GROUP SEO VIDEO PROJECT (40 points)

The objective of this assignment is to give you experience with the various aspects of search engine optimization, including keyword research and content optimization, by creating a video and optimizing it for YouTube. Publish your group’s SEO Video on YouTube before class on the due date, and submit the Video SEO Report (Word file) through your instructor’s preferred method before class on the due date.

Idea Generation / Keyword Research

1. Topic: Pick a general topic that interests you. Determine 2 subtopics that will guide your keyword research, as if you were making 2 different videos (more specific topics are usually better). Example topic: Microphone equipment, Subtopics: (1) home studio microphone kits, (2) cheap mics for podcasting, (3) USB microphone settings. Other general subtopic ideas: Tutorials, Reviews, Comparisons (A vs. B), Questions (answered in the video), Topic Explanations. Note: Do not use the same topic or subtopics as another group member. The idea is that you are each coming up with different video ideas that interest you personally.

2. Keywords. Each group member will create a small set of keyword research for both of their subtopics. Identify 3 keywords (phrases) for each subtopic that have roughly the same meaning, but with different phrasing. Each keyword must be one that people actually search—it should appear as an autocomplete suggestion as you begin to type it in YouTube’s search box. Add these keywords to a table, like the example below.

3. Demand: Use a keyword tool (SEMRush, Ubersuggest.org, Searchvolume.io) to check the actual monthly search volume for each keyword. If a keyword passes the autosuggest test in #1, but doesn’t show search volume in #2, this is OK—it just means <10 searches per month.

4. Competition: Search for each keyword phrase in YouTube to check the competition level, noting whether existing videos cover your same topic and how frequently the exact keyword appears in titles and descriptions. Generally, low competition means very few videos use your keyword perfectly in the title or description, and few videos cover the same topic. High competition means several videos use your exact keyword, and there are many videos covering the same specific topic.

5. After each group member has performed their keyword research independently (3 group members should have 6 total subtopics/sets of keyword research), bring your ideas together to pick 1 subtopic for your group video. (You will include all group member keyword research in the final report.)

Keyword Research Table Examples: Topic – Using Frosting

Subtopic 1: Frosting a Cake with a Knife

Keyword Monthly Search Volume

YouTube Competition

How to frost a cake with a butter knife

10 Low – No perfectly optimized titles, 1 video description mentioning butter knife

Frost a cake with a butter knife

<10 (YouTube Suggested)

Low – No perfectly optimized titles, no mention of “butter knife”

How to frost a cake with a knife

<10 (YouTube Suggested)

Low – No perfectly optimized titles, 2 titles mention “knife,” 1 description mentions “knife”

Subtopic 2: Frosting cupcakes with a bag

Keyword Monthly Search Volume

YouTube Competition

How to pipe frosting on cupcakes with a plastic bag

10 Medium – No perfectly optimized titles, more than half of the top 10 mention bags, cupcakes, frosting; 2 mention “piping”

Icing cupcakes with ziploc bag

40 Medium – No perfectly optimized titles, more than half of the top 10 mention bags, cupcakes; 1 mention of “icing”

How to frost cupcakes using a plastic bag

20 Low – No perfectly optimized titles, several top videos use cupcakes and bags, but only 1 mention of “plastic bags”

Frosting cupcakes with plastic bag

10 Low – No perfectly optimized titles, several top videos use cupcakes and bags, but only 1 mention of “plastic bag”

Group SEO Video 1. Primary keyword: After identifying the subtopic for your group video, you should pick

one low-competition keyword from the keywords for that subtopic as your primary keyword.

2. Video production: The video must be (A) less than 3 minutes (editing good, but not required), and (B) use good production (stable image, good lighting and sound, good energy/pacing). You are not required to film yourselves, but each group member should assist in some way. You can add images or overlay text, but the video should (C) verbally include the 3 retention principles from the Viewer Retention Video Tutorial here: https://backlinko.com/how-to-rank-youtube-videos (begin with the topic, jump fairly quickly into the content, use an open loop– i.e., generate curiosity by previewing something coming later in the video). (D) The video should incorporate some engagement-driving CTA at the end. (E) Create a custom thumbnail for the video to attract attention (unlock this capability by going to Youtube.com/verify). Don’t just use a still frame from the video. Video editing apps: iMovie, Apple Clips, Adobe Premiere Rush (avoid anything that leaves a watermark).

3. SEO: The video elements (video title and description) should be perfectly optimized for your primary keyword phrase. If possible, make your title more interesting-sounding than other videos that appear for the search (while maintaining perfect SEO). Naturally incorporate related words and synonyms into the description for more optimization potential. Also use relevant keywords in the video tags.

4. Publication and engagement: Publish your video before class on the due date. For full engagement credit, coordinate so that your video can get 10 likes and 5 comments within 24 hours of publication. (Keep in mind that YouTube detects and rewards viewer retention)

Video SEO Report Requirements The final report for your group should contain:

● All group member keyword research tables (each labeled w/ the name of its creator) ● URL of your optimized video on YouTube ● Target keyword ● Current YouTube ranking for your target keyword (try using https://ytrank.net) ● A thoughtful assessment of how your rankings and video traffic compared to your

expectations and what you might do differently next time. ● Video title ● Video description ● Video tags ● Thumbnail image ● Screenshots from your YouTube analytic charts (timeframe: “Since uploaded”) including:

o Views (Overview tab) – the whole line chart w/ views, watch time, subscribers o Audience retention (Overview tab) o Reach (Reach tab) – the whole line chart w/ impressions, CTR, and views o Traffic source: YouTube search (Reach tab)