YouTube SEO
Video demand work: what people search inside YouTube, how to package it so it gets chosen, and what the algorithm actually measures.
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- years working on visibility
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Brands that have trusted Laika
One of these situations may well sound familiar.
You have a channel with videos and almost all traffic comes from subscribers
The channel lives off people who already know you. People who don't yet know you exist aren't finding you inside or outside YouTube.
You publish video after video without knowing what your audience searches for inside YouTube
The calendar is driven by what can be filmed, not by real demand. Every video starts from scratch because it doesn't answer a specific search.
Your videos show up in Google, but nobody clicks
The title and thumbnail don't package what the video actually solves. You show up, but lose the click to competitors who figured it out first.
Competitors outrank you with older videos and less production
It isn't about who spends more on cameras. It's about who has organised the channel so each video reinforces the next and answers a real search.
Your playlists and chapters are messy and people leave before the important part
The viewer doesn't know where to start or what to watch next. The channel works like a drawer of loose videos instead of a library.
You don't know if the algorithm penalises you or you simply aren't answering any search
There are too many opinions and too few facts. You need to separate what the algorithm measures from unsupported hypotheses.
Four fronts we always review
The weight changes with the channel type, but all four fronts are reviewed in every project: demand, packaging, architecture and signals.
Video demand research
Know what your audience searches for inside YouTube before filming, not after.
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- Search-intent mapping: information, comparison and purchase
- Long-tail keywords that YouTube's internal search actually returns
- Seasonal trends and demand peaks by category
- Comparison with channels already occupying those searches
- Prioritisation by volume, business value and what you can already talk about
Video packaging
So the title, thumbnail and description get the right person to click.
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- Title guide: clear promise, curiosity without cheap clickbait
- Thumbnails consistent with the title and recognisable at small size
- Descriptions with structure: hook, index, links and call to action
- Chapters and timestamps that retain and help skip
- End screens and cards that guide to the next video
Channel and playlist architecture
So the channel reads like a library, not a drawer of loose videos.
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- Playlist structure by topic, intent and viewer journey
- Pillar videos versus quick-response videos
- Internal linking between videos that reinforce the same intent
- Channel home organisation for first-time visitors
- Criteria for which videos to update, merge or retire
Signals and measurement
Understand what the algorithm measures and what of that moves the business.
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- Click-through rate per impression in search and recommendations
- Audience retention and drop-off points per video
- Traffic sources: search, suggested, external, subscribers
- Conversion to site, lead or purchase from description and end screens
- Executive report that separates signal from noise
Who does it?
Senior profiles who have worked brand channels across sectors. Whoever analyses is who explains the recommendation and later checks whether the channel moves forward.
Why Laika?
A YouTube channel only grows if every video answers a real search.
Spotting technical problems is easy. The hard part is ordering demand, packaging and playlists so your team produces videos that get found on their own.
We look at the channel as a system, not video by video
One isolated video changes nothing. The work is in how demand, packaging and playlists are organised so each video pushes the next.
We decide, you produce
We don't film for you: we leave a demand calendar, a brief per video and a quality bar so your team can execute it in their own voice.
We don't promise virality
We promise clarity: knowing which searches to target, which format works for each and how to measure whether the channel is moving forward.
Senior judgement
Whoever reviews your channel has worked video projects across sectors. You don't apply a checklist: you decide by what moves your business.
Frequently asked questions
How long until I see results?
The first findings and decisions land within weeks. Impact on visibility and revenue depends on your platform and your team's implementation speed: on mid-sized projects we usually talk about three to six months for solid movement.
I worked with another agency and it didn't work. Why now?
What usually fails is judgement, not effort: tasks get executed without deciding what matters. Before proposing anything we review your data, and if the problem isn't visibility we'll tell you, even if it means not selling the project.
Tell us what's holding you back
With your channel, what you've already tried and what you want video to contribute to the business, we can tell you where we'd start. We look at your project before proposing anything.
Want your channel to work for you?
We look at your channel, your competition and your production capacity before proposing anything.
We look at your project before proposing anything. Reply within two working days at most.
Talk to us about your channel