Tips for Optimizating a Video on YouTube and other online video sites:

• Place keywords in the title, description, and tags of your video.
• Choose your thumbnail based on the one that will draw the most interest – you can choose options after your video is processed or, depending on the service, can upload your own thumbnail.
• Make sure you choose the best category for your video (search your competitors to see what they have done).
• Allow ratings, comments, voting, embedding, syndication, etc. Don’t shut your audience down! Give them free reign to comment and vote. They want a voice and will frequent places where they can create a dialogue with the media creator and other viewers.
• Place a direct link to your web property in the video description.

Tips for good Google juice (SEO optimization) and how Google bases the rank your video in general terms:

• video has a strong and descriptive title, descriptions, and tags
• the video has a large number of views, comments, and votes
• high ratings (note: in your videos, you may want to consider asking people to rate and comment on your video.)

Time limits on YouTube video sharing sites

• Depending on the service you choose, they may have time (e.g., 10 minute) or space (e.g., 500 MB uploads per week maximum) constraints. Consider different services (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) based on your needs.

Tools you may want to utilize:

Software options to increase web traffic and views

• Tubemogul (no charge)—uploads your video to various sites
• TrafficGeyser (paid)—helps promote your video

General Tips

• Look at YouTube “Insight” analytics to see when people drop off (usually 2 to 3 minutes) and re-edit options that keep attention during times when drops occurs
• Studio or background should be kept clean to eliminate unwanted distractions from the content of the video
  JW Player – www.screencast.com, longtailvideo.com
• Consider Amazon S3 for hosting video if needed
• Use a good quality camera (Flip or Mini-DV will often work well) to capture quality video
• Buy a tripod for $50 or less
• Be aesthetically intersting; pay a graphic designer to make a custom background