YouTube SEO Guide for Clinic Owners: Get More Subscribers & Better Rankings

In this post, we’ll cover YouTube SEO strategies that every clinic owner, from beginner to advanced, must know!

 

We’re covering:

• YouTube SEO ranking factors
• How to get more views on YouTube
• What to do before you make a video to guarantee it’s a success
• How to upload a video and optimize the proper settings
• Best SEO practices to rank higher (faster!)
• How to promote your video
• And more

 

Show Notes & Related Resources for YouTube SEO: Strategies for Clinic Owners & Healthcare Providers 

• YouTube SEO Guide for Clinic Owners: Get More Subscribers & Better Rankings – Blog, Detailed Guide, & Downloadable Checklist 
• Ready. Set. Rank! – DYI SEO Program 
• How to Use Video on Your Clinic’s Website to Improve SEO – Podcast Episode
• How To Get Started With Video Marketing in an Authentic & Confident Way – Podcast Episode
• How To Use Videos to Improve Your SEO – Blog post

 

 

YouTube is a Search Engine

YouTube is among the most popular search engines (along with Google).

And, if your video on YouTube covers a popular topic with the best keywords, it can be a goldmine for driving traffic to your clinic’s website, creating brand awareness, increasing your patient base, and getting more recognition from Google. 

That is, if it’s appropriately optimized with a stellar SEO (search engine optimization) strategy.

 

You Need to Think of YouTube Separate from Google

Many people have a misperception when it comes to YouTube SEO.

They try (and want) to rank high on Google organic search for their YouTube videos. And that makes sense, but that’s not the mindset you should have when optimizing your videos. 

When optimizing your YouTube videos, you want to focus on optimizing them for YouTube searches first and foremost. 

You have to think of YouTube as a separate search engine from Google. Because, well, it is. 

YouTube videos and channels don’t drive much traffic from Google organic searches. Meaning it’s not as likely that your video will rank high on Google Search as it would on YouTube. While Google displays videos in the top spots when they see fit, YouTube only displays videos. So, think of them separately because they differ. 

That said, the more visibility your video has on YouTube, the more likely you are to get organic traffic to your website, and that will also get you recognized by Google. 

 

How Does YouTube Rank Videos?

YouTube openly states:

“Videos are ranked on a variety of factors, including how well the title, description, and video content match the viewer’s query and make sure it’s easy for viewers to find those. Search results are not a list of the most viewed videos for a given query. Beyond that, we look at which videos have driven the most engagement for a query and ensure it’s easy for views to find those.”

Ok, let’s talk about how you can create great YouTube videos that drive significant traffic to your site and into your clinic. 

 

Three Stages of YouTube SEO

There are three main stages of YouTube SEO:

• Optimizing before you load your video
• Loading your video and optimizing the YouTube settings properly
• Promoting your video

 

All three stages play a vital role in your YouTube marketing success.

 

 

So here’s what you need to know for the first stage…

 

First, Find the Keyword Sweet Spot

You want to find the keyword sweet spot for each of your videos.

If you’re just getting started, gather a list of keyword ideas.

There are several YouTube-friendly tools you can use for help, both free and paid. Find your own, or try this YouTube Keyword Tool to get started. 

Type your keywords into the search bar to see what appears. They’ll provide you with a bunch of keywords related to your keyword, and you’ll even see how well those words are performing. 

This will help you to generate a list of keyword ideas.

 

YouTube’s algorithm often favors videos with titles and content related to:

1. Instructional content (e.g., “How to…”)
2. Product or service reviews
3. Step-by-step tutorials
4. Humorous or entertaining clips
5. Health and fitness guidance

 

Including these elements in your video content and titles may help improve visibility and ranking on the platform.

You should also target long-tail keywords (longer keyword terms). This is important because AI is evolving and becoming more developed daily, so start adhering to long-tail optimization immediately if you haven’t already.

Now that you know what keywords might be right for you, let’s take it to the next level.

Spy on your competitors for any search term you can find that ranks well on YouTube and would be appropriate for your video. Look at what titles, descriptions, and tags they’re using.

You can use a tool like vidIQ to assist.

Using VidIQ, look for a video that ranks well for a particular keyword in your niche with few subscribers.

That means that the keyword falls into a keyword sweet spot, leaving you lots of room to rank (for channels with many subscribers).

 

Focus on Creating Longer Videos & Audience Retention

There are a few YouTube ranking factors that we need to account for when it comes to retention and video length:

• Length of video
• Audience retention
• Total watch time
• Session time

 

Audience retention is a significant ranking factor. It is the percentage of video a viewer watches. The longer someone watches your video, the better.

 

Let’s do some audience retention math:

Person A creates a video that’s two minutes long.
Person B creates a video that’s five minutes long.
Each video has the same audience retention of 50%.

 

Which video will YouTube promote more, or are they equal?

The answer: Person B’s video will outrank Person A’s video.

Why?

50% of Person A’s video is equal to one minute.
50% of Person B’s video is equal to two and a half minutes.
Two and a half minutes is longer than one minute.

 

YouTube wants to promote videos that people watch for more extended periods. This means that the more minutes that people watch your video, the more likely it is for YouTube to boost your rankings.

Please note that this does not mean you should drag your video out to be extra-long just to increase your YouTube rankings.

Total watch time is also a ranking factor. Total watch time is the accumulative number of minutes people have watched your video over its lifespan.

How do you develop a high-retention video for YouTube that will increase total watch time?

 

Here are some tips:

• Include a summary of what your video covers (including your keyword phrase) at the beginning
• Jump right into content, keep the intro short
• Make viewers want to stay till the end by previewing what’s coming up later at the beginning of your video, giving them a reason to stick around
• Include your keyword throughout the video
• Include keywords associated with the keyword so algorithms can tell intent
• Mention location in the video to help with your local SEO  

 

There’s also another ranking factor that many don’t consider: session time. Session time is the total time someone spends on YouTube after they start watching your video.

If a person watches your video (part or) all the way through and then leaves YouTube, that’s a loss for YouTube.

Now, if someone watches your video (win for you) and then stays on YouTube to watch another video, it’s a win for YouTube.

If they remain on YouTube and watch another one of your videos, that’s a double win for you. YouTube will increase your rankings and show you in the suggested video section.

How do you guarantee that someone stays on your YouTube channel for an extended session? Optimize your playlist.

There’s more detail about optimizing your playlist later in this article (FYI- The previous sentence is a great example of what you should say at the beginning of your video. Now you want to keep reading to find out about optimizing your playlist). For now, just note that if someone watches one of your videos in a playlist, it will automatically play the next one in the playlist.

Equaling… You got it: a longer session time.

 

Optimize your Channel

Optimize your channel for more views and subscribers. How? Focus on the header, playlists, and your About section. 

 

Header Image

Make sure your header image is sized appropriately and visually appealing. Also, add links to your other social sites and website.

 

Channel Icon

Just as necessary as the header image, make sure your icon looks professional and represents your brand. 

 

Trailer Video

Create a trailer intro video that welcomes people and briefly tells them what your channel is all about and why they should subscribe.

Address who your channel is designed for at the beginning of the video (your target audience). 

End the trailer with a CTA (call to action) to subscribe to your channel. 

 

About Section

If you haven’t optimized your About section for the top keywords you want to rank for, you’re missing out.

Fill the About section out.

A well-optimized About Page can also rank on YouTube for popular keywords.

Use the keywords you want to rank for, but don’t keyword stuff.

 

Playlists

We briefly mentioned the importance of playlists earlier (see, I knew you would stick around and read on from that section). Set up playlists and add them to your general page.

Use benefit-rich playlist titles. Give your playlist a compelling name that will encourage someone to click through.

I also recommend having at least four videos in each playlist because after YouTube plays the first video a person lands on, it will play the next in the playlist. If the viewer stays watching the following videos in the playlist, it will increase their session time.

Example: Say you’re a chiropractor and want to create a playlist regarding back pain. Upload at least four videos, all related to safely treating back pain at home. So, you may show a video about stretching, one about core workouts that protect the spine, one about the importance of posture, and one on how to properly set up your workstation. 

The thing to remember is that you’re the expert. Create videos that you know people need to see, and it will pay off for your users, Google, and your clinic. 

Now that we’ve covered the best SEO practices for producing your video let’s explore how to optimize it when you load it.

 

YouTube SEO Basics

YouTube lets users manually input the video title, description, tags, etc.

These items all make it easier for your ideal audience to find you.

All of these items and those listed below should ideally be optimized from the get-go.

 

Change the Name of Your Video Before Loading

Before you upload your video, change the name to include your keyword.

 

Write a Descriptive Keyword-Rich Title

You already did your keyword research, so this should be easy.

Ensure you get the keyword you want to rank for as early in the title as possible. The title should be interesting to entice people to click through; under 60 characters is best, and people love to click on titles that start with a number. 

 

Example: 6 Great Ways to End Back Pain Naturally & Fast

 

Create a Long Description Including Keywords, Timestamps, & Links

Most people write a concise, few-sentence description. Big mistake for them… easy win for you.

Your video description helps YouTube and Google understand the context of your video. And the better they understand your video, the higher you’ll rank (and the more often you’ll show up in the Suggested Video sidebar).

Include your keyword in the first 25 words.

Make the description at least 250 words.

Use your keyword 2-4 times.

Include links to reference materials on your website.

Add timestamps that correlate your text to the time in the video. This lets viewers jump to the section they’re looking for, aiding in better engagement.

Add a CTA (call to action) – Suggest your users subscribe to your channel, or spoiler alert: keep reading; we’ve got the ultimate CTA a little further down in this post when we dive into how to increase audience interaction.    

 

Add Tags

These tags are not as important as the title and description, but if you can use your first tag as the exact keyword and add a few variations of the overall topic, it’s a solid win for users and YouTube’s understanding of your videos.  

Be conservative. Don’t go tag crazy.

 

Add Transcripts

Adding transcripts provides YouTube with more information about the content of your video.

You need to upload your transcript manually.

I always suggest to those focusing on local SEO to include their location variable words in the content of the videos. Don’t make YouTube guess.

Yes, YouTube can detect topics and keywords in your video, but you must manually upload a transcript to optimize your video.

And don’t forget to say your keywords in the actual video so you have the opportunity to use them in the transcript.  

Get the details on creating a transcript file. 

 

Add Chapters

YouTube Chapters are a powerful tool that segment videos into distinct sections, each with its own thumbnail, timestamp, and title. This feature offers several benefits:

• Improved viewer experience: Users can easily navigate to specific parts of the video.
• Increased engagement: Chapters can boost viewer interaction and watch time.
• SEO advantages: Properly labeled chapters can enhance your video’s search visibility.
• Algorithm optimization: Chapters help YouTube better understand your content, potentially improving recommendations.

 

Creating YouTube Chapters:

1. Identify key moments: Review your video and note the timestamps for each section.
2. Craft descriptive titles: Create concise, keyword-rich titles for each chapter.
3. Format your description: In the video description, list timestamps followed by titles, separating each entry with a line break.
4. (Optional) Add a header: Consider including “Table of Contents” above your chapter list.

 

Once implemented, YouTube will automatically generate thumbnail previews for each chapter.

 

Automatic Chapter Generation:

For eligible videos, YouTube can create chapters automatically. To enable this feature:

1. Access YouTube Studio and select “Content” from the left-hand menu.
2. Choose the desired video for editing.
3. Click “Show more” at the bottom of the page.
4. Enable the “Allow automatic chapters and key moments” option if not already selected.

 

By utilizing YouTube Chapters, you can significantly enhance your video’s structure and accessibility, potentially leading to improved viewer satisfaction and performance metrics.

 

Design an Awesome Custom Thumbnail

You can upload a custom thumbnail in the video manager under Info & Settings.

 

Increase Audience Interaction

Audience interacting signals are a huge ranking factor for YouTube.

This means the more likes, comments, shares, and subscribers, the more YouTube will show your video.

How do you get more interactive signals from the audience?

 

Here are some tricks to getting more audience interactive signals:

• Instead of asking your viewers to share their thoughts, ask them easy-to-answer multiple-choice questions. This makes it super simple for them to comment, and people love to give their input.
• When someone comments on your video, it’s paramount that you personally reply to them. This increases their likelihood of commenting again and helps build a relationship, positioning you as the “go-to person.”
• Also, the more positively someone interacts with your video, the more likely they are to share and recommend your videos!

 

Remember above; we teased that ultimate CTA move? Add an end screen to help with engagement and give your users some actions that help you and give them further support. 

 

Add a CTA for:

• Subscribing to your channel 
• Going to the next video
• Going to another channel that you promote or support
• Going to another website or your website

 

Repurpose Your Videos

You’ve gone through the trouble of making videos. Let them work for you! YouTube is now competing with TikTok and Instagram when it comes to making Shorts. Use your already-created videos to make YouTube Shorts that provide another outlet to get your videos in front of your target audience. 

 

The process is super streamlined:

• Open your YouTube app on your phone, then click your profile in the menu at the bottom of the screen
• Click “Your videos”
• Once you see the videos you’ve uploaded to YouTube Studio, click the one you want to make into a Short
• Under the title of the video, click the “Remix” button
• A pop-up will open; choose “Edit into a Short”
• Follow the prompts to select the appropriate clip (no more than 60 seconds), insert text, add voiceover, etc. 
• Click “Next” to reach the final screen of the YouTube Shorts editor, where you can title your Short, choose a different thumbnail, and more 

 

Watch Your Data

Evaluating your YouTube performance is key to understanding how you’re doing and knowing how you can improve. 

You can find all the information you need using any number of free tools. YouTube Analytics is merely one, but it’s a good one that offers insight regarding your users, watch time, retention, and more. 

 

Helpful Hashtags 

Users use hashtags during their search process, so feel free to drop some in your description and title if it makes sense. 

Remember, your goal is to make the user happy, so always prioritize the user experience (UX). 

Great, you’ve got your video loaded and optimized; now what?

Promote it. Promote it. Promote it. Did I mention… Promote it! 

 

The First 24-Hours Matter

Unlike traditional SEO for websites, where you continue to gain momentum from the extended time your content sits there, YouTube videos need fast, good performance.

If your video performs well in the first 24 hours, it is a winner.

If not, you should put forth your best efforts to improve the rankings, but chances are you won’t see a massive jump.

So, what can you do to gain traffic and momentum in that first crucial timespan? Share your videos and respond to those comments!

 

Promote Your Video More

Ensure you send your YouTube video via social media channels and email it to your database. 

Again, promote your video as much as possible during those first 24 hours.

You can also mention your video on Quora, Reddit, and other online communities. If you decide to do this, don’t be spammy, and just include a link to your video. Search for topics or questions related to your video and type out a helpful response that positions you as the industry authority leader that you are. At the end of your response, embed your video.

 

Other ways to promote your video:

Write a blog post on the same topic and embed the video in it. You can use a variation of your transcript. If you don’t want to type it all out, look for someone on Fiverr to transcribe it for you.

Use a link in all emails from your staff in the email signature. Add a line like “Check out our latest YouTube video” with the link.

Boost social media posts that include the video.

Advertise through YouTube. They have a variety of advertising options.

 

You got this!

After reading this, I hope you’re ready to tackle your YouTube videos with fresh insight. I can’t wait to hear how it goes.