Audience Growth

YouTube Shorts SEO: 13 Effective Ways To Boost Your Reach

by · Published Jul 12, 2024

The latest short-form video format to enter the social media space, YouTube Shorts are great for one thing above all: discoverability.

Since they can be shown on anyone’s Shorts feed (not just your subscribers), YouTube Shorts are a brilliant way to get new eyes on your content. But for that to work, you need to get your content noticed by the algorithm. That’s where SEO comes in.

SEO (search engine optimization) is a practice used by marketers and creators to get their content to rank high in search results by finding the right keywords and tailoring their content to them. It’s often done for Google, but it works for YouTube and other social media platforms, too.

Read on for 13 YouTube Shorts SEO tips to get more reach for your content.

What is YouTube Shorts SEO?

Essentially, YouTube Shorts SEO is about finding popular keywords that match your content and integrating them into your Shorts to make videos audiences will love.

Using SEO strategies for YouTube Shorts can help increase your content’s visibility and help you beat the YouTube algorithm. With some SEO work, your Shorts are more likely to show up in users’ Shorts feed, in their recommendations, and in search results.

Sure, your Shorts may still get discovered by users without SEO, but it’s almost like saying a car can reach its destination with a flat tire.

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13 Tips for YouTube Shorts SEO

  1. Research keywords and incorporate them into your Shorts
  2. Create with intent
  3. Figure out how Shorts fits into your content strategy
  4. Anticipate what your audience wants to see
  5. Add a description to your Shorts
  6. Review your Shorts’ performance using analytics
  7. Use SEO tools to optimize your strategy
  8. Pay attention to trends
  9. Use a combination of short-tail and long-tail keywords
  10. Post at the right time
  11. Experiment with titles
  12. Promote your Shorts on other platforms
  13. Create consistently

Tip #1: Research keywords and incorporate them into your Shorts

Let’s start with a technical SEO tip: keyword research.

Go to YouTube and search for creators in your niche who have a similar target audience, and see what keywords they’re using in their content. You can also use Google Trends to get a rough idea of how many people search for a given keyword.

Once you have a list of keywords, here’s how you use them:

  • Use your keywords as hashtags in your video’s title: Your keywords need to show up in that title. YouTube also recommends using the hashtag “#shorts” in the title, as it’ll help recommend your Shorts to users.
  • Mention the keywords in the video: If you’ll be talking in your video, make sure you mention your keywords out loud once or twice.
  • Include the keywords in your captions: Whether you’re trusting the automated captions or adding your own, you should make sure they feature your keywords.
  • Add keywords to your video description: Bet you didn’t know Shorts had descriptions? More on that further down this list.

Tip #2: Create with intent

If you want your Shorts to show up in a user’s feed, you need to create them with a specific intent in mind.

Since YouTube Shorts are much faster to create than long-form videos, you might be tempted to make a bunch of them and throw them out there. But without intent, your Shorts are a lot less likely to succeed.

What’s your target audience? Are you using Shorts to fill some gaps in your overall content? Maybe you want to share clips of your longer YouTube videos? While you should definitely experiment with different types of Shorts, make sure every experiment has an intent behind it. Any SEO work you put into your Shorts has to start with a specific goal in mind.

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Tip #3: Figure out how Shorts fits into your content strategy

Unless you specialize in short-form video content, you should treat YouTube Shorts as just another tool for building your audience.

In a video from Creator Insider, YouTube product manager Pierce Vollucci recommends that creators think about how Shorts can fit into their overall content strategy. For example, if you specialize in beauty content, you could use Shorts to create quick, bite-sized makeup tutorials.

You don’t need to stick to a specific plan if it doesn’t end up working well, but always think of how your Shorts can benefit your YouTube channel as a whole.


Tip #4: Anticipate what your audience wants to see

One of the biggest misconceptions about the YouTube algorithm is that it “chooses” to push some videos over others. However, in an interview with Creator Support, YouTube rep Rene Ritchie dispelled this myth: “People think, ‘I made a video, why isn’t the algorithm pushing it?’ When in reality, the algorithm pulls videos for users.”

So instead of trying to play the algorithm, ask yourself what your audience wants to see. Do they want bite-sized clips of your longer YouTube videos? Maybe Shorts can work as previews of other content? Are there new types of content you should be exploring to reach a wider audience?

Give the people what they want and the YouTube algorithm will reward you.


Tip #5: Add a description to your Shorts

You might not have noticed that Shorts have descriptions but don’t worry, they’re pretty easy to find! Just tap the vertical ellipses (it looks like this → ⋮) in the top-right corner of a Short to find the description.

The description is a great place for inserting the keywords you’ve found in your research, but it’ll also let you plug hashtags, links, and more.

youtube shorts description seo keywords
Include relevant keywords, hashtags, and links in your Shorts’ descriptions.


Tip #6: Review your Shorts’ performance using analytics

Optimizing your Shorts content isn’t just about including keywords in your videos, you also need to adjust your strategy as time goes on.

With YouTube Analytics, you’ll see how many views your Shorts are getting, how much watch time they’ve accumulated, and how many subscribers they’re bringing in. Check regularly to see what’s working and what isn’t. Are some hashtags driving more views than others? Maybe you should create more content targeting them. A specific type of Short isn’t getting as many views? Time to try something else.


Tip #7: Use SEO tools to optimize your strategy

While there are many SEO tools out there, some are built specifically for YouTube creators. For example, vidIQ uses AI to evaluate your channel’s performance, analyze your competitors, and give you actionable insights you can use to improve your videos’ reach. Many of these tools offer a free plan, meaning you test them out before investing in a subscription.


Trending hashtags and keywords will have a ton of search volume behind them, which makes them a perfect addition to your YouTube SEO strategy. Don’t go out of your way to make content for a trend that doesn’t fit your niche, but keep your eyes open for any opportunities. That’s because a trend can do two things:

  • Help lift up your overall YouTube channel with extra traffic and new subscribers.
  • Test out your SEO strategy.

There’s no guarantee that a Short will allow you to capitalize on a trend just because you gave it some SEO magic, but it’s still a good way to work on those skills.


Tip #9: Use a combination of short-tail and long-tail keywords

Yes, we’re getting a bit technical here. The main difference between short-tail and long-tail keywords is this:

  • Short-tail keywords have more traffic but are less specific.
  • Long-tail keywords have less traffic but are more specific.

Let’s say you’re making content in the beauty and fashion niche. “Get ready with me” would be an example of a short-tail keyword, while “get ready with me to go to prom” would be a long-tail keyword.

You don’t want to go exclusively for short-tail keywords, because while they have more traffic, they can be harder to rank for and less specific to your content. Don’t just use long-tail keywords, either. You’ll get traffic that’s more specific to you, but you’ll get less of it. A healthy mix of both is best.


Tip #10: Post at the right time

Your Shorts need a bit of initial views to start getting recommended in more feeds and popping up in YouTube search results. A good way to do that is by posting when your audience is most likely to be active on the platform.

There’s no hard-and-fast rule for this — not everyone goes on YouTube at the same time — but there’s one surefire way to find the right time to post for your audience. The Audience tab in YouTube Analytics has a graph that shows you when your audience is usually scrolling through YouTube. Make sure to post at those times.


Tip #11: Experiment with titles

A title might not be what hooks a viewer when they’re just scrolling through the Shorts feed, but it’s a big part of telling YouTube what your Short is about.

Include relevant keywords or hashtags in your Shorts’ titles, and test out different things to see what works. For example, try putting the keyword at the beginning for a few Shorts and see how they perform.

While titles may not be super visible on the Shorts feed, they will show up in recommendations and other places on the platform just like a YouTube video title. So, don’t neglect them.


Tip #12: Promote your Shorts on other platforms

If you have a presence on multiple platforms, promoting your Shorts on them can often lead to a boost in SEO performance. Whether that’s a blog, a Twitter (or X) page, or other platforms that let you embed videos, try to find opportunities to do that with your Shorts.

You can use this cross-promotion to boost the profile of your other platforms, too. Use a YouTube Short to test out an idea, and if it performs well, you can create a longer piece on another platform — or vice versa.


Tip #13: Create consistently

One of the single best ways to ensure that your YouTube Shorts start getting traction is to keep creating them. Having consistent output means you’re constantly improving your content creation skills, getting more chances at fine-tuning your SEO abilities, and potentially finding entirely new audiences.

You could know all the SEO tricks out there, but your YouTube channel won’t go very far if you don’t have a strong backlog of content to share.

Make the most of your YouTube Shorts

With YouTube Shorts being relatively new, there isn’t a lot of information about how to get them to rank in search. However, some of the tried-and-true methods that work for long-form YouTube videos will likely work for Shorts, too. As you get started, be sure to keep your audience in mind, don’t be afraid to experiment, and use the right keywords in your Shorts titles and descriptions. You’ll start getting traction in no time

Want to turn your YouTube Shorts into moneymakers? Get our free guide to making bank with Shorts.

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8 PROVEN WAYS TO PROFIT FROM YOUTUBE SHORTS

Your free guide to making money with short-form content on YouTube.

YouTube Shorts SEO FAQ

Why is SEO important for YouTube Shorts?

Search engine optimization (SEO) techniques help web content rank high in a search engine. For YouTube Shorts, that means they’re more likely to be recommended, show up in someone’s Shorts feed, or pop up after a user enters a specific keyword in the YouTube search engine.

Is making YouTube Shorts worth it?

Absolutely! Not only can YouTube Shorts bring in a ton of views, they have two other big advantages going for them:

  • Shorts often get shown to viewers who don’t know about you yet, making them a great tool for discovery.
  • Shorts can help you qualify for the YouTube Partner Program and start monetizing your channel (if you haven’t yet).

Since you can usually make short-form videos a lot faster than longer YouTube videos, they’re a small investment that can pay off massively in the long run.

youtube shorts monetization guide

8 PROVEN WAYS TO PROFIT FROM YOUTUBE SHORTS

Your free guide to making money with short-form content on YouTube.

How can you optimize YouTube Shorts?

To optimize a YouTube Short for search engines, you simply need to do a few things:

  • Think about the kind of content your audience wants to see.
  • Look up relevant keywords for your content.
  • Integrate keywords in the video description, title, and hashtags.
  • Mention the keywords in your Short (if you’re speaking over it).

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Further reading

This article was originally published in March 2023, and updated in July 2024 with additional information.

Nicholas Bouchard
About the author

Nicholas Bouchard

Nick Bouchard is a content writer and marketer with a passion for creation. His hobbies range from writing fiction to wrestling. He can only be photographed in national parks and on mountains, and pictures of him usually come out blurry. Some wonder if he even exists at all.
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