What’s ACTUALLY Working on YouTube in 2022

Unlike Instagram, you don’t hear much about changes happening over on YouTube. Instagram makes a change, and the online world is having a field day with it. But when YouTube changes something on their platform or algorithm….nada. 

So it’s really no wonder that people are still using the same outdated strategies that have been scrapped years ago, and still firmly believing they work!  

YouTube has made some MAJOR changes over the last few years, and the biggest one of them all? Focusing on keyword research isn’t going to cut it for a strategy anymore. 

Yes — SEO and keyword research are still a piece of that YouTube strategy puzzle, but they shouldn’t be your only focus. YouTube is getting smarter and smarter, and the algorithm is evolving with it.

So how do you balance your strategy, especially if you’re just getting started and are looking for ways to grow? 

Two words, my friend — home page. 

But first — why is SEO not a priority anymore?

Before I break down why getting seen on the home page is such a glorious thing for your channel, let’s take a look at why exactly SEO shouldn’t be your main focus, but also why you shouldn’t just toss it in the garbage either. 

It's because search traffic is a slow burn.

It’s going to take weeks, even months, to see these videos pop off the way you want them to (IE — reach, views, traffic to your website…). If you’re used to getting 1000s of views in an instant on TikTok, it can be especially grueling waiting for that traffic to come in. And that ultimately leads to frustration, impatience, and burnout for YouTube content (even though YouTube and TikTok, though both video platforms, are not the same).

Search-based traffic drives search-based views, which aren’t always the best viewers to have either. It’s harder to build a community and keep them coming back for more. When you have a channel based solely on search-based traffic, your channel will eventually die.

The home page is where it's at

YouTube’s algorithm understands the viewer and what they want to watch. Most people don’t ever leave their homepage to find something. They don’t need to go to the search bar, they don’t even go to their subscriber tab.

So…you know what happens next.

YouTube favors the home page, and it's the place to be in 2022!

It’s just like the For You Page on TikTok or the Discover Page on Instagram. Most people watch directly from what they see there because the algorithm has curated a feed that suits their needs — and YouTube has nailed this!

Listen, you gotta stop spending all of your freaking time on keyword research.  

Instead, sit down to focus and figure out what your audience wants from you! Because if you can create content they want to watch, Youtube will do all the promotion for you.

How to land on the home page

YouTube is actually pretty similar to TikTok and Instagram. The more people interact and engage with your posts, the more they push it to people so they will stay on their platform. But where TikTok and Instagram’s algorithm is full of confusing bells and whistles, YouTube keeps it pretty straightforward. 

No need to find trending audio to get those views. No need to post on a certain day at a certain time. No walking on a tightrope trying to balance good content and getting your video seen. YouTube’s MO is this and this alone — stay on our platform so we can make money. 

That being said, here’s the nitty-gritty of what to focus on instead of SEO and keywords (and how to land on the home page).

Click-through rate (CTR)

Knowing the title and thumbnail before you create your content can help boost your CTR. 

You have to make your videos curiosity-driven. Think about the benefit your viewers are going to get out of that video and use that to guide your title and thumbnails. 

Think about it…when people are curious, they’ll click. Good headlines draw us in. 

Once you know the title and thumbnail, focus on the content you’re going to share. The first 5 seconds are the most important so don’t waste time here introducing yourself with a fancy branded intro or by telling them what they are going to learn today. Yawn.

Get into something that keeps them leaning in and makes them want to keep watching for the reveal. 

Audience retention

Having good audience retention can expand your reach. 

Just showing up to do the basic how-to questions is only going to get you so far. But let’s reframe it — what if instead we said, “The worst mistakes I’ve seen on YouTube.” Sounds much better than saying “How to make a good YouTube channel.”

The name of the game is to keep them watching and this is a great way to do that. 

Deliver on what you promised in the title and thumbnail. Show them examples and social proof. Make it fun to watch. If you can take someone who watched one video of yours and keep them on YouTube for hours? CHA-CHING!

End Screens 

End screens are one of the best ways to do this, and they’re insanely underutilized/talked about. 

This is the best way to not only extend session time on YouTube and make the algorithm happy but to get more viewers that convert to subscribers, and the more they watch and ultimately become part of your community — which is kind of a big deal on YouTube. 

BONUS TIP — The Firework Approach

Whenever we start a brand new channel in our agency, we ALWAYS use our Firework strategy. The main idea is that you have one core video that goes in depth with something SUPER valuable. Then every other video that month talks about a small part of the big idea, ultimately drawing them back to the core video. They see your spark video first, head to the core video, then to your website, then to your offer. 

H2: BONUS TIP — The Firework Approach

Whenever we start a brand new channel in our agency, we ALWAYS use our Firework strategy. The main idea is that you have one core video that goes in-depth with something SUPER valuable. Then every other video that month talks about a small part of the big idea, ultimately drawing them back to the core video. They see your spark video first, head to the core video, then to your website, then to your offer. 

We do this because our clients are six and seven-figure entrepreneurs and they need to make sure YouTube is bringing them MOOLAH. And I can tell you, it works. 

In a recent episode of The Video Reframed Podcast, I talked to Christina Scalera — a digital product creator coach — about how she’s using Youtube to drive traffic to both of her businesses! Listen in as she shares what held her back from Youtube originally, the changes she’s seen in her businesses, and what content types she shares on her channels.

Want to hear the full interview? Click below.