A Beginner’s Guide to SEO: Skyrocket Your View Count

The 12-step YouTube SEO Guide for Beginners Who Want More Views

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.

Well, let’s change that!

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.

Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors

Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?

Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.

Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.

Step 1: Find Related Videos

Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.

Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:

While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!

Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.

Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:

- To be entertained

- To learn something new

- To be inspired

A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.

So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .

Step 2: Find Keywords

Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.

Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:

Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.

This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.

Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.

How to Read Keyword Suggestions

Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:

- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.

- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.

- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.

The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.

In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!

Step 3: Write Title

I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.

A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.

Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs

But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.

Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…

Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.

Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.

So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?

Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.

You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.

See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?

Step 4: Write Description

You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.

This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.

But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.

Step 5: Write Tags

Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.

Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.

Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.

Organize your keywords in the tag as such:

Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:

Specific: How to make scrambled eggs

General: Scrambled eggs

Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs

Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible

It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.

Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.

Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook

The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .

What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.

Step 7: Film B-Roll

One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.

In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.

While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.

So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.

Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video

Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.

While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.

The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.

For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”

Who knows, who will respond.

Step 9: Design a Thumbnail

You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.

Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.

Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.

Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?

You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.

Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .

Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization

Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.

Come on, keep going!

Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets

The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.

Step 11: Add Transcripts

In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.

While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.

You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.

Step 12: Add Video to Playlist

Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.

When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.

So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.

I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!

If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.

Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.

Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.

Well, let’s change that!

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.

Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors

Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?

Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.

Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.

Step 1: Find Related Videos

Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.

Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:

While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!

Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.

Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:

- To be entertained

- To learn something new

- To be inspired

A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.

So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .

Step 2: Find Keywords

Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.

Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:

Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.

This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.

Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.

How to Read Keyword Suggestions

Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:

- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.

- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.

- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.

The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.

In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!

Step 3: Write Title

I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.

A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.

Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs

But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.

Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…

Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.

Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.

So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?

Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.

You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.

See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?

Step 4: Write Description

You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.

This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.

But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.

Step 5: Write Tags

Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.

Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.

Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.

Organize your keywords in the tag as such:

Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:

Specific: How to make scrambled eggs

General: Scrambled eggs

Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs

Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible

It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.

Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.

Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook

The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .

What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.

Step 7: Film B-Roll

One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.

In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.

While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.

So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.

Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video

Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.

While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.

The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.

For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”

Who knows, who will respond.

Step 9: Design a Thumbnail

You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.

Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.

Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.

Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?

You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.

Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .

Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization

Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.

Come on, keep going!

Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets

The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.

Step 11: Add Transcripts

In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.

While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.

You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.

Step 12: Add Video to Playlist

Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.

When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.

So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.

I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!

If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.

Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.

Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.

Well, let’s change that!

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.

Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors

Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?

Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.

Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.

Step 1: Find Related Videos

Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.

Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:

While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!

Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.

Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:

- To be entertained

- To learn something new

- To be inspired

A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.

So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .

Step 2: Find Keywords

Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.

Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:

Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.

This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.

Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.

How to Read Keyword Suggestions

Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:

- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.

- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.

- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.

The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.

In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!

Step 3: Write Title

I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.

A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.

Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs

But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.

Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…

Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.

Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.

So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?

Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.

You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.

See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?

Step 4: Write Description

You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.

This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.

But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.

Step 5: Write Tags

Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.

Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.

Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.

Organize your keywords in the tag as such:

Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:

Specific: How to make scrambled eggs

General: Scrambled eggs

Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs

Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible

It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.

Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.

Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook

The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .

What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.

Step 7: Film B-Roll

One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.

In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.

While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.

So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.

Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video

Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.

While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.

The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.

For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”

Who knows, who will respond.

Step 9: Design a Thumbnail

You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.

Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.

Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.

Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?

You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.

Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .

Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization

Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.

Come on, keep going!

Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets

The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.

Step 11: Add Transcripts

In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.

While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.

You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.

Step 12: Add Video to Playlist

Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.

When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.

So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.

I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!

If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.

Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.

Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.

Well, let’s change that!

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.

Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.

Ready?

Let’s Go!

Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors

Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?

Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.

Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.

Step 1: Find Related Videos

Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.

Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.

Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:

While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!

Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.

Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:

- To be entertained

- To learn something new

- To be inspired

A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.

So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .

Step 2: Find Keywords

Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.

Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:

Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.

This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.

Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.

How to Read Keyword Suggestions

Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:

- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.

- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.

- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.

The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.

In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!

Step 3: Write Title

I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.

A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.

Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs

But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.

Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…

Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.

Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.

So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?

Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.

You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.

See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?

Step 4: Write Description

You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.

This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.

But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.

Step 5: Write Tags

Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.

Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.

Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.

Organize your keywords in the tag as such:

Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:

Specific: How to make scrambled eggs

General: Scrambled eggs

Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs

Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible

It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.

Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.

Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook

The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .

What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.

Step 7: Film B-Roll

One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.

In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.

While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.

So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.

Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video

Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.

While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.

The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.

For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”

Who knows, who will respond.

Step 9: Design a Thumbnail

You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.

Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.

Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.

Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?

You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.

Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .

Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization

Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.

Come on, keep going!

Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets

The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.

Step 11: Add Transcripts

In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.

While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.

You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.

Step 12: Add Video to Playlist

Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.

When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.

So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.

I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!

If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.

Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.

Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

HarmonizeProPC: Seamless Integration for Video & Music

The online world is steadily shifting from static photos to videos and it is quite evident from the social media users. Everyone prefers uploading short videos with music to get more attention rather than uploading a collection of photos. You can join multiple video clips and add background music as well as make a slideshow video with audio. You will require a video editor with music to get the job done.

There are different types of video editors available where you can upload photos and video clips along with songs and music. You turn them into an eye-catching music video instantly with different video effects and animations. Starting from online video editors with music to standalone video editing software, here is the list of the top 10 best video editors for creating and editing videos with music like a professional.

Part 1. Best music video editors for PC

1. Filmora

System compatibility: Windows 11/10/8/7 and Mac

Rating: 4.7/5

Wondershare Filmora is the best video editor with music. It is a premium software where you get all the features and functionalities you need to make and edit music videos like a pro. The software lets you capture screen video, webcam video, external audio as well as voiceover. Therefore, you can use your own music or song in the background of your video.

When it comes to video editing, all the standard tools are available for music video creation. There are loads of transitions, effects, elements, audio and titles available. Besides, there is a dedicated stock media library available. You can import and export different file formats and publish 4K videos as well. Here are the top features of Wondershare Filmora.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

• Drag and drop all media files for video creation.
• Easy timeline for organizing media files and editing them quickly.
• Crop, trim, split, cut, and combine media files.
• Wide range of video transitions and audio effects.
• Different motion elements, titles, and stock media files.
• Keyframing, noise removal, video stabilization options.
• Super intuitive user interface for all users.

2. Windows Movie Maker

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10

Rating: 4.0/5

If you are Windows user and you are looking for a free video editor with song, Windows Movie Maker is the perfect app you can get from Microsoft Store. Even though it comes free, the video editor is quite powerful. You can crop, trim, join video clips and add text and music to your video. There are image filters available for photo enhancement as well as transitions to apply in the video.

There are in-built music tracks available and it supports importing a wide range of media files. You can avail animated pan and zoom feature for photos and adjust volume and speed. There is also a Pro version available that supports 4K video and better project management as well as advanced tools. Here are the top features of Windows Movie Maker.

• Rotate, trim, flip, and join video clips to make music video.
• Make video from photos and add in-built or external music files.
• Add titles, credits, texts, stickers, as well as pan-zoom animation.
• Wide range of transition effects and photo filters available.
• Supports importing and exporting different file formats.
• Pro version supports 4K resolution and offers exclusive quick tools.

3. Blender

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8.1 macOS 10.13+, Linux.

Rating: 4.5/5

If you are looking for an open-source video editor, Blender is the best choice. It is completely free to use and it comes with all the standard features for creating and editing music videos. The software is particularly popular for modelling, sculpting, rendering and creating animation-based videos. The video editor contains 32 slots where you can add your media files to create the video.

Blender allows you to change video speed, adjust different layers in the videos and add preferred transitions. Moreover, there are masks and filters available to enhance video content. The advance options of audio mixing and keyframing will surely come handy for advanced users. Here are the top features of Blender video editor.

• Cut, split, trim, and join videos clips.
• Color grading, photo filters and custom text options.
• Add effects, transitions, and animations to your video.
• Live visualization options for advanced users.
• Motion tracking, scene stabilization and compositing options.

4. Adobe Premiere Pro

System compatibility: Windows 10 and 11.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Premiere Pro is the best video editor for professionals. The software has a slightly steep learning curve and it requires a high-end computer. Therefore, it is useful for you when you are serious about making professional-quality music video. In fact, Adobe Premiere Pro is widely used in the music video and video creation industry.

Adobe Premiere Pro is the perfect combination of standard and advanced video editing options. You can edit various video files at the same time. In fact, it is perfect for a team to work on your music video files. You can edit VR videos, multi-cam videos as well 3D videos. You can edit your photos, video clips and audio files perfectly as per your requirements. Here are the top features of Adobe Premiere Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, merge, adjust speed, color correction options.
• Edit video clips and audio files minutely with comparison view.
• Auto color correction, auto reframe, and configurable user interface.
• Editing advanced videos like VR and 3D as well as advance audio editor.
• Supports importing and exporting different media file formats.

5. Final Cut Pro

System compatibility: macOS 10.14 or higher

Rating: 4.4/5

Final Cut Pro for Mac users is equivalent to Adobe Premium Pro for Windows users. It is widely used by video creators to edit your videos and add effects and audio to get the desired result. You get the standard as well as the advanced video editing options and features. You can publish your music video at high resolution, and the software takes minimum time for rendering.

Final Cut Pro allows editing 3D, VR, multi-cam, and 360-degree videos. There are loads of effects, filters, and presets available to apply to your video clips and photos to create a music video. The presence of cinematic mode and object tracker could be useful for creating out-of-the-box videos. Here are the top features of Final Cut Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, change speed, color correction, and multi-cam video editing.
• Amazing cinematic mode to enhance music video content and quality.
• Add external music file and edit the music file as required.
• Proper organization tool for team to work collaboratively.
• Background rendering feature saves a lot of time in video processing.
• Publish your music video in high resolution without long processing time.

7. Clido

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Clido is an online platform where you get different tools for video editing. It is a premium online video editor with music and hence, it is suitable for all those who want to edit video with music on the go. There is no need to download any software and you can merge, compress, resize, cut and crop video as per your requirements.

You can even rotate and adjust speed to create slow-motion videos. To create your music video, you have to opt for its video maker where you can use photos, video clips, GIFs, and music. You can edit the duration for photos and video clips as per your preference. There is also a slideshow maker available for instant video creation with your photos. Here are the top features of Clido that you should be aware of.

• Flip, loop, reverse, crop, resize, and merge video clips.
• Create slideshow videos and add music of your choice instantly.
• Wide range of presets and video filters.
• Change aspect ratios to make videos for different platforms.
• Super intuitive user interface and secure platform.
• Compatible with popular browsers and suitable for PC and phone users

8. Adobe Express

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Express is an online video editor with song that is compatible with popular browsers and all devices. You can create stunning music videos in a few minutes. There are various templates available to get started and finish your stunning music video in a few steps. There is a wide range of stock images available from Adobe. You get access to effects, textures, overlays, and filters to enhance video quality.

You can also remove background from your photos to improve video content. There are various graphical elements available to add to your video. You can resize your video to be compatible with online platforms and different devices. The software allows you to play with texts and titles by offering various customization options. Here are the top features of Adobe Express.

• Loads of video templates for quick video creation.
• Resize photos, convert to different formats, and remove background.
• Trim and crop video clips, convert to GIFs, resize as required.
• Access to stock media library of Adobe and experiment with text.
• Make video for different online platforms and different devices.

9. VideoPad

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP & Mac OS X 10.5 or above.

Rating: 4.1/5

VideoPad from NCH Software is a simple but powerful video editor. You can create stunning music videos and edit them as per your requirements. The user interface is suitable for beginners and you can avail different video effects and transitions to apply to your video. There are also dedicated audio tools available to edit audio and music files.

The software supports editing 360-degree and 3D videos. In fact, it supports over 60 video file formats for importing them. The software is equally useful in video optimization and you can share the edited video on different online platforms as per your preference. Here are the top features of VideoPad.

• Standard video and audio editing options available.
• Mix music track, add audio effects, and record your narration.
• Wide range of templates for intro, outro and others for branding.
• Supports up to 4K resolution and lossless export.
• Video optimization, stabilization, color correction, and change speed.
• Upload videos directly to YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr and cloud platforms.

Part 2. How to make a music video on my own?

In order to make a music video file, you will need a video editor, video clips or photos, and background music. We recommend Wondershare Filmora as the best video editor for music videos. Transfer the video clips or photos with which you want to make the music video from your phone to your computer. Choose and download the music file that you would want to add to the background of your video. You can also record your own song or music and use the same for background music. Here are the steps to make a music video on your own.

Step 1: Download and install Filmora as per your operating system. Launch the software and click on New Project.

Step 2: Drag and drop the video clips, photos, music and audio files on Project Media folder.

Step 3: Drag and drop the video clips or photos on Timeline and arrange them in order as you want in your video. You can stretch the duration of the photos and videos as per your requirements.

Step 4: Go to Transition option at the top bar and drag and drop the transition of your choice on the photos or video clips so that the transition is eye-catching and eye-soothing.

Step 5: Drag and drop the music file from Project Media folder on the Timeline below the photos or video clips. You can stretch or trim the music track to suit the video length. Check out Audio, Effects, Elements and Titles section at the top bar so that you can incorporate them in your music video to be more appealing and engaging.

Step 6: Preview the music video on Filmora and click on Export button to save it on your hard drive as per your selected file format.

Part 3. Related FAQs

1. How do I add music to video editor on PC?

Different video editor offers different options to add music. Some allow you to drag and drop music file from your hard drive to video editor directly. Otherwise, you have to browse and go to the location and select the music file. Online video editor also allows uploading music file from cloud storage.

2. What software is best for editing music videos?

Wondershare Filmora is the best video editor for editing music videos. This is because it is a premium software with all the features and functionalities that you need to edit your music video. The user interface is intuitive for everyone to enhance video content and quality.

3. What is the best app to put music to videos?

InShot is the best app to put music to videos for Android users. For iOS users, Video Maker with Music Editor is the best app to use where all the required features are readily available.

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

• Drag and drop all media files for video creation.
• Easy timeline for organizing media files and editing them quickly.
• Crop, trim, split, cut, and combine media files.
• Wide range of video transitions and audio effects.
• Different motion elements, titles, and stock media files.
• Keyframing, noise removal, video stabilization options.
• Super intuitive user interface for all users.

2. Windows Movie Maker

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10

Rating: 4.0/5

If you are Windows user and you are looking for a free video editor with song, Windows Movie Maker is the perfect app you can get from Microsoft Store. Even though it comes free, the video editor is quite powerful. You can crop, trim, join video clips and add text and music to your video. There are image filters available for photo enhancement as well as transitions to apply in the video.

There are in-built music tracks available and it supports importing a wide range of media files. You can avail animated pan and zoom feature for photos and adjust volume and speed. There is also a Pro version available that supports 4K video and better project management as well as advanced tools. Here are the top features of Windows Movie Maker.

• Rotate, trim, flip, and join video clips to make music video.
• Make video from photos and add in-built or external music files.
• Add titles, credits, texts, stickers, as well as pan-zoom animation.
• Wide range of transition effects and photo filters available.
• Supports importing and exporting different file formats.
• Pro version supports 4K resolution and offers exclusive quick tools.

3. Blender

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8.1 macOS 10.13+, Linux.

Rating: 4.5/5

If you are looking for an open-source video editor, Blender is the best choice. It is completely free to use and it comes with all the standard features for creating and editing music videos. The software is particularly popular for modelling, sculpting, rendering and creating animation-based videos. The video editor contains 32 slots where you can add your media files to create the video.

Blender allows you to change video speed, adjust different layers in the videos and add preferred transitions. Moreover, there are masks and filters available to enhance video content. The advance options of audio mixing and keyframing will surely come handy for advanced users. Here are the top features of Blender video editor.

• Cut, split, trim, and join videos clips.
• Color grading, photo filters and custom text options.
• Add effects, transitions, and animations to your video.
• Live visualization options for advanced users.
• Motion tracking, scene stabilization and compositing options.

4. Adobe Premiere Pro

System compatibility: Windows 10 and 11.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Premiere Pro is the best video editor for professionals. The software has a slightly steep learning curve and it requires a high-end computer. Therefore, it is useful for you when you are serious about making professional-quality music video. In fact, Adobe Premiere Pro is widely used in the music video and video creation industry.

Adobe Premiere Pro is the perfect combination of standard and advanced video editing options. You can edit various video files at the same time. In fact, it is perfect for a team to work on your music video files. You can edit VR videos, multi-cam videos as well 3D videos. You can edit your photos, video clips and audio files perfectly as per your requirements. Here are the top features of Adobe Premiere Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, merge, adjust speed, color correction options.
• Edit video clips and audio files minutely with comparison view.
• Auto color correction, auto reframe, and configurable user interface.
• Editing advanced videos like VR and 3D as well as advance audio editor.
• Supports importing and exporting different media file formats.

5. Final Cut Pro

System compatibility: macOS 10.14 or higher

Rating: 4.4/5

Final Cut Pro for Mac users is equivalent to Adobe Premium Pro for Windows users. It is widely used by video creators to edit your videos and add effects and audio to get the desired result. You get the standard as well as the advanced video editing options and features. You can publish your music video at high resolution, and the software takes minimum time for rendering.

Final Cut Pro allows editing 3D, VR, multi-cam, and 360-degree videos. There are loads of effects, filters, and presets available to apply to your video clips and photos to create a music video. The presence of cinematic mode and object tracker could be useful for creating out-of-the-box videos. Here are the top features of Final Cut Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, change speed, color correction, and multi-cam video editing.
• Amazing cinematic mode to enhance music video content and quality.
• Add external music file and edit the music file as required.
• Proper organization tool for team to work collaboratively.
• Background rendering feature saves a lot of time in video processing.
• Publish your music video in high resolution without long processing time.

7. Clido

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Clido is an online platform where you get different tools for video editing. It is a premium online video editor with music and hence, it is suitable for all those who want to edit video with music on the go. There is no need to download any software and you can merge, compress, resize, cut and crop video as per your requirements.

You can even rotate and adjust speed to create slow-motion videos. To create your music video, you have to opt for its video maker where you can use photos, video clips, GIFs, and music. You can edit the duration for photos and video clips as per your preference. There is also a slideshow maker available for instant video creation with your photos. Here are the top features of Clido that you should be aware of.

• Flip, loop, reverse, crop, resize, and merge video clips.
• Create slideshow videos and add music of your choice instantly.
• Wide range of presets and video filters.
• Change aspect ratios to make videos for different platforms.
• Super intuitive user interface and secure platform.
• Compatible with popular browsers and suitable for PC and phone users

8. Adobe Express

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Express is an online video editor with song that is compatible with popular browsers and all devices. You can create stunning music videos in a few minutes. There are various templates available to get started and finish your stunning music video in a few steps. There is a wide range of stock images available from Adobe. You get access to effects, textures, overlays, and filters to enhance video quality.

You can also remove background from your photos to improve video content. There are various graphical elements available to add to your video. You can resize your video to be compatible with online platforms and different devices. The software allows you to play with texts and titles by offering various customization options. Here are the top features of Adobe Express.

• Loads of video templates for quick video creation.
• Resize photos, convert to different formats, and remove background.
• Trim and crop video clips, convert to GIFs, resize as required.
• Access to stock media library of Adobe and experiment with text.
• Make video for different online platforms and different devices.

9. VideoPad

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP & Mac OS X 10.5 or above.

Rating: 4.1/5

VideoPad from NCH Software is a simple but powerful video editor. You can create stunning music videos and edit them as per your requirements. The user interface is suitable for beginners and you can avail different video effects and transitions to apply to your video. There are also dedicated audio tools available to edit audio and music files.

The software supports editing 360-degree and 3D videos. In fact, it supports over 60 video file formats for importing them. The software is equally useful in video optimization and you can share the edited video on different online platforms as per your preference. Here are the top features of VideoPad.

• Standard video and audio editing options available.
• Mix music track, add audio effects, and record your narration.
• Wide range of templates for intro, outro and others for branding.
• Supports up to 4K resolution and lossless export.
• Video optimization, stabilization, color correction, and change speed.
• Upload videos directly to YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr and cloud platforms.

Part 2. How to make a music video on my own?

In order to make a music video file, you will need a video editor, video clips or photos, and background music. We recommend Wondershare Filmora as the best video editor for music videos. Transfer the video clips or photos with which you want to make the music video from your phone to your computer. Choose and download the music file that you would want to add to the background of your video. You can also record your own song or music and use the same for background music. Here are the steps to make a music video on your own.

Step 1: Download and install Filmora as per your operating system. Launch the software and click on New Project.

Step 2: Drag and drop the video clips, photos, music and audio files on Project Media folder.

Step 3: Drag and drop the video clips or photos on Timeline and arrange them in order as you want in your video. You can stretch the duration of the photos and videos as per your requirements.

Step 4: Go to Transition option at the top bar and drag and drop the transition of your choice on the photos or video clips so that the transition is eye-catching and eye-soothing.

Step 5: Drag and drop the music file from Project Media folder on the Timeline below the photos or video clips. You can stretch or trim the music track to suit the video length. Check out Audio, Effects, Elements and Titles section at the top bar so that you can incorporate them in your music video to be more appealing and engaging.

Step 6: Preview the music video on Filmora and click on Export button to save it on your hard drive as per your selected file format.

Part 3. Related FAQs

1. How do I add music to video editor on PC?

Different video editor offers different options to add music. Some allow you to drag and drop music file from your hard drive to video editor directly. Otherwise, you have to browse and go to the location and select the music file. Online video editor also allows uploading music file from cloud storage.

2. What software is best for editing music videos?

Wondershare Filmora is the best video editor for editing music videos. This is because it is a premium software with all the features and functionalities that you need to edit your music video. The user interface is intuitive for everyone to enhance video content and quality.

3. What is the best app to put music to videos?

InShot is the best app to put music to videos for Android users. For iOS users, Video Maker with Music Editor is the best app to use where all the required features are readily available.

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

• Drag and drop all media files for video creation.
• Easy timeline for organizing media files and editing them quickly.
• Crop, trim, split, cut, and combine media files.
• Wide range of video transitions and audio effects.
• Different motion elements, titles, and stock media files.
• Keyframing, noise removal, video stabilization options.
• Super intuitive user interface for all users.

2. Windows Movie Maker

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10

Rating: 4.0/5

If you are Windows user and you are looking for a free video editor with song, Windows Movie Maker is the perfect app you can get from Microsoft Store. Even though it comes free, the video editor is quite powerful. You can crop, trim, join video clips and add text and music to your video. There are image filters available for photo enhancement as well as transitions to apply in the video.

There are in-built music tracks available and it supports importing a wide range of media files. You can avail animated pan and zoom feature for photos and adjust volume and speed. There is also a Pro version available that supports 4K video and better project management as well as advanced tools. Here are the top features of Windows Movie Maker.

• Rotate, trim, flip, and join video clips to make music video.
• Make video from photos and add in-built or external music files.
• Add titles, credits, texts, stickers, as well as pan-zoom animation.
• Wide range of transition effects and photo filters available.
• Supports importing and exporting different file formats.
• Pro version supports 4K resolution and offers exclusive quick tools.

3. Blender

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8.1 macOS 10.13+, Linux.

Rating: 4.5/5

If you are looking for an open-source video editor, Blender is the best choice. It is completely free to use and it comes with all the standard features for creating and editing music videos. The software is particularly popular for modelling, sculpting, rendering and creating animation-based videos. The video editor contains 32 slots where you can add your media files to create the video.

Blender allows you to change video speed, adjust different layers in the videos and add preferred transitions. Moreover, there are masks and filters available to enhance video content. The advance options of audio mixing and keyframing will surely come handy for advanced users. Here are the top features of Blender video editor.

• Cut, split, trim, and join videos clips.
• Color grading, photo filters and custom text options.
• Add effects, transitions, and animations to your video.
• Live visualization options for advanced users.
• Motion tracking, scene stabilization and compositing options.

4. Adobe Premiere Pro

System compatibility: Windows 10 and 11.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Premiere Pro is the best video editor for professionals. The software has a slightly steep learning curve and it requires a high-end computer. Therefore, it is useful for you when you are serious about making professional-quality music video. In fact, Adobe Premiere Pro is widely used in the music video and video creation industry.

Adobe Premiere Pro is the perfect combination of standard and advanced video editing options. You can edit various video files at the same time. In fact, it is perfect for a team to work on your music video files. You can edit VR videos, multi-cam videos as well 3D videos. You can edit your photos, video clips and audio files perfectly as per your requirements. Here are the top features of Adobe Premiere Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, merge, adjust speed, color correction options.
• Edit video clips and audio files minutely with comparison view.
• Auto color correction, auto reframe, and configurable user interface.
• Editing advanced videos like VR and 3D as well as advance audio editor.
• Supports importing and exporting different media file formats.

5. Final Cut Pro

System compatibility: macOS 10.14 or higher

Rating: 4.4/5

Final Cut Pro for Mac users is equivalent to Adobe Premium Pro for Windows users. It is widely used by video creators to edit your videos and add effects and audio to get the desired result. You get the standard as well as the advanced video editing options and features. You can publish your music video at high resolution, and the software takes minimum time for rendering.

Final Cut Pro allows editing 3D, VR, multi-cam, and 360-degree videos. There are loads of effects, filters, and presets available to apply to your video clips and photos to create a music video. The presence of cinematic mode and object tracker could be useful for creating out-of-the-box videos. Here are the top features of Final Cut Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, change speed, color correction, and multi-cam video editing.
• Amazing cinematic mode to enhance music video content and quality.
• Add external music file and edit the music file as required.
• Proper organization tool for team to work collaboratively.
• Background rendering feature saves a lot of time in video processing.
• Publish your music video in high resolution without long processing time.

7. Clido

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Clido is an online platform where you get different tools for video editing. It is a premium online video editor with music and hence, it is suitable for all those who want to edit video with music on the go. There is no need to download any software and you can merge, compress, resize, cut and crop video as per your requirements.

You can even rotate and adjust speed to create slow-motion videos. To create your music video, you have to opt for its video maker where you can use photos, video clips, GIFs, and music. You can edit the duration for photos and video clips as per your preference. There is also a slideshow maker available for instant video creation with your photos. Here are the top features of Clido that you should be aware of.

• Flip, loop, reverse, crop, resize, and merge video clips.
• Create slideshow videos and add music of your choice instantly.
• Wide range of presets and video filters.
• Change aspect ratios to make videos for different platforms.
• Super intuitive user interface and secure platform.
• Compatible with popular browsers and suitable for PC and phone users

8. Adobe Express

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Express is an online video editor with song that is compatible with popular browsers and all devices. You can create stunning music videos in a few minutes. There are various templates available to get started and finish your stunning music video in a few steps. There is a wide range of stock images available from Adobe. You get access to effects, textures, overlays, and filters to enhance video quality.

You can also remove background from your photos to improve video content. There are various graphical elements available to add to your video. You can resize your video to be compatible with online platforms and different devices. The software allows you to play with texts and titles by offering various customization options. Here are the top features of Adobe Express.

• Loads of video templates for quick video creation.
• Resize photos, convert to different formats, and remove background.
• Trim and crop video clips, convert to GIFs, resize as required.
• Access to stock media library of Adobe and experiment with text.
• Make video for different online platforms and different devices.

9. VideoPad

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP & Mac OS X 10.5 or above.

Rating: 4.1/5

VideoPad from NCH Software is a simple but powerful video editor. You can create stunning music videos and edit them as per your requirements. The user interface is suitable for beginners and you can avail different video effects and transitions to apply to your video. There are also dedicated audio tools available to edit audio and music files.

The software supports editing 360-degree and 3D videos. In fact, it supports over 60 video file formats for importing them. The software is equally useful in video optimization and you can share the edited video on different online platforms as per your preference. Here are the top features of VideoPad.

• Standard video and audio editing options available.
• Mix music track, add audio effects, and record your narration.
• Wide range of templates for intro, outro and others for branding.
• Supports up to 4K resolution and lossless export.
• Video optimization, stabilization, color correction, and change speed.
• Upload videos directly to YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr and cloud platforms.

Part 2. How to make a music video on my own?

In order to make a music video file, you will need a video editor, video clips or photos, and background music. We recommend Wondershare Filmora as the best video editor for music videos. Transfer the video clips or photos with which you want to make the music video from your phone to your computer. Choose and download the music file that you would want to add to the background of your video. You can also record your own song or music and use the same for background music. Here are the steps to make a music video on your own.

Step 1: Download and install Filmora as per your operating system. Launch the software and click on New Project.

Step 2: Drag and drop the video clips, photos, music and audio files on Project Media folder.

Step 3: Drag and drop the video clips or photos on Timeline and arrange them in order as you want in your video. You can stretch the duration of the photos and videos as per your requirements.

Step 4: Go to Transition option at the top bar and drag and drop the transition of your choice on the photos or video clips so that the transition is eye-catching and eye-soothing.

Step 5: Drag and drop the music file from Project Media folder on the Timeline below the photos or video clips. You can stretch or trim the music track to suit the video length. Check out Audio, Effects, Elements and Titles section at the top bar so that you can incorporate them in your music video to be more appealing and engaging.

Step 6: Preview the music video on Filmora and click on Export button to save it on your hard drive as per your selected file format.

Part 3. Related FAQs

1. How do I add music to video editor on PC?

Different video editor offers different options to add music. Some allow you to drag and drop music file from your hard drive to video editor directly. Otherwise, you have to browse and go to the location and select the music file. Online video editor also allows uploading music file from cloud storage.

2. What software is best for editing music videos?

Wondershare Filmora is the best video editor for editing music videos. This is because it is a premium software with all the features and functionalities that you need to edit your music video. The user interface is intuitive for everyone to enhance video content and quality.

3. What is the best app to put music to videos?

InShot is the best app to put music to videos for Android users. For iOS users, Video Maker with Music Editor is the best app to use where all the required features are readily available.

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

• Drag and drop all media files for video creation.
• Easy timeline for organizing media files and editing them quickly.
• Crop, trim, split, cut, and combine media files.
• Wide range of video transitions and audio effects.
• Different motion elements, titles, and stock media files.
• Keyframing, noise removal, video stabilization options.
• Super intuitive user interface for all users.

2. Windows Movie Maker

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10

Rating: 4.0/5

If you are Windows user and you are looking for a free video editor with song, Windows Movie Maker is the perfect app you can get from Microsoft Store. Even though it comes free, the video editor is quite powerful. You can crop, trim, join video clips and add text and music to your video. There are image filters available for photo enhancement as well as transitions to apply in the video.

There are in-built music tracks available and it supports importing a wide range of media files. You can avail animated pan and zoom feature for photos and adjust volume and speed. There is also a Pro version available that supports 4K video and better project management as well as advanced tools. Here are the top features of Windows Movie Maker.

• Rotate, trim, flip, and join video clips to make music video.
• Make video from photos and add in-built or external music files.
• Add titles, credits, texts, stickers, as well as pan-zoom animation.
• Wide range of transition effects and photo filters available.
• Supports importing and exporting different file formats.
• Pro version supports 4K resolution and offers exclusive quick tools.

3. Blender

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8.1 macOS 10.13+, Linux.

Rating: 4.5/5

If you are looking for an open-source video editor, Blender is the best choice. It is completely free to use and it comes with all the standard features for creating and editing music videos. The software is particularly popular for modelling, sculpting, rendering and creating animation-based videos. The video editor contains 32 slots where you can add your media files to create the video.

Blender allows you to change video speed, adjust different layers in the videos and add preferred transitions. Moreover, there are masks and filters available to enhance video content. The advance options of audio mixing and keyframing will surely come handy for advanced users. Here are the top features of Blender video editor.

• Cut, split, trim, and join videos clips.
• Color grading, photo filters and custom text options.
• Add effects, transitions, and animations to your video.
• Live visualization options for advanced users.
• Motion tracking, scene stabilization and compositing options.

4. Adobe Premiere Pro

System compatibility: Windows 10 and 11.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Premiere Pro is the best video editor for professionals. The software has a slightly steep learning curve and it requires a high-end computer. Therefore, it is useful for you when you are serious about making professional-quality music video. In fact, Adobe Premiere Pro is widely used in the music video and video creation industry.

Adobe Premiere Pro is the perfect combination of standard and advanced video editing options. You can edit various video files at the same time. In fact, it is perfect for a team to work on your music video files. You can edit VR videos, multi-cam videos as well 3D videos. You can edit your photos, video clips and audio files perfectly as per your requirements. Here are the top features of Adobe Premiere Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, merge, adjust speed, color correction options.
• Edit video clips and audio files minutely with comparison view.
• Auto color correction, auto reframe, and configurable user interface.
• Editing advanced videos like VR and 3D as well as advance audio editor.
• Supports importing and exporting different media file formats.

5. Final Cut Pro

System compatibility: macOS 10.14 or higher

Rating: 4.4/5

Final Cut Pro for Mac users is equivalent to Adobe Premium Pro for Windows users. It is widely used by video creators to edit your videos and add effects and audio to get the desired result. You get the standard as well as the advanced video editing options and features. You can publish your music video at high resolution, and the software takes minimum time for rendering.

Final Cut Pro allows editing 3D, VR, multi-cam, and 360-degree videos. There are loads of effects, filters, and presets available to apply to your video clips and photos to create a music video. The presence of cinematic mode and object tracker could be useful for creating out-of-the-box videos. Here are the top features of Final Cut Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, change speed, color correction, and multi-cam video editing.
• Amazing cinematic mode to enhance music video content and quality.
• Add external music file and edit the music file as required.
• Proper organization tool for team to work collaboratively.
• Background rendering feature saves a lot of time in video processing.
• Publish your music video in high resolution without long processing time.

7. Clido

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Clido is an online platform where you get different tools for video editing. It is a premium online video editor with music and hence, it is suitable for all those who want to edit video with music on the go. There is no need to download any software and you can merge, compress, resize, cut and crop video as per your requirements.

You can even rotate and adjust speed to create slow-motion videos. To create your music video, you have to opt for its video maker where you can use photos, video clips, GIFs, and music. You can edit the duration for photos and video clips as per your preference. There is also a slideshow maker available for instant video creation with your photos. Here are the top features of Clido that you should be aware of.

• Flip, loop, reverse, crop, resize, and merge video clips.
• Create slideshow videos and add music of your choice instantly.
• Wide range of presets and video filters.
• Change aspect ratios to make videos for different platforms.
• Super intuitive user interface and secure platform.
• Compatible with popular browsers and suitable for PC and phone users

8. Adobe Express

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Express is an online video editor with song that is compatible with popular browsers and all devices. You can create stunning music videos in a few minutes. There are various templates available to get started and finish your stunning music video in a few steps. There is a wide range of stock images available from Adobe. You get access to effects, textures, overlays, and filters to enhance video quality.

You can also remove background from your photos to improve video content. There are various graphical elements available to add to your video. You can resize your video to be compatible with online platforms and different devices. The software allows you to play with texts and titles by offering various customization options. Here are the top features of Adobe Express.

• Loads of video templates for quick video creation.
• Resize photos, convert to different formats, and remove background.
• Trim and crop video clips, convert to GIFs, resize as required.
• Access to stock media library of Adobe and experiment with text.
• Make video for different online platforms and different devices.

9. VideoPad

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP & Mac OS X 10.5 or above.

Rating: 4.1/5

VideoPad from NCH Software is a simple but powerful video editor. You can create stunning music videos and edit them as per your requirements. The user interface is suitable for beginners and you can avail different video effects and transitions to apply to your video. There are also dedicated audio tools available to edit audio and music files.

The software supports editing 360-degree and 3D videos. In fact, it supports over 60 video file formats for importing them. The software is equally useful in video optimization and you can share the edited video on different online platforms as per your preference. Here are the top features of VideoPad.

• Standard video and audio editing options available.
• Mix music track, add audio effects, and record your narration.
• Wide range of templates for intro, outro and others for branding.
• Supports up to 4K resolution and lossless export.
• Video optimization, stabilization, color correction, and change speed.
• Upload videos directly to YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr and cloud platforms.

Part 2. How to make a music video on my own?

In order to make a music video file, you will need a video editor, video clips or photos, and background music. We recommend Wondershare Filmora as the best video editor for music videos. Transfer the video clips or photos with which you want to make the music video from your phone to your computer. Choose and download the music file that you would want to add to the background of your video. You can also record your own song or music and use the same for background music. Here are the steps to make a music video on your own.

Step 1: Download and install Filmora as per your operating system. Launch the software and click on New Project.

Step 2: Drag and drop the video clips, photos, music and audio files on Project Media folder.

Step 3: Drag and drop the video clips or photos on Timeline and arrange them in order as you want in your video. You can stretch the duration of the photos and videos as per your requirements.

Step 4: Go to Transition option at the top bar and drag and drop the transition of your choice on the photos or video clips so that the transition is eye-catching and eye-soothing.

Step 5: Drag and drop the music file from Project Media folder on the Timeline below the photos or video clips. You can stretch or trim the music track to suit the video length. Check out Audio, Effects, Elements and Titles section at the top bar so that you can incorporate them in your music video to be more appealing and engaging.

Step 6: Preview the music video on Filmora and click on Export button to save it on your hard drive as per your selected file format.

Part 3. Related FAQs

1. How do I add music to video editor on PC?

Different video editor offers different options to add music. Some allow you to drag and drop music file from your hard drive to video editor directly. Otherwise, you have to browse and go to the location and select the music file. Online video editor also allows uploading music file from cloud storage.

2. What software is best for editing music videos?

Wondershare Filmora is the best video editor for editing music videos. This is because it is a premium software with all the features and functionalities that you need to edit your music video. The user interface is intuitive for everyone to enhance video content and quality.

3. What is the best app to put music to videos?

InShot is the best app to put music to videos for Android users. For iOS users, Video Maker with Music Editor is the best app to use where all the required features are readily available.

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