YouTube is the world's biggest and probably best video platform out there. Their user base has grown to an incredible 2.5 billion (as of March 2024) and they have cornered the market. The only place where YouTube isn’t the biggest platform is for short-form content (TikTok and Instagram are more popular for that) and streams, though Google is making changes that are targeting those areas as well.
Since YouTube has such a big user base, it's no wonder that affiliates love the platform. The platform still uses an advanced algorithm that favors quality over virality. This means that if you make quality content, the algorithm will push your content to more people. With just a few good videos, you can potentially reach millions organically.
Why Do Affiliates Like YouTube
YouTube is massive, it is so big that it's the world's second-largest search engine (after Google). This pure amount of users makes it an incredible channel for driving organic traffic. Users on YouTube can have various intents, and you can cater to these groups by creating engaging and high-intent content like reviews, tutorials, and various recommendations.
Since it's a video platform, it allows you to express creativity and show your users products and services in motion, and demonstrate them properly. This can make your products more interesting and trustworthy as users can see exactly how they work and what makes them unique.
On the flip side, this can also be bad if you are awful at showing the products in their best light. If you are good at making engaging videos then you should know that YouTube is an incredible place for that kind of content.
All of this is what makes it so popular amongst affiliates. The creativity, mass appeal, and possibility to find and engage the right user are unparalleled!
How Can You Increase Your Traffic
Increasing traffic on YouTube mostly boils down to focusing on specifics and improving the quality of your content so that audiences enjoy it more. Here are some tips you can implement to “hack” the algorithm and get more organic traffic!
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Focus on High-Intent Keywords
First of all, when deciding what kind of content to create, do your research on keywords that align with user intent. After you have identified what your users are interested in, try forming high-intent keywords.
Let's say you are an affiliate that promotes tech products. Instead of Creating a video that talks about the “best headphones” you can change this up and make a video about “The best noise-canceling headphones under $200”.
Focusing on making videos like these will bring you users with more intent, and you will get better results. Don’t forget to put these keywords in your videos, titles, thumbnails, descriptions, and tags.
YouTube also analyzes your video content through transcription, so make sure you also mention your high-intent keywords in your videos!
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Optimize Your Thumbnails and Titles
Your thumbnail, title, and first 10 seconds are the most important parts of your video.
- The first thing that people see is the thumbnail. It needs to be engaging and interesting as well as unique so that it stands out compared to other content. Youtubers have found that including human faces, text, circles, arrows, or reactions is a great way to catch attention.
There are also some new tools inside of YouTube that allow you to split-test various thumbnails. This way you can learn what your audience responds well to and get more clicks. It's also not a bad idea to change your thumbnail and title now and then slightly, to re-engage people who might have not clicked on it the first time. - The second most important thing is your title. It should be short, actionable, and engaging. Aim at having titles that fit in the default 2 rows, so that it doesn't get cut off on mobile devices. You can change your title after launch to see if it has any impact on your clicks.
- The third thing is the first 10 seconds of your video. There are multiple reasons behind it. First of all, when users browse their feed, if they hover over a video, it will start playing at the beginning of your video, so make sure it's interesting so that they might click.
It is also important to hook your users after they click on your video. If they get engaged within the first 10 seconds and don’t click off within a minute, there is a huge chance that they will stay until the end. More watchtime will boost your ranking in the algo, giving you more traffic!
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Create Evergreen Content
Evergreen content can remain relevant for years. If you have a couple of these videos, they can constantly bring in new traffic and subscribers without you having to do anything about it. Of course, the influx will be less than if you strike trendy topics, but combining these two is what you should be aiming for anyway.
Let’s say you are a fitness influencer. You could make videos about:
- What supplements can help you gain the most muscle (you can promote various supplements)
- How to train a specific group of muscles (here you can promote an exercise program or equipment)
- What are the best foods to eat to lose weight (you can promote diet plans, planned meals, or supplements)
All of these ideas have something in common. They are not about a trendy topic, and they can still be relevant in 10 years.
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Use Playlists
Playlists were at the height of their popularity a decade ago, but they seem to be making a comeback. With AI-curated playlists and recommended feeds. playlists are once again getting more views.
You can create playlists based on your content that encourages viewers to watch multiple videos. You can group your videos based on topics, products, or general content. You can also mix evergreen and seasonal content for a great push for both.
These playlists will also appear in Google search results if you organize them properly. Make sure to also include keywords in the playlist title!
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Include CTAs
Call to action has always been a huge part of YouTube culture. Telling people to like commend and subscribe is so common because of one reason, it works! YouTube also added a feature that highlights the like button and subscribe button when you mention it in a video. But you should stop there.
Your CTAs can also be for affiliate links, products, and services you offer. Make sure to mention them verbally in the video as well as make some sort of graphic that shows people what they should do.
You can add affiliate links to your video description and sometimes even to the pinned comments. Use this to funnel your viewers and get more conversions overall!
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Collaborate With Other Creators
YouTube has a smart algorithm that can detect your relations with other creators. If you interact, collaborate, and mention other creators often, your videos will be recommended to their users, and vice-versa.
You should try partnering up with people in your niche and making some videos together. You can do guest appearances and shoutouts to help cross-promote your audience. This is a great thing for both creators, so unless one of you is controversial, it's likely a good business idea to collaborate at some point!
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Use New Features
YouTube always releases new features. Things like community posts, reels (once they were new), stories (these have been removed since), and many others. The thing with YouTube is that it wants users to use their features.
For this reason, they often push content that utilizes new features more. Even smaller channels can spread their reach by trying out the new things YT offers. There are even some videos on YouTube by popular creators that explain how the system can be manipulated to grow in record time.
So, once YT releases a new feature, use it, and you will likely see an increase in your overall traffic! Right now that can be YouTube shorts!
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Be Consistent
Consistency is key on YouTube. The algorithm loves it when you release 10+ minute videos once or twice weekly. This is often considered to be the golden standard for organic growth. Depending on your niche, you can also do videos more often, but then it gets hard to maintain quality.
You should remember that the algo loves watchtime. The more people watch your videos, the less they click away, the more engaged they are, and the more the algorithm will push your video to others. Make sure to always maintain quality so that users stay on your videos!
Conclusion
YouTube offers incredible potential to affiliates. If you know what you are doing and you know how to make good and engaging videos, YT can be a goldmine! If you focus on the right keywords, create good-quality videos, and engage with your audience, you should see great results and growth in traffic across the board!
Use these tips to unlock the full potential of YouTube and make your marketing efforts better and more engaging!
Have you used YouTube to grow your reach? What had the biggest impact on your traffic? Share your experience with us in the comments below!
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