Are short videos—or “Shorts”—on YouTube okay for SEO?
Well, it depends.
In this post, we’re going to dive into:
- When SEO matters (and when it doesn’t)
- What Shorts are good at—and where they fall short
- A behind-the-scenes look at my six-month YouTube experiment with SEO-focused Shorts
Why Use Content SEO?
Search engines have changed. They’re no longer just website search engines—they’re content search engines. That includes YouTube.
Old-school website SEO tactics? They don’t work anymore. Today, we’re optimizing content—especially for lead generation.
If ad revenue is your goal, I highly recommend my friend Derral Eves, who literally wrote the book on YouTube monetization.
What Are Shorts Really For?
YouTube Shorts and regular videos are treated as separate content types. Shorts are shorter, vertical, and don’t offer much time to deliver real value or build trust.
In contrast, a 10-minute video gives you plenty of space to:
- Provide deep value
- Build rapport and trust
- Showcase expertise
- Give a clear call to action
Do Shorts Help with SEO?
People clicking on Shorts want fast answers. People clicking on longer videos want depth—and that’s who you want if you’re generating leads.
My sweet spot? Videos in the 10 to 12-minute range. Enough time to help and build a relationship.
The YouTube Shorts Experiment (With Real Data)
We tested the idea of using Shorts to funnel viewers to longer videos using YouTube’s “related video” link feature.
Here’s what we found using YouTube Analytics:
- 114.5k views in 28 days
- 39% from external (mostly Google Search)
- Only 0.1% of traffic came from Related Shorts
This result was consistent across every channel we tested. Meanwhile, end screens outperformed at 0.9%.
Final Thoughts: Should You Use Shorts for SEO?
If your goal is SEO and lead generation, Shorts won’t get you there.
Use them if you want quick exposure or audience engagement, but not for deep relationship-building or search rankings.
Want to see the strategy that does work? Watch my video on the Leaf Strategy:
YouTube SEO Secret Strategy – Leaf Strategy
TL;DR: Are YouTube Shorts Good for SEO?
- ✅ Good for quick exposure
- ❌ Bad for trust-building and SEO
- Use Shorts strategically—but don’t rely on them for rankings or lead generation
