Many YouTubers understand the importance of appearing on the first page of search results. Page-one click-through rates (CTRs) are higher than any other page (many people don’t navigate past page-one for search results. Do you?). Naturally, being on the first page increases a video’s visibility and discoverability.

To consistently rank high in search results requires an understanding of video and search engine optimization techniques. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of influencing the online visibility of a website or web page in a search engine’s unpaid results, which is also referred to as “natural,” “organic,” and “earned” results. At a high level, YouTube SEO is divided into two parts, i.e., pre and post publishing factors.

YouTube is the second most visited website and search engine globally. Over 2 billion logged-in users visit YouTube each month, and each day people watch over a billion hours of video.

Achieving success on YouTube demands that creators produce engaging, high-quality content to keep viewers entertained. That recipe has helped thousands of YouTubers earn six, seven, and eight-figure incomes annually. Although many creators earn ad revenue through the YouTube Partner Program, there are many ways to make money from YouTube by uploading videos. The number of channels earning $100,000+ proves that YouTube is a viable way to earn a living. Regarding earnings and subscribers, YouTube reports the following:

How a person makes money on YouTube depends if he or she is a “YouTuber” or a casual user of the platform. YouTubers are highly active on YouTube and typically produce and appear in their videos. Also, they dedicate most of their working hours to creating and promoting their content. Casual users, like me, upload videos periodically. For example, I upload videos once or twice monthly (to grow my online brand, reach a different audience and drive traffic to my website). Also, YouTube is not their primary focus or source of income.

YouTubers take different approaches to monetize their channels and videos. To monetize your content, you must own all the necessary rights to commercially use all visuals and audio elements, whether they belong to you or someone else.