vision</a>. I clicked on “3rd party data.”

![Track video rankings - single keyword SERP HTML](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/6EgPGHevq0Zz9i5JTCoHYf/0713a3105eac5ea8f2d9654148e802dd/Video_Keyword_SERP_HTML.png)

Using the Rollup dropdown on the original Competitive Share of Voice dashboard, you can also choose to directly view in the same way the URLs or brands, rather than the domains, that have video results for your keywords.

## Generating a Keyword List

It can be very useful to pull up a list of the keywords that serve up video results among the organic listings. Such a list will point you to where you have the opportunity to take a competitor’s video spot or rank within an existing video pack.

To see a video result keyword list, you’ll use the Explore by Keyword dashboard, which will be available in a future update.

Want to start tracking your videos in the SERPs? <a href="https://nozzle.io/trial" target="blank">Try Nozzle out for free</a>!

Track video rankings in the SERPs

Video has become increasingly important in marketing. Staying afloat in Google's video results requires tracking your videos with precision. Here's how to use Nozzle's software to track your video rankings.

It's time to learn how to monitor videos in the SERPs--you'll thank us later

How to Use Nozzle to Track Video Rankings

Video Rank Tracker | Use Nozzle to Track Video Rankings

# <center>Why Use YouTube?</center>

Need help deciding if YouTube is right for your business? 

In short, it is. 

But if you're the kind that likes to have a list of reasons before taking action, then I just so happen to have a list of why your business should be using YouTube as part of your marketing mix.

## Audience Size

YouTube is one of the largest search engines in the world, second only to Google. Each day there are well over a billion searches performed on this video platform. There's a strong likelihood that your ideal customers are part of those.

## Double Rankings

YouTube videos can __rank in Google__ as well. So, plan it right and you can get rankings in both YouTube AND Google, capturing views and interested search traffic from both sources.

## YouTube Videos Rank Better

YouTube is owned by Google. Perhaps that is why over __80% of the videos__ that rank in the top ten for video-related searches in Google __are from YouTube__, as opposed to other video platforms, embeds on websites or natively hosted video.

## Qualified Leads

When visiting your site from your YouTube videos, people are much __more qualified__ as a lead or potential buyer because they have already decided they like what you do by watching your video(s).

So, it's decided then? You're going to stake your claim (nod to YouTube great <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZbvKhLl-I7UomMugaO24fw" target="blank">Brian G. Johnson</a>) on YouTube and begin attracting your ideal customer via YouTube?

Great!

Then how do you begin?

Start by familiarizing yourself with the following best practices checklist. It will put you in the right frame of mind to research, create & promote solid videos that actually reach your target viewer.

# <center>YouTube Upload Checklist</center>

## Create an Engaging Video

I don't claim to know what's most engaging to your business's audience, but here are 9 hot tips from my buddy Brian G Johnson on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovMrx68H5dY" target="blank">creating a winning YouTube video structure</a> that are guaranteed to tempt YouTube's algorithms to put you in front of more viewers.

### 1. Choose KWs that Show Specific Intent

The more you understand what a viewer wants, the more likely you'll create a video that keeps them engaged for the duration of the video. Ex: Instead of DIY Halloween Costume, target DIY Pirate Costume for Boys.

### 2. Hook the Viewer with the Promise

You HAVE to start your video with what the viewer wants if you want to keep them watching. Your video may be about YouTube Video Tags, but what those viewers really want is more views, so "You can absolutely get more views by using the right YouTube Tags on your videos." Start with what they're going to get out of your video. [15 sec max]

### 3. Branded Channel Intro
People don't care about your channel intro, so lead off with the hook and then roll your intro. [5 sec max]. Having your value proposition (if short) here too makes lots of sense. Brian Dean does a great job of this <a href="https://youtu.be/2bMbdWn1x-U?t=29" target="blank">here</a>.

### 4. Value Proposition w/ Subscribe Invite

Replace the underlined text in the following sentence with the answer to the question, *"What makes your channel awesome? If you're new here, get more leads for your business for free by clicking subscribe and then the bell icon and you won't miss anything."* Keep it short and to the point about why people should subscribe. This CTA simply plants the seed for later subscribe invitations and attaches it to the benefit of doing so.

### 5. Stimulating Video Delivery

Structure your <a href="https://clipchamp.com/en/make-youtube-videos/" target="blank">YouTube videos</a> with bullet points or steps to keep people moving along and continuing watching. You can also encourage retention by saying things like "upcoming step that will help you get more subscribers," and "glad you made it this far by step 8 is a BIG DEAL," or by throwing in cultural references that you know your target audience will appreciate. Add stats if you have them to prove your points.

### 6. Subscriber Lower Third

Between 90 seconds to 2 minutes prompt the viewer again to subscribe.

### 7. Make it Easy to Comment

Embrace the community element of YouTube by asking simple questions that viewers can easily answer. Ex: *Do you like \_\_\_\_ or \_\_\_\_? Let me know in the comments below.* It's also like an ice breaker for new viewers to get them to engage.

### 8. End with Value Prop

DO NOT end with words like *Thanks for watching* or *To recap*. This will trigger people to leave your video, because you're telling them it's over. Instead, restate your initial value proposition and end with the call to subscribe (and click on the bell icon). Leave with the why. You can give them a little more at this point about how you plan on delivering on your value prop.

### 9. Ritual View Handoff

Tell the viewers what to watch next (another video of yours). Like the hook you started with above, state the benefit they'll get when watching the video you're inviting them to watch. Put that video with your verbal CTA in an end card so following through on your invite is simple and seamless. The next video should also somehow connect to the value the viewer is trying to get from the current video they just watched.

## Create a Clickable Title

If your video's worth watching, then it's worth spending a good amount of time in keyword/title research to entice the click with an intriguing title. Your first goal in YouTube is to get the click and this in part happens with a good title. 

__Keyword Research:__ Use keywords that your audience is searching for and make sure your video delivers on the promise of that keyword. The most basic way to check this is typing your keyword into the YouTube search bar. If it auto populates in the dropdown, people are searching for it. You can also try using a tool like <a href="https://keywordtool.io/youtube" target="blank">KeywordTool.io</a> or <a href="https://ahrefs.com/keywords-explorer" target="blank">Ahrefs' Keyword Explorer</a>.

If the stakes are high and you're able, split test your video titles with Ads and use the one that gets the most clicks.

__Keyword Placement:__ Keywords used at the beginning of the title hold more weight than keywords at the end, so put your most important keywords up front.

## Make Safe, Clickable Thumbnails

__Safe:__ Upload image to <a href="https://cloud.google.com/vision/" target="blank">Google Cloud Vision</a> and check for Safe Search. If your video enters restricted mode, you WILL lose almost all your traffic. 

__Correct Size:__ Ensure that your thumbnail shows up crisp and clear on all devices by publishing a high resolution version. Google recommends your image to be 1280 x 720 pixels, with a minimum width of 640 pixels. A ratio of 16:9 is ideal as it's used most often in YouTube players and previews.

__Showcase People:__ Having a person in the thumbnail has been shown to get more clicks, specifically when you can see the whites of their eyes and also when they are displaying an emotion.

__Channel Branding:__ Tie all your thumbnails together with the same branding style. Ideally all thumbnails will include your brand colors, possibly your logo as well as other easily identifiable icons/imagery of your brand.

__Short Text:__ Shortening the benefit of your video into punchy text to overlay on the thumbnail can give your video the added boost it needs to stand out in search results and garner the click.

__Examples:__ 

- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/backlinko" target="blank">Brian Dean</a>
- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCytOqtKYpACcWMD14UjhSeQ/videos?shelf_id=6&view=0&sort=dd" target="blank">Income School</a>
- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZbvKhLl-I7UomMugaO24fw" target="blank">Brian G. Johnson</a>
- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/BYUTelevision" target="blank">Studio C</a>
- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvxDZJe1lbaZVnQrpwQCmpKqJWbTr4UpH" target="blank">Video Creators</a>

## Strategically Add Tags

Tags help YouTube determine how relevant your video is for any given search query as well as how relevant it is to other videos. 

The goal with your tag strategy is to own more of the suggested video spots on each of your videos. If you create videos with good viewer retention then the following tag strategy can help you show up more in search *and* own those coveted suggested video spots.

__Tag Research:__ You want to use tags that are keywords that both directly represent what your video is about *and* that people are looking for. While looking at what other creators are using in their top performing videos is best practice, simply copying those tags won't do the trick here. Make sure to research all potential tags.

__Three Sets:__ For each video you want to have three sets of tags: 

 1. One set that you use for all your videos. These should be a subset of your channel tags and represent what all your videos are about. You can set these in your upload defaults.
 2. One set that you use for all videos in the same category
 3. One set that are unique to each video

## Add a Keyword Rich Description

After your Thumbnail & Title, your video's description is the next most important factor in increasing your click through rate from YouTube search. 

__Increase CTR:__ Make sure that the first part, specifically the first 2 lines or roughly 100 characters, is enticing and shares why someone should watch your video over the others. 

__Include Keywords:__ Work keywords used in the video into a cohesive description that entices viewers to watch. Think of this as a mini blog post. 300 words is usually sufficient, but you can add more if you're on a roll. Test it out!

__Invite to Subscribe:__ Add a link for viewers to subscribe. Add "?sub_confirmation=1" to the end of your channel URL for higher subscribe conversions. You could even use a url shortener to track clicks on these links. 

__Display CTAs:__ Whether or not your video has a verbal CTA to opt-in for some sort of bonus or value add, make sure to do it here. Instead of asking them to "subscribe to our newsletter" simply tell them to go to the link for their free gift. Make the call to action enticing, stating the benefit to the viewer. Sell the free.

__Pitch Relevant videos:__ If you have other videos that could help someone learn more about what you just presented in the video, add a link to them here. You get bonus points for adding links to the videos inside a playlist.

__List Your Social Accounts:__ You may consider listing other ways for people to connect with your business. Some people may just be visiting YouTube while Instagram is their platform of choice. You can let them know you're there. Keep in mind however that YouTube prizes keeping people on YouTube as much as possible, so you'll have to weigh the importance of getting another Facebook like or having better YouTube rankings.

__Include Video Assets:__ If you mention any resources or data in the video, link to them in the description.

__Credit Other Channels:__ If you collaborated with other video creators, make sure to link over to their channels.

__Set Upload Defaults:__ You can add the basics that you'll use in each video to your upload defaults so that's set for all future videos.

## Add an End Screen

Those who stick around to the end of your video are highly interested (assuming they didn't push play and then head to the restroom), so take advantage of that with a custom endscreen and clear CTAs.

__Make it Custom:__ While it *is* possible to add an endscreen to existing videos, you'll want to design your video with these in mind.

__Use Verbal CTAs:__ While your endscreens can simply display the CTAs listed above, creating a custom endscreen where you directly invite viewers to take action increases those who will.

__Link to Videos:__ Directing the viewer to a related video of yours builds their affinity with your channel and they'll be more likely to see your videos suggested to them in the future. YouTube prizes watch time over just about any other stat. 

When your video keeps viewers watching longer and then keeps them on YouTube after it's over, that video will get promoted more by YouTube. This means higher rankings in YouTube search, better placement in suggested videos and more visibility in browse. 

*Pro Tip: Link to your own video playlist on your endscreen and all the next up videos will be your own.*

__Invite to Subscribe:__ Add a subscribe button (at the very least) on your endscreen to increase those who will be more likely to be alerted to new videos. Subscribers will often have higher retention rates on your videos and be more inclined to interact with them by liking, commenting and sharing (all signals to YouTube that they should show it to more people). 

Additionally, be sure to visually and/or verbally ask viewers to "click the bell" to be notified of when you post new videos.

__Offsite CTAs:__ For most videos the goal should be to keep people watching, but don't be afraid to invite your watchers to go to your site to see more information in an associated blog post, download a free report or tool, or even to signup for a free account to try your services. 

If you're creating solid videos that inform and entertain your audience, these kinds of CTA should feel natural and be welcomed. 

__Good End Screen Examples:__ 

- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io4ugroDedo&feature=youtu.be&t=415" target="blank">Ahrefs</a>
- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KmXPcSxz2g&feature=youtu.be&t=298" target="blank">Studio C</a>
- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_838Dk966Y&feature=youtu.be&t=785" target="blank">Brian Dean</a>
- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvmzDKXUfCA&feature=youtu.be&t=442" target="blank">The Slanted Lens</a>
- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F19G1oe4T-w&feature=youtu.be&t=456" target="blank">Derral Eves</a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64QbHfWh-EM" target="blank">How to make an end screen</a> (template included)

## Upload Accurate Closed Captions

Captions are how YouTube can tell the actual content of a video. Unfortunately YouTube's auto captions aren't so accurate. So be sure to take the time to fix the auto captions or upload your own. If you need help, here's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfJthDvcZ08" target="blank">a video to show you how</a>.

## Add Info Cards

Add Info Cards in order to provide relevant external information to your video - a related video of yours or your website, etc. Think of it as linking in a blog post to an article that goes more in depth on the topic you're mentioning. It's even best practice to call out this resource in the video. 

## <center>Promote! Promote! Promote!</center>

If a video is worth creating, it's worth promoting. Some spend double the amount of time promoting a video as they do creating it. 

As soon as you publish, be ready to drive as much traffic to the video as possible. During a video's initial 24 hours YouTube is taking notes on it's performance. If it does well, YouTube will begin recommending it more through their search & discovery system.

Consider each of the following ways to get your video in front of more people and add ways of your own to build your own promotion schedule for each video you publish. Not all of these tactics will apply for every video, but use what works.

- Send email to your subscribers
- Add to relevant Playlists 
- Revisit older videos and add as an end card where appropriate
- Add to YouTube descriptions of relevant videos
- Direct message or email leaders in the industry
- Paid promotion
- Share in Facebook, LinkedIn groups
- Post in relevant Forums
- Pin to relevant Pinterest group boards you're a part of
- Add to Featured Content widget
- Reach out to influencers to promote
- If this video was a collaboration, alert those involved
- Leave comments (and links) on other people's videos
- Promote on social media accounts
- Build out several social posts targeting different benefits of the video and share over the next week
- Create a dedicated post/page on own website and embed
- Submit to relevant sub Reddits 
- Contact 3rd party websites to embed
- Answer relevant questions on Quora with an embed/link to your video

*__If you're just beginning, you're bound to have questions after reading this. I'd be happy to answer those questions. Connect with me on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmendenhall/" target="blank">LinkedIn</a> and let me know how I can help.__*

Now that you've learned about best practices on Youtube, how about learning ways to navigate more efficiently on Youtube using <a href="https://nozzle.io/blog/youtube-and-wistia-watching-hacks-keyboard-shortcuts-and-more/" target="blank">Youtube Hotkeys?</a> You're sure to learn hacks to improve your Youtube experience.

YouTube Best Practices for Beginners

Why your business should be using YouTube as part of your marketing mix.

![wrap zone super mario brothers ](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/7ztQtirsOqcXWBf6bJZf6G/f76c363efbadaf5e0daa2115771ffdbd/Super_Mario_Bros_1st_Warp_Zone.png)
Do you remember that feeling you had once you learned how to find the Warp Zone in Super Mario Brothers?

That knowledge gave you the option to skip ahead several Worlds to beat the game faster if desired. You didn't always use the info but, inside, you felt better knowing you had the option.

Well, I recently discovered some "Warp Zone" features on YouTube and other video platforms that have improved my viewing experiences immensely and I want to share them with you.

## Youtube Keyboard Shortcuts

Of the 37 YouTube shortcuts/hotkeys, I only knew of about 12 up until last week and I only used 2 of them regularly, the space bar and the esc key. 

### First One To Memorize
__? (SHIFT + /)__ -- Opens the keyboard shortcuts menu to help you remember all of them

Also, you can hover over a button and you can see the shortcut in parentheses.

![Hovering over buttons to see Youtube hotkeys shortcut in parentheses on YouTube](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/3MavRN1ynltDSj50liTsBN/6056ecc3d4de9ef12dce6cf5c36ff023/Hovering_over_buttons_to_see_keyboard_shortcut_in_parentheses_on_YouTube.gif)

I discovered 29 shortcuts on my own by testing every key on the keyboard before I discovered the menu of shortcuts. Haha!

### Most Useful Shortcuts

__'Space Bar' or 'k'__ -- Toggle play/pause

__How to change youtube playback speed:__

__'\<' (SHIFT + ,)__ -- Decrease playback rate by 0.25 seconds
__'>' (SHIFT + .)__ -- Increase playback rate by 0.25 seconds

__The above two keyboard shortcuts are the most exciting features.__ No more clicking on the gear, then 'Playback speed', then the desired speed. Just use the keyboard shortcut and you're good.

(Scroll down to More Interesting Hacks section for more custom speed awesomeness.)

__How to fast forward and rewind using youtube hotkeys:__

__'j'__ -- Rewind 10 seconds
__'l'__ -- Fast forward 10 seconds
__'left arrow'__ -- Rewind 5 seconds
__'right arrow'__ -- Fast forward 5 seconds

One great use for the above four shortcuts is when a youtube creator records an ad in the middle of their actual video and you can just hit the right arrow several times to get past it and if you go a little too far, you simply hit the left arrow once or twice.

Note: The number of seconds that the previous four options will fast forward or rewind will be multiplied by the playback speed that you are on. So if you are on double speed, the 'j' key will rewind in 20 second intervals and if you are in 0.5 speed, the 'right arrow' key will fast forward in 2.5 second intervals.

__'m'__ -- mute/unmute
__'up arrow'__ -- Increase volume in 5% increments
__'down arrow'__ -- Decrease volume in 5% increments
__'c'__ -- Toggle captions ON/OFF

__'='__ -- Increase caption font size (YouTube's shortcut menu says the code for this is the '+' key but since you don't need to hold down shift, it's technically the '=' key. ;)
__'-'__ -- Decrease caption font size

You can see the font size increasing and decreasing in the following GIF: (I accidentally recorded it in double time speed. Oops!)
![decrease and increase captions with youtube keyboard shortcuts](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/4SUQJcosQKGwBzxx1bLkks/398fd9f71004c0670e0a8ab7cc228e60/Closed_Captions_font_size_increasing_and_decreasing.gif)

__'t'__ -- Toggle theater mode
__'i'__ -- Toggle miniplayer mode (allows you to wander YouTube while video is playing
__'esc'__ -- Exits full screen, closes shortcuts window, closes miniplayer and does not take you back to video but leaves you on the page you were browsing in YouTube


### Most Interesting and Most Fun Shortcuts

Now lets have some fun! 

While a video is paused, you can use the following two shortcuts:

__' , '__ -- Moves to previous frame
__' . '__ -- Moves to next frame

There are 24 frames in a second so you'd have to press one of these keys 24 times in a row to watch one second of video time pass by in slow motion.

You can use this functionality for a few things:

__#1)__ Sometimes video creators throw in a quick flash of an image or word in just a few frames and so it shows up as just a blip when watching at normal speed. But now, you can easily pause right after it disappears and then hit the ',' key to go back to the exact frame when it shows up so you can read it.

![how to go frame by frame on Youtube](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/6PqJYMPRJVQCbIuPLmi4Uw/be35344f49f354d8528c016c3fa785e0/Rewinding_Frame_by_Frame_to_See_Blip_on_Screen.gif)

__#2)__ You can slow things way down to really take in the amazingness of something. For example, the following dunk.
![frame by frame youtube view of Gerald Green's dunk](//downloads.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/358C6eJ8ACV310moEalD1R/321d122d6292dc6f98563113ecf042e6/frame_by_frame_view_of_Gerald_Green_s_dunk.gif)

![Finding moment when his head is at its peak Youtube frame by frame](//downloads.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/3ISdBIosSqXIG1YL0tZ36H/f950a99a1569c4d44c238fb74fb80820/Finding_moment_when_his_head_is_at_its_peak.gif)

__#3)__ You can see all the images crammed into some hectic transition. Here is one example from the Imagine Dragons music video, "Believer".

This video shows the clip at normal speed which covers just over a second of time:
![imagine dragon believer normal speed youtube](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/7Gks33awFmU5t8bihYAGq9/b2332c8f7ef337aa647c2e95062b9a5c/Normal_speed_of_quick_transition_in_Believer.gif)

This video shows the same one second of video but broken out frame by frame so you can see all the images:
![imagine dragon frame by frame YouTube](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/394jdUTubhMGpLWu3ljMeS/1f8a86650a44ae89afeffc115bf5804e/Frame_by_frame_view_of_quick_transition_in_Believer.gif)


### While in a Playlist

__'N' (SHIFT + n)__ -- Play next video in playlist (this will also play next video even when not in a playlist)
__'P' (SHIFT + p)__ -- Play previous video in playlist

So in the example in the image below, 'N' would take you to video #5 and 'P' would take you to video #3.
![play next or previous video in playlist with YouTube kyeboard shortcuts](//images.ctfassets.net/z8uwv83tofbw/3pcSfVJr6KHpEUnJ2pOUbX/01277773af5e6cf574ef51ec92c63ffe/IgniteVisibility_Playlist_-_Learn_SEO_with_John_Lincoln.png)

## More Interesting Watching Features:

- You can scroll down with the mouse scroll wheel while in full screen mode to see the description and comments without exiting full screen mode.
- Play back speed can be customized to any speed at any .05 interval from .25 speed to 2 speed by clicking the settings gear, then 'Playback speed', then 'Custom'.
- Once you choose a custom speed, it will show up as an option in the 'Playback speed' menu above the 0.25 speed.
- While a video is playing from a playlist, you can click the back button in the browser, and the current video will go to miniplayer mode and continue playing (if the previous page is still in YouTube, course.)


## Wistia Player Keyboard Shortcuts
(<a href="https://moz.com/blog/category/whiteboard-friday" target='blank'>Moz's Whiteboard Friday videos</a> for example)

__'m'__ - mute
__'f'__ - full screen on and off
__'left arrow'__ - skip back two seconds
__'right arrow'__ - skip forward two seconds

__When paused:__
__'left arrow'__ - skip back one frame
__'right arrow'__ - skip forward one frame


If you found these Youtube hotkeys and Wistia Watching Hacks, helpful, these other shortcuts could be beneficial for your viewing experience.
## For Netflix:
To control the volume when watching on a web browser you can:

Press “M” to mute 
Press the down arrow on your keyboard to decrease the volume
Press the up arrow on your keyboard to increase the volume

For navigation within Netflix:

To get full screen, press F. To be taken out of full screen press Esc.
PgUp will play a video and PgDn will pause.

To rewind and fast forward:
Pressing the left arrow will rewind 10 seconds, whereas the right arrow will fast forward 10 seconds.

On Mobile:

To rewind, double tap on the left side of the screen to rewind 10 seconds, or double tap on the right to fast forward ten seconds.

To zoom in, simply pinch the screen, and to zoom back out, pinch the screen again.

## Hulu Watching Hacks

Using your mobile device in order to fast forward double click on the right side of your video on your mobile device to fast forward approximately thirty seconds. To rewind, double click on the left side of your video on mobile to rewind approximately 10 seconds.

On a web browser:
To pause orplay the video press the spacebar.

To control the volume:

Left/Right Arrows- These both control the volume if the volume button is selected. You can also use the up/down arrows to control volume as well.

However, left/right and up/down arrows can also be used to rewind or fast forward the video if the playback bar is selected.

Blog - YouTube

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YouTube and Wistia Watching Hacks: Keyboard Shortcuts and More