You have a range of video options on YouTube, and you can find plenty of advice online about how to optimize your video and what content to include in it.

What many don't realize, however, is that a lot of smaller features and options are available to make your video stand out. They might not be the most popular or the most talked-about, but they can give your video that extra something it needs to increase engagement and CTR.

If you have a solid YouTube strategy and you're looking for a few things to spice it up, it's easy to get started.

YouTube Annotations

YouTube annotations are essentially just little messages that you can have pop up at the bottom of a video. They can be easily closed out by the user, so they aren't particularly annoying, but because they can include clickable links they are a great way to improve viewer engagement and get them clicking to a destination of your choice.

Here is an example of a screenshot of a video with an annotation:

Among the popular annotations that companies choose to use in their videos are those that ask viewers to subscribe to a YouTube channel or a newsletter, send them to an article on the company blog or website, or link to a product page where viewers can purchase whatever it is they are watching in the video.

In general, try to keep your annotations 5-7 seconds long, and use only one annotation every 4-5 minutes. Here are the steps to getting started:

  1. Go to the left side of your YouTube channel and click Video Manager. This is where you will find your list of videos. Click on the video you want to edit.
  2. Go to your edit button and click the Down Arrow to the right of the Edit button. Select Annotations.
  3. Click Add Annotation and then type in the annotation (which may include a link); specify how long you want it to show up and at what point in time you want it to pop up when someone is watching the video.
  4. Click Publish and you're set!

There are other considerations, so I recommend checking out another article I wrote that explains the process in more detail. You can also check out basic and more advanced directions from Google (which owns YouTube).

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Small YouTube Special Features You've Wrongfully Ignored

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Amanda DiSilvestro

Amanda DiSilvestro gives small businesses and entrepreneurs SEO advice ranging from keyword density to recovering from Panda and Penguin updates. She writes for SEO company Higher Visibility, which offers online marketing services to a wide range of companies across the country.

LinkedIn: Amanda DiSilvestro