One, we're optimizing for either reach or retention.
So one, are we optimizing our video
because nobody knows about us and we
want them to find our video?
Then we want to optimize it for reach.
If we want to optimize it because we
want that person to take more action,
or continue to watch more videos,
or subscribe to our channel on YouTube,
then we're optimizing for retention.
And you'll want to treat those quite a bit differently,
and we can talk about that in a second.
Second of all, you've got YouTube search
versus Google search.
And they're much, much, different, not only
in terms of who's going to those destinations
and how they search, but how those algorithms work as well.
YouTube is entirely based-- I shouldn't say entirely,
entirely weighted on time watched
at this point with these search results.
Google is not.
Now, granted, they probably have some of that data,
and that may eventually get incorporated into Google,
but people also search much differently on Google.
So I guess depending on the type of creator
you are, and depending on the type of video that you have,
and what your goal is, and how you're hire
trying to optimize it, really think through.
And really think through that.
Really think through, OK, is this something
that somebody's going to search for in Google?
Do I want them to find it?
And if so, what are some ideas of things they may search for?
You know, usually before, for example, we
upload a video on a real SEO's channel,
let's say we're about lavalier microphones.
I would go do some searches on Google
to see what shows videos for lavalier microphones.
Which one has a ton of videos?
Maybe I want to go a different route,
because it's harder to beat the competition.
So I would just say, this is my exercise that I do every time,
and I know this isn't a very solid piece of advice,
but really, just to get you thinking more about what
is my goal with optimization.
Once you've gotten a solid idea of that,
then I would forget about it.
I hate to sound silly, but--
Forget about it.
You don't like going back and rehashing it over, and over,
and over again?
Well, you know I've done this with titles.
Titles, I have a bit of a problem with.
I get Mark popping up on G chat, saying like,
which title is better?
This one, this one, or this one?
And I'm like, I feel like number two.
He's like, done.
That's usually more for engagement,
because I want to make sure that, you
know, people click on my titles.
But don't try and over-analyze your description
for every place that you could bury another keyword in.
The goal is to really focus most of your time
on producing great content, and then doing
the other things for that.
I actually kind of switched my strategy a little bit,
actually, since becoming YouTube certified,
and Mark went through that with me, so maybe I'll like yours.
But I've kind of switched my strategy
from focusing less on all the keyword description
text, all the metadata stuff.
I think that's valuable, but my impression coming out
of that was that that's important for the initial,
like--
Reach?
Yeah, like for subscribers, and like,
when YouTube knows nothing else about this video, that's
valuable.
But then after they start getting all these other data
points, as people are interacting with your video
and sharing it, and all that other stuff, then they
tend to weigh more heavily towards watch time.
And so I've been trying to optimize a little bit more
for enticing click-throughs, rather than like,
people who aren't subscribers finding it in search,
optimizing it more for people who are subscribers,
for just skimming their subscription
feed really quick, and just thumbnail,
and the title catches their attention.
Even though it's not optimized perfectly for SEO,
I'm gonna get more watch time that way
from those subscribers, and then hopefully that
will help it better in search later, so--
Maybe in the process of your life on YouTube,
at the beginning you have to optimize more
in the keyword end, and on the reach end.
And then once you gather a tribe,
then you move into the realm of retention?
Yeah, that might make sense.