Page 8 - The Ultilmate Youtube SEO Cheat Sheet

There are two main reasons to get your video transcribed. The first is so that you can
include the video transcript in the closed captions. This allows YouTube to effectively
present subtitles for your video as it's being played, which helps with engagement.

And even more importantly, YouTube will index your transcription and use it as part of its
ranking algorithm.

7. Video Length: 5-10 Minutes Is About The Sweet Spot

Keeping your audience entertained and glued to the YouTube platform is a key
component in the growth of your channel, and your overall traffic strategy. Videos that are
5-10 minutes in duration seem to be the sweet spot. Long enough to please YouTube’s
engagement algorithm, but not too long to fatigue your viewer’s attention. If you’re
struggling to keep your videos interesting for that length of time, opening loops are a
great way to keep towing viewer’s through till the end.

8. Use “Open Loops” To Hook Them In

How long people spend watching your video is a critical ranking factor in YouTube.

It’s referred to as “Audience Retention” and you can see how your video stacks up in your
YouTube Analytics.

Simply put, if you keep people glued to the screen, you’ll rank better.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to just outline your content, learning outcomes and
any benefits of your video up front in the first few seconds.

This is called “opening a loop” and it’s a very powerful psychological trigger that works
by tapping into the brains compulsive need to finish things.

Here are some examples of how you can open a loop at the beginning of your video.

“In this video we’ll take a look at how to do A, B and C”
“Today we’ll be talking about A, B and C”

“Over the next few minutes you’ll discover A, B and C”

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