Quick questions from new youtuber!! Help!

Hi BHW!

I just had a couple of quick questions. As I make my way around the forum, I see a lot of talk about ranking and keywords and niche.
Could someone explain to me what these things mean.

Are keywords not the same as "tag"? If not, where do you put the keywords?
Also, I know what the word "niche" means but is that the same as selecting the category you want the video in? Like Entertainment, or any of the other categories listed on Youtube?
I assume the ranking refers to where your video pops up in the order when certain things are searched for Youtube; but what determines the words needed to be searched for your video to pop up? Does it have to be your exact title of your video or does that have to do with those "keywords"??

Please help.

Your keywords are what you want the video to show up for in the search results (either google or youtube). For example if your video was about a product to regrow hair your keywords may be "hair loss" "how to grow hair", etc. You put your keywords in the title, description AND tag (note: if your keyword is more than one word - hair loss, you need to put quotes around it when you add it to the tag or it will show as two seperate words - hair AND loss not "hair loss"). There is a lot of great info on this site about youtube on-page optimization, just search for it.

Niche doesn't have to do with the video category, it's basically what you are trying to promote like a dating product, haor loss, weight loss etc. The actual category you select when uploading your video doesn't really matter, I usually just select something general like entertainment or people & blogs.

Are keywords not the same as "tag"?
They can be, but they are more. Your keywords are the words that you want people to find your video with. So, for instance, if your video is about a plumber in Houston, and your keyword is "Houston plumber" thank you will want that keyword in the title, the description and the tags.

Also, I know what the word "niche" means but is that the same as selecting the category you want the video in?
Probably not in most cases you are seeing it mentioned. Likely they are talking about the specific niche they are targeting. In the case of the plumber video, the niche might be 'plumbing' or 'local marketing'. It is more an internal thing for you, not really for YouTube. The category is just a general idea of where the video fits.

what determines the words needed to be searched for your video to pop up?
This is done through keyword research. In the case of the plumbing video, you would go to a site like the Google Keyword Tool and find out what words or terms are getting searched. You may discover that "Houston Plumber" gets searched 2000 times per month, but "Plumber in Houston" gets searched 5000 times per month. This will give you an idea of what the good keywords are.

Does it have to be your exact title of your video or does that have to do with those "keywords"?
You will want your best keyword in the title (preferably 2x if it can be done without looking too spammy). So, for instance, if "Houston Plumber" is our main keyword, a good title might be "Houston Plumber - What took avoid when hiring a Houston Plumber". I also like to start the description with the main keyword as well, followed by the URL you want people to go to. So a description might be...

Houston Plumber >>URL HERE<<
When looking for a plumber in Houston, it is important to
make sure that you... blah, blah blah, keyword(s) blah, blah...

Then I like to end the video with the keyword(s) again, followed by all my best keywords in the tags.

Hope this helps! PM me if you need any other specifics.

fashion212 said:

Hi BHW!

I just had a couple of quick questions. As I make my way around the forum, I see a lot of talk about ranking and keywords and niche.
Could someone explain to me what these things mean.

Are keywords not the same as "tag"? If not, where do you put the keywords?
Also, I know what the word "niche" means but is that the same as selecting the category you want the video in? Like Entertainment, or any of the other categories listed on Youtube?
I assume the ranking refers to where your video pops up in the order when certain things are searched for Youtube; but what determines the words needed to be searched for your video to pop up? Does it have to be your exact title of your video or does that have to do with those "keywords"??

Please help.

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