YouTube is one of the most popular platforms for content creators, and many YouTubers have been able to make a living simply by sharing their videos. However, uploading a video isn’t enough to help create that success—potential subscribers and viewers need to be able to find the videos first.

Whether you're new to the platform or have some videos out already, there are several things you can do as a YouTuber to help ensure your videos get seen. Here are 10 ways you can make sure viewers find your YouTube Videos.

1. Check the Privacy Settings Before Uploading Videos

It may seem a little silly and straightforward but looking over your privacy settings is a good way to make sure viewers can find your videos. You could do every single thing in this article, but if your videos are set to private, no one is going to see them either way.

Visibility settings on YouTube showing three options: provate, unlisted, and public

When you upload a video to YouTube, the last page before you click Publish will have three options under Save or Publish. Make sure the Public option is selected before publishing your video.

Inside YouTube Studio, visbilitiy settings showing three options: private, unlisted, and public

Not sure if one of your videos is public or not? Click on the icon in the upper right-hand corner, then YouTube Studio > Content. Under Visibility, you can see all your videos and whether they are public, private, or unlisted. To set it to public, click the down arrow and select Public > Publish.

2. Use Relevant Tags

When you upload your video, near the bottom of the first upload page, you’ll see a section called Tags. This is the area you’ll write in words or phrases that are relevant to your video. Not sure what tags to use? Use a tag generator to help you out.

Tags are mainly used to help YouTube categorize your video and know where to place it in its algorithm. If you uploaded a nomad travel video, a viewer who watches within this niche may see your video pop up in their feed based on the appropriate tags you write out.

Add tags section of uploading a video

It is important to note that tags are only one part of the algorithm’s role. Other aspects such as description, engagement, and title play a large role as well. This is why YouTube has its disclaimer that tags play a minimum role in helping viewers find your videos, but it can only help if you add some in there.

3. Use Keywords

Keywords and tags are similar in concept, but they are defined differently. Keywords are used within the title and description and tend to be the words that viewers actively search for on YouTube.

For example, if you uploaded a video teaching acoustic guitar chords to a popular song, you would want to have the name of the song, the name of the artist, and the fact that it's an acoustic guitar how-to in the title and description. These are the keywords viewers would be searching for.

With proper keywords, your video could be one of the first ones to pop up on their search page.

4. Create Compelling Titles

Though a compelling title won’t help with the algorithm, it will help to catch the eye of a potential subscriber. There’s a huge difference Between “10 Delicious Pasta Recipes You’ll Love” and “Pasta Recipes.”

You’ll want to be clear and concise—YouTube only shows so much of a title, so creating an obscenely long title can be confusing. And remember, keywords are essential!

5. Use End Screens

YouTube allows creators to place a variety of different types of end screens at the end of their videos. The options are on the Video Elements page during the upload process. How does this help get your videos noticed, though?

End screen options infront of video of large batteries.

When someone is finished watching one of your videos, another clickable feature will pop up allowing the viewer to continue watching your content. You can set a particular video to be viewed or allow YouTube to choose the video based on what’s best for the viewer.

6. Engage With Viewers

If you post videos that have comments and likes flowing in, that shows that you have viewers who are engaged in your content. It’s important to create a relationship between you and your viewers, which includes liking their comments and answering their questions.

This type of engagement will help to give you more views, more subscribers, and more likes. It also assists with YouTube’s algorithm because it tells YouTube that people enjoy your videos.

7. Pay for Google Ads

You have the option of promoting your YouTube videos with Google Ads. Google Ads is YouTube’s paid promotional tool that creators can use to turn their videos into an ad. The link to get there is under Options next to whichever video you want to promote.

Let's create your video ad with options

You choose your targeted audience, how your ad is shown to potential viewers, the amount you are willing to pay daily, and how long you want to display your ad. This type of promotion will allow your videos to be seen beyond the usual audience and hopefully help pull in more subscribers to your channel. More subscribers, more views.

8. Be Consistent With Producing Content

It is important to regularly upload videos to YouTube. This helps to show the algorithm that your channel is active and a value to the community—which can have a positive impact on your channel’s performance.

Additionally, setting up a schedule can help your current followers know when to expect a new video from you. This type of support is a great way to gain a loyal following while also increasing your watch time and views.

9. Collaborate With Other YouTubers

Working with other YouTubers can help to expand your following, especially when they are also in your niche. There’s a chance the other YouTuber's subscribers haven’t seen your channel, so this would be a great opportunity for them to check out your videos.

If that’s not reason enough, collaborating with other YouTubers can help you expand your knowledge of different types of content. You may learn new ways to creatively express yourself and freshen up your channel.

10. Promote Your Videos on Other Social Media Platforms

There are several ways to promote your YouTube channel. Many YouTubers will promote their videos on one or more social media platforms when they upload their videos. What can you do to promote yours?

Youtube Social Media Promotion explaining the link in bio

Make a sneak peek video for TikTok or post a copy of your thumbnail on Instagram. In the bios, you can add links to your videos or even your whole channel. Doing this will help to navigate followers from one social media account to another. On YouTube’s end, all they’ll see is your watch hours growing, and the algorithm will move along with it.

Use These Methods to Get Your Videos Viewed

There are many steps a YouTuber can take to help their videos do well on the platform. Just because the YouTube algorithm is a mystery to many, it is relatively easy to work with. Following the suggestions above is a good place to start.