Ep 063 YouTube + SEO for New Businesses
===
Welcome to SEO Day Studio with your hosts, the Findability Queen, Denise Millet, and the entrepreneur whisperer, Kim White. This is a space to hear the questions that fellow entrepreneurs have about SEO and get them answered. So many discussions involving techy topics like SEO are loaded with jargon and unnecessary complexity, so much so that anyone outside the tech industry has difficulty getting to the real meaning inside the information.
Denise believes that every entrepreneur can benefit from search engines once they hear how they work in a clear and straightforward way. She is on a mission to help entrepreneurs get the content they spend hours creating included in search engines, so when their customers search online, they're findable because she believes if they can't find you, they can't do business with you.
So stay tuned. The fun starts now
Welcome back to the SEO Day podcast studio, where we help new business builders get found online without drowning in tech. I'm Kim White, and I'm here with your findability queen herself, and SEO guide, Denise Millet. Today, we're talking about two big visibility tools working together, SEO and YouTube. If you've been thinking, "Maybe I should be on YouTube," but you're not sure what to talk about or how to actually get found there, this episode is for you.
Denise, before I start asking questions, 'cause that's my job around here, why is YouTube such a powerful place for new business builders who care about SEO?
Thanks for that, Kim. YouTube is powerful because it's both a search engine and a content platform itself. People go there, they type in questions just like they do on Google.
So your videos can keep working for you long after you publish them, and you don't need a huge channel or anything to start getting the right people finding you. For new business builders, one clear, helpful video that answers a real question can do a lot more than a pile of random social posts would ever do.
Well, such wisdom you have to share today, so thank you for that. And-
Thank you ...
we'll head into question number one. How can I choose video topics that people are actually searching for on YouTube, not just what I feel like recording?
Oh, okay. Seriously, keep it simple and audience first. So whoever you're talking to first.
So start with real questions your ideal person, customer, client asks you, like things that you get in email replies or DMs or conversations or comments, and write them down in their exact words. Type a few of those words into YouTube search bar and look at the automated suggestions and the phrases that are coming up as you're typing.
That's what people are actually searching for. And then turn those s- see what suggestions it gives for videos, right? That's what people are looking at when they type those things in. And then take those words and turn them into the s- strongest questions you think somebody's going to ask. So whether that's a how to, with a title of, for beginners or for experts or for someone doing this or someone doing that, right?
So for an entrepreneur, it might be how to get your first clients with YouTube, because- Everybody who wants to start on YouTube wants to know that. And then another for me might be SEO basics for your new business channel. Those are things that I know people just starting out want to hear. So if I were to create a video about that, that might be a connection.
So instead of guessing, we're letting our audience and YouTube tell us what they care about. Exactly. Love it. Question number two: What simple onscreen and description tweaks will help my YouTube videos get shared without learning the full tech YouTube SEO?
Okay. So I would say think about focusing on being clear, not being complex, not being, like all these different nuances.
Just be very clear about what you're saying. So onscreen, first say who the video is for and what it solves in the first 15 to 30 seconds, and then keep the audio and the lighting good enough so people can see and hear you clearly. Nothing turns people off more than audio that is, distant or crackly or seems amateurish.
Just it doesn't have to be professional, but it has to have a certain minimum level of it doesn't interfere with what you're trying to tell them. Okay? So that's important. And then in the description, I would open with one or two sentences say who it's for and what they'll learn using your main keyword phrase that fits naturally into it.
Don't just type the phrase and say dash two sentence. Like actually use it in a sentence as they used to say in school, right? And then add one clear link near the top to your na- your main next step. So if you have a website or you're offering a guide or a quiz or something like that, get it closer to the top so that it'll...
Not everybody scrolls all the way to the bottom. It's just the way the world works. You know, they might open up the description, they'll look at it, as much as fills the screen, and then they'll close it off again. So put it there. And then the last thing is include a short list of key points or questions that the video answers, and write it in people language, not, anything else.
Because they're going to use that to skim and see if this addresses what they need.
Mm-hmm.
And if it doesn't, then they're going to skip it. And this is your way to tell them that what they need is there.
Gotcha. So just by being clear and intentional, we're already ahead of the game?
Absolutely. You'd be amazed at how many people don't do those things to take it seriously.
They just record on their phone and throw it, which is one way to do it, but yeah. Anyway.
Y'all take this serious and make Tuesdays your SEO day, because Denise will help you be findable everywhere you are. That's what I'm going to say. So,
Remember that.
Question number three, how important are thumbnails and titles for search?
And what makes a title both searchable and clickable?
Geez, they matter a lot. they don't have to be super fancy though, So let's make sure we're clear, especially when it comes to thumbnails. You don't wanna be cutesy, you don't wanna be, tricky just to get somebody to click.
That's never what we're doing. And the same thing for thumbnails. You wanna present your case in bold words, but you don't wanna make it such that they don't get what they clicked on. So let's talk about that. But anyway, for titles first, use the same kind of words your audience would type into YouTube, like SEO tips for new business owners, or SEO tips to get found on Google, right?
Make sure it's things they might actually put in. And then in thumbnails, these are my rules. This is what I like to use when I can do it, because it takes times too. So let's not forget that this takes time, and if you have to choose your time, this may not be where you invest your time. But if you do create thumbnails that are different, make the words big enough that people would see them as they're looking at a screen full of videos.
Don't make them lean in or try to see what it reads, they won't do it. So just use a few words and make sure they're big, right? And make sure it supports the title, what's on the thumbnail. It can't be different. It has to be the same, it has to mean something or they'll be confused. And then keep the design simple such that there's high contrast, so it's easy to recognize even on a phone, because things get so much smaller on a phone, right Kim?
Mm-hmm.
So what I will tell you is your eyes recognize straight lines, sharp lines, edges, black and white. Then they recognize red, they recognize yellow. Those are the first things that you see. So if something is scrolly and patterned and has all this stuff on it, it's hard on the eyes. So I'm not saying everything needs black, white, yellow, and red, but I want it just give something clear and definitive and edgy with edges to it.
This last one, and please add your thoughts, Kim. Try to be consistent so that when all of your videos show up, you don't look like Monday you're one thing, Tuesday you're another, you're primary colors, then you're pastels, then you're this, then you're that. I mean, sure, slight variations, but try to keep it consistent because people are going to see over time and recognize you.
If you continue to change, you're losing that pattern recognition thing that you're trying to build up.
I love that. So titles help YouTube understand the topic, and thumbnails help humans decide to click. Is that right?
So all that I just said, that just came in one sentence, how about that? Or two sentences.
I guess you should answer these, I think. Absolutely
not. Let's take a minute to hear a word from our sponsors today.
Hey, it's Denise. Quick question. Are you trying to build an online business but the whole tech and website thing keeps slowing you down?
And I'm Kim. If that's you, we want to invite you to our weekly YouTube live stream, Website Royalty Town Hall, on our channel, @MySexyBusinessTeam.
Every Thursday at 4:00 PM Mountain, 5:00 PM Central, 6:00 PM Eastern, we go live to walk you through Kajabi, the all-in-one platform we use and recommend as affiliates.
We show you step by step how business owners are using Kajabi to build their websites, launch courses and memberships, email their list, and run their entire online business in one place.
We keep it real, share what's working right now, and answer live questions so you're not trying to figure this out alone.
And when you're ready to sign up for Kajabi using our affiliate link, you'll also get a full year of access to our private Website Royalty group, where we support you as you build.
To join us, go to YouTube and search for @MySexyBusinessTeam.
Hit subscribe, look for Website Royalty Town Hall playlist, and you can watch us live every Thursday or catch the replays any time.
That's @MySexyBusinessTeam on YouTube.
Come learn Kajabi with us and start turning your ideas into a real online business. The link is in the show notes.
We're back talking about how YouTube can be used to benefit entrepreneurs. Let's get back into our questions. So question number four, can I realistically grow my business with just one YouTube video per week, and what should I focus on first?
Okay, so yes, you can make real progress with one good video a week.
And first thing you want to focus on, as you are with this question, is consistency. So one helpful video every week or every other week will beat a burst of 10 and then radio silence for a month, right? the way that I- I'm using this term, but the way that the formula works, the algorithm works, is they get to learn your consistency and how often you...
whether you are a source of good information for them by you consistently delivering good information that people wanna see. So if you only deliver it a bunch and then you walk away, then how do they know that about you? So how do they learn your pattern if you don't give them a pattern to learn, right?
The second thing is think about the, the quality of your topics. You're answering a specific beginner-friendly questions your person is actually asking, which is all about what connections are in search and SEO is figuring out their words that they're using to type in. It's the same for YouTube. What words are they typing in to get to you?
Now, they may not be just what's in the title. There are tags and there are other things, so just make sure it's the things they're looking for and that will help you. the third is the structure of the video itself. So you have to say who it's for, and you have to show two or three clear points, and then end with the next step There are different things.
There are clips, there are shorts, there are videos, right? If you're actually putting a video out that's teaching something, that's an answer to someone's information request, that's the format I would use is, two or three clear points about the subject, and then what's their next step? So you can lead them to the next thing so they feel very satisfied.
So we're aiming for steady and useful, not perfect and overwhelming?
That would be what I'm looking at, yeah.
Well, question number five. I'm always sad when we get to the last question. How do I turn a YouTube viewer into an email subscriber or buyer using simple links and calls to action?
Ooh. Okay. So think of, one main next step.
First, decide on the single next step you want most viewers to take, like joining your list or taking your quiz or visiting a page, and then say that call to action out loud near the end of the video and point to it in the description. And then the third thing is you put a link at the very top of your description before the first of two sentences where you tell what the video's about, right after that, and make it easy for them to tap on the link.
And it's a short line that says, "As I said, here's where you can sign up for this," or, "Here's where you can get this," or, "Here's where you can take the SEO quiz," link, "and here's the link." Actually put the link in there so it becomes a clickable link Those are the three things
And I'm going to say you all should actually go take the SEO quiz.
Just saying. so instead of letting viewers drift away, we're giving them a clear, easy path into our world.
Exactly. You're turning anonymous people into potential relationships.
Love it. Well, Denise, for the listeners who's thinking, "I like the idea of using YouTube with SEO, but I'm still not sure what I actually need to understand about SEO if I want to handle this myself," what's a good next step, as you say?
Yeah. Well, that's exactly what, who I had in mind when I created my SEO quiz. It's designed for new business owners who's, who are building, who want to understand what they really need to know about SEO, to see which parts they can confidently do on their own, and to spot where they're missing simple, beginner-friendly kinda wins that they could do themselves.
You answer a handful of short questions, and the quiz gives you a clear result, what you're already doing well, where you're leaving opportunities on the table if you just learn a few things, and what to focus on so you're not trying to do all the SEO things at once.
Love it. So sweet listener, if you're building a new business and you want to understand what you need to know to do SEO on your own, go take Denise's SEO quiz.
You can find the link in the show notes. I've taken it and I survived, so you can too. Go and take the quiz.
That makes it sound like it was hard. Give yourself a few minutes and answer honestly. There's only seven questions. Let your results guide your next steps. The quiz will show you which SEO pieces deserve your attention now, and which one you can safely put on the later list.
Denise, thanks for making YouTube and SEO feel a lot less intimidating for new business builders and all of us. And thank you for listening to SEO Day. If this episode helped you, share it with another new business owner who wants to get found on YouTube without getting lost in the tech. We'll see you on the next episode.
'Til next time
