Conquer YouTube SEO! Discover five (5) powerful YouTube SEO tools to skyrocket your views and dominate YouTube search results.
A vital step to excel in YouTube SEO as a creator is grasping the YouTube algorithm and its video ranking factors.
Yet, gaining an edge often lies in leveraging high-quality tools that help you streamline the processes for doing top-notch video SEO, such as keyword research, volume analysis, competitor video insights, comprehensive channel analytics, and estimated watch time.
This article will reveal a few YouTube SEO tools, outlining their estimated pricing and ranking them based on user-friendly features for creators new to SEO tools.
Keep reading to discover the free and paid tools that can grant you an unfair advantage in optimizing your content and channel for YouTube success.
YouTube SEO refers to strategic techniques used to enhance your video's visibility and increase its chances of appearing in search results, which ultimately attracts more viewers and attention to each video.
Since YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world following Google, making sure that your videos are easily found by viewers when they are searching for specific topics or keywords can be a factor in driving huge amounts of traffic!
Related: YouTube SEO Tips & Tactics To Create High-Ranking Videos
Most YouTube SEO tools are free or operate on a freemium model, allowing initial free use with the option to upgrade to a pro or premium version later on.
Here’s a list of five free tools to optimize your YouTube videos effectively:
This tool -similar to Google Autosuggest- shows free keyword suggestions that YouTube provides as you type in the search bar.
Simple yet effective for identifying relevant keywords and incorporating them into your video titles, descriptions, and tags.
The Google Trends tool allows you to track keyword popularity over time and discover trending topics to inform your content strategy.
It is free and invaluable for understanding audience interests.
VidIQ provides competitor analysis, basic keyword research, audience insights, and video SEO optimization tips on the free plan.
VidIQ also has a user-friendly interface and mobile app integration.
TubeBuddy offers keyword research, video optimization, competitor analysis, end screens, cards, and basic scheduling on the free plan.
This tool is also great for beginners and intermediate creators.
Ahrefs has a limited free plan that allows 100 monthly keyword searches.
The YouTube SEO tool is powerful for finding low-competition, high-traffic keywords, and keyphrases to target.
This introductory tutorial is your go-to resource for harnessing the power of the five featured free YouTube SEO tools.
Let's dive into the strategies for utilizing each tool in keyword research, audience insights, competitor analysis, and optimization hacks that transform your channel and videos into a magnet for the YouTube search engine.
YouTube's Autosuggest feature serves as a dynamic snapshot of your audience's interests, offering a valuable tool to keep your content consistently fresh, relevant, and search engine optimized.
The process is straightforward: just begin typing your video topic in the YouTube search bar and witness the magic unfold.
Those dropdown suggestions aren't random; they represent real queries that viewers are actively searching!
Since the YouTube autosuggest feature works just like Google’s- watch the video below to gain more insight on how to use the autosuggest feature.
Analyze the suggested terms and the intent behind them – especially the long-tail keywords!
These specific phrases reveal what viewers are truly interested in.
Incorporate these relevant Autosuggested keywords into your video title without keyword stuffing.
This increases the "search relevance" metric for the YouTube algorithm while also enticing viewers to click.
Related: Discover 3 factors the YouTube algorithm uses for ranking some videos higher than others
Try to use the auto-suggested keywords naturally throughout your video description to boost its ranking in search and pique the audience's curiosity.
Look beyond the obvious suggestions.
Don't stop your research at the auto-suggested keyphrases on the first page!
Scroll down the Autosuggested list to uncover deeper variations of the search query and long-tail keyphrase.
Sometimes, less popular phrases can lead to niched audiences or untapped demand, which leads to an increased watch time, or a more engaged audience, which gives your video a competitive advantage.
Type your competitor's video titles or topics and see what Autosuggest throws back.
This might help you uncover the keywords they're targeting, which gives you a deeper insight into how to refine your video strategy.
Join Yoola MCN to access our YouTube SEO perks such as the PRO-version of VidIQ and YouTube SEO Experts.
While YouTube Autosuggest reveals what viewers are searching for in the present, Google Trends acts as your tool for predicting video keyphrases for the future.
It's a free and powerful YouTube SEO tool packed with insights to optimize your content for maximum reach.
Search for your video topic or related keywords and see if their search interest is rising.
Riding the wave of trending topics can put your video in front of a hungry audience.
You can use Google Trends to analyze search interests over time.
Are there seasonal patterns related to your niche?
Plan your content accordingly to capitalize on peak search periods.
Google Trends can help you see where your target audience- or the people searching around a specific topic of interest- is concentrated.
You can use this information to localize your video titles, descriptions, and even language tags for maximum impact.
Google Trends will also suggest related searches people are making.
This opens doors for diversifying your content and also reveals potential sub-niches within your broader topic.
You can use Google Trends to track trending topics or keywords your competitors are targeting.
This can inspire you to create similar content or identify untapped niches they've missed.
Remember, Google Trends doesn't predict the future, and should not be used as a standalone tool for creating your video content
But it gives you a clearer picture of what viewers might be interested in tomorrow.
You can then use these insights to create future-proof content that stays relevant and attracts new audiences.
Are you finding YouTube SEO complicated? Reach Out To Yoola MCN to access our YouTube SEO perks such as the PRO-version of VidIQ and YouTube SEO experts.
While the free plan packs a punch, VIDIQ's paid tiers give you access to more features like channel analytics, competitor backlink analysis, and advanced social media promotion tools.
But even with the free version, you'll have everything you need to take your YouTube SEO to the next level.
VIDIQ suggests relevant keywords with search volume and competition data, helping you target the right audience and avoid the pits of low-traffic keywords.
You can see what your rivals are doing right (and wrong!) with VIDIQ's competitor analysis tools.
You can analyze their video titles, descriptions, tags, and even audience demographics to glean valuable insights for your own strategy.
VIDIQ assigns a handy "SEO Score" to your videos, highlighting areas for improvement.
This means you can take the guesswork out of your YouTube content optimization and watch your score climb as you implement their data-driven suggestions.
VIDIQ's smart tag suggestions ensure you use the most relevant and impactful tags to reach your target audience.
One key advantage of the VidIQ SEO tool is that when you don't have time to get deep into your YouTube data,
You can simply click the "Boost Button" and VIDIQ automatically optimizes your video title, description, and tags based on their best practices and data insights.
To get started, access the VidIQ Chrome extension for your YouTube desktop version, or join Yoola MCN to access our YouTube SEO perks such as the PRO-version of VidIQ.
TubeBuddy is also a great tool for YouTube search engine optimization with its free plan that offers a plethora of tools to refine your videos and reach new heights:
TubeBuddy's keyword research tool helps you to uncover key phrases with high search volume, low-competition keywords, and keyword opportunities your competitors may have missed, which ensures your videos land in front of the right eyes.
TubeBuddy SEO tool also analyzes your video title, description, tags, and thumbnail, offering data-driven suggestions for improvement.
You can also boost engagement and click-through rates with optimized elements.
TubeBuddy reveals your competitor's most popular videos, their tags, and their estimated earnings, which gives you valuable insights to refine your approach.
Armed with this information, you can learn from your competitor’s successes and avoid their pitfalls.
TubeBuddy offers an AI-powered tag tool that suggests the most relevant and impactful tags for your video, ensuring you reach your target audience and avoid the targeting of non-relevant searches.
TubeBuddy's bulk editing features save you precious time, allowing you to update titles, descriptions, and tags for a batch of videos with just a few clicks.
TubeBuddy offers even more firepower with its paid plans, including advanced channel analytics, competitor backlink analysis, and custom thumbnails.
Click here to install the free Chrome extension of TubeBuddy’s SEO tool, or join Yoola MCN to access our YouTube SEO perks such as our YouTube SEO experts.
Like other YouTube SEO tools listed above, Ahrefs' Keyword Explorer is a powerful free tool for YouTube SEO and video optimization, offering both keyword research and competitive analysis features.
Use the tool to identify high-volume, low-competition keywords by entering your broad video topic
Then use the filter by "YouTube" search type.
Then look for keywords with
high search volume (meaning viewers are actively searching for them) and
Low Keyword Difficulty (KD) score (which indicates that it is easier for you to rank for these keywords).
You may also go beyond the main topic and delve into specific, longer phrases viewers might use.
These longer phrases (also known as longer tail keywords) often have lower competition and can help you attract a more targeted audience.
You can also use Ahrefs' "Also rank for" and "Similar terms" features to uncover more keyword ideas.
To begin, access Ahrefs' Site Explorer by entering your competitor's YouTube channel URL.
Within the "Organic Keywords" section, thoroughly explore the keywords for which your competitor ranks on YouTube.
This step will reveal valuable insights into their content strategy and the audience they are targeting.
Next, filter the results by "Video Rank" to specifically identify keywords where your competitor has top-ranking videos.
Optionally, you can choose to export the list of identified keywords for more in-depth analysis using spreadsheets or other tools.
As part of further review and to discover potential backlink opportunities, examine which websites link to your competitor's YouTube channel videos.
This investigation will uncover not only backlink opportunities but also potential collaboration strategies for content distribution that you can adopt.
Once you're done creating your video, naturally incorporate your well-researched target keywords from ahrefs’ SEO tool throughout your video title and description to improve search relevance.
Analyze your competitor’s titles and descriptions for inspiration, and use the suggested tags from Ahrefs
Your keyword research and competitor analysis should also help you identify content gaps in your niche and that means you can create videos that address those specific viewer needs and search queries.
If your content is better- users will find it more appealing, and sites that link back to your competitor's content may also choose to link back to yours instead.
In conclusion, the five YouTube SEO tools discussed in this article—YouTube Autosuggest, Google Trends, VidIQ, TubeBuddy, and Ahrefs Keyword Explorer—serve as indispensable allies for navigating the competitive world of ranking YouTube videos.
These tools play a key role in uncovering trending topics, optimizing video titles, analyzing competitor strategies, and identifying content gaps and their comprehensive set of features makes them valuable assets for creators at all levels.
By leveraging the power of these tools, you not only gain a competitive edge in YouTube SEO but you’re also paving your way to a more informed, strategic, and data-driven content creation journey.
So, if you're a novice looking for a free YouTube SEO tool or an experienced creator exploring advanced YouTube SEO features, these tools empower you to refine your content strategy, boost video visibility, and propel your channel to sustained success on YouTube.
