Forget everything you’ve learned about YouTube SEO. Seriously. In this episode, I’m going to reveal why the traditional advice and even the fancy tools you’re using are likely not working anymore. If you’re serious about getting your videos to the top of YouTube search and transforming your business, you need to pay attention.
Having produced over 60 different YouTube channels, I’ve seen firsthand the power of the strategy I’m about to share. It has the potential to be a game-changer for your growth and your life. Let’s dive in and uncover the truth about YouTube SEO in 2025.
SEO Has Changed: It’s Not About “Doing” SEO To Your Video
To understand the opportunity now, let’s briefly look at how SEO used to work for websites. The old model involved creating a website and then performing SEO on it, often building external links to boost its authority.
But here’s the crucial shift: you can’t create a video and then simply “do” SEO to it. The winning strategy is to do the SEO research first and then create your video around that research.
Think about it. If you’re a productivity expert, you could create an amazing video filled with valuable principles. But if your target audience is, say, dental offices, and your video title is generic, it won’t reach them.
The key is to find specific questions your ideal audience is asking. For example, instead of a broad title like “Improve Productivity,” research might reveal the highly targeted phrase: “How to Improve Productivity in a Dental Office.” This becomes the foundation of your video content.
Ranking at the Top: Real-World Examples
This isn’t just theory. Let me show you some examples of this strategy in action:
- Search YouTube for “Are Fixed Indexed Annuities a Good Investment,” and you’ll see Stan the Annuity Man at the top.
- Type in “How to Get Business Credit with Poor Personal Credit,” and Noel Randall dominates the top spots.
- Look up “What Is the Role of a Superintendent in Construction,” and you’ll find Jason Schroeder ranking at the top, and even in positions three and four.
We achieved these rankings not through outdated link-building tactics but by focusing on creating a single, highly targeted YouTube video based on thorough SEO research.
Fake SEO Tools: Don’t Be Fooled
It pains me to say this, but many of the popular SEO tools and the advice you’re getting might be misleading. Take, for instance, the VidIQ and TubeBuddy plugins. They often provide “SEO scores” that don’t correlate with actual ranking success.
I’ve seen videos ranking at the very top of YouTube with seemingly low scores in these tools. These scores are often based on generic checklists (title length, tags, captions, etc.) that don’t truly reflect the strategic keyword research that drives results.
YouTube itself transcribes every word in your video, so it understands the content. While polishing captions is good for viewer experience, it’s not a primary driver of SEO. And while tags might have had some minor impact years ago, YouTube has stated they make little to no difference today. Overstuffing or using irrelevant tags can even hurt your video.
What Actually Matters for YouTube SEO:
- The Leaf Strategy (Keyword Research): This is the core of effective YouTube SEO. It involves in-depth research to uncover the exact questions your target audience is asking. (I have a dedicated video on this – link below!)
- Your Title: Your title needs to directly match the specific question you’ve researched using the Leaf Strategy.
- Automatic Transcription: YouTube’s built-in transcription understands your content.
Small Details That Might Help (But Don’t Stress Them):
- File Names: Naming your video and thumbnail files with your target keyword phrase might have a tiny benefit, but it’s not a critical factor.
- Playlists: Playlists can slightly increase views by associating your content with other videos. Experiment with including popular videos in your niche in your playlists.
- Comments: Engaging with comments can indirectly help by fostering a community and potentially leading interested viewers to your other videos, which can signal relevance to the algorithm.
What NOT To Do:
- Paid Ads for Subscribers/Views (for SEO): Paid traffic and organic search traffic are fundamentally different. Building a subscriber base through paid ads won’t necessarily translate to organic search rankings or engagement. I’ve seen channels with large subscriber counts but zero engagement or lead generation.
- Paying for Fake SEO Services: Any service promising to “do SEO” to your videos with tactics like buying views or using bots is a scam and will likely harm your channel. Ignore those unsolicited emails and LinkedIn messages with alarming SEO scores.
The #1 Thing: Master Keyword Research (The Leaf Strategy)
The single most effective way to optimize your YouTube videos for SEO is to master keyword research using the Leaf Strategy.
I have an entire video dedicated to explaining this powerful strategy. It’s called “The YouTube SEO Secret Strategy” and I’ve linked it right here. Go watch it now to truly understand how to find the right keywords, craft compelling titles, and leverage YouTube to generate leads and rank at the top of search.
I’ll see you in that video!
