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A good YouTube description can increase the interest of your audience and can lead to longer viewing times, a better viewing score and even new subscribers. Plus, it can help with YouTube SEO, making it possible YouTube’s algorithm to understand your content and introduce it to new users, which further enhances your YouTube statistics.
Writing these descriptions is an important part of you overall YouTube strategy. But how do you make descriptions that work? Here are some of our favorite tips on how to fill out YouTube’s description box.
What’s a description on YouTube?
Every marketer needs to know two types of descriptions:
- YouTube channel descriptions. The text on your channel Roughly page. It helps viewers understand what they can expect from your brand, and can explain why they should subscribe to your channel.
- YouTube video descriptions. The text below each video. It helps viewers find your video content and convinces them to watch it. It may also contain links and any additional information relevant to your video.
17 Tips for Writing YouTube Descriptions
1. Be specific
Your choice of keywords is important for both YouTube channel and video descriptions.
The keywords in your descriptions will help the YouTube algorithm to understand, categorize and highlight your content. The more specific the keywords are, the better.
For example, for a video about writing descriptions for YouTube videos, internet video text will be a less useful keyword than YouTube video descriptions.
2. Do query research
Don’t know what keywords to use? Tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner and Google Trends can help you get started.
For example, Google Trends will help you understand if a keyword you are considering is trending. You can also use the tool to decide which keywords have a higher search volume.
Source: Google Trends
3. Use searchable keywords
More and more people are finding YouTube videos through Google searches rather than through YouTube itself.
Combine keywords based on YouTube and Google search trends to maximize video findability.
To see how much potential a particular keyword has in Google’s search results, simply … Google it. If you’ve watching YouTube videos at the top of the search results page, you’re on your way!
4. Know how to use keywords
Once you have identified your keywords, it is worth knowing how to include them in the text of your descriptions.
Strive to use two or three related keywords in each channel and video description. For videos, the most important keyword should also appear in the title.
Repeat each keyword two to three times in the description to make them stand out from YouTube’s algorithm.
But do not repeat the keywords too often, otherwise you run the risk of being penalized for filling in keywords.
5. Know where to use your keywords
Your primary keywords should at least appear once in the first three sentences of your description (or above the fold, also known as the ‘SHOW MORE’ button).
YouTube’s algorithm – and viewers – pay the most attention to this part of the description, so do not wait until the end to say what your video or channel is about.
6. Track which keywords work for you
Once you start writing keyword-driven YouTube descriptions, you can use YouTube Analytics to see where your traffic is coming from.
Source: YouTube Creator Academy
This tool will help you focus on the keywords that get you the most traffic.
7. Find out what your audience is still watching
From 2021, more YouTube Traffic comes as a suggested video as in the search bar.
The description of your video is part of how YouTube’s algorithm determines what it’s about. This means that the description plays an important role in determining where your video is presented.
Take advantage of this by using YouTube Analysis to find out what other videos your audience is watching.
You can then use similar language in your descriptions to reinforce these connections and appear more frequently as a suggested video.
8. Offer value
Always include a clear value proposition in your descriptions. Why should anyone subscribe to your channel? How will your video benefit them?
Try to answer at least one of these questions in simple terms (bonus if you can do both).
Source: Hootsuite Labs
9. Include important information above the fold for a better CTR
The first 100 to 150 characters of your video description are the part that appears in the search results and right below your video (above the ‘SHOW MORE’ button).
This means that the most important part is to reach potential viewers and improve your clickthrough rate (CTR).
Use this space to give viewers a compelling reason to watch your video.
In the example below, the first description gives exactly what question the video responds to. The second one wastes important space on generalities.
10. Avoid clickbait
If you misrepresent your videos, viewers will stop watching them halfway. It damages your search rankings – as well as your reputation.
Avoid clickbait video titles and irrelevant keywords. They may initially help you to rank, but YouTube’s search algorithm will come in sooner or later.
11. Include a call to action
Now that you’ve got the viewer’s attention, use it!
Add a call to action in your video and channel description. Encourage viewers to like, comment, subscribe or read more.
The best calls to action is easy to read, urgent and shows a clear benefit to the viewer. They can increase engagement, subscriptions and more.
Source: Hootsuite Labs
12. Write like a human
Remember, you are not just writing for YouTube’s algorithm. You also write for people.
In fact, YouTube penalizes descriptions that are just lists of SEO-optimized keywords.
Use language that your viewers will understand and relate to. An authentic brand voice will encourage user engagement to watch your videos.
13. Do not stress about video markers
Markers help viewers submit videos about content that is difficult to spell. But it is also a place you do not have to worry about when planning your keywords.
According to YouTube, tags play a ‘minimal’ role in the discovery. In fact, excessive labeling can jeopardize YouTube’s spam detection.
However, do not completely ignore labels. This helps the YouTube algorithm to place your video in the suggested videos section.
14. Organize your video with timestamps
People and algorithms both like time-stamped videos.
Timestamps serve as a table of contents so that users can navigate through your content and go to different parts of the video.
Source: Hip Hop Heads
Timestamps make videos more user-friendly for human viewers. This can increase the clock time and the position of your video.
They are also indexed for Google’s mobile searches. Use keywords to describe your timestamps and take advantage of this new way to make your video appear in Google.
15. Know how to put links in YouTube descriptions
Relevant links in your descriptions are a great way to leverage a YouTube view for continued engagement.
For channel and video descriptions, you can add links to your presence on social media or online store.
Your video descriptions help viewers find your content by linking to your channel and related videos.
Do not forget the http: // or https: // at the beginning of the address. Otherwise the link will not work.
It is usually best to place your links at the end of your description. There are more important things at the beginning.
16. Save time with standard descriptions
Using YouTube’s default description settings saves you time if you have information you want to add to all your video descriptions, such as links to social media.
This feature automatically adds important channel information to each video you upload.
Do not forget to fill in the rest of the description. A unique description is important for the findability of your videos.
Learn how to compile standard descriptions.
17. Test descriptions on multiple devices
YouTube may not be the video streaming service we associate most with TV sets. Recently, however YouTube viewer statistics shows that 34.4% of video views were on TV, compared to 27% in 2019.
Source: eMarketer
Make sure your YouTube descriptions convey their message, regardless of screen size.
Preview your videos on the watch page and in the search results with as many devices and browsers as possible. Are any of your keywords cut off?
Do the same with your channel description, and you are ready.
YouTube description ideas
Sometimes you need a little inspiration for your YouTube video and channel descriptions. These examples show what our tips look like in practice.
Benefits DIY
The channel description for Pros DIY hits all the important points. It tells you what value the channel offers you in the first paragraph.
It also tells you why you should trust it as a source of advice. This is important if your expertise in a particular topic is part of your value proposition.
Source: Benefits DIY
EDHRECast
There are many calls to action and links in this video description of the EDHRECast, which inspires viewers to connect with the creators.
Source: EDHRECast
Global bike network
The channel description of the Global Cycling Network uses its banner as another space to include a call to action, if someone misses it in the description.
Source: Global bike network
Anatolian rock project
The Anatolian Rock project preloads its video description with the musicians and orchestras associated with the artist in the title.
It also contains musical metadata for greater discovery.
Source: Anatolian rock project
Deep marine scenes
Deep Marine Scenes contains many links to additional information in their video description, but they make sure to include their keyword-driven copy in the first paragraph.
Source: Deep marine scenes
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