YouTube SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for Photographers

How to become #1 in a given category on YouTube, which is the world’s second-most visited website (after Google). In other words:

Google is the world’s #1 search engine
YouTube is the world’s #2 search engine

If you master YouTube *AND* Google, you are golden. This is how to do it:

1. Imagine like you’re the one doing the searching

If you are searching for anything, imagine what you will search for. Put yourself in the shoes of the other or the searcher.

2. Build clout on YouTube (be also hosted by other popular YouTuber’s)

I owe a LOT to Kaiman Wong and the Digital REV team (Alamby Leung, Lok Cheung) to help me get where I am today. Their video on AnalogRev got me an insane amount of fame and popularity. Thus it seems if you wanna become the king of YouTube, associate with the other kings.

Needless to say, Kaiman Wong is the #1 YouTuber for photography. No doubt.

3. Build other clout

Thanks to Cindy and Kevin for helping me get this Talk at Google. This certainly helps build clout as well. If I did a Google Talk, it is like the equivalent of doing a talk for TED.

4. Cross-pollinate your skills

For me, it is the intersection of photography, sociology, philosophy, street photography, and blogging. YouTube to me is just a dumping ground for my fun videos of anything which interest me. This is why I am very irreverent on YouTube and don’t take it seriously. Also, I do not monetize my YouTube videos (I don’t put advertisements on it, because it is distracting). Better to use YouTube as a free channel to advertise and market and brand yourself (leading people back to your own website or blog) than to build the YouTube for the sake of it.

5. How YouTube is a trap

A lot of people get suckered by YouTube. Why? It is digital share-cropping. You don’t own the land; YouTube (Google) does. One tiny tweak to the algorithm and you’re fucked.