Run a few Google searches and see how long it takes to see at least one YouTube video in the results. It won’t take long.
YouTube content is heavily featured in search results now. In fact, YouTube is cited in 30% of AI Overviews, making it the top domain overall for AI-generated search results, ahead of news sites, educational institutions, and yes, even traditional web pages.
YouTube has evolved from its humble beginnings as a simple vlogging platform (aka, the golden years of social media). In 2026, it’s acting as a search engine, and if you’re not treating it like one, you risk missing out on measurable search visibility.
What is YouTube SEO?
Just like traditional SEO involves optimising web pages to appear in Google search, YouTube SEO involves making your video content discoverable. It’s always been an aspect of the platform for creators, but in 2026, it’s no longer just about ranking videos within YouTube itself, but across Google’s wider ecosystem too.
Why does YouTube SEO matter in 2026?
YouTube is the second most-visited website in the world (after Google itself), pulling in roughly 48.1 billion visits per month. That’s around five times more visits than Facebook and nine times more than ChatGPT.
People no longer go to YouTube just to be entertained; they go there to learn, research, and find solutions to problems. For queries ranging from “how to fix a leaking tap” or “best project management software 2026,” there’s a very good chance the user is either searching directly on YouTube or expecting video results in their Google search. If you’re not there, you’re missing out.
People are more likely to engage with video content, and Google’s algorithms will have recognised this engagement long ago. Signals like views, watch time, likes, and comments all feed back into Google’s understanding of your content’s value and authority. But let’s not pretend there isn’t an element of bias here. YouTube is owned by Google, and Google has every incentive to surface YouTube content in its search results (talk about keeping it in the family!). But it’s not just Google’s SERPs; AI platforms like Perplexity and ChatGPT are also overwhelmingly citing YouTube content.
6 tips for YouTube SEO
The beauty of most areas of SEO is that the fundamentals stay the same, so if you have some experience in the field, you’ll already know the basics. Here’s how to apply them to YouTube.
Optimise your channel name and description
Your channel name should clearly represent your brand, using relevant keywords where appropriate and natural. For example, we’re Browser Media, but if we were launching a YouTube channel, Browser Media | Digital Marketing & SEO may perform better in search.
The channel description is also important, especially the first 100-150 characters, as YouTube displays this snippet in search results. Treat this like you would the meta description for your website homepage. You can also add channel keywords within YouTube Studio to help YouTube understand the overall theme of your content and who your target audience is.
Write titles for search intent
Just like you would conduct keyword research before titling a blog post, you should follow a similar process when naming a YouTube video. Incorporate your most important keywords, and frame titles as questions or solutions when possible to mirror how users are likely to search.
Optimise your video descriptions
With a character limit of 5,000, you should be utilising video descriptions to their full potential. Like any SEO content in 2026, think of it as a structured summary written for both humans and machines.
Organically include your target keyword a few times throughout, and clearly state who the video is for, what problem it solves, and what key concepts it covers. You can also use descriptions for cross-promotion by including links to your website, other videos, or social media platforms. Just make sure these come after your core description content.
Use video chapters
Video chapters are timestamped sections that break your video into digestible parts – great for UX, but even better for SEO. YouTube and Google can surface specific chapters directly in search results and AI Overviews, often linking to the exact moment in your video that answers a question. This means one video can potentially rank for multiple different queries based on its chapters.
Each chapter should be at least 10 seconds long and have a clear, descriptive title.
Upload accurate transcripts and captions
Auto-generated captions are better than nothing, but they’re often inaccurate, especially with technical terminology, product names, industry jargon, or thick accents. Uploading your own accurate transcript not only makes your video more accessible to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, but it also gives search engine crawlers rich text to analyse.
Create topical clusters
Rather than uploading sporadic, disconnected videos, create clusters of content that complement each other. For example, a single video about GA4 could become a series covering aspects like setup, basic reporting, advanced features, and common mistakes.
This approach builds topical authority far more effectively than one-off videos, signalling to YouTube and Google that you’re a comprehensive resource on the subject, and making you more likely to be cited in AI Overviews and recommended to viewers on the platform.
Mastering YouTube SEO in 2026
It’s no secret that building a successful YouTube presence is neither quick nor easy. Creating quality video content takes time and resources that not every business has to spare. But if your competitors are investing in the platform, the cost of ignoring YouTube in 2026 is massive.
As search continues shifting toward AI-driven answers and multimodal content, video is becoming a core source material. You don’t need to produce Hollywood-level content; you just need to create helpful, well-optimised videos that answer real questions your audience is asking. Do that consistently, and YouTube can become one of your most valuable SEO assets.