Brief Summary
This video outlines common mistakes small YouTubers make when uploading videos and provides actionable strategies to avoid sabotaging their views. It covers optimising video file names for search, selecting the right category, leveraging end screens with playlists, and strategically managing video visibility settings.
- Upload videos via desktop version of YouTube Studio on your phone
- Optimise video file names with relevant keywords
- Select appropriate video category by analysing competitors
- Use end screens with playlists to increase watch time
- Set video visibility to unlisted/private before publishing
Uploading Videos Correctly From Your Phone
Many YouTubers upload videos directly from their phone using the YouTube Studio app, but this is not optimal. Instead, access the desktop version of YouTube Studio through Safari or Google Chrome on your phone. This allows you to rename your video file before uploading. To do this, save the video to your files, then rename it to closely match your video title, incorporating high-ranking keywords. This helps YouTube understand the video's content and improves its visibility.
Importance of Video File Names
The file name of your video is crucial because YouTube displays it in the video details. Using high-ranking keywords or matching the file name to your title enhances searchability. If you're unsure about the title, use high-volume keywords relevant to your niche. Tools like Vid IQ can help identify these keywords. Vid IQ's Keyword Inspector allows you to research keywords and see their search volume and score.
Selecting the Right Video Category
Choosing the correct category for your video is often overlooked but significantly impacts views. While "People & Blogs" is a safe bet, "Entertainment" can also be effective. The best approach is to identify successful channels in your niche and copy their category. Use a YouTube metadata viewer to find this information. Copy the link of a successful video, paste it into a YouTube metadata viewer (like MW Metadata), and find the category listed in the metadata.
Utilising End Screens with Playlists
End screens are a powerful tool to increase watch time. Instead of just adding a single video, add a playlist as an end screen element. This keeps viewers engaged with your content, as the suggested videos on the right-hand side will be from your playlist. With autoplay enabled, viewers are more likely to watch multiple videos, significantly increasing your views.
Managing Video Visibility Settings
Avoid immediately publishing videos. Instead, set the visibility to "Unlisted" or "Private" for a few hours. This allows YouTube time to process the video and analyse its content for proper audience targeting. This is especially important for high-quality videos (4K), as processing can take time. While scheduling videos can be convenient, it may lead to lower performance compared to manually publishing.
