Do you want your articles to appear in Google answer boxes? Answer boxes are Google’s push to answer questions directly on the search results page. In this article, we will explain how to appear in Google Answer Boxes for WordPress users.
What is a Google Answer Box?
Google Answer box is part of Google’s Knowledge graph. It is an algorithm that tries to answer user’s questions right on the search page.
It uses carousels, side boxes, lists, tables, and answer boxes to display the most relevant information at the top. This information is gathered from various sources and the algorithm decides which results should be displayed inside an answer box.
According to research conducted by Advanced Web Ranking, Answer boxes secure almost 32.3% CTR. This makes them immensely important for your WordPress SEO strategy.
How Google Displays Information in The Answer Box?
The purpose of Answer Boxes is to offer instant gratification to the users. This works particularly well when users are looking for factual information like public figures, distances, conversion rates, scores, and similar information.
In such cases, if users got the exact information they needed, then they can move on and search for something else. For many queries it can just display a sidebox from the web’s most reliable knowledge sources like Wikipedia.
In a way, it might sound like Google is trying to keep all the traffic for itself. However, not all users are looking for information that Google’s knowledge graph can answer with accuracy.
If user’s keywords require an opinionated, well thought, or research based answer, then Google relies on other web sources.
If you are among the top 10 results for a keyword, then you are already closer to appear in Google Answer Box.
How to Make Your Pages Appear in Google Answer Box?
Google Answer Box results change quite often, and you can easily appear as the best answer by simply improving your content.
Let’s explore a number of content optimization steps that you can take to appear in the answer box.
Add Short and Helpful Answers in Your Content
The purpose of Answer Boxes is to provide quick answers. Make sure that your article answers the question as early in the article as possible.
You also need to make your answer short, concise, and easy to understand.
It also helps to include your keywords in the form of a question followed by the short answer.
After that, feel free to add as much detail to your answer as you want. Adding more information will allow you to use the keyword throughout the article, and you can even use the same article to answer other questions your users may have about the same topic.
Optimize Your Page’s Meta Description
Meta description is a brief description explaining what your page is about. It is added in the <head> section of your site’s HTML.
Make sure that your meta description includes your target keyword. It also needs to explain what questions or topics this particular page will be answering.
“Are you looking for best WordPress SEO plugin and tools to boost your SEO? Check out our list of 9 best WordPress SEO Plugins and Tools.”
Here is how it appears in the answer box.
Utilize Lists, Tables, Table of Contents
Users love properly formatted content because it helps them quickly get the information they need. That’s why websites like list25 are so popular. They publish informative content in a viral listicle format that is easier to consume and share.
Google understands that and tends to highlight the websites that use formatting to make content consumption easier for users.
This does not mean that you must always use one of these formats to write your articles. However, if using formatting can help your users get to the information quickly, then use it.
Optimize Content with Data Driven Decisions
Data is the most important thing you need for an effective content strategy. This is where Google Analytics comes in. It helps you understand your audience and plan accordingly.
You will need MonsterInsights to properly track user engagement in WordPress. It is the best Google Analytics plugin in the market, and it will help you learn where your users are coming from, and what they do while they are on your site.
These stats provide you a clear picture of what’s already working on your website. You can then expand on it and make informed decisions for better SEO.
Follow SEO Best Practices
Apart from answering the user questions, you also need to make sure that Google can find your page and understand it just as easily.
Yes, absolutely. As we mentioned earlier the click-through rate for results in the answer box is way higher. Depending on the topic and your content, it could go as high as 51.2%.
However, we do not recommend you overthink it. The purpose of Answer boxes is to help users find information quickly. If you focus on answering questions through helpful and informative content, then search results will start picking it up.
Google’s search features are always changing. There are no shortcuts that will help you win forever. Building your website as an authority / reliable source of useful information will help you win in the long run.
We hope this article helped you learn how to appear in Google Answer Boxes. You may also want to see our list of the must-have WordPress plugins that will help you take your website to the next level.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
WordPress user interface has evolved steadily since its first release in 2003. WordPress started out as a simple blogging platform and has now matured into a full-fledged CMS platform. In this article, we will take you to back in time to show the different stages in the evolution of WordPress user interface since 2003 until now.
The Beginnings of WordPress
WordPress started out in 2003. Mainly because the development on an already popular blogging software b2/cafelog was discontinued by their main developers.
Two passionate users of b2/cafelog, Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, decided to build a new platform on top of b2/cafelog. This is how WordPress was first released on 27th May, 2003. Learn more about the origin story of WordPress in our article on the history of WordPress.
Since then, there has been a total of 276 WordPress releases so far (November 2017). In this article, we will highlight the ones that introduced a big change in admin panel user interface.
WordPress 0.71 – (June 2003)
The landing page of WordPress 0.71 admin panel was directly the write post page. As you can see there was no dashboard.
Features were very limited, and it was kept simple. You could only assign one category to each post. This version of WordPress had a tedious installation method where you would have to change a lot of information manually.
WordPress 1.0.1 (Miles – 2004)
Starting this version, WordPress started naming its major releases after Jazz musicians. As you can see this release was named after a famous musician, Miles Davis.
In this version, WordPress stopped using the b2 file structure and moved toward its own style of filing structure. New features included multiple category selection, SEO friendly URL structure, comment moderation, new installer, and several other improvements.
WordPress 1.2 – Mingus (May 2004)
Named after Charles Mingus, WordPress 1.2 was a monumental release. One of the most important upgrades in this version was the introduction of “Plugins”.
Other notable changes were Sub categories, custom fields, thumbnail creation, post preview, encrypted passwords, and the ability to ping more than one service at a time.
WordPress 1.5 – Strayhorn (Feb 2005)
This version of WordPress was named after Billy Strayhorn. It showed the first glimpse of a new dashboard style. It didn’t use Ajax and was way slower than the WordPress we use today.
Another significant feature was the introduction of pages along side posts, allowing users to create static pages that were not part of their blog. This release also added support for installing multiple themes in a single WordPress installation.
WordPress 2.0 – Duke (Dec 2005)
WordPress 2.0 brought a major uphaul to the WordPress admin interface. It had a large blue header on top a complete overhaul of the admin area. It was way faster than previous releases as it utilized Ajax to perform certain tasks.
This release also included a full WYSIWIG editor. Akismet was introduced as a plugin to combat with the growing comment spam problem. Some other notable features were image/file uploading, theme preview via thumbnail (screenshot.png), improved posting speed, new hooks for developers, and more.
WordPress 2.1 – Ella (Jan 2007)
WordPress 2.1 Ella was the first release to introduce a new admin screen to manage comments. The comment management process was significantly improved as users were able to delete or approve comments without reloading admin screens.
WordPress 2.3 – Dexter (Sep 2007)
This release didn’t drastically change WordPress user interface but added several significant improvements. For the first time WordPress improved native support to add tags to your posts.
It also introduced update notifications allowing WordPress core and plugins to show notifications when there is a new version available. This release also started auto-redirecting users to correct WordPress URL as defined in the settings.
WordPress 2.5 – Brecker (Mar 2008)
For WordPress 2.5, the WordPress team collaborated with Happy Cog, a leading web design consultancy firm, to overhaul WordPress user interface. It was a major re-design or rather reimagining of WordPress how we use it today.
The dashboard got much better as they added more useful information there. This was the first version where we saw one click upgrade for plugins which were in WordPress plugin directory. Much better visual editor and a built-in gallery was also included in this release.
Many of the core components of this redesign are still a major part of the software. However, its appearance quickly changed just 10 months later.
WordPress 2.7 – Coltrane (Dec 2008)
WordPress 2.7 brought another major upgrade to the WordPress admin user interface. Users were now able to readjust WordPress dashboard elements. Screen options were introduced so that users can show and hide elements to meet their requirements.
Other notable features included automated installation for plugins through the WordPress admin panel. Reply to comments from the admin panel, threaded comments, sticky posts, keyboard shortcuts, comment paging, and more.
WordPress 2.9 – Carmen (Dec 2009)
WordPress 2.9 didn’t change user interface but added several new features that integrated beautifully in the WordPress interface. One of these changes was a plugin update system, that allowed users to update their plugins to the newer version with a single click.
WordPress 3.0 Thelonious was a major WordPress upgrade which truly transformed WordPress from a blogging platform to a full fledged CMS. It introduced post types, taxonomies, custom backgrounds, headers, shortlinks, and navigation menus. It also started the tradition of introducing a new default theme each year, this new default theme was called Twenty Ten.
This release merged a WordPress sister project called WordPress MU into core WordPress itself. This feature is now known as WordPress multisite. The basic style of the admin interface was capable of adapting all these major changes without a significant overhaul of the admin area.
WordPress 3.1 – Django Reinhardt (2011)
WordPress 3.1 continued adding feature to the robust WordPress user interface. With this new release, WordPress introduced the admin bar, post formats, and a better internal linking feature.
WordPress 3.3 – Sonny (2011)
Released in December of 2011, WordPress 3.3 came packed with features and improvements to existing WordPress UI. It added fly out menus for better navigation in the admin area, a revamped admin bar, drag and drop to upload media, and tool tips. See more features and screenshots of WordPress 3.3.
WordPress 3.5 – Elvin (2012)
Mobile and high resolution devices were already becoming accessible to all users. WordPress 3.5 streamlined the user interface for modern retina display devices. This included upgraded icons and adaptive styles that looked great on any screen resolution. See more features and screenshots of WordPress 3.5.
WordPress 3.8 – Parker (2013)
The appearance and basic style of WordPress UI wasn’t changed since 2008 and was way overdue for a major upgrade. The goal for this upgrade was to handle mobile devices more elegantly and make WordPress more accessible. After a ton of work, the new WordPress user interface was released with WordPress 3.8.
The new user interface which is still used (with minor enhancements) was mobile responsive, had more color schemes, used icon fonts, and Open Sans for typography.
WordPress 3.9 – Smith (2014)
WordPress kept improving the UI to handle new features. WordPress 3.9 made several enhancements it started using flat buttons in the post editor, drag and drop image uploads, gallery previews, and more. It also added live previews when adding widgets in theme customizer. See more features and screenshots of WordPress 3.9.
WordPress 4.0 – Benny (2014)
The same year WordPress 4.0 was released. There was no major change in the UI. However, there were some cool changes that fit right into the existing WordPress admin look.
WordPress 4.2 came with a tiny but significant improvement in the admin area color scheme. The grays were given a slight blue hue and the blues were changed to pure blue with no red channel. See more features and screenshots of WordPress 4.2.
WordPress 4.5 – Coleman (2016)
WordPress 4.5 brough some improvements in the default WordPress visual post editor. A new inline link editing feature was introduced along with some new inline text shortcuts.
Responsive previews were added in theme customizer which allowed users to preview their theme desktop, tablet, and mobile without changing devices. For more features see our article on the release of WordPress 4.5 with screenshots.
WordPress 4.6 – Pepper (2016)
In WordPress 4.6, the core team decided to start using native fonts instead of loading Open Sans from Google servers. This release also streamlined updates, which allowed users to install, update, and delete plugins/themes without leaving a page.
WordPress 4.8 – Vaughan (2017)
WordPress 4.8 introduced a new set of widgets to add media like images, audio, video, and rich text. It also added a new dashboard widget that displayed WordPress news and events. For more features and screenshots, see our overview of WordPress 4.8.
WordPress 4.9 – Tipton (2017)
The last major release of WordPress for 2017 added more features to Theme Customizer. It added a new theme browsing and preview experience in customizer.
It also made code editing in custom CSS and theme/plugin editors much easier by adding syntax highlighting and auto-completion features.
The Future of WordPress User Interface
As you may have noticed that WordPress user interface hasn’t changed much since 2013. However WordPress itself has improved a lot since then with tons of new features, better performance, and improved security.
Today, the user interface feels a bit out-dated compared to the many other top website builders in the market.
But this is about to change.
Core WordPress developers are working on a project codenamed Gutenberg. This project will add drag and drop functionality to WordPress post and page editor. It will allow new users to drag and drop blocks into their website like they do in a page builder plugin.
We are very excited about this new upcoming release, and will keep you updated through out the process.
We hope this article helped you see the evolution of WordPress user interface since its first release in 2003. You may also want to see our list of the top WordPress companies and businesses.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
By default, users with the author user role can delete their own posts, even when these posts are already published. If you run a multi-author blog, then you may want to stop authors from deleting their own posts specially once it’s published. In this article, we will show you how to easily prevent authors from deleting their own posts in WordPress.
Why Prevent Authors From Deleting Their Own Posts in WordPress
WordPress comes with a powerful user role management system. Each registered user on your WordPress website is assigned a user role, and each user role comes with different permissions.
Users with the ‘author‘ role can write posts and publish them on your website. This role is generally used by multi-author WordPress blogs.
Authors can also delete their own posts, including those already published. As a website owner, you may want to prevent authors from doing that. The easiest way to do that is by modifying the author user role and changing its permissions in WordPress.
Let’s take a look at how to easily prevent authors from deleting their own posts.
Method 1: Prevent Authors From Deleting Posts Using Plugin
This method is easier and recommended for all users.
Upon activation, you need to visit Users » Capabilities page. Here you can load any WordPress user role and change its capabilities and permissions.
You need to start by locating the ‘Select Role to View / Edit’ box in the right column, and then select ‘Author’ user role from the drop down menu. After that you need to click on the ‘Load’ button to load the author user role capabilities.
The plugin will now load the ‘Author’ user role capabilities. Under the deletion capabilities section, you need to uncheck the box next to delete and delete published options.
After that you can go to the bottom of the page and click on the save changes button to store your settings.
Now, users with the author user role will not longer be able to delete any posts on your WordPress site.
Giving Back Permissions
User role capabilities are defined explicitly. It means that once you remove a capability from a user role, it will not come back unless you explicitly define it again. Even if you uninstalled the plugin, the capability changes you made will not revert automatically.
If you want to give back authors permission to delete, then you will have to repeat the process and check the boxes next to the delete and delete published posts options.
If you want to uninstall the plugin and revert back to default WordPress capabilities, then first you need to visit Tools » Capability Manager page and click on ‘Reset to WordPress defaults’ link.
Method 2: Manually Prevent Authors From Deleting Their Own Posts
This method requires you to add code to your WordPress files. If you haven’t done this before, then take a look at our guide on how to copy and paste code in WordPress.
function wpb_change_author_role(){
global $wp_roles;
$wp_roles->remove_cap( 'author', 'delete_posts' );
$wp_roles->remove_cap( 'author', 'delete_published_posts' );
}
add_action('init', 'wpb_change_author_role');
This code changes the author user role and removes their capability to delete their own posts.
If you want to revert back the permissions, then simply removing the code will not make any change. You will need to explicitly redefine the removed capabilities by replacing the first code snippet with the following code:
function wpb_change_author_role(){
global $wp_roles;
$wp_roles->add_cap( 'author', 'delete_posts' );
$wp_roles->add_cap( 'author', 'delete_published_posts' );
}
add_action('init', 'wpb_change_author_role');
We hope this article helped you learn how to prevent authors from deleting their own posts in WordPress. You may also want to see our ultimate step by step WordPress security guide for beginners.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Video content is leading the way in the content marketing scene (as of 2017). YouTube is currently the leading platform for video blogging (vlogging), video sharing, and video marketing. It is a free platform offered by Google, and many (including me) love it.
Facebook and Twitter have recently stepped into the video marketing game, but they still fall way short of having the kind of impact that YouTube has.
If you currently have a YouTube channel, you must be wondering how you can get more YouTube subscribers, and how you can increase the reach of your YouTube videos.
With over a billion unique YouTube visitors per month, there is a large potential audience for every uploaded video. Whether it’s a video of someone performing a prank or a video of a fashionista’s summerwear review, YouTube is the go-to platform for video consumption.
With a whole new lot of YouTube stars on the rise, it is definitely a platform to be considered by everyone looking for some online marketing and publicity.
YouTube is a great platform for bloggers to broaden their internet reach by making a personal connection with their followers.
The possibility for a blogger to leverage this social media giant and drive huge traffic from YouTube is high. To do that, one first needs to get more subscribers.
Note: This detailed guide to getting YouTube subscribers is long. Make sure you have enough time now to read it, or you can always bookmark it and read it later!
20 Smart Ways To Get More YouTube Subscribers in 2017
Another year has gone by and your resolution to re-build that YouTube channel of yours has not been accomplished.
If you are thinking about revamping your YouTube channel, here are 20 smart ways to gain more YouTube subscribers in 2017.
I recently had the opportunity to attend a YouTube fan-fest with a VIP invitee (thanks to my wonderful acquaintances), and a little interaction with them will shed some light on how these things work out.
I have another associate (a student of mine) who saw a tremendous amount of growth in his YouTube subscribers and viewers within a span of two years. Although his numbers might not be outrageous, they total well above a million views, which more than justifies his efforts.
All that said, correctly implementing these techniques will surely help you achieve your goals.
1. Create a plan (and script) for your videos.
“He who fails to plan is planning to fail.“
– Sir Winston Churchill
The first step in getting started on your YouTube journey is to plan what your channel is going to be all about.
Then you need to plan the structure of the videos.
Decide what it is that you love creating and focus on developing related skills. Do not mimic trending YouTube channels.Doing what you love is more important for success on YouTube (and in life).
Videos tend to perform better if you write a script because scripts help you in organizing your videos efficiently and keeping you on track. By sticking to a script, you’ll be able to stay on track without veering off to an unrelated topic. This script will also ensure a perfect flow of events resulting in a well-focused video.
Include as many details as possible into your video script:
The exact words you are going to say.
The actions you will be taking in the video.
The main points you need to stress.
Any necessary calls to action (click on this link, subscribe to my channel, etc.)
Also, identify your target audience and write your script based off of their understanding.
Are they technically savvy? Are they non-native English speakers? Are they smart or dumb? What are their levels of expertise in relation to yours? Do they want something funny or informative?
Identify who your audience is and use appropriate language.
2. Produce highly engaging content (obviously).
It should go without saying, but you need to create content that is engaging, informative, and entertaining. Make sure it stays that way for the entire duration of the video. Losing the hook in the middle will cost you a lot of viewers.
Content that works the best is content that is either entertaining or informative. The content that really works the best is content that is entertaining AND informative. This is pretty standard with any kind of content marketing, but in particular, videos that inform and entertain are usually the most successful.
Specifically, you should be uploading a combination of burst and evergreen videos. Burst videos will be all the rage for a limited time, getting you instant hits, but will fade away as time passes by.
Evergreen videos are the ones that will get you archived views and will remain relevant irrespective of time. Ideally, if possible, you should try to create mostly evergreen content.
If you fear the wrath of the camera, you can try publishing ‘Screencasts‘. You can still make screencasts entertaining and informative.
Whatever you do, before you hit the publish button, make sure your videos are highly engaging and will be of value to your audience.
3. Increase your uploading frequency.
Now this is easier said than done, but you cannot ignore its validity. The main reason someone subscribes to a channel is because they love the work of the publisher and wants to see more of their videos.
YouTube subscribers usually do not like channels that don’t produce regular content. Especially in today’s digital age, consumers want continually more and more entertainment. You need to be able to keep up with your subscribers’ demands.
Consistency is the key to developing a long-lasting relationship with your subscribers.
Release your videos in a timely, recurring, and structured fashion. Try to publish one video per week… or at least one or two per month.
Stick to your schedule and do not upload videos off of this schedule. This will hurt your reputation. It’s like watching your favorite TV series; a new episode comes out according to a regular schedule. This consistency helps you stay engaged as a viewer.
4. Learn how to optimize your titles.
Being distinguishable is the most important aspect of YouTube success.
One great way to do this is to give your videos offbeat names. This way, you’re going to be getting a lot of people coming to your channel based on curiosity alone.
But to get a maximum amount of views, you will also need to dive into the SEO part of YouTube marketing.
Here are a few tips for optimizing your YouTube titles for greater reach:
Use the keyword in the title. This had a larger impact on SEO in the past, but it still has a pretty large effect on video. Google crawlers don’t watch videos the way they read blog posts, so putting the keyword in the title will let Google bots know what your video is all about.
Use Google Adwords to identify what people are searching for on the web. Try to tackle videos with a perfect blend of high volume searches and low competition.
Don’t make the title too long. Google truncates the length of the video down to 66 characters and adds ‘YouTube |’ before the video (taking an extra 10 characters). Your ideal video title should be no more than 50 characters.
Make the title descriptive. Give the audience a sneak peek as to what the video will be about.
Make the title engaging. Like I said above, having a quirky title will get more people to click. The more clicks you have, the higher it will rank.
Don’t use the word “video” in the title. This will only take up space and won’t help you rank higher on YouTube’s search engine (though it may have an effect on normal search engines).
If you already run a blog with a bit of a following, make use of similar branding elements for your YouTube channel. This will make you easily recognizable across all platforms.
Use a custom background header that includes some design elements from your blog.
Make the most of the YouTube channel bio and custom URL to finish up your channel customizations. Keep the bio short and to the point. You can always link to your blog’s URL in the video description for a more detailed bio.
6. Personalize video thumbnails.
Here is something many YouTube creators agree upon.
Create a custom video thumbnail for each video instead of letting one be randomly generated. This only makes sense.
Using annotations and relevant images as custom thumbnails for your YouTube videos will increase your videos’ CTR (click through rate). A custom video thumbnail with a minor annotation will tell your users what your video is all about.
YouTube currently offers a selection of thumbnails from three intervals – at the 1/4th mark, at 1/2 mark, and at the 3/4th mark. Choose the one that best illustrates what your video is about.
7. Create an engaging channel trailer.
YouTube offers a great feature called channel trailers that lets you automatically play a video upon the opening of a YouTube channel.
Your channel trailer is something you must carefully work on and constantly improve to keep visitors engaged.
This is the moment where you need to catch your audience’s attention within a few seconds. The perfect channel trailer is somewhere between 30 seconds to 60 seconds.
Here you will need to provide a reason to your potential subscribers as to why they must stay on your channel, and what it is that you have to offer them.
If you are good in front of the camera, give a quick, informative, and engaging introduction (with a well-structured script).
In your YouTube’s Channel Reports, check the viewer retention rates to see if you are killing off potential subscribers with a boring or lengthy channel trailer.
Tweak it until it’s perfect.
8. Make use of ‘Call to Action’ annotations.
‘Call to action’ annotations are those annoying popups in the video (which can be a blessing for the YouTube creators). If used in a proper way, you can get more subscribers by making your visitors click them during the video.
Many YouTubers have reported increased channel subscriptions with these annotations added to their videos.
A simple link created for subscribing to the channel can be placed as a call to action in your video.
If you’re using a graphic to add a call to action, you can liven it up with a call to action annotation.
If done in an unobtrusive way, you will see your channel subscriptions grow.
But again, the key here is not to be annoying. Users will not subscribe if your only reason for making videos is to get more people to subscribe.
Do it smartly, and it will pay off.
9. Use the right tools.
There are a lot of great tools out there. From tools to help you make videos to tools to help you promote your videos, using the right tools will help you increase your organic viewership.
And the more organic views you have, the more potential subscribers you can get.
For me, I have been using TubeBuddy for a while & I highly recommend it to anyone who is serious about YouTube marketing.
YouTube provides an option to link to your official web page, and if you’ve got one, make sure you do it.
This makes sense, and there’s no reason for you not doing it.
The efforts you put into getting visitors for your YouTube channel can be capitalized on when you direct your most curious visitors to your website. Moreover, your channel will also become verified as an authentic representation of your brand on YouTube.
Under the channel settings of your YouTube page, add your website/blog URL to your channel.
You may also consider adding your website/blog URL in the channel description itself.
Similarly, add a ‘Subscribe’ button somewhere on your blog to drive more subscribers to your YouTube channel.
Although YouTube is home to many detailed, in-depth reviews and other such lengthy content, the high converting videos are the ones which are optimized for less than 5 minutes in length.
Comscore reported in January 2014 that the average length of most YouTube videos was around 4.4 minutes. For content creators who are getting started, this is the golden number.
Follow this number until a following is built.
Once you have a good following, you can experiment with video length and see what your audience’s reaction is.
Keep it short, simple, informative, entertaining, and under 5 minutes.
It is a tough challenge, but it’s worth your efforts.
12. Use A YouTube Intro & Outro.
Your YouTube intro and outro not only helps in branding, it will make your video more entertaining.
Having an intro and outro will serve your brand and offer your video a sense of professionalism. It’s like the opening theme song of a TV show.
Moreover, an attractive intro will ensure that your viewers stay glued to the rest of the video.
Thomas Hawk, a well-renowned photographer, claims that for every single photograph that he publishes, he has ten rejected shots. The same goes with any type of editing.
Ruthlessly edit your YouTube videos and make sure only your best ones get published.
If you make haste about strictly adhering to your schedule and publish haphazardly, it will only hurt you and your brand as a whole. Make a lot of recordings while you are shooting a video, and make sure only the best parts get selected.
Take multiple shots if you don’t feel confident about a certain take.
Although I haven’t done much video editing on a Macintosh, Adobe Premier will work perfectly if you are based on Windows. Get the right editing tools to assist you in this (often) painstaking process.
If are willing to invest more time and effort to understanding cinematography, I recommend you check out The Five C’s of Cinematography: Essential tips for film making. It has some great cutting-edge techniques for both the novice and the seasoned cinematographer.
Coming back to the SEO aspect of YouTube videos, the video description is not to be neglected.
The description will not only let your videos be found in search engines, they’ll also give potential viewers an idea of what your video is about.
But don’t overdo it. Having a very detailed description makes no sense because only the first few lines of your description show up when the video is initially loaded.
Again, like the title, you should use your keyword in the description, and again, don’t overdo it. Don’t think you’re outsmarting the search engine by adding in your keyword 17 times. Doing this will actually hurt your chances of showing up in searches.
Keep it natural and authentic.
Hint: You can try linking people to a ‘squeeze page’ in your video description.
15. Make the most of meta tags.
Make use of the Google Keyword Planner for getting ideas on relevant keywords for your YouTube videos. Add all of those relevant keywords to your videos. This will help you become more discoverable in both Google and YouTube search engines.
Overdoing keywords will not help (it will actually hurt), but a few well-researched and well-placed keywords can do wonders for your rankings.
A low video count may not always be only about poor content; it could also indicate poor discoverability
Metadata is something that plays a major role in getting your videos displayed in search results. You can browse some well-converting videos and see what meta tags they are using to give you some ideas. But don’t just copy and paste meta tags; this won’t help your cause.
Here’s a video guide to help you out:
16. End your videos on a high note.
Whatever the nature of your videos, make sure you end your videos on a high note.
Just like the last dialogue before the curtain falls, make sure you end your videos in a memorable fashion.
Ask your audience for a subscription and a like if they liked the video. Tell them to check out your website. Give them your phone number and ask them to call you (…I wouldn’t recommend that one).
Whatever you do, remember:
If you never ask, the answer will always be no.
End your videos on a note of confidence and let your audience know that you appreciate their viewership.
Create a tail slate, or a brand-like outro with a standard banner and “subscribe” annotations across all of your videos.
End your videos with a smile and keep your visitors eager for more.
17. Consider collaborating with fellow YouTubers.
Collaborating on YouTube has become pretty common recently among top content creators.
Why?
Because collaboration benefits everyone.
It’ll be good for you, for your collaborators, and for the audience.
The creative process is a constructive one, and seeing other YouTubers as your competitors will only impede your progress, leaving you languishing and loathing others’ successes.
Try to reach out to similar users in your field and ask them out for an opportunity to work together on something interesting.
You’ll be able to connect to a new audience, your collaborator will be able to connect to a new audience, and your viewers will love all of this extra value they’re getting.
It’s a win-win-win.
18. Interact with your loyal fan base.
Social media is built upon this intangible thread of connecting and interacting with fellow people.
It is all about how much you care.
When your fans know that you care about them, they will care about you.
Interact with your audience, and listen to their requests in the comments section of your videos. It is true that you may face certain backlashes and anger in your comments section, but brush it off with elegance and listen to your loyal fan base.
Reply to the comments under your videos, and make your viewers feel connected all the time. This will build trust, and they will respect you for caring about them.
19. Consider giveaways and video challenges.
Who doesn’t love giveaways?
Offer your audience something in return for all of their engagement on your YouTube channel.
A free giveaway or video contest will reward your current followers, and will help lure in new followers.
You can give away anything you want:
A new tech gadget.
A branded t-shirt.
A hosting subscription.
A new car…!
Whatever it is, your audience will love the chance of getting something for free, and they will tell all of their friends about it (especially if the prize is really good). This is not only free promotion, it’s free viral promotion.
For a really big giveaway, many YouTube hosts require users to follow all of their social media profiles to enter into the contest. I recommend this approach.
It’s best if the thing you’re giving away is related to your niche, but even if it’s not, your audience will still love getting something for free.
20. Cross-platform promotion is a necessity.
In this age of social media, being present and active on multiple social platforms is a pre-requisite for being alive.
If you’re trying to build a brand, being discoverable is a must. You need to be active on many major social media platforms.
You should at least have a profile on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus. But you can always opt for other ones like Pinterest, Instagram, SnapChat, and all of the others… If being on too many social media platforms sounds like a logistical nightmare, you can use an auto-scheduling app like Buffer to help you stay organized and on a regular posting schedule.
You can also try Facebook Ads and Google Ads to promote yourself further on the web (I’d recommend trying Facebook Ads before Google Ads). You can also try tools like Pay with a tweet that lets users pay for a product with a tweet.
This is how successful brands are built. By being visible on many places around the web, you set yourself up as an omniscient presence.
Bonus Tip: Hustle for your first 1000 YouTube subscribers.
Whatever you do, have an aggressive strategy to get out there and get your first 1000 subscribers as quickly as possible.
The ‘build it, they’ll come’ attitude won’t work on social media. You will need to promote your channel to your maximum abilities. A channel that’s quickly gaining buzz will also help you stay motivated to work even harder and create better videos for your audience.
Share with your friends what you’ve been working on, and ask for a subscription if they are interested. Remember, don’t keep pestering friends; they are not obliged to do anything.
Get out there on other social media platforms with some personal connections and let them know about your undertakings. Ask them for likes and subscriptions (if they’re interested).
Again, don’t pester anyone!
Conclusion: Keep experimenting and exploring
“Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible.”
— M. C. Escher
What worked for someone else might not turn out to work for you. So, keep experimenting and stick to the methods that work… for you.
Keep experimenting with camera angles, backgrounds, video thumbnails, and all of the techniques in this article. Keep tracking your changes and the way they are affecting your audience’s behavior.
Stay true to your brand.
Building something of value on YouTube takes a lot of effort, time, perseverance, and a long-term commitment. But eventually, with patience, you can reap its benefits.
What are some other strategies you think should be mentioned here? Shout out your thoughts on how to build YouTube subscribers in the comments below.
