Elevating Video Reach: The Role of Smart Backlinking Techniques

YouTube is the world’s 2nd most visited site. That means achieving a higher ranking can be beneficial for you. YouTube SEO can help you to boost traffic, get more views, and achieve higher rankings. In this article, we’ll explain what YouTube backlinks are and the safest way to get them.

In this article

01 [What Are YouTube Backlinks?](#Part 1)

02 [Are YouTube Backlinks Important?](#Part 2)

03 [How Can I Get YouTube Backlinks for My Videos?](#Part 3)

04 [A Few More SEO Factors for YouTube SEO](#Part 4)

What Are YouTube Backlinks?

Links between other sites to your YouTube videos are referred to as YouTube backlinks. Backlinks are crucial to growing traffic, increasing discovery speed, and improving ranks. Backlinks are almost akin to a site’s reputation as they can act as a vote of confidence for the quality of your videos.

The content of a video with more backlinks is seen as more valuable by search engines than those with less, as each backlink adds confidence that the video is worth linking to.

The popularity of the sites linking to a YouTube video also plays a part as they naturally lead to increased traffic coming to sites through backlinks. Search engines often check popular videos for new backlinks leading to the quick discovery of new content.

The quality of backlinks significantly impacts the ranking and visibility of a given video. Search engines consider links from relevant sources as more valuable as people are more likely to click them.

Lastly, placement and formatting of links play a part as a link that stands out is more likely to generate traffic than one that doesn’t.

Are YouTube Backlinks Important?

Yes. Backlinks are one of the vital aspects of SEO. They are essential to ranking well in Google search results, and they also help you stay ahead of your competition.

Backlinks act as a powerful source to attract your target audience. While getting people to your might be challenging, sending them to your other work is a breeze. You only have to include YouTube backlinks for free to do so. With 65% of people being visual learners, YouTube is a resourceful place for using backlinks.

How Can I Get YouTube Backlinks for My Videos?

Getting high-quality backlinks can be challenging if you don’t know how to do it. The good news is that there are many different methods that you can use to get links that will benefit your YouTube videos; all it takes is a little creativity.

With that in mind, here are some of the safest ways of getting YouTube backlinks for free for your videos.

Guest Vlogging

If you have a large social media following or even just a few loyal subscribers on YouTube, consider using that to your advantage. Many bloggers and popular vloggers will allow guest appearances in their videos — as long as they also get something out of it. If you are a vlogger in a specific niche, you could guest vlog for someone well-known in your niche, or anyone with higher ranking videos than yours.

Share Your Videos on Social Media

Posting original content on social media sites is also a great way to get high-quality backlinks for free. People will click your links, and this can help you to get more views and subscribers too. Many bloggers and vloggers often post the videos they feature on their social media platforms.

Web 2.0 Sites

The use of Web 2.0 sites is a great way to get backlinks for your YouTube videos. Web 2.0 sites, such as Squarespace, Blogger, Blog, Weebly, and WordPress allow you to embed your videos. You can post original content on these sites, which will then link back to yours. So this makes them powerful links indeed.

Incorporate such websites into your marketing strategy and then target your keywords correctly to get more user engagement. In turn, both your site and embedded video will rank on the top page of search engines, meaning you will rank for that particular search query.

Pinterest Video Pins

Pinterest video pins are another great option. They are simply a link to your YouTube video placed on the Pinterest site. With over 320 million monthly active users and more than 200 billion pins saved, this is a great way to get YouTube backlinks for free. It also helps you grow your following.

Creating backlinks using Pinterest video pins can help you tell a story about your brand, idea, or project. Video pins attract and grab the attention of your audience using a cover image. What’s more? You can create video adverts to advertise on Pinterest.

Unlinked Mentions

The use of unlinked mentions means that whenever someone writes about a YouTube video without linking it back, you provide them with a link yourself; this is a great way to obtain YouTube backlinks for free.

● Questions: Is it safe to buy YouTube backlinks?

● No, it is not. You should not buy backlinks because it’s against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. If you get caught, you will get a Google penalty for trying to cheat the system.

A Few More SEO Factors for YouTube SEO

Quality of Your Videos

YouTube and Google rank high-quality HD videos higher than those of low quality. Use Filmora to create and edit your videos before uploading them to YouTube.

The software allows you to change the resolution of your videos; it has a range of resolution settings you can choose from to enhance the quality of your videos. You can also adjust the contrast, brightness, tint, and saturation of your videos.

Moreover, you can cut a section in the middle of a video and remove the shake from videos. Additionally, the program allows you to trim, crop, rotate and join videos.

The best part is: You don’t need to be tech-savvy to know how to use this software. It is easy to use and has an aesthetically pleasing interface.

Versatile Video Editor - Wondershare Filmora

An easy yet powerful editor

Numerous effects to choose from

Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel

Help you create high-quality YouTube video

Try It Free Try It Free

Video Title

The title of your video has a significant effect on your YouTube SEO. Including your target keyword in your title will help your video rank higher. A compelling title also drives a high CTR (click-through rate). However, you should avoid creating clickbait titles, as this can hurt your ranking.

Engagement

YouTube ranking also depends on how viewers engage with your video. If users watch, share, like, and comment on your videos, Google and YouTube will give them a priority. As such, the more engagement your videos receive, the higher they will rank.

YouTube Tags

Tags allow YouTube to know what your video is about. For this reason, your first tag should be the target keyword. You should also include variations of the target keyword when adding tags.

Conclusion

Using these methods can help you gain high-quality links to boost your YouTube SEO and increase views and subscribers to your channel. Keeping this in mind, the quality of your video is one of the ranking factors. Use Filmora to edit and create HD videos that will get on top of search results.

02 [Are YouTube Backlinks Important?](#Part 2)

03 [How Can I Get YouTube Backlinks for My Videos?](#Part 3)

04 [A Few More SEO Factors for YouTube SEO](#Part 4)

What Are YouTube Backlinks?

Links between other sites to your YouTube videos are referred to as YouTube backlinks. Backlinks are crucial to growing traffic, increasing discovery speed, and improving ranks. Backlinks are almost akin to a site’s reputation as they can act as a vote of confidence for the quality of your videos.

The content of a video with more backlinks is seen as more valuable by search engines than those with less, as each backlink adds confidence that the video is worth linking to.

The popularity of the sites linking to a YouTube video also plays a part as they naturally lead to increased traffic coming to sites through backlinks. Search engines often check popular videos for new backlinks leading to the quick discovery of new content.

The quality of backlinks significantly impacts the ranking and visibility of a given video. Search engines consider links from relevant sources as more valuable as people are more likely to click them.

Lastly, placement and formatting of links play a part as a link that stands out is more likely to generate traffic than one that doesn’t.

Are YouTube Backlinks Important?

Yes. Backlinks are one of the vital aspects of SEO. They are essential to ranking well in Google search results, and they also help you stay ahead of your competition.

Backlinks act as a powerful source to attract your target audience. While getting people to your might be challenging, sending them to your other work is a breeze. You only have to include YouTube backlinks for free to do so. With 65% of people being visual learners, YouTube is a resourceful place for using backlinks.

How Can I Get YouTube Backlinks for My Videos?

Getting high-quality backlinks can be challenging if you don’t know how to do it. The good news is that there are many different methods that you can use to get links that will benefit your YouTube videos; all it takes is a little creativity.

With that in mind, here are some of the safest ways of getting YouTube backlinks for free for your videos.

Guest Vlogging

If you have a large social media following or even just a few loyal subscribers on YouTube, consider using that to your advantage. Many bloggers and popular vloggers will allow guest appearances in their videos — as long as they also get something out of it. If you are a vlogger in a specific niche, you could guest vlog for someone well-known in your niche, or anyone with higher ranking videos than yours.

Share Your Videos on Social Media

Posting original content on social media sites is also a great way to get high-quality backlinks for free. People will click your links, and this can help you to get more views and subscribers too. Many bloggers and vloggers often post the videos they feature on their social media platforms.

Web 2.0 Sites

The use of Web 2.0 sites is a great way to get backlinks for your YouTube videos. Web 2.0 sites, such as Squarespace, Blogger, Blog, Weebly, and WordPress allow you to embed your videos. You can post original content on these sites, which will then link back to yours. So this makes them powerful links indeed.

Incorporate such websites into your marketing strategy and then target your keywords correctly to get more user engagement. In turn, both your site and embedded video will rank on the top page of search engines, meaning you will rank for that particular search query.

Pinterest Video Pins

Pinterest video pins are another great option. They are simply a link to your YouTube video placed on the Pinterest site. With over 320 million monthly active users and more than 200 billion pins saved, this is a great way to get YouTube backlinks for free. It also helps you grow your following.

Creating backlinks using Pinterest video pins can help you tell a story about your brand, idea, or project. Video pins attract and grab the attention of your audience using a cover image. What’s more? You can create video adverts to advertise on Pinterest.

Unlinked Mentions

The use of unlinked mentions means that whenever someone writes about a YouTube video without linking it back, you provide them with a link yourself; this is a great way to obtain YouTube backlinks for free.

● Questions: Is it safe to buy YouTube backlinks?

● No, it is not. You should not buy backlinks because it’s against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. If you get caught, you will get a Google penalty for trying to cheat the system.

A Few More SEO Factors for YouTube SEO

Quality of Your Videos

YouTube and Google rank high-quality HD videos higher than those of low quality. Use Filmora to create and edit your videos before uploading them to YouTube.

The software allows you to change the resolution of your videos; it has a range of resolution settings you can choose from to enhance the quality of your videos. You can also adjust the contrast, brightness, tint, and saturation of your videos.

Moreover, you can cut a section in the middle of a video and remove the shake from videos. Additionally, the program allows you to trim, crop, rotate and join videos.

The best part is: You don’t need to be tech-savvy to know how to use this software. It is easy to use and has an aesthetically pleasing interface.

Versatile Video Editor - Wondershare Filmora

An easy yet powerful editor

Numerous effects to choose from

Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel

Help you create high-quality YouTube video

Try It Free Try It Free

Video Title

The title of your video has a significant effect on your YouTube SEO. Including your target keyword in your title will help your video rank higher. A compelling title also drives a high CTR (click-through rate). However, you should avoid creating clickbait titles, as this can hurt your ranking.

Engagement

YouTube ranking also depends on how viewers engage with your video. If users watch, share, like, and comment on your videos, Google and YouTube will give them a priority. As such, the more engagement your videos receive, the higher they will rank.

YouTube Tags

Tags allow YouTube to know what your video is about. For this reason, your first tag should be the target keyword. You should also include variations of the target keyword when adding tags.

Conclusion

Using these methods can help you gain high-quality links to boost your YouTube SEO and increase views and subscribers to your channel. Keeping this in mind, the quality of your video is one of the ranking factors. Use Filmora to edit and create HD videos that will get on top of search results.

02 [Are YouTube Backlinks Important?](#Part 2)

03 [How Can I Get YouTube Backlinks for My Videos?](#Part 3)

04 [A Few More SEO Factors for YouTube SEO](#Part 4)

What Are YouTube Backlinks?

Links between other sites to your YouTube videos are referred to as YouTube backlinks. Backlinks are crucial to growing traffic, increasing discovery speed, and improving ranks. Backlinks are almost akin to a site’s reputation as they can act as a vote of confidence for the quality of your videos.

The content of a video with more backlinks is seen as more valuable by search engines than those with less, as each backlink adds confidence that the video is worth linking to.

The popularity of the sites linking to a YouTube video also plays a part as they naturally lead to increased traffic coming to sites through backlinks. Search engines often check popular videos for new backlinks leading to the quick discovery of new content.

The quality of backlinks significantly impacts the ranking and visibility of a given video. Search engines consider links from relevant sources as more valuable as people are more likely to click them.

Lastly, placement and formatting of links play a part as a link that stands out is more likely to generate traffic than one that doesn’t.

Are YouTube Backlinks Important?

Yes. Backlinks are one of the vital aspects of SEO. They are essential to ranking well in Google search results, and they also help you stay ahead of your competition.

Backlinks act as a powerful source to attract your target audience. While getting people to your might be challenging, sending them to your other work is a breeze. You only have to include YouTube backlinks for free to do so. With 65% of people being visual learners, YouTube is a resourceful place for using backlinks.

How Can I Get YouTube Backlinks for My Videos?

Getting high-quality backlinks can be challenging if you don’t know how to do it. The good news is that there are many different methods that you can use to get links that will benefit your YouTube videos; all it takes is a little creativity.

With that in mind, here are some of the safest ways of getting YouTube backlinks for free for your videos.

Guest Vlogging

If you have a large social media following or even just a few loyal subscribers on YouTube, consider using that to your advantage. Many bloggers and popular vloggers will allow guest appearances in their videos — as long as they also get something out of it. If you are a vlogger in a specific niche, you could guest vlog for someone well-known in your niche, or anyone with higher ranking videos than yours.

Share Your Videos on Social Media

Posting original content on social media sites is also a great way to get high-quality backlinks for free. People will click your links, and this can help you to get more views and subscribers too. Many bloggers and vloggers often post the videos they feature on their social media platforms.

Web 2.0 Sites

The use of Web 2.0 sites is a great way to get backlinks for your YouTube videos. Web 2.0 sites, such as Squarespace, Blogger, Blog, Weebly, and WordPress allow you to embed your videos. You can post original content on these sites, which will then link back to yours. So this makes them powerful links indeed.

Incorporate such websites into your marketing strategy and then target your keywords correctly to get more user engagement. In turn, both your site and embedded video will rank on the top page of search engines, meaning you will rank for that particular search query.

Pinterest Video Pins

Pinterest video pins are another great option. They are simply a link to your YouTube video placed on the Pinterest site. With over 320 million monthly active users and more than 200 billion pins saved, this is a great way to get YouTube backlinks for free. It also helps you grow your following.

Creating backlinks using Pinterest video pins can help you tell a story about your brand, idea, or project. Video pins attract and grab the attention of your audience using a cover image. What’s more? You can create video adverts to advertise on Pinterest.

Unlinked Mentions

The use of unlinked mentions means that whenever someone writes about a YouTube video without linking it back, you provide them with a link yourself; this is a great way to obtain YouTube backlinks for free.

● Questions: Is it safe to buy YouTube backlinks?

● No, it is not. You should not buy backlinks because it’s against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. If you get caught, you will get a Google penalty for trying to cheat the system.

A Few More SEO Factors for YouTube SEO

Quality of Your Videos

YouTube and Google rank high-quality HD videos higher than those of low quality. Use Filmora to create and edit your videos before uploading them to YouTube.

The software allows you to change the resolution of your videos; it has a range of resolution settings you can choose from to enhance the quality of your videos. You can also adjust the contrast, brightness, tint, and saturation of your videos.

Moreover, you can cut a section in the middle of a video and remove the shake from videos. Additionally, the program allows you to trim, crop, rotate and join videos.

The best part is: You don’t need to be tech-savvy to know how to use this software. It is easy to use and has an aesthetically pleasing interface.

Versatile Video Editor - Wondershare Filmora

An easy yet powerful editor

Numerous effects to choose from

Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel

Help you create high-quality YouTube video

Try It Free Try It Free

Video Title

The title of your video has a significant effect on your YouTube SEO. Including your target keyword in your title will help your video rank higher. A compelling title also drives a high CTR (click-through rate). However, you should avoid creating clickbait titles, as this can hurt your ranking.

Engagement

YouTube ranking also depends on how viewers engage with your video. If users watch, share, like, and comment on your videos, Google and YouTube will give them a priority. As such, the more engagement your videos receive, the higher they will rank.

YouTube Tags

Tags allow YouTube to know what your video is about. For this reason, your first tag should be the target keyword. You should also include variations of the target keyword when adding tags.

Conclusion

Using these methods can help you gain high-quality links to boost your YouTube SEO and increase views and subscribers to your channel. Keeping this in mind, the quality of your video is one of the ranking factors. Use Filmora to edit and create HD videos that will get on top of search results.

02 [Are YouTube Backlinks Important?](#Part 2)

03 [How Can I Get YouTube Backlinks for My Videos?](#Part 3)

04 [A Few More SEO Factors for YouTube SEO](#Part 4)

What Are YouTube Backlinks?

Links between other sites to your YouTube videos are referred to as YouTube backlinks. Backlinks are crucial to growing traffic, increasing discovery speed, and improving ranks. Backlinks are almost akin to a site’s reputation as they can act as a vote of confidence for the quality of your videos.

The content of a video with more backlinks is seen as more valuable by search engines than those with less, as each backlink adds confidence that the video is worth linking to.

The popularity of the sites linking to a YouTube video also plays a part as they naturally lead to increased traffic coming to sites through backlinks. Search engines often check popular videos for new backlinks leading to the quick discovery of new content.

The quality of backlinks significantly impacts the ranking and visibility of a given video. Search engines consider links from relevant sources as more valuable as people are more likely to click them.

Lastly, placement and formatting of links play a part as a link that stands out is more likely to generate traffic than one that doesn’t.

Are YouTube Backlinks Important?

Yes. Backlinks are one of the vital aspects of SEO. They are essential to ranking well in Google search results, and they also help you stay ahead of your competition.

Backlinks act as a powerful source to attract your target audience. While getting people to your might be challenging, sending them to your other work is a breeze. You only have to include YouTube backlinks for free to do so. With 65% of people being visual learners, YouTube is a resourceful place for using backlinks.

How Can I Get YouTube Backlinks for My Videos?

Getting high-quality backlinks can be challenging if you don’t know how to do it. The good news is that there are many different methods that you can use to get links that will benefit your YouTube videos; all it takes is a little creativity.

With that in mind, here are some of the safest ways of getting YouTube backlinks for free for your videos.

Guest Vlogging

If you have a large social media following or even just a few loyal subscribers on YouTube, consider using that to your advantage. Many bloggers and popular vloggers will allow guest appearances in their videos — as long as they also get something out of it. If you are a vlogger in a specific niche, you could guest vlog for someone well-known in your niche, or anyone with higher ranking videos than yours.

Share Your Videos on Social Media

Posting original content on social media sites is also a great way to get high-quality backlinks for free. People will click your links, and this can help you to get more views and subscribers too. Many bloggers and vloggers often post the videos they feature on their social media platforms.

Web 2.0 Sites

The use of Web 2.0 sites is a great way to get backlinks for your YouTube videos. Web 2.0 sites, such as Squarespace, Blogger, Blog, Weebly, and WordPress allow you to embed your videos. You can post original content on these sites, which will then link back to yours. So this makes them powerful links indeed.

Incorporate such websites into your marketing strategy and then target your keywords correctly to get more user engagement. In turn, both your site and embedded video will rank on the top page of search engines, meaning you will rank for that particular search query.

Pinterest Video Pins

Pinterest video pins are another great option. They are simply a link to your YouTube video placed on the Pinterest site. With over 320 million monthly active users and more than 200 billion pins saved, this is a great way to get YouTube backlinks for free. It also helps you grow your following.

Creating backlinks using Pinterest video pins can help you tell a story about your brand, idea, or project. Video pins attract and grab the attention of your audience using a cover image. What’s more? You can create video adverts to advertise on Pinterest.

Unlinked Mentions

The use of unlinked mentions means that whenever someone writes about a YouTube video without linking it back, you provide them with a link yourself; this is a great way to obtain YouTube backlinks for free.

● Questions: Is it safe to buy YouTube backlinks?

● No, it is not. You should not buy backlinks because it’s against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. If you get caught, you will get a Google penalty for trying to cheat the system.

A Few More SEO Factors for YouTube SEO

Quality of Your Videos

YouTube and Google rank high-quality HD videos higher than those of low quality. Use Filmora to create and edit your videos before uploading them to YouTube.

The software allows you to change the resolution of your videos; it has a range of resolution settings you can choose from to enhance the quality of your videos. You can also adjust the contrast, brightness, tint, and saturation of your videos.

Moreover, you can cut a section in the middle of a video and remove the shake from videos. Additionally, the program allows you to trim, crop, rotate and join videos.

The best part is: You don’t need to be tech-savvy to know how to use this software. It is easy to use and has an aesthetically pleasing interface.

Versatile Video Editor - Wondershare Filmora

An easy yet powerful editor

Numerous effects to choose from

Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel

Help you create high-quality YouTube video

Try It Free Try It Free

Video Title

The title of your video has a significant effect on your YouTube SEO. Including your target keyword in your title will help your video rank higher. A compelling title also drives a high CTR (click-through rate). However, you should avoid creating clickbait titles, as this can hurt your ranking.

Engagement

YouTube ranking also depends on how viewers engage with your video. If users watch, share, like, and comment on your videos, Google and YouTube will give them a priority. As such, the more engagement your videos receive, the higher they will rank.

YouTube Tags

Tags allow YouTube to know what your video is about. For this reason, your first tag should be the target keyword. You should also include variations of the target keyword when adding tags.

Conclusion

Using these methods can help you gain high-quality links to boost your YouTube SEO and increase views and subscribers to your channel. Keeping this in mind, the quality of your video is one of the ranking factors. Use Filmora to edit and create HD videos that will get on top of search results.

Perfect Your Video Subtitles on YouTube

How To Add Captions to YouTube Videos

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

By captioning your YouTube videos you help to make them accessible to more potential viewers. Subtitles are useful to viewers who have hearing impairments, whose first language is different from yours, or who are unable to watch your video with sound. Closed captioning can also be useful for you as a YouTuber because it helps with your SEO, or search engine optimization. Practicing better SEO can get your videos ranked higher in search results. Google and YouTube both index subtitles and transcripts much like they do your video’s description, unless you use automated captions.

This article will first explain how you can turn on subtitles for the videos you watch and then walk you through adding captions to your own videos.

How To Turn On Captions on YouTube

In order for you to be able to view subtitles for a YouTube video the uploader of the video will need to have added them, unless you change your account settings to display automatic captions.

To toggle subtitles on and off click on the Closed Captioning icon in the bottom right of your video player.

If the creator of the video has not added captions then you can enable automatic captions by going into your Account Settings and selecting Playback. Check the box next to Always Show Captions, and then check Show Automatic Captions by Speech Recognition. These captions may be flawed, but you will still be able to see the more accurate user submitted captions on videos that have them. The Always Show Captions feature may be useful not only to the hearing impaired, but to users who do not speak the same language as the video producer.

If you want to change the language of the subtitles click on the settings icon (the one that looks like a gear) next to the closed captioning icon and choose your language next to Subtitles/CC . If the language you want is not there select Auto-Translate and then pick a language. Google Translate will be used to generate subtitles in your chosen language.

Adding YouTube Captions in 4 Steps

1. Go to Video Manager in your Creator Studio and then look at your videos. Decide which one you want to add captions to.

2. Click on the drop-down menu next to the video you want to add captions to and choose Subtitles and CC.

3. Select Add New Subtitles or CC.

4. Choose whether to create your captions, upload a file that has them, transcribe your video, use automatic captioning, or use captioning software.

Create Subtitles or Closed Captions will allow you to create your subtitles on YouTube.

Upload A File allows you to upload a pre-made subtitle file from your computer. Supported file types include SubRip (.srt) and SubViewer (.sbv). You cannot use a word or PDF document for your subtitles.

Transcribe and Set Timings is where you can type a transcript of your video and set timings to sync it to your video. This differs from Create Subtitles or Closed Captions in that your transcript is all typed in to one text field.

Use Automatic Captioning will automatically use speech recognition technology to create captions. You can edit these auto-generated captions later if there are mistakes.

Use Captioning Software or Services is what you choose if you want to use a program or service to create the subtitles for your video.

The easiest way to add subtitles to your videos is to use Automatic Captioning. However, Automatic Captioning is imperfect and may result in your viewers getting a sloppy, skewed, interpretation of your video. Automatic captions are also not indexed by YouTube and Google the way subtitles you create or upload are. This means that they will not have any value to your SEO strategy. If you do not input your own captions or transcript you are missing out on an opportunity for better search engine rankings. Automatic Captions are great if you do not have time to input subtitles and need a temporary solution, though.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

By captioning your YouTube videos you help to make them accessible to more potential viewers. Subtitles are useful to viewers who have hearing impairments, whose first language is different from yours, or who are unable to watch your video with sound. Closed captioning can also be useful for you as a YouTuber because it helps with your SEO, or search engine optimization. Practicing better SEO can get your videos ranked higher in search results. Google and YouTube both index subtitles and transcripts much like they do your video’s description, unless you use automated captions.

This article will first explain how you can turn on subtitles for the videos you watch and then walk you through adding captions to your own videos.

How To Turn On Captions on YouTube

In order for you to be able to view subtitles for a YouTube video the uploader of the video will need to have added them, unless you change your account settings to display automatic captions.

To toggle subtitles on and off click on the Closed Captioning icon in the bottom right of your video player.

If the creator of the video has not added captions then you can enable automatic captions by going into your Account Settings and selecting Playback. Check the box next to Always Show Captions, and then check Show Automatic Captions by Speech Recognition. These captions may be flawed, but you will still be able to see the more accurate user submitted captions on videos that have them. The Always Show Captions feature may be useful not only to the hearing impaired, but to users who do not speak the same language as the video producer.

If you want to change the language of the subtitles click on the settings icon (the one that looks like a gear) next to the closed captioning icon and choose your language next to Subtitles/CC . If the language you want is not there select Auto-Translate and then pick a language. Google Translate will be used to generate subtitles in your chosen language.

Adding YouTube Captions in 4 Steps

1. Go to Video Manager in your Creator Studio and then look at your videos. Decide which one you want to add captions to.

2. Click on the drop-down menu next to the video you want to add captions to and choose Subtitles and CC.

3. Select Add New Subtitles or CC.

4. Choose whether to create your captions, upload a file that has them, transcribe your video, use automatic captioning, or use captioning software.

Create Subtitles or Closed Captions will allow you to create your subtitles on YouTube.

Upload A File allows you to upload a pre-made subtitle file from your computer. Supported file types include SubRip (.srt) and SubViewer (.sbv). You cannot use a word or PDF document for your subtitles.

Transcribe and Set Timings is where you can type a transcript of your video and set timings to sync it to your video. This differs from Create Subtitles or Closed Captions in that your transcript is all typed in to one text field.

Use Automatic Captioning will automatically use speech recognition technology to create captions. You can edit these auto-generated captions later if there are mistakes.

Use Captioning Software or Services is what you choose if you want to use a program or service to create the subtitles for your video.

The easiest way to add subtitles to your videos is to use Automatic Captioning. However, Automatic Captioning is imperfect and may result in your viewers getting a sloppy, skewed, interpretation of your video. Automatic captions are also not indexed by YouTube and Google the way subtitles you create or upload are. This means that they will not have any value to your SEO strategy. If you do not input your own captions or transcript you are missing out on an opportunity for better search engine rankings. Automatic Captions are great if you do not have time to input subtitles and need a temporary solution, though.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

By captioning your YouTube videos you help to make them accessible to more potential viewers. Subtitles are useful to viewers who have hearing impairments, whose first language is different from yours, or who are unable to watch your video with sound. Closed captioning can also be useful for you as a YouTuber because it helps with your SEO, or search engine optimization. Practicing better SEO can get your videos ranked higher in search results. Google and YouTube both index subtitles and transcripts much like they do your video’s description, unless you use automated captions.

This article will first explain how you can turn on subtitles for the videos you watch and then walk you through adding captions to your own videos.

How To Turn On Captions on YouTube

In order for you to be able to view subtitles for a YouTube video the uploader of the video will need to have added them, unless you change your account settings to display automatic captions.

To toggle subtitles on and off click on the Closed Captioning icon in the bottom right of your video player.

If the creator of the video has not added captions then you can enable automatic captions by going into your Account Settings and selecting Playback. Check the box next to Always Show Captions, and then check Show Automatic Captions by Speech Recognition. These captions may be flawed, but you will still be able to see the more accurate user submitted captions on videos that have them. The Always Show Captions feature may be useful not only to the hearing impaired, but to users who do not speak the same language as the video producer.

If you want to change the language of the subtitles click on the settings icon (the one that looks like a gear) next to the closed captioning icon and choose your language next to Subtitles/CC . If the language you want is not there select Auto-Translate and then pick a language. Google Translate will be used to generate subtitles in your chosen language.

Adding YouTube Captions in 4 Steps

1. Go to Video Manager in your Creator Studio and then look at your videos. Decide which one you want to add captions to.

2. Click on the drop-down menu next to the video you want to add captions to and choose Subtitles and CC.

3. Select Add New Subtitles or CC.

4. Choose whether to create your captions, upload a file that has them, transcribe your video, use automatic captioning, or use captioning software.

Create Subtitles or Closed Captions will allow you to create your subtitles on YouTube.

Upload A File allows you to upload a pre-made subtitle file from your computer. Supported file types include SubRip (.srt) and SubViewer (.sbv). You cannot use a word or PDF document for your subtitles.

Transcribe and Set Timings is where you can type a transcript of your video and set timings to sync it to your video. This differs from Create Subtitles or Closed Captions in that your transcript is all typed in to one text field.

Use Automatic Captioning will automatically use speech recognition technology to create captions. You can edit these auto-generated captions later if there are mistakes.

Use Captioning Software or Services is what you choose if you want to use a program or service to create the subtitles for your video.

The easiest way to add subtitles to your videos is to use Automatic Captioning. However, Automatic Captioning is imperfect and may result in your viewers getting a sloppy, skewed, interpretation of your video. Automatic captions are also not indexed by YouTube and Google the way subtitles you create or upload are. This means that they will not have any value to your SEO strategy. If you do not input your own captions or transcript you are missing out on an opportunity for better search engine rankings. Automatic Captions are great if you do not have time to input subtitles and need a temporary solution, though.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

By captioning your YouTube videos you help to make them accessible to more potential viewers. Subtitles are useful to viewers who have hearing impairments, whose first language is different from yours, or who are unable to watch your video with sound. Closed captioning can also be useful for you as a YouTuber because it helps with your SEO, or search engine optimization. Practicing better SEO can get your videos ranked higher in search results. Google and YouTube both index subtitles and transcripts much like they do your video’s description, unless you use automated captions.

This article will first explain how you can turn on subtitles for the videos you watch and then walk you through adding captions to your own videos.

How To Turn On Captions on YouTube

In order for you to be able to view subtitles for a YouTube video the uploader of the video will need to have added them, unless you change your account settings to display automatic captions.

To toggle subtitles on and off click on the Closed Captioning icon in the bottom right of your video player.

If the creator of the video has not added captions then you can enable automatic captions by going into your Account Settings and selecting Playback. Check the box next to Always Show Captions, and then check Show Automatic Captions by Speech Recognition. These captions may be flawed, but you will still be able to see the more accurate user submitted captions on videos that have them. The Always Show Captions feature may be useful not only to the hearing impaired, but to users who do not speak the same language as the video producer.

If you want to change the language of the subtitles click on the settings icon (the one that looks like a gear) next to the closed captioning icon and choose your language next to Subtitles/CC . If the language you want is not there select Auto-Translate and then pick a language. Google Translate will be used to generate subtitles in your chosen language.

Adding YouTube Captions in 4 Steps

1. Go to Video Manager in your Creator Studio and then look at your videos. Decide which one you want to add captions to.

2. Click on the drop-down menu next to the video you want to add captions to and choose Subtitles and CC.

3. Select Add New Subtitles or CC.

4. Choose whether to create your captions, upload a file that has them, transcribe your video, use automatic captioning, or use captioning software.

Create Subtitles or Closed Captions will allow you to create your subtitles on YouTube.

Upload A File allows you to upload a pre-made subtitle file from your computer. Supported file types include SubRip (.srt) and SubViewer (.sbv). You cannot use a word or PDF document for your subtitles.

Transcribe and Set Timings is where you can type a transcript of your video and set timings to sync it to your video. This differs from Create Subtitles or Closed Captions in that your transcript is all typed in to one text field.

Use Automatic Captioning will automatically use speech recognition technology to create captions. You can edit these auto-generated captions later if there are mistakes.

Use Captioning Software or Services is what you choose if you want to use a program or service to create the subtitles for your video.

The easiest way to add subtitles to your videos is to use Automatic Captioning. However, Automatic Captioning is imperfect and may result in your viewers getting a sloppy, skewed, interpretation of your video. Automatic captions are also not indexed by YouTube and Google the way subtitles you create or upload are. This means that they will not have any value to your SEO strategy. If you do not input your own captions or transcript you are missing out on an opportunity for better search engine rankings. Automatic Captions are great if you do not have time to input subtitles and need a temporary solution, though.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

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