It’s been said that content is king, and the king of content is video. And the undisputed king of video is YouTube, the platform Google owns, with over 2 billion users.
For marketers, this post is all about you learning to understand how the platform works is crucial to getting your content in front of your target audience.
At Raffiti Media, we’re the pros at helping marketers like you navigate your YouTube channel and how to make it successful.
So, how exactly does it work?
First, understand that YouTube is a search engine, which shouldn’t surprise you since Google owns it.
But instead of providing search results in the form of information, YouTube provides search results in the form of the most relevant videos people are searching for.
The algorithm that drives video traffic and relevance operates like any search engine. You must optimize for keywords, including video descriptions, titles, and thumbnails.
And, the more engagement a video gets, the more the algorithm recognizes the content as necessary for people looking for similar types of content, helping the video’s rankings over time.
Social engagement is a crucial component that helps the algorithm rank content higher; in this case, it’s the “like” button.
It works like this: when viewers watch a video and enjoy its content, they can click on the thumbs-up icon below the video to indicate their approval.
This action counts as a “like” for that video, and when a video receives a high volume of likes, it demonstrates to the algorithm and the viewers that the content is relevant.
These “like” endorsements will increase the visibility of the content as YouTube is more likely to recommend it to other users.
And if you’re running a YouTube channel or marketing through video on the platform, getting more likes can be the difference in your channel being successful or not.
So, if “likes” are essential, you’re probably wondering how to get more likes for your videos. You may be asking, “Should I buy YouTube likes?”
Well, keep reading, and we’ll discuss the value and risks associated with buying likes on YouTube and alternatives for you to consider.
Why Would I Buy YouTube Likes?
If you’re curious and asking, “Should I buy YouTube likes,” it can be tempting to answer–yes because there are a variety of reasons, including:
- Increased Visibility
- Higher Search Rankings
- Jumpstarting Your Channel
- Increased Engagement
- Improved Social Proof = Better Brand Credibility
Increased Visibility: One of the primary benefits of purchasing YouTube likes is increased visibility. Since YouTube’s algorithms often favor videos with higher like counts, this will improve the content’s relevancy for similar search queries.
Higher Search Rankings: The more engagement a video receives on the YouTube platform helps the algorithm to rank the content for other viewers. Because one of the most important signals to the algorithm is the like function, the more likes a video gets, the higher the ranking in search results.
Jumpstarting Your Channel: Building a YouTube channel takes time and consistent energy to see results, but buying likes can be a way to jumpstart your channel.
Increased Engagement: When videos are ranked higher, they have increased visibility, which heightens the video and channel’s engagement, especially if your content is optimized for the types of search queries your target audience is looking for, which also helps build a larger audience reach.
Improved Social Proof = Better Brand Credibility: One of the benefits of buying likes is that it helps your rankings by providing a sense of social proof. That’s because the likes imply to other viewers (and the algorithm) that the video is popular and relevant to the search queries, helping increase viewership.
Because YouTube likes are a crucial aspect of a successful video marketing strategy, it’s essential to find a way to nurture and grow your social engagement through likes as much as possible. Some of you may ask, “Should I buy YouTube likes?” The answer is that while there seem to be several benefits, the risks may outweigh them.
The Cons Of Purchasing YouTube Likes
While there are some quick wins to buying YouTube likes, there are some negatives associated with that strategy that you should know.
These negatives include:
- Not Real Viewers – The Rise of the Machines
- Lost Street Cred
- Cost Prohibitive
- Violates YouTube TOS
Not Real Viewers – The Rise of the Machines: Many likes purchased come from fake accounts and bots, not real viewers. This discrepancy can cause fluctuations in your video engagement, which can cause the algorithm to punish your content.
Lost Street Cred: Because purchased likes can fluctuate the engagement–and thereby relevancy to the YouTube algorithm, can impact how your content and channel are received by organic traffic and people seeking that type of content.
Cost Prohibitive: Buying YouTube likes is not a cost-free strategy. There are two issues with buying likes. First, you must have the upfront capital to pay for those likes to get short-term boosts. Second, once you stop paying for likes, much like stopping paying for ads, the momentum and traction become lost, meaning that you stop gaining those short-term gains.
Violates YouTube TOS: Like most social media platforms, YouTube has specific regulations toward skewing the algorithm to favor one form of content over another, including buying subscribers or likes. By choosing to buy likes, you violate the platform’s terms of service and community guidelines, which may lead to video removal, channel suspension, or even the termination of the account.
Alternative Strategies For Building Your YouTube Channel And Improved Video Rankings
So, how can creators increase the number of likes on their YouTube videos?
Instead of asking, “Should I buy YouTube likes,” here are a few strategies to boost your channel and organically improve your video ranking:
Create Engaging Content: Creating more relevant and engaging content that is filmed in high resolution will get the best results over the long term. You will want to create a production calendar and create videos consistently. The more relevant your content is to match what your target audience is searching for, the better engagement they’ll have, and if you include a call to action (CTA) asking them to like the video, the better it will be over time. Quality content that entertains, educates or inspires is more likely to receive likes.
Call to Action: Without a CTA in your video, your target audience may not act. Encourage your audience to like your videos if they enjoy them. Make it simple and straightforward; include some art image that helps direct your audience on how and where to act.
Promote on Social Media: Another way to improve the relevance of your videos and channel is to leverage other social media platforms to promote your YouTube videos. You can share previews of your videos on different platforms and direct them to your YouTube channel. This strategy will help increase your visibility and higher chances of receiving likes.
Engage with Your Audience: One crucial way to improve your chances of receiving likes is to engage with your viewers and build a relationship with them by responding to comments. When your audience feels valued, they will likely show their support through likes.
Finally, you need to get more likes for your channel and videos. In that case, one of the best strategies you can do is to get a YouTube management service specializing in handling the platform’s ins and outs, like Raffiti Media.
If you’re ready to boost your channel, increase your audience reach, improve your earning potential, and have success on YouTube, then book your FREE one-on-one call today with us at Raffiti Media.
