Don’t Skip These Steps BEFORE Uploading on YouTube | Ep. 38

YouTube Video Upload Optimization? Here’s a fun fact that might surprise you…

Before you publish a YouTube video, there are THIRTY different settings that you need to check!

(Don’t worry, some are less important than others)

VIDEO: Don’t Skip These Steps BEFORE Uploading on YouTube

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Different Settings that can Make or Break your YouTube Video’s Performance

Do You Really Need Tags in YouTube Video Upload Optimization?

One of the most debated settings on YouTube is tags. Do they actually help? According to YouTube’s support documents, tags are descriptive keywords that help viewers find your content, but they play a minimal role in video discovery. They were once important but have become largely obsolete as YouTube’s AI has improved in understanding video content. However, they can still be useful for common misspellings of keywords.

What matters more? Your title, description, and thumbnail. These elements carry significantly more weight in the algorithm. So, if you’re stressing over tags, save yourself the trouble and focus on optimizing the essentials instead

Your title, description, and thumbnail play a much bigger role in video discovery than tags.

Related: YouTube SEO: Rank Your Videos Like a Pro | Ep. 26

The Role of Hashtags

Unlike regular tags, hashtags in your description can be more impactful. The first three hashtags will appear above your video title and are clickable, leading users to related content.

Hashtags are completely different from tags. They are words or phrases preceded by the hash (#) symbol that you include in your video description. You can add up to 10 hashtags. Only the first three will appear next to your video’s title and will be clickable for viewers.

Hashtags are not something to stress over when uploading your video. Don’t overdo it. Stick to a few highly relevant hashtags that align with your content, niche, or industry. Again, they won’t make or break your video, but they can provide a slight boost in discoverability. Simply add ones that make sense for your content, niche, or industry. However, your title, description, thumbnail, and the video itself are far more important for discovery and engagement than tags or hashtags.

Crafting a Click-Worthy Title

The title of your video is one of the most important things to consider, and you should think about it before you even upload your video.

In my last episode, I talked about how having your title and thumbnail ready before you hit record can help you create a better video and improve its performance on YouTube. If you’re curious about why this matters, you can go back and listen to episode 37.

I encourage my clients and students to craft titles that are clear, specific, and have a bit of dramatic impact to capture attention.

If you’re doing keyword research and optimizing your video for search, make sure the keywords you’re targeting appear near the beginning of your title. They don’t have to be the very first words, as adding a bit of emotional or dramatic impact is also important. Take the time to craft a title that is clear, specific, and optimized for search while also creating enough intrigue to capture your viewer’s attention.

Don’t rely on AI tools to write your titles without adding human input and understanding your own strategy. A strong title should be clear, specific, emotionally engaging, and optimized for SEO if you’re targeting keywords. Take the time to craft a title that truly aligns with your content and captures your audience’s attention.

Your title should be:

  • Clear and specific about what the video offers
  • SEO-optimized with keywords placed toward the beginning
  • Emotionally engaging with a dramatic punch

For example, instead of “How to Edit a YouTube Video,” a more engaging title would be: “The EASY Way to Edit a YouTube Video!” Using capitalization, power words, and punctuation can make a huge difference in attracting clicks.

Related: Avoid These Recording Mistakes (Beginner-Friendly Tips) | Ep. 37

The Importance of Thumbnails in YouTube Video Upload Optimization

You’ll never see a thumbnail without a title or a title without a thumbnail; they always work together. The thumbnail grabs your potential viewer’s attention visually, while the title generates interest. Together, they create intrigue and curiosity, motivating viewers to click through and watch the video. If you give away all the information in the title or thumbnail, there’s no reason for viewers to click. But by creating curiosity, you form an “open loop,” where your ideal viewer feels compelled to watch the video to find out what you’re talking about.

Whenever you’re creating or evaluating your thumbnails, make sure to look at the thumbnail and title together, just like they would appear on YouTube—thumbnail on top, title on the bottom. This way, you’re considering the entire package and how they work together to grab attention and generate interest.

Your thumbnail works hand in hand with your title to create intrigue. When designing thumbnails:

  • Use bold, chunky text that is easily readable at small sizes.
  • Avoid repeating your title word-for-word.
  • Limit visual elements to a face, text, and one other object for clarity.
  • Keep colors contrasting to stand out in search results.

Also, YouTube recently added a thumbnail test and compare feature, allowing you to upload multiple thumbnails and let the algorithm determine which performs best. Take advantage of this to maximize click-through rates!

Should You Use Timestamps?

Timestamps, also known as chapters, can be beneficial if your video is educational or structured in segments. They allow users to jump to key points and help with SEO, as Google often highlights chapters in search results.

However, timestamps can also encourage viewers to skip around rather than watch the entire video. If your goal is to maximize watch time, be strategic in how you use them.

If you include timestamps in your YouTube description with clickable links, viewers can skip ahead to different sections – which could potentially reduce watch time. However, timestamps provide significant value to your audience by helping them navigate your content efficiently. Think of timestamps like a blog post’s structure – you have a title followed by optimized headlines throughout. Just as you would SEO optimize each headline in a blog post for specific keywords, you can apply the same strategy to your timestamps and chapters, optimizing each section marker with relevant keywords to boost your video’s discoverability.

Longer tutorials and educational videos, especially screen recordings, benefit greatly from timestamps since they function like a table of contents in a textbook, letting viewers quickly find specific information. However, not every video format needs this structure – it really depends on your content type and viewing goals.

Optimizing Your YouTube Video Description

Your description should:

  • Clearly explain the video content within the first two sentences (since this is what appears in search results).
  • Naturally incorporate keywords to help with search rankings.
  • Include a call-to-action (CTA), such as subscribing, checking out related videos, or following on social media.

The top of your video description serves two key purposes – it describes your content for viewers while also providing valuable SEO opportunities. While you should include relevant keywords for optimization, keep the description natural and readable since you’re ultimately creating content for human viewers, not just search algorithms.

Audience & Age Restrictions

One commonly misunderstood setting is whether a video is made for kids. YouTube is not asking if your video is appropriate for kids—it’s asking if it’s specifically created for children’s entertainment.

Unless your content is directly aimed at kids, the correct answer is usually “No, this video is not made for kids” to ensure full monetization and engagement features remain active.

Altered Content Selection

YouTube recently added an “altered content” selection during upload where you indicate if your video is meant to appear like it was made by a real person when it’s actually AI-generated content. This disclosure is currently optional. For monetization, you’ll need to handle those settings if your channel is monetized. As for music licensing, if you’re using properly licensed royalty-free music (like from Epidemic Sound), you won’t need to worry about additional disclosures.

The Power of End Screens

End screens are one of the most underutilized tools for keeping viewers on your channel. At the end of your video, you can link to another video or playlist, guiding viewers to keep watching your content.

When viewers watch one of your videos and then continue to another video on your channel, YouTube sees this as a strong positive signal about your content quality, encouraging the algorithm to recommend your videos to more people.

Best practices:

  • Mention the next video in your actual content before the end screen appears.
  • Use the option to display your most recent video, so it always stays relevant.
  • If unsure, let YouTube auto-suggest a video based on viewer behavior.

The end screen lets you guide viewers by selecting which video or playlist they should watch next, giving you control over directing your traffic after your video ends. 

Double-Check Before Publishing

When uploading a video, keep in mind that while it’s your newest content today, it will eventually become older as you continue to publish more videos. To maximize engagement, you can add a placeholder on your end screen that always displays your latest video as a clickable element. This ensures that viewers are directed to your most recent content, keeping them engaged with your channel. Alternatively, you can let YouTube automatically decide which video from your channel should be suggested next, tailoring the recommendation based on the viewer’s preferences and behavior.

After uploading your video, it’s essential to check that it plays correctly and has been uploaded in its entirety. Ensure that the video content is complete and that there are no issues with playback. Additionally, consider reviewing any accompanying materials or resources, such as a punch list for YouTube publishing, which can help streamline your process and ensure everything is in order before officially sharing your content with your audience.

Before you hit publish:

  • Watch the uploaded video on YouTube to catch any errors.
  • Scrub to the end to ensure it doesn’t cut off prematurely.
  • Confirm that all links, descriptions, and settings are correct.

These extra few minutes can prevent frustrating mistakes that are harder to fix post-publication.

Related: Do This after EVERY Upload to Grow Your Business with YouTube

Thumbnail Test & Compare

YouTube has recently introduced a Test & Compare feature that allows you to upload multiple thumbnails for your videos, specifically two or three, and automatically tests their performance based on watch time. This hands-off approach means you can simply provide the thumbnails, and YouTube will run the tests for you over a 14-day period, determining which thumbnail captures the most viewer engagement. This feature is designed to help you optimize your video thumbnails by identifying which images resonate best with your audience, ultimately enhancing your video’s click-through rate and overall performance.

Conclusion

Uploading a YouTube video isn’t just about hitting the publish button. By taking the time to optimize your title, thumbnail, description, and other key settings, you dramatically increase your chances of success. While YouTube’s algorithm plays a role, your strategy and attention to detail make all the difference.

Want more detailed guidance? Check out comprehensive resources like the YouTube Roadmap Planner for in-depth strategies and creator support.

Related: Consistent Sales of Your Online Course with YouTube

If you have an online business with a course, program, or any other kind of offer, and you’re not currently generating consistent sales on autopilot, I’d like to introduce you to the hands off youtube funnel that has made me over $20k on a $147 course! That way, you too can make consistent sales of your offer, with the beauty and simplicity of organic, evergreen traffic from YouTube! Start here with my free “AIT Method” training.