It’s a common sight on YouTube: at the conclusion of a video, the creator implores viewers, “Don’t forget to like the video and subscribe to my channel. Leave a comment if you enjoyed it!” It’s a strategy that seems to be paying off, as channels with such requests often boast millions of subscribers.
However, a successful channel doesn’t rely solely on this call-to-action. What else are they doing to achieve such impressive numbers? This question may cross your mind if your channel isn’t performing as well as you’d like.
In such cases, conducting a YouTube audit might be the solution. But what exactly is a YouTube audit, and how do you perform one? That’s what we’ll explore on this page, so continue reading to discover more.
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A YouTube audit is a comprehensive review of your channel to assess its effectiveness in generating leads and conversions. For businesses, a YouTube channel is designed to encourage actions like subscriptions and website visits. An audit reveals how well your channel is at prompting these actions.
Why conduct a YouTube channel audit? The benefits are clear: an audit can identify and rectify issues hindering your channel’s performance.
For instance, if your audit shows that your content isn’t resonating with your target audience, you can adjust your strategy to create more appealing content, resulting in increased views, subscribers, and leads.
Now that we’ve explained what YouTube channel audits are and their benefits, let’s delve into how to conduct one. We’ll provide a list of six strategies to optimize your channel for better marketing outcomes.
These strategies include:
Understanding your YouTube audience
Optimizing video titles and descriptions
Maximizing your channel page
Ensuring video accessibility
Monitoring YouTube analytics
Keeping an eye on competitors
Read on to learn more about each of these tips.
Understanding your audience is crucial in any marketing campaign, be it on YouTube or any other platform. Failing to target the right demographic can severely limit your success, regardless of your product or marketing channels.
There are several methods to assess your audience. One is to analyze customer data, as those who purchase from you represent your target market. Another is to examine your YouTube viewer data to see who’s watching your videos. Compare this with your customer data to ensure your content is reaching the right audience. If not, consider reworking your content to better target your audience.
When auditing a YouTube channel, it’s easy to get caught up in optimizing video content. While video quality is crucial, many businesses overlook the significance of optimizing titles and descriptions. These elements, though seemingly minor, have a substantial impact on your videos’ success.
Titles and descriptions are key components of YouTube SEO, which focuses on improving your videos’ search rankings on YouTube (and Google). By incorporating target keywords and ensuring they align with user search intent, you can enhance your videos’ visibility in search results.
Optimizing your channel page is also vital, as it’s often the first point of contact for potential viewers. Enhance your page with elements like a custom banner, links to your website and social media, a channel description, and a featured video to increase engagement.
Accessibility is another critical aspect of your YouTube audit. Providing subtitles not only enhances video quality and viewer satisfaction but also improves search rankings. Subtitles are beneficial for a wide range of individuals, including those who watch videos with sound off, the deaf or hard of hearing, and YouTube and Google crawlers.
A thorough YouTube audit should include a review of your channel’s analytics. Analyze metrics related to your videos’ performance to optimize your channel effectively. Identify which video topics and lengths are most successful and which demographics are drawn to different content types. This information can help refine your video content strategy to drive more leads and conversions.
Lastly, consider your competitors during your audit. Analyze their content, strategies, and what seems to be working well for them. Identify areas where they excel and where they may be falling short. This can provide valuable insights into how to outperform them in search rankings.
Now that you have our list of YouTube audit tips, you can begin evaluating and optimizing your channel for increased conversions. If you need assistance, WebFX is here to help. With over 28 years of digital marketing experience, we can build a powerful YouTube channel and create engaging videos. If you’re interested in working with WebFX as your video marketing agency, give us a call at 888-601-5359 or contact us online today!
