17 Tips for Writing Effective YouTube Descriptions (Free Template Included) (2023)

A good YouTube description can increase your audience's interest and lead to longer watch times, better views and even new subscribers. Also, it can help with YouTube SEO by allowing itAlgoritmo makes YouTubeto understand your content and suggest it to new users, further improving your statistics on YouTube.

Writing these descriptions is an important part of yoursgeneral YouTube strategy. But how do you create descriptions that work? Here are some of our favorite tips for filling out the YouTube description field.

What is a description on YouTube?

There are two types of descriptions that every marketer needs to know:

• YouTube channel descriptions. The text on your channelOnebook page. It helps viewers understand what to expect from your brand and can be used to explain why they should subscribe to your channel.
• YouTube video descriptions. The text below each video. It helps viewers find your video content and convinces them to watch it. You can also add links and additional information relevant to your video.

17 tips for writing YouTube descriptions

1. Be specific

Choosing your keywords is important for both your YouTube channel and your video descriptions.

Keywords in your descriptions help YouTube's algorithm understand, categorize, and display your content. The more specific your keywords are, the better.

For example, a video for writing descriptions for YouTube videosInternet-Videotextwill be a less useful keyword thanYouTube video descriptions.

2. Conduct keyword research

Not sure what keywords to use? Tools like Google AdsKeyword-PlanereGoogle-Trendscan help you get started.

Google Trends, for example, will help you understand if a keyword you're considering is trending. You can also use the tool to decide which keywords have the highest search volume.

Font: Google Trends

3. Use searchable keywords

More and more people are finding YouTube videos through Google search rather than YouTube itself.

Combine keywords based on YouTube and Google search trends to maximize your video's discoverability.

To see how much potential a particular keyword has to appear in Google's search results, simply... search Google. If you notice YouTube videos at the top of the search results page, you're on the right track!

4. Know how to use keywords

Once you've identified your keywords, it pays to know how to include them in the text of your descriptions.

look at meUse two or three related keywordson each channel and video description. For videos, the main keyword must also appear in the title.

Repeat each keyword 2-3 timesin the description to highlight them for the YouTube algorithm.

However, avoid repeating keywords too often or you risk being penalized for keyword stuffing.

5. Know where to use your keywords

Your primary keywords must appear at leastonce in the first three sentencesYour description (or "above the fold", aka "SHOW MORE" button).

The YouTube algorithm - and viewers - pay the most attention to this part of the description, so don't wait until the end to say what your video or channel is about.

6. Track which keywords are working for you

Once you start writing keyword-based YouTube descriptions, you can use YouTube Analytics to do sosee where your traffic is coming from.

Those:YouTube Creator Academy

This tool helps you focus on the keywords that generate the most traffic.

7. Find out what else your audience is watching

From 2021 moreYouTube-Trafficcomes from showing as a suggested video and not from the search bar.

Your video description is part of howThe YouTube algorithm finds out what it's about. This means that the description plays a crucial role in where your video gets featured.

Enjoy it withYouTube reviewto find out what other videos your audience is watching.

You can use similar language in your descriptions to reinforce these connections and appear more often as a suggested video.

8. Value of the Offer

Always include an obvious value proposition in your descriptions. why should anyonesubscribe to your channel? How will they benefit from your video?

Try to answer at least one of these questions in simple terms (bonus if you can do both).

Those:Hootsuite Labs

9. Include important information above the fold to improve CTR

The first 100-150 characters of your video description is the portion that appears in search results and just below your video (above the "SHOW MORE" button).

That means this is the most important part to reach potential viewers and improve your click through rates (CTR).

Use this space to give viewers a compelling reason to watch your video.

In the example below, the first description specifies exactly what question the video answers. The second wastes important space on generalities.

10. Evite-Clickbait

If you misrepresent your videos, viewers will stop watching halfway through. It harms your search ranking as well as your reputation.

Avoid clickbait video titles and irrelevant keywords. They can help you rank early, but YouTube's search algorithm will catch on sooner or later.

11. Include a call to action

Now that you have the viewer's attention, seize it!

Include a call to action in the video and channel description. Encourage viewers to like, comment, subscribe or read more.

Öbest calls to actionThey are easy to read, urgent and show an obvious benefit to the viewer. You can increase engagement, subscriptions and more.

Those:Hootsuite Labs

12. Write like a human

Remember, you're not just writing for YouTube's algorithm. You also write for people.

In fact, YouTube penalizes descriptions that are just SEO-optimized keyword lists.

Use language your viewers can understand and relate to.An authentic brand voicewill encourage user interaction that gets your videos seen.

13. Don't stress over video tags

Tags help direct viewers to videos with difficult-to-spell content. But they're also a place you don't have to worry about when planning your keywords.

Youtube sea, Tags play a “minimal” role in discovery. In fact, over-tagging can interfere with YouTube's spam detection.

However, don't ignore tags completely. They help the YouTube algorithm to place your video in the suggested videos section.

14. Organize your video with timestamps

Humans and algorithms love time-stamped videos.

Timestamps act as a table of contents, allowing users to easily navigate through your content and jump to different parts of the video.

Those:hip hop heads

Timestamps make videos easier to use for human viewers. This can increase your watch time and improve your video's ranking.

They are also indexed for mobile Google search. Use keywords to describe your timestamps and enjoy this new way to show your video on Google.

15. Know how to put links in YouTube descriptions

Relevant links in your descriptions are a great way to leverage a YouTube view for continued engagement.

For channel and video descriptions, you can add links to your social media presence or online store.

In your video descriptions, links to your channel and related videos help viewers find your content.

Don't forget to include themhttp://orhttps://at the beginning of the address. Otherwise the link will not work.

It's usually best to place your links at the end of your description. There are more important things to put first.

16. Save time with standard descriptions

Using YouTube's default description settings saves time if you want to add information to all of your video descriptions, such as: B. Links to social media.

This feature automatically adds important channel information to each uploaded video.

Just don't forget to fill in the rest of the description. A clear description is important for the findability of your videos.

Learn how to set up default descriptions.

Nr. 1 Social-Media-Tool

Create. To plan. Publish. To involve. Measure. Win.

Start the 30-day free trial

17. Test descriptions for multiple devices

YouTube may not be the video streaming service we most often associate with TVs. However, more recentYouTube Viewer Statisticsshow that 34.4% of video views were on a TV, up from 27% in 2019.

Those:eMarketer

Make sure your YouTube descriptions get your message across, no matter the screen size.

Preview your videos on the watch page and in search results using as many devices and browsers as possible. Has one of your keywords been truncated?

Do the same with your channel description and you're done.

YouTube description ideas

Sometimes you need a little inspiration for your YouTube video and channel descriptions. These examples show how our tips work in practice.

Professionals do it themselves

The channel description for DIY professionals hits all the important points. It tells you in the first paragraph what value the channel brings you.

It also tells you why you should trust him as an advisor. This is important when your subject matter expertise is part of your value proposition.

Those:Professionals do it themselves

EDHREcast

There are many calls to action and links in the description of this EDHRECast video, encouraging viewers to interact with the creators.

Those:EDHREcast

Global Bike Network

The Global Cycling Network channel description uses the banner as an additional space for a call-to-action in case someone misses it in the description.

Those:Global Bike Network

Anatolisches Rockdesign

The Anatolian Rock project uploads its video description with the musicians and bands related to the artist in the title.

It also includes music metadata for better discoverability.

Those:Anatolisches Rockdesign

deep sea scenes

Deep Marine Scenes has many links to additional information in the video description, but they include the keyword-based copy in the introductory paragraph.

Those:deep sea scenes

YouTube description templates

We've created a pack of fully customizable YouTube description templates that follow all the best practices outlined in this article.

Once you've downloaded the templates, make a copy and follow the instructions to make them your own and work seamlessly with your video content.

Grow your YouTube audience faster with Hootsuite. From one dashboard, you can manage and schedule YouTube videos along with content from all your other social channels. Try it for free today.

Start