YouTube

The Complete Guide to Uploading Videos on YouTube Correctly: A Step-by-Step Process

If you are uploading videos on YouTube but struggling to get views, it is highly likely that there are mistakes happening during the uploading or SEO (Search Engine Optimization) process. Without the correct title, tags, and description, your video won’t appear in search results. To help your video rank and reach the right audience, here is the complete step-by-step uploading process.

1. Choose the Right Uploading Platform

You can upload your videos using the YouTube app, YT Studio app, or the Chrome browser (in Desktop mode). It is highly recommended to start with the YouTube mobile app, as it makes the uploading process quite straightforward.

2. Select and Start Uploading

  • Open the YouTube app and click on the ‘+’ (plus) icon located at the bottom of the screen.
  • Select the ‘Upload a video’ option.
  • Choose the video you want to upload from your phone’s gallery and click on ‘Next’.

3. Add Your Thumbnail Early

As soon as you select the video, you will see a ‘pencil’ icon in the top-left corner of the screen. Click on this icon to upload and set your custom thumbnail immediately. Adding the thumbnail during the initial upload phase helps the YouTube algorithm process and categorize your video better.

4. Write an SEO-Friendly Title

Your title is what convinces people to click on your video.

  • Instead of guessing, use the YouTube search bar to see how people are searching for your specific topic.
  • Pick the keywords that appear at the very top of the search suggestions and use them in your title.
  • Try to write a dual-language title if applicable (e.g., one part in Hindi and the other in English, like “थंबनेल कैसे बनाएं | How to make thumbnail for YouTube”).
  • For a clean and professional look, capitalize the first letter of each word in your title.

5. Keep the Visibility ‘Unlisted’

Never publish your video directly to ‘Public’ while uploading.

  • Go to the Visibility options and set it to ‘Unlisted’.
  • This allows the video to upload in the background while giving you ample time to complete your SEO (tags, description) and let YouTube run its standard checks before anyone sees it.

6. Set the Correct Audience Settings

Under the Audience settings, always select “No, it’s not made for kids” (unless your content is strictly for children). If you select ‘Yes’, your video will be restricted to YouTube Kids, and your comments section will be automatically turned off. After setting this, click the ‘Upload’ button.

7. Optimize Your Description

While the video is uploading in the background, open the YT Studio app and click on the ‘pencil’ (edit) icon for that video.

  • Copy your entire title and paste it into the very first line of your description. This is a golden rule of SEO.
  • Below that, you can add your social media links.
  • At the bottom, write ‘Your Queries’ or ‘Related Keywords’ and list 4 to 5 highly searched keywords related to your topic (which you can find using YouTube search).

8. Find the Best Tags Using Rapid Tags

While titles have a strict 100-character limit, the ‘Tags’ section allows up to 500 characters, which is crucial for getting your video into search results.

  • Open your mobile browser and go to the Rapid Tags website (rapidtags.io).
  • Type your main title (e.g., How to make a thumbnail) into the generator.
  • The tool will provide all the currently trending and highly searched tags for that topic. Click the ‘Copy Tags’ button at the bottom to copy all of them at once.

9. Paste Tags via Chrome Browser

If you try to paste copied tags directly into the YT Studio mobile app, they often format incorrectly. Instead:

  • Open your Chrome browser, type studio.youtube.com (without spaces), and open your channel dashboard in Desktop Mode.
  • Go to the ‘Content’ section and click on your newly uploaded, unlisted video.
  • Scroll down and click on ‘Show More’.
  • Scroll to the ‘Tags’ box, long-press, and select ‘Paste’. All your tags will be perfectly formatted and separated.
  • Click the ‘Save’ button at the top right.

10. Publish or Schedule Your Video

Once you are completely satisfied with your thumbnail, title, description, and tags, go back to the YT Studio mobile app.

  • Tap on the Visibility option.
  • Change it from ‘Unlisted’ to ‘Public’. (Alternatively, you can choose ‘Schedule’ if you want the video to go live at a specific time and date automatically).
  • Finally, hit ‘Save’. Your video is now live for all your subscribers and the wider audience!

11. The Most Crucial Aspect: Watch Time and Retention

No matter how perfectly you execute your SEO, your video will only rank if people actually stay and watch it.

  • If you upload a 10-minute video, you need an average view duration (watch time) of at least 5 to 6 minutes.
  • If viewers click your video and leave after 10 to 20 seconds, YouTube will drop your video’s ranking, regardless of great SEO.
  • Therefore, use an attractive thumbnail to get the click, but rely on engaging, high-quality content to hook the audience until the very end.

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