Last week, we explained how to optimize your YouTube videos for the search engine. Today we're reviewing the settings that allow your videos to be used socially.
*Video Thumbnail:
After YouTube finishes processing your video, they will randomly select 3 frames from the video and provide them as options for the video thumbnail. This is the thumbnail you see in the SERP, within all the YouTube pages, and as the still frame before the user presses the play button.
Of the 3 options YouTube gives you, select the one that is most compelling.
*Privacy:
There are three privacy options for your video. Most of the time, you want to set your videos as Public since that's the setting you need if you want users to find you in the SERP.
The Unlisted setting allows you to upload a video and share the video with anyone you give the link to. This setting is especially useful when you need to send a customer a personalized video of their ring, or export video from the CAD program.
The final setting is completely Private. YouTube allows you to select specific users to view the video, but the best use of this video is simply to hide your videos while you are still working on the SEO settings. In other words, you could upload all your videos in bulk, set them as private, then go back tomorrow and edit all the settings.
*Comments:
Everyone has an opinion. There are 4 potential comment settings: Allow automatically; Allow friends automatically and others with approval; Allow all with approval only and; Don't allow comments.
We suggest you simply allow all comments automatically. If you require approval you will appear as an over-controlling retail store with something to hide. You could disallow comments, but that is contrary to the social nature of the web.
Voting:
This feature is not something you will see much use on unless your videos become very popular (i.e. viral). Voting allows other viewers to vote on the comments from their peers. With voting active, other users are able to indicate their favorite comments. The comments with the most votes will bubble to the top of the comment list.
Video is more important every day and we'd like to see you doing this stuff so we will continue our YouTube instructions for a few more days.
