Ten Tips For Increasing Traffic Of Your YouTube Channel

Once you've amassed a bigger following, you may have a little more freedom to include a few of those artsy (or nonsensical) shots, but always remember to think like a viewer and create what you would want to see.

Start with Simple Editing Software

Just because you're creating videos doesn't mean you need advanced software (like Final Cut Pro) to edit your content. These software programs don't necessarily improve your content, particularly if you're going to be struggling with it a lot during the first few weeks.

If you're new to video editing, you'd do much better with simple programs like Windows Movie Maker or Apple iMovie. These are a lot more user-friendly and are easily downloadable (for free), if you don't already have them on your computer.

Optimize Your Videos

Another secret to giving your videos more visibility is to optimize your content to help it rank on YouTube. As soon as you upload your first video, give it a good, descriptive title that viewers are likely to write on the search bar—and make sure to include your main keyword or key phrase. For example, the title "Hawaii Birthday Travel V-log 2018" is much better than "Hawaii Here We Go!"

Also, make sure to use relevant tags that will help put your video under multiple related categories. When in doubt, scope out the competition and check what tags other similar videos are using. Finally, write a good description with at least 200 words, and include your target keywords, synonyms, and long-tail keyword variations. Not only will this help viewers figure out exactly what your video is about, it will also help your video rank in search engine results pages.

Build Your Network

While not necessarily categorized as a social networking site, YouTube is all about connecting, sharing, and collaborating with other users. Thus, to be successful, you need to make an effort to build your network. This is particularly critical in the YouTube community, as collaborations among creators have proven effective in helping a channel grow and gain new subscribers because it helps both collaborators gain exposure with the other's subscriber base.

Talk to other creators, make friends, and don't be afraid to contact larger You-Tubers to inquire about a possible collaboration. It can certainly be intimidating, but you won't get anywhere unless you try!

Connect with Your Viewers

Over time, you'll slowly gain followers and get more comments from fans on your videos, and eventually, you'll get messages on your personal social media accounts—you may even get some fan mail, should you decide to share your P.O. box. As much as possible, make time to connect with your viewers. Remember that your social media accounts are an extension of your YouTube channel, so try to share tidbits of your life on popular social platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. It's also important that you try to read and respond to all the tweets, comments, and any other messages you get (as much as you are able).

Such interactions are important as they help your subscribers learn more about you, plus it can help you foster a sense of community and online camaraderie among your own little community. It's not enough that they like your content—they have to like you and their overall experience with your channel as well.

Interacting with your viewers can also help you gain inspiration for new content ideas. And at the very least, it will keep you inspired to go on despite the difficulties of growing and sustaining your channel.

Ignore All the Negative Comments

No matter how big or how small your channel is, there will always be negative comments. After all, YouTube is a hotbed for ruthless people hiding conveniently behind their blank avatars. No matter good your content is and how hard you work on your channel, there will always be people who will make hateful comments and try to bring you down.

Instead of letting them affect you, take it as a simple reminder that you can't please everyone, and don't forget those who appreciate you and what you do. Seek strength from these people in order to move past the negativity and continue producing content for them.

Upload Videos Regularly

Another important tip is to be consistent with your uploads. No matter how imperfect you think your content is, it's important that you keep getting your videos out there, as it is with .

Some YouTube channel owners publish videos once or twice a week and they let their viewers know about this schedule (usually at the end of each video) so viewers know when to check back. This gives a channel a bigger chance of getting a steady flow of views, especially once it gains a number of active subscribers. Once you figure out a convenient schedule that works for you, stick to it. You should be improving and getting more attention in no time!