YouTube SEO: How to Rank #1 in YouTube

A complete guide to KZbin SEO. This video will show you EXACTLY how to rank your videos in KZbin.
Here’s what you’ll learn in this action-packed guide:
First, I’ll show you the right (and wrong way) to optimize your video titles. I call this “Front-Loading”, and it’s something I do almost every time I upload a video.
Then, for our second tip, you’ll see how to increase the number of “Video Engagement Signals” your video gets. This is a key video SEO ranking signal.
I’ll then show you how to use video tags. Specifically, you’ll see how The TAB Formula helps you optimize your videos correctly.
Next up, we have CTR Magnet Thumbnails. Does your click-through-rate impact rankings? Yup! And optimized thumbnails (especially if you use CTR Magnet Thumbnails) are one of the fastest ways to get more clicks on your videos.
Then, I’ll dive into video descriptions. Most people sleep on their video’s description, but I’ve found it makes a small but significant dent in your video rankings.
Our 6th KZbin SEO tip is to increase the length of your videos. It’s a fact that longer videos rank better in KZbin. How long should your videos be, exactly? My data has the answer.
Moving right along to tip number 7, we have a cool little hack to get more people to click on your video. The secret? Optimizing your video title for SEO and click-through-rate.
Next up, we have “Rank in Suggested Video”. Suggested video is a big part of getting more views on KZbin.
Last up, we have a strategy called “Turning Donkeys Into Unicorns”. This is one of my favorite ways of boosting audience retention - a key KZbin SEO ranking factor.
SUBSCRIBE to get higher rankings and more traffic!
kzbin.info_c...
Follow me on Twitter!
/ backlinko

[@DorkintheRoad]

I've watched a LOT of KZbin advice videos. Most of them are filled with obvious, useless advice like "use tags." Thank you for not insulting our intelligence and offering some actual advanced strategies that help those of us who have mastered the basics up our game even further. Best KZbin advice channel EVER.

[@KevinStudent]

What the hell? This was legit a 15 minute video of great advice the whole time. I’m... shocked? Thank you!

[@ChideraStephen]

k_stud yes

[@simplestump6629]

Yeah I love this video

[@StuWright]

if it actually works......did you try it even?

[@YogaBlissDance]

He really is respected in writing seo so he's now in KZbin seo he's really good and shares everything!

[@KreativityBoost]

Completely agree, this is the best 15 minutes I've spend on watching something on the last 7 days.

[@kma2799]

The hardest thing a small KZbin can feel is when you wake up in the morning and nothing has changed on your channel😂

[@Thelegendking]

Omg I hate that 😡

[@chenoj6028]

True

[@kebrah]

Lmao I’m triggered. Hahahah

[@redditcamp543]

How about -1 Subscriber early in the morning ?

[@kebrah]

Reddit Camp hot serving of sect doubt and disappointments.... yum

[@ShekharMine]

You're brilliant.. i searched "KZbin SEO" and your video's rank is #1. Impressive..

[@aufmiyc]

Not anymore...

[@davidplows3331]

Finally someone who knows how to speak to an audience with clear, clean explanations. Thank You

[@terrabytemotivation5674]

Have you found any success?

[@OlikValera]

I could pay for this tutorial in Udemy but i'm glad it's free here.

[@DaretoRelax]

And it would probably not be as good as this one! ;-)

[@DJDalvy3]

Hahaha

[@terrabytemotivation5674]

Have you got any success?

[@DataScienceDom]

I have been watching for 6 hours straight, how to do SEO in KZbin and within 15mins you simply shared more value than every other KZbinr out there together, thank you so much♥

[@NabankitaRC]

Brian, you have honestly created a goldmine of KZbin SEO knowledge. Thanks for such awesome guides and advice!

[@Nova-ue6cl]

Ok. So this guy is obviously a professor at KZbin University.

[@yotiep.1072]

😂😂😂

[@ChrisDesatoff]

The LABCOAT and GOGGLES totally gave it away

[@haleyhawkins]

Best professor I ever had

[@ebonytoilesechandler7679]

Right 🤗and I can't believe how engaged I am.....🤩

[@nowyouknow4865]

Yea. He's most likely the Dean, Faculty of SEO

[@Andrew-oz6em]

Brian- include the year in your video title Me- I clicked this video because it said 2020 in the title...and just now noticed it was made in 2017

[@FloridaCharm]

1. Keyword (s) 2. Call to action + likes, comments, subscription, shares 3. Tags - 2 to 3 tags with specific words (1-2) 4. Thumbnails - avoid white/red/black colors 5. Description - write it as a blog post (100-200 words) 6. Video length - 8-15 mins 7. Parentheses (...) - details 8. Imitate tags and descriptions of similar top-ranked videos 9. The longer the better - use analytics to understand what hooks them up 10. Include the current YEAR in your title Thanks for sharing your research, great stuff!

[@hijoseneeuu3921]

A agree: all fifteen minutes are packed with great advice. No wonder you're at the top, Brian. BRAVO! And I will immediately put all 9 tips to use - plus the bonus tip. Thank you!!!

[@cleaningwarrior4958]

Holy crap. I had to pause this video several times to make notes. Amazing!

[@syleshwadhera2307]

SAME!

[@MountainSurvival]

Dang me too, I was like” this is good stuff better write that down”. Lol

[@ChanelleChannels]

Me too! Had pen in hand the whole time lol

[@nowyouknow4865]

Same here. The guy is good

[@rgbfacts6426]

same

[@HealthandHomemaking]

This guy is awesome!!! Seriously I’ve never learned so much in a year of watching other content creators!!

[@newlifetoday21]

Excellent tutorial, Brian. Thank you so much. You are an outstanding teacher. Clear points with great examples. No fluff.

[@ottoferenczi284]

Honestly I think you are the only one page which actually gives out knowledge instead of telling the obvious! Thank you so much!

[@BrianDean]

What's up everybody! What topics does your channel cover? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

[@BrianDean]

I'll go first: my channel is about SEO.

[@heartbehindhustle]

Entrepreneurship and marketing for coaches and experts :)

[@northstateresurfacing2734]

Tennis Court Resurfacing. Check out the sweet time lapse videos. Mesmerizing, right?

[@saxinacandy7732]

Brian Dean insane bro.. Particularly adding targeted keyword tag in the beginning.. You nailed it.

[@hasnain231]

My channel is about Men Health

[@Watchmaty]

I'm still watching this in 2019 and its really helps, thanks Brian

[@PaitysWorld]

2020!

[@BCCDAILYPAK]

Ya ALLAH har insan kamyab ho har insan ko sehat izat Dolat or jo jo hum apnay parents kay liay karna chahtay hain zaroor karain

[@mauivideoandmarketing]

Thank you!! Absolutely love your stuff. Incorporating your title-based advice first, but you have countless worthwhile tips for any video producer/marketer! Mahalo!!

[@HandyHudsonite]

Brian, you knocked it out of the park! Exactly what I needed to hear. I’m getting to work on my tags and titles.

[@SoccerRate]

Oh man! you're a genius. Totally breakdown everything about KZbin SEO. Thank you very much. Really helpful for a small channel like me. Have a nice weekend.

[@piano_depois_dos_50]

I have been browsing through many channels that aim at giving this kind of advice, but yours is the REAL thing. Thanks!

[@janglloyd]

I'm lost in youtube the whole time looking for this tutorial. This is insane and its free. And it is year 2020 now. This will help me man more since I am just beginning my career here. Thanks a lot

[@rose-artbyme-newbery]

Thank you, I learned something that I don't know about how to write a correct way to the title, tags, and colors. I'm brand new so that's why I'm struggling a little. But I can see the light in a tunnel so, thank you for this video.

[@klipdetklipdet7090]

This was just amazing Brian. Thank you sooo much. Im gonna use your tips from now on. Hope it'll work out. I subbed.

[@MOVEMENTINSCIENCE]

I love that this video was uploaded in 2017. Change the title date and stay relevant. Brilliant!

[@nurseruthhealthtips4812]

Published 3years ago, still making impact 2020, thanks BRIAN.

[@Jaimiedee]

This video was amazing! Tons of great content. I took a page full of notes! Thanks for that!

[@nadichad]

I had been struggling with this concept on my own channel! Now thanks to your explanation, I’m going to implement it right away and make a video about it. Glad I subscribed to you

[@JACKROLLEN]

This is probably the most useful SEO video I've managed to get to rank my videos higher in searches. Thanks allot.

[@weebrants3371]

This is genuinely the most useful SEO video I have ever viewed. Thank you :)

[@mattsteinberg2083]

I've never taken notes during a YT video before. This was epic.

[@hypnosiscenternyc]

This is one of the most informative SEO videos I've watched

[@user-gh2lf1zw3r]

This is a really good and informative video, best I’ve seen on KZbin.

[@123mikkim321]

Hi Brian I am working on posting my first KZbin video but like you, I wanted to do some research on how to promote it first. I'm still struggling on what keywords to use and what exactly I want the video to be titled as. Personally I am going to start researching more about the videos that are similar to mine and start working on a template title/description. Thanks for the helpful tips and I can not wait to learn more!

[@AnitabyDesign]

Wow! Thank you so much for this video. I've learned so much here and I can't wait to put it into action. You have really helped me. Thank you!

[@mr_rawa]

Did you use it? Worth it?

[@DBBusinessChannel]

It is so rare to watch a video about KZbin growth, without much talk and saying nothing type of speeches. Thank you Brian

[@iamsirjeff]

This was awesome! I'm thinking of applying the last one immediately. Thank you!

[@shreyatv7160]

This is brilliant information! Thank you for such honest content. Watching your video, I realise how I've been doing it all wrong (strategy wise) despite putting out good and we'll received content. I'm certainly going to start with tip #1 which is work on my video titles :)

[@nextlevelwarrior]

All of these - absolutely fantastic tips!

[@zshukri]

Thank you Brian, I've been looking for this kind of video. Keep up the good work!

[@emmy-jean]

wow this was amazing..I was enthralled the whole time with my video details open and editing away furiously as you were explaining everything! Thank you!!!

[@BrianChoiOfficial]

Insanely value-packed. Thanks for sharing !

[@TravelwithTommy]

Brian Choi You have a lovely channel Brian 👍👍. Fun watching. New sub enjoying your video. Please sub back.

[@MichaelRobison]

Every video i watch of yours Brian, offers great advice, content and insight into digital SEO. Keep up the outstanding work.

[@BrianDean]

Thanks Michael. 👍👍👍👍

[@HSAcademyOfficial]

Thank you for the great tips :) Subscribed. I'll be watching this repeatedly to apply all the techniques :D

[@bhaktiinterioprop7037]

Amazing tips. Never expected it would be so simple and easy to implement. Thanks a lot Brian

[@whattovisitinromania5044]

You are a master of youtube, man! I just made some changes at one video and it's ranking the third in search. Easy and valuable tips! Thanks a lot! 👏✨💯

[@TubeQuestions]

This is the BEST seo guide I have ever seen! Amazing content!

[@ruqiyanasir9904]

Tube Questions dear use tube buddy and see you will easily get ranked on top 1st install search your title on google check to top video title name then modified and see you will be on top in 1 sec... 100% working i am doing same and i am on top wowcom001 is my channel name Nasir mazhar check i have with proved

[@TubeQuestions]

I use tubebuddy, however for youtube seo in particular i'd recommend morningfame, their seo tool is far superior.

[@ruqiyanasir9904]

Tube Questions tool is important but more important is the quality of your video. i will try morningf....

[@shakibachatha]

hey can i get the morningfame ivitation code bcz i want to join it pls help me.

[@GearGadgetsandGizmos]

Just started my KZbin channel a week ago covering E-bikes and the latest in electronics. My first video showed up on position 9 and I have had over 300 views and gained 13 follows. Thanks for the tips I will implement in my future videos.

[@accountingdemystified]

This is brilliant. Thank you and I'll start first adding year to my titles and of course work on with the rest of your tips.

[@cgcsanandres]

This video is Straight-forward, no gimmicks. Thanks for the tips! God bless

[@FotoGuru]

Hey, Brian! Great tips, as usual :) I used almost all of them on one of my channels, and it grew up from 8.000 to 17.000 subscribers. Without posting any new videos in a while... And I see constant growth of views and subscriptions in KZbin analytics.

[@BrianDean]

Nice! Yup, on KZbin it's quality over quantity. And this proves it.

[@Namorfa]

yo your the best im not even spamming your youtube, you really helping me out on each video

[@raceworld5624]

on point, no clickbait,absolute quality,great work

[@ahmedmusawir]

You are amazing! What I learned from this one video I haven't learned from hours of other videos on the same topic ... in fact, you actually blockify (I know it's not a word ...) usable chunks that no one does... keepém coming! Thanx. (esp love those small funny cutaways )

[@MoneyandLifeTV]

Brian Dean: Best SEO teacher on KZbin hands down.

[@Vishal006]

True.

[@marishasveganworld2240]

Money and Life TV for sure! 👌👌👌

[@DarkRStyle]

Yeah he is

[@ChideraStephen]

Money and Life TV yh

[@BryancyChannel]

You are seriously amazing. This video was extremely helpful. I took notes the entire time and cannot wait to implement all 9 of these strategies. From one Bryan to another Brian... thank you. Thank you for genuinely trying to help.

[@sylo-helpyourself1241]

Such a helpful post, one of the most useful breakdowns to maximise KZbin impact I've seen, thanks

[@DIYSalvageGuy]

learned more in 15 minutes from this than i have in a year. hats off to you my friend.

[@aghayden]

Damn dude, this is some clearly explained, actionable advice. 10/10 Subscribed!

[@BrianDean]

Nice!

[@JulzOlegVidz]

wow that's awesome! my videos are ranking. thank you so much,I really hope this will help my channel grow. Do you know if uppercase or lowercase title effects ranking?

[@victorortiz2519]

The non youtube colors and parantheisis/brackets tip was great. Thank you I appreciated this

[@TalkwithConfidence]

By far the best video I've seen on this topic (and I've seen allot!) I'm a new You tuber and there's no much misleading and poor quality information out there, it's great to finally know how to manage KZbin SEO properly. Thanks Brian, your the best!

[@toolsofwellbeing]

For me limiting tags is mind blowing. As a new channel what I learned from others is the more tags you have the best you'll be. But your explanation is more convincing. Thank you again.

[@PoppyDoTV]

Ah! Your colour GREEN is unmissable! You are the MASK! Super Power KZbinr!😄

[@BrianDean]

:-)

[@dentistinokara]

Poppy Do TV No doubt!!!

[@TheSheepster]

I totally agree, I am SO inspired and I feel powerful knowing these tips.... If I remember them that is! xD But otherwise his thumbnails are satisfying to look at and CLICK at! :D

[@statura3887]

The first place on KZbin in 2020 is a victory, thanks for the instructive material.

[@jewelboxballerina]

I'm rewatching your playlist again and now taking notes.

[@user-vl9rt9ij1u]

He: did you learn something new in this video Me: Making notes from 2hrs of 15 min video .... Amazing video man 👌 hats off !!

[@mechengglearn4480]

Great tips. I gonna use these tips to grow my new educational channel.

[@DaretoRelax]

I'm doing the same! But for my Relaxing Music channel! 😍

[@ProdZaago]

Amazing advice!! Super insightful, I literally treated this whole video as any other technical article.

[@ypfl7588]

Ur so legit. I typed in youtube seo in safari without knowing you existed and went on an article that led me here. Subbed!

[@LaraJoannaJarvis]

Really great advice, Brian!! Although the 2019 threw me slightly!! Thanks for the tips x

[@BrianDean]

Thanks Lara. It's never too early to get ready for 2019, LOL

[@TravelwithTommy]

Lara Joanna Jarvis You have a lovely channel Lara 👍👍. Fun watching. New sub enjoying your video. Please sub back.

[@EvanCarmichael]

Lots of great tips - thanks for sharing Brian :) #Believe

[@BrianDean]

You're welcome, Evan. Glad that you enjoyed the video.

[@shankyyadavblogger]

thank you so much I hope your strategy work for me ' SY Social Pop Up'

[@ImWORTHITINC]

How long have you known Brian, Evan!!! He's my new mentor!!! (I still love y'all though!!!) KEEP SHOWIN' people love, Evan! GREAT TO SEE YOU HERE!

[@realallenpope4065]

Evan Carmichael I love your videos too my friend!!!

[@rjdelacruz4607]

Thanks, Brian! I revised some of the video titles I have lined up while watching this.

[@johnzhibai]

You are so far the real expert and non bullshit KZbinr . U blew up mainly because you are informative, non of the flexing ,non of the long intro . You are a successful KZbin expert keep it up we need more people like u, not Dan lok

[@rafaeldickens]

I feel guilty for having these useful tips for free!! (2018)

[@KateandJohnMark]

[True Story!]

[@marishasveganworld2240]

rafael.dickens I kind of have same feeling so I subscribed 👌

[@myannudotcom4780]

Me too!!

[@nutriendoturelacion]

Tags: shame, guilt, guilty pleasure, ranking higher

[@nutriendoturelacion]

@The Troy Spiral Experience thanks (2019)

[@Gquebbqco]

Brian Always brings the heat! Great stuff!

[@BrianDean]

That's how I roll :)

[@WeRhettyTV]

Wow. Literally a full video of great advice! Thank you for sharing. The Rhett’s will keep you posted on how successful your strategies worked for us. 👌🏾

[@aliviaunboxestheworld1569]

Thanks for the great info! I'm going to first focus on front loading the title and the tags!

[@KidsToysbox]

Hey Brian. This is so amazing knowledge for the new youtubers.iam so inspired after watching your videos today.Thankyou very much for the great tricks for the new journey .Thumbs up 👍 you’re Best Teacher in 2019 👨‍🏫

[@DaretoRelax]

It was really amazing! I am still shocked with so many amazing tips at once!! 😃

[@DanielFuterman]

Awesome video Brian! Surely the new #1 result for KZbin SEO. Glad to boost the engagement signals on this one! ;-)

[@BrianDean]

Glad you liked it, Daniel. And thanks for the engagement signal!

[@NicoloMassa]

Love this man!! I’m turning donkeys to unicorns 🦄

[@romains.6190]

This brilliant video was all meat and zero filler. Thanks Brian, big fan of your work.

[@xsenpaiadventures]

HEY DUDE! I followed all your teachings, applied it on my channel 2 days ago, then I didn't expect it was very helpful! From thumbnails, tags, description! 😍😍😍😍 Thank you very much!

[@TrainerBencoffman]

I have to admit I came here expecting to hear the same repetitive information. Great info and a unique perspective. I’ll be testing these with my next series of video. New subscriber right here.

[@TrainerBencoffman]

I’m going to come back to this video in a year with an update. Current Sub count : 2,839 Dec 29 2017

[@BrianDean]

Cool man. Let's do this!

[@TrainerBencoffman]

5 Day Update: Note: These results are going to be a bit skewed as my niche is popular in Jan but my channel is still a baby with little search volume. Total transparency... *Thumbnails from my last 3 videos are now CTR Magnets (All suggestions applied) Love the look and cleanliness of them. Very different from what I was doing. They stick out from the competition. *2,891 Subs +52 *18 comments on video vs 12 on average (Hyper specific CTA) *500 views on video after a week vs 200 on average *Headline, description and tags all following suggestions of video. Overall very pleased with the tips and how easy they were to incorporate. I'll be back in 2 months with an update->{March 2018}. (Goal) 5k Subs in March. 10K by Jan 2019.

[@TrainerBencoffman]

Jan 22 2018 and just hit 3k subs.

[@HoneysAstro]

Before I even got to the second tip, I already left a positive comment 😂😂😂 based of that alone I subscribed

[@BrianDean]

Nice!

[@samsamax]

Was searching for something to learn about youtube strategies and came across all stupid channels sharing nothing good unless I found your channel which is legitimate and trustworthy. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@ManishYadav-nb2nf]

Hi brian I'm Manish from India 3 months ago I launched a KZbin channel and at that time I didn't know how to rank my youtube videos But 2 months ago I watched your first video and it took 2 days to watch all your videos of this and channel And after watching them I can rank super high competitve keyword easily I never comment with my main KZbin channel so I'm sorry but thankyou so much Your seo tips actually works

[@alffbooks]

This was interesting! Here's a thank you comment :)

[@KludgeBot]

I liked the way you typed "This video is awesome" for video description.

[@audiobeatofficialph]

Thank You for this Video. I started my youtube channel a week ago. And i am amazed that it actually worked. I ranked First when you search this keyword "New background music beats non copyrighted 2020". ❤️ watching all your videos from philippines🇵🇭

[@EmbraceNaturals]

Man these are some of the BEST tips ever that NO ONE talks about. THANK YOU and I definitely subscribed 😊 ❤️

[@sucesofamoso]

Ni vidiq ni tubebuddy enseñan lo q tu enseñaste en pura calidad. Gracias!

[@pandragonshorts8071]

BacklinkO and Neil Patel are my biggest inspirations to start Digital Marketing to the higher level

[@JVANTCREATIVES]

This was a clear tutorial, you actually put something into my mind. I will be working on it, in that day of my success I will comeback to you my master.

[@MUSEMONK]

Thank you!!! I have been immensely learning the strategies. This helps a lot to grow my channel. Thank you! For a beginner consistency and persistence is the key. Never give and keep producing great content. One day your channel will pick up if you do the right things... waiting for that day... NEVER GIVE UP. Do it any way.. no matter what.

[@birdsworld3018]

Great tips bro. To all starters like me; even if we failed let's fail successfully and build upon it till we make it. It's doable, consistency is the key. Its never too late.

[@BluebCh]

What is with the year in the title When all my videos are from 2019 should i chabge it now to 2020 and next year to 2021

[@sarahcurnayn5928]

depends, if you have competitors that are more recent then just take it off. Depends the subject you're doing the video on, I'd research your competitors first. But I mean... we're here now watching it so him putting 2020 in the title works.

[@eviloutionise]

I guess if its relevant why not. I thought the same thing about this video but realistically it's still relevant today in 2020.

[@yt-dman]

well this is a good chance to start milking the topic, instead of changing the title, just make a new video based on the same topic except put 2020

[@Shortofheight]

Yup. Look what what he did in this video

[@NatalieBenns]

Great advice - going to implement these strategies right away! Thank you 😁

[@3dimensionalgames959]

I love how you utilize your own tips in your videos. Says you posted this 2 years ago but titled it 2020 and here I am

[@muradpashayev4448]

To the person reading this, DON’T GIVE UP! Keep on going and your KZbin channel will grow and blow up one day! Keep grinding! You got this!

[@diy4less203]

it is so hard, i love what i do, but is getting nowhere