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11 Vital YouTube SEO Ranking Factors

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Are you trying to gain more visibility through YouTube? Then understanding the platform’s ranking factors will help you understand the search mechanisms that bring viewers to your video.

Here are the ranking factors you’ll want to consider.

1) Total Views.
The number of video views your upload receives directly correlates to its rankings. You need people to watch your video to allow YouTube a chance to evaluate the total quality of your video.

2) Video Likes.
Liking a video is another signal to YouTube that you have uploaded something of good quality. It shows the platform that viewers are engaging with your video.

3) Video Shares.
Having your video shared or embedded helps to rank your video better as well. It serves as another social mechanism which communicates engagement with your content.

4) Comments.
Videos which maximize engagement levels on YouTube rank better because of this tier of social networking. Although this factor is not as important as likes or shares, it still helps the platform know that people are talking about what you’ve shared.

5) Subscription Generation.
Videos that are associated with channel subscription generation tend to rank higher than videos that are not. This is likely due to the fact that subscribing to a channel is an indication to YouTube that a viewer will come back one day for more content.

6) Subscription Count.
The number of subscribers to your YouTube channel will influence your video rankings as well. Channels with higher levels of subscribers in their field, industry, or genre tend to outrank videos with no channel association.

Videos from small channels tend to outrank videos from popular channels as a way to encourage site growth.

7) Video Length.
The average length of a video uploaded to YouTube is about 15 minutes. Total watch time is a key ranking factor on the platform. It is a patented ranking system that helps people stay engaged with the content. That means a longer video, but one that is not too long, will typically rank better than a shorter video.

8) Exact Title Match.
If you know what your potential viewers will search for, then you have an advantage in search ranking. Exact matches on tags and titles typically rank better than incomplete matches.

Go with an HD video whenever possible as well. About 70% of videos on the first page of search results are HD, not SD.

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