This guide provides a detailed algorithm for publishing videos on YouTube, aimed at optimizing their visibility in recommendations and search queries. The process includes the correct configuration of metadata and additional elements for better understanding of the content by the YouTube system and the target audience.

Uploading and Basic Video Settings

1. Starting the Upload:

   • Go to your YouTube channel.
   • Click the "Create" button in the top right corner.
   • Select the "Upload video" option.
   • In the window that opens, click the arrow to upload your video file.

2. "Details" Section:

   • Video Title: Enter a title that accurately reflects the content. It is recommended to use keywords. YouTube provides an A/B testing feature for titles, allowing the system to determine the most clickable options.
   • Description:
     • Include relevant keywords from your niche at the beginning of the description. This helps YouTube and search engines understand the video's topic.
     • The recommended description length is at least 200 characters, as this text is indexed by search engines.
     • Place links to social media and websites below the keywords. For each link, specify the benefit the user will receive by clicking it (e.g., "how we develop channels for clients" for a link to Telegram).
     • Add a brief biography using keywords (e.g., "Anton Pronin, YouTube producer, 23 media").
     • Use timestamps to structure the video. For them to work correctly, the first timestamp must be set to 00:00. Include keywords in chapter titles that reflect the section's content (e.g., "The Mistake Costing You Views" instead of "Mistake 1").
   • Hashtags and SEO Tags: YouTube officially states that hashtags in the description are not mandatory for SEO optimization and primarily serve for navigation between videos with the same hashtags. Their use is not recommended, except when creating video series. Directly listing search tags in the description is also impractical and may be considered spam.
   • Thumbnail:
     • Upload your own thumbnail or select a frame from the video.
     • Thumbnail A/B testing is available. However, for small channels with limited views, it is recommended to use a single thumbnail to avoid diluting impressions.
     • The thumbnail should be bright, readable (text is easily perceived), and clear, without excessive detail.
     • There are third-party services to check how thumbnails appear on various devices and YouTube pages.
   • Playlists: Adding videos to playlists improves the viewing experience for users and aids in the search promotion of the playlists themselves.
   • Audience: Indicate that the video is not intended for children.
   • Paid Promotion: Mark if the video contains paid promotion.
   • Brand Partnerships: Mark if the video contains sponsored integrations from brands. Provide an access code for the partner to view channel statistics.
   • Collaboration: If another creator with their own channel is featured in the video, you can invite them as a collaborator. This will allow the video to appear in recommendations for the collaborator's audience, contributing to additional promotion.
   • Tags: Tags help YouTube understand the video's topic but are not critically important for SEO, as the title, description, and thumbnail have greater significance. It is recommended to use tags to reflect possible spelling errors in user search queries, as well as to indicate the channel name, author's name, and main video topics. Extensions like VidIQ can provide statistics on tag popularity.

3. Language and Other Settings:

   • Specify the video language (e.g., Russian).
   • Embedding: Allow or disallow embedding the video on other websites.
   • Subscriptions Feed: Enable the option to display the video in users' subscription feeds.
   • Allow Remixes: Allow users to create short videos (Shorts) based on your content.
   • Category: Select the most appropriate category (e.g., "People & Blogs" for content about YouTube promotion).

Video Additions

1. Subtitles: You can upload a subtitle file or add them manually. YouTube also generates automatic subtitles.
2. End Screens:
   • Added in the last 20 seconds of the video.
   • Allow you to suggest other videos from your channel, a playlist, subscribing to the channel, or visiting your website (if monetized).
   • It is recommended to use the "Best for viewer" or "Most recent upload" feature so that new videos receive additional traffic from previous ones.
   • You can adjust the appearance time and placement of elements.
3. Info Cards:
   • Appear in the corner of the video at your chosen time.
   • Allow you to link to other videos, playlists, or channels when you mention relevant information in the video.
   • You can select a specific video to link to and the time it appears.
4. Quizzes: A new feature that allows you to conduct polls for viewers during playback.
5. Files: The ability to attach files to videos, such as PDF documents (checklists).

Review and Publishing

1. Checks: YouTube automatically checks videos for compliance with community guidelines and any violations.
2. Visibility:
   • Private: The video is only available to you. Recommended for final review before publishing.
   • Unlisted: The video is only available to those who have the link. It's important to remember that if the video is added to a playlist, it will be visible to all users of that playlist.
   • Public: The video is available to everyone.
   • Schedule: Set a date and time for the video to be published automatically.
   • Set as premiere: Allows you to announce a video in advance, making its title, thumbnail, and part of the description visible to subscribers who can click the "Notify me" button.

Additional Steps After Publishing

1. Pin the First Comment: After publishing the video, add a comment with links to your social media and websites, and then pin it to the top.
2. Channel Customization:
   • Go to the "Channel customization" section.
   • On the "Home" tab, you can add a channel trailer for new viewers or select a video to feature for subscribers.

This comprehensive approach to video and channel setup is designed to maximize visibility and audience engagement from the moment of publication.