When it comes to marketing must-dos, there’s a not so new kid on the block that fintechs need to consider: YouTube.
In recent years, video (specifically YouTube) has become one of the most powerful channels for businesses to engage their audience and drive growth. This is especially true for fintech/financial services companies that want to educate, inform, and convert loyal followers into customers.
Video content is an essential tool for capturing and holding your audience’s attention. YouTube—the behemoth of video platforms and the world’s second most popular search engine—offers unparalleled opportunities to showcase your fintech prowess, and make your brand stand out.
However, just uploading a video isn’t enough. To drive growth and rise above the noise, you need to master YouTube SEO—easier said than done.
In this article, we’ll explain what YouTube SEO is, cover why/how it should fit into your fintech marketing strategy, and share a YouTube SEO implementation guide.
Why Video Matters in Fintech Marketing
Video is not reserved just for the high-budget SaaS platform with deep pockets.
Video is for any brand that understands the value of connection. The medium’s inherent blend of visual and auditory engagement has the power to boil down complex financial concepts in a digestible format, making financial services content accessible to a broad audience.
Plus, the numbers speak for themselves. These two statistics make a strong point for video adoption within a fintech marketing strategy:
- Video makes up 65% of all internet traffic.
- 62% of consumers have watched video content to learn about a brand or product.
One could easily assume that it’s members of the younger generations (i.e., Y and Z) who are more inclined to seek information or entertainment via video—but it’s not just these demographics driving those numbers up. While, unsurprisingly, the 18-34 age group consumes the most video content, about 36% of Americans aged 55 and over consume it online daily.
As consumers turn to YouTube, brands need to rethink the way they earn trust by demonstrating their expertise, humanity, and professionalism. For financial services brands, videos can provide a boost to credibility by helping viewers put a face to the name and get a peak behind the curtain.
The bottom line is clear: brands that embrace video in their fintech marketing strategy have a better chance of capturing attention, expanding their audience, earning trust, and converting sales.
If you want to use YouTube successfully, then you need to care about YouTube SEO.
What Is YouTube SEO?
As the second-largest search engine in the world, and with 1 billion hours of videos watched per day, YouTube is becoming the can’t-skip channel for fintech marketers. And if you want to attain coveted positions in the YouTube search results, you need effective YouTube SEO to reap the rewards.
But what is YouTube SEO?
YouTube SEO involves optimizing your video content—and related content—to achieve higher rankings in the YouTube search results. It helps brands become more visible and land more organic views, making the time and effort to attain optimal SEO well worth it.
Valuable content alongside strategic SEO can produce powerful results:
- More video views.
- More likes and comments.
- More click-throughs to relevant content.
- More website traffic.
- More leads.
- More conversions.
For fintechs, leveraging this platform could mean providing educational or explainer videos to show viewers how you solve a critical problem. It could mean promoting your product demo to prospects kicking your brand’s tires. Ultimately, you want to become the go-to resource for your industry vertical.
The Difference Between YouTube SEO and Website SEO
Both YouTube SEO and traditional website SEO aim to improve visibility and drive traffic. If this is your goal, both channels will help you accomplish it—their why is the same.
But looking at the how, you’ll see some notable differences.
First, the search algorithms are different. YouTube’s algorithm prizes video engagement metrics such as watch time, likes, and comments, while Google focuses on content relevance and backlinks (among many other factors). In other words, engagement is vital to both platforms, but the type of engagement differs.
Keywords also play an important role in both types of SEO, but YouTube keywords are more specific. For example, you’d want to use “how to invest in fintech” as a keyword instead of “fintech investment strategies.”
Finally, the speed at which Google and YouTube rank content vary significantly. For instance, YouTube wants to see high engagement on your videos within the first 24 hours, which could determine how it ranks in its search results. Meanwhile, it takes web content three to six months to effectively rank on Google—although there are ways to speed up your website SEO ROI.
Does that mean it’s easier to rank on YouTube than on Google?
Some say yes. But it depends on your content’s quality, and how robust your SEO strategy is.
A Step-By-Step Guide to YouTube SEO
Creating your YouTube SEO strategy doesn’t need to be complicated. But it does require a dash of technical know-how.
Conduct Keyword Research
Keyword research helps you better understand what your audience is searching for on YouTube, so you can create content that solves their problems and delivers real value.
You don’t need sophisticated tools to start keyword research—you can identify the keywords you want to rank for with free research tools, like Google’s keyword planner tool and others. They are useful to provide preliminary insights on strategic keyword suggestions.
You can also type a few words in the YouTube search bar that are relevant to your product/service/topic, and look at the autocomplete box. YouTube shows you related keywords to your search and common queries. That’s valuable insight you can glean from the platform itself.
Finally, study the competition. Watch high-ranking videos in your niche and identify the keywords they target. Tools like VidIQ and TubeBuddy can reveal the tags and keywords competitors use. We cover our recommendations later in this article if you want to know more about these tools.
Identify Search Intent
Understanding why users are searching for a keyword is just as important (or more, some could argue) as what they’re searching for.
Figuring out their search intent can help you create content that speaks to where they are in their buying journey—instead of throwing out keywords aimlessly, you know exactly where to and how to place them.
The chart below explains the four types of search intent and how you can position video content to suit your viewers’ needs.
| What It Means | Examples | |
| Informational Search Intent | Viewers are looking to learn about a subject. Optimize your videos for keywords that address their search for information. | What is cryptocurrency mining?What is direct indexing?How to invest in real estate for beginners |
| Navigational Search Intent | Viewers are looking for a specific channel or video. Ensure your branding is consistent and recognizable so viewers can easily find your content. | [Brand Name][Brand Name] versus [Competitor Name] |
| Commercial Search Intent | Viewers are researching products or services with the intent to purchase soon. Create content that helps them compare options and make informed decisions. | Best FinTech solutions of 2024[Product A] vs. [Product B]Reviews of [Service Name] |
| Transactional Search Intent | Viewers are ready to make a decision or purchase. Create videos that highlight the benefits of your services and provide detailed product overviews. | Buy [Product Name]Demo of [Product Name][Service Name] pricing |
In-Video Optimization
Optimize each video on your channel by looking at these four factors:
- Captions and subtitles: Add accurate captions to improve accessibility and keyword relevance.
- Create engaging calls-to-action: Encourage viewers to like, comment, and subscribe to your channel in your videos. YouTube SEO best practices recommend asking questions and prompting discussion in the comments to engage with your viewers naturally.
- Video length: YouTube will calculate your ranking by factoring in the length of your video and engagement. For example, longer videos that maintain high engagement rank well in search. But length for the sake of length is more likely to hinder your ranking than help.
- End screens and cards: Add end screens and cards to promote your other videos, increase watch time, and add value relevant to your viewer’s initial search.
Of course, it’s a given that the content of your videos must be engaging and valuable to users—don’t just stack them up for the sake of adding video.
On-Page Video Optimization
In-video optimization is just half the battle. If you want to squeeze out every ounce of positive YouTube SEO juice, you will also want to optimize the content on your page.
Optimize these five factors on your YouTube pages for the best SEO results:
- Title: Your viewer should immediately know what you’re talking about in your video by looking at the title. Aim to include your primary keyword naturally and keep your title compelling and concise. For example, “Top 5 Fintech Trends in 2024” is clear and keyword-rich.
- Description: Provide viewers with additional information mentioned in the video or relevant to the main topic of the video. Detailed descriptions featuring relevant keywords help your videos rank better in search.
- Tags: YouTube tags are key for discoverability. Use a combination of broad and specific tags to capture all possible search habits. You may also want to include relevant keywords, synonyms, and related terms—but beware of adding too many.
- Thumbnails: The photo you see alongside your search results is called the thumbnail, and it can make or break whether a user decides to watch your video. Use thumbnails that pop and accurately represent your content. High-quality images, bold text, and consistent branding will help make your videos stand out.
- Playlists: Playlists make the user experience on your channel more seamless and increase their session duration. Create playlists by category to keep viewers engaged.
Ultimately, on-page optimization is about making sure that everything around your video complements and boosts your videos. It helps to increase a video’s reach, and impacts how viewers discover and experience your video content.
Tools for YouTube SEO Optimization
Achieving your SEO goals becomes much easier with the right tools in your toolkit. Here are five of the best YouTube SEO tools for your fintech video marketing strategy.
TubeBuddy
TubeBuddy is workflow optimization software for YouTube creators. It allows users to research keywords, unlock analytics and optimization suggestions, track video rankings, perform A/B tests, and monitor comment sections.
VidIQ
VidIQ empowers YouTube creators to brainstorm and reach more viewers with personalized content ideas. It offers keyword tools, competitor analysis, and performance tracking. It also helps identify trending topics, optimize tags, and analyze engagement metrics.
Canva
While you may be surprised to see a design tool on this list, Canva helps create custom thumbnails and graphics that get factored into your YouTube SEO results (remember about on-page video optimization?). Design professional-looking thumbnails that attract clicks and accurately represent your video content.
Google Trends
Google Trends shows you what people around the world are searching for. Use it to stay ahead of industry trends and create timely content that solves user’s problems.
RivalIQ
RivalIQ is a YouTube and social media analytics platform that provides a snapshot of how your competitors are growing on YouTube and what tags they are using.
Final Word: Create Value-Driven Content
Before you start creating video content, remember the golden rule of content creation: focus on delivering value first.
Your videos won’t go anywhere if they’re full of fluff. Video content should solve viewers’ problems, address common pain points, and share insights.
Here, combining value with compelling storytelling is a powerful one-two punch. While financial services and fintech industries may seem inherently serious, integrating storytelling into your content can enhance its impact.
500+ hours of new YouTube content is uploaded every minute. That’s a lot, and it’s easy to sink into oblivion with content that doesn’t deliver what viewers want. Ensuring your videos deliver both value and engaging narratives will help them rise above the noise.
Last thought to keep in mind: YouTube and video content aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
It’s crucial to align your video strategy with your overall brand mission, voice, and goals. Fintech and financial services companies should carefully consider if video content fits with their brand strategy rather than jumping on the bandwagon without thoughtful planning.
CSTMR: Your Partner in Fintech Marketing
YouTube SEO is hard work. It can leave you wondering if all the effort into creating video content is worth it.
The bottom line: it is.
At CSTMR, we help fintech and financial services brands stand out. And we’re in a quickly evolving landscape where emerging content consumption preferences and trends change frequently. Your brand needs to stay ahead of those changes to be well-positioned to stand out.
We understand the value of robust SEO strategies in fintech marketing, and we’re confident that it can make a huge difference for your brand.
Over the past ten years, we’ve helped countless financial services brands master their SEO and content marketing strategies to outrank their competition and accelerate growth. And we can help you, too.
Get in touch to learn more about CSTMR’s digital marketing services and how we could help you grow your fintech brand and business.
