A well written YouTube description can not only boost your video SEO allowing you to appear higher in search results but can also be used to guide your potential fans to your other sites such as your Facebook page and website.

In this post I will be talking about what you should and shouldn't be writing in your YouTube description and how you can use your description to increase your YouTube watch time.

A quick note before we begin, changing your description after your video is live may temporarily effect it's placement in search results. Therefore it is best to get your description right before the video is live.

The First Two Sentences

Search engines such as Google use the first two sentences of your description in their search results so it is a good idea to try to make them as compelling as possible. A good way to start is by using informational words such as 'learn, how to, history of' etc. to pique potential viewers interest.

Case in point, for 3D Printshow's event highlights video you could start with 'Find out what are the latest innovations in 3D printing technology and how they can positively effect your business'.

For SEO purposes it is also a good idea to include the keywords you have used in the video title in the first line of the description. For instance for Thermogroup's 4.3iC product launch the video title could be 'Introducing the new standard in underfloor heating control Thermotouch 4.3iC'. The first line of the description could read 'Thermogroup proudly introduce the latest in underfloor heating control, the Thermotouch 4.3iC'.

Explain Your Channel/Company

By default YouTube will only display the first few lines of the description on the video page. To see more, the viewer will have to click the 'Show More' button. If they have clicked this button it usually means they are interested in more than just the one video and want to learn more about your company, making this the perfect opportunity to tell them what you do.

This will differ depending on your YouTube channel. For example if you are a tradesman you could explain what makes you different from your competition, your rates, area covered etc.

If you are a product led company then this the perfect place to explain what your company supplies, offer links to similar products to the one the are viewing, a brief history of the business and it's core values, the list goes on.

What you write here will depend on what you would like the video to help you achieve. If you are looking at selling more products then that should be your focus. If you are trying to teach your customers how to use your products most effectively you could add step by step written breakdown, following the same steps as the video. Just make sure the description is relevant to the subject of your video.

Links Links Links

This shouldn't need to be said but your YouTube description is the perfect place to add links to boost your SEO for not only your YouTube channel but also your presence on other websites. You should place these links in the order you believe is most important, but here are a few ideas on links you could include.

Social media - Facebook, Twitter etc.
Your website
LinkedIn page
Links to where to buy your products (either online store or official suppliers)
Timestamps - If you have a long video spilt into sections, use these sections as chapters and add a timestamp for each
More of your videos (great for your watch time)
A subscribe button
Social media and website links for collaborators on the video (even if you paid someone to produce your video it is still nice to give thanks and point people in their direction)

A Few Don'ts

First and foremost don't simply copy the title of the video, add your website and leave it at that. After reading this post, it's fairly obvious that this isn't helpful to your viewers and it won't help you win more customers/clients.

Don't use misleading information. It's normally good to make your company seem bigger than you are, but don't take it too far. Not only will viewers normally see through this but it is also against YouTube's terms and conditions and could lead to your video and channel being taken down.

YouTube's T & Cs also state that you are not allowed to fill your description with a big block of keywords. For a start you should only be using a small number of targeted keywords. It also gives the viewer the impression that you are lazy and couldn't be bothered to write an interesting description.

Conclusion

I hope I have shown you that writing an interesting video description isn't as hard as it seems. Just remember, most of the creative writing is condensed into the first two sentences, meaning it shouldn't take you long to write a great description. For such little time investment, a great description can lead to more watch time, more website views, more Facebook likes and Twitter followers and in the long run, more customers.

As always, if there is a topic you would like me to cover in a future blog post you can leave a comment below or post on our Facebook page. Or if you would like to see how I can help promote your business through video marketing, please use the contact page.

David Proud
Director