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"[Updated] Boosting Video Reach on YouTube An In-Depth Guide to SEO Techniques"
Boosting Video Reach on YouTube: An In-Depth Guide to SEO Techniques
YouTube SEO Guide: How to Improve Search Rankings For Your YouTube Videos
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
If there exists searches, there exists SEO. YouTube now is the second largest search engine which processes more than 3 billion searches in a single month. Besides making sure that each video you upload to YouTube offers thought-provoking content, you can also optimize the video in accordance with the rules of SEO to stand out from the 500 hours of videos uploaded per minutes.
If you are trying to learn more about the SEO optimization of YouTube videos, you’ve landed on the right page, because in this guide we are going to take you through the process of improving the search rankings for each video you upload to YouTube.
YouTube SEO Guide
Quick Jump Menu:
The guide covers these five aspects of YouTube SEO optimization:
- The Basics - Five Main Traffic Sources
- How to Come Up With SEO Topics?
- The Metadata Process
- Promoting Videos Using Off-Channel Marketing
- How to Monitor a Video’s Data?
The Basics - Five Main Traffic Sources
Producing a video and posting it on your YouTube channel is simply not enough to guarantee its success. You have to know where the video’s traffic will come from, because over 500 hours of video content are being uploaded each minute, and there are over 50 million content creators on the platform.
That’s the reason why you have to develop a strategy that will attract the traffic to your videos and place them high in the YouTube’s search rankings. Let’s have a look at five traffic sources that will boost the number of views and comments videos are getting.
YouTube Search
A great deal of traffic for your videos can come from the search results, which makes the title of a video one of the most important aspects of SEO optimization on YouTube.
Don’t use long titles, strive to use short and catchy titles that also contain keywords which accurately describe the contents of the video in order to appear higher in the YouTube’s search results.
Suggested Videos
The platform offers video suggestions that cover topics similar to those of the videos you already watched. Once more, the title and the description you provided will play a crucial role in driving more traffic to your videos, so make sure that each video you post on YouTube has an effective title that will spark interest in a potential viewer to take action and actually watch the video.
Suggested videos that appear next to the video
Suggested videos that appear after the video
Suggested videos that appear from links in a video description.
YouTube Advertising
Investing in the promotion of the content you’re posting on your channel can help you to generate more views, but different types of YouTube ads produce different results. Non-skippable ads never count as a view, while a skippable ad that lasts more than ten seconds must be viewed for at least thirty seconds in order to qualify as a view. All other types of YouTube ads require the viewer to click on them and play them so the YouTube Analytics can recognize the action as a view.
Channel Pages, Browse Features, Playlists
Channel Pages - This method of generating traffic includes views created by other channel owners as well as Topic Channels that are automatically created using the platform’s video discovery system. In either case, your videos are discovered through search results or video suggestions.
Browse Features - The homepage of your YouTube channel as well as the subscription feed and all other browse features can be a potential source of views for your videos. The YouTube users who watch a video on your channel can be either signed-in or signed-out, but the YouTube Analytics tool will still recognize their action as a view.
Playlists - Producing content other YouTubers will want to include in their playlists is one of the best ways to attract more traffic and increase the amount of views videos you upload to your YouTube channel are getting.
External Traffic Sources
Even though YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, sharing a link to a video on social media such as Twitter or Facebook or embedding it on your website can significantly increase the number of views the video is getting.
Sources of traffic mentioned above are not equally effective, because the intent to actually watch the video varies greatly for each source. That’s why you’ll be able to achieve the best results if you combine several, if not all sources of traffic described in this guide.
How to Come Up With SEO Topics
Videos are a form of communication, and like with all forms of communication, you must know who you are addressing in order to know what to say. Defining the target audience before you start creating a video will make the SEO optimization process much simpler and much faster.
Let’s say that you want to become a successful beauty vlogger and your aim is to produce makeup tutorials. Your first step should be to determine which market is the most relevant for you. Assuming you’d like to target the Asian market, it becomes obvious that the audience you’ll be addressing will consist of women in need of practical makeup advice and your colleagues who offer similar types of tutorials.
Now that you’ve defined your target audience you can proceed to develop the content strategy. People search videos for many different reasons, but their motivation can be approximately divided into four micro-moments. These are:
I want to know, I want to go, I want to do and I want to buy moments and some or all can be applied to all types of YouTube videos.
I want to know moments refer to YouTube users who want to learn more about a certain topic and often ask how to perform a certain action. In the beauty niche, the search terms may include questions like ‘Is makeup bad for your skin?’ or ‘What is contouring?’.
I want to do moments reflect a certain need the potential viewer of your videos has, and your video should provide a straightforward answer. Most common I want to do search patterns for beauty vloggers are ‘How to apply mascara, eyeliner, etc..’
If you know quite a bit about beauty products, then producing videos that rely on I want to buy moments is a sure way to attract a lot of traffic to your videos. These include product reviews, top ten videos or comparison videos that offer the reasons for and against buying a certain product.
Furthermore, you should try to think of a way to create a makeup video that makes the viewer feel involved, so even if you are just explaining the basic terms or tools in the video, viewers should have the feeling that they are learning something.
After defining your target audience and determining what you have to offer, you can choose the topic based on keywords. Here’s how you can easily come up with keyword ideas for your YouTube videos.
How to find the right keywords ideas?
YouTube Search Suggestions:
This is by far the easiest and fastest way to come up with an SEO friendly topic for a video. The best part is that the keywords you come up with will work without a doubt since all suggestions are based on search terms actual people have already used.
Copy the Keywords From a Video in Your Niche that Already Has a Lot of Views:
Study the competition and find a few channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers that cover the same topics as you. These channels probably have a significant number of videos so just sort them out using the ‘Most Popular’ option.
Click on a video that has the most views and that also has a topic that isn’t far removed from what you want to do. When the video is open, look for the keyword around which it is centered, in the title, description or tags and just find a creative way to incorporate it into your video.
Use YouTube’s Traffic Sources and Search Report:
If you would like to find out which keywords YouTubers have used to find your videos this is your best option. Even though the chances are you’ll know most keywords in the report since you already used them for SEO optimization of your videos, you might come up with a few unexpected entries that might be useful.
Look for low-competition keywords, because frequently used keywords are already used by videos featured on channels that have a lot of followers. Low-competition keywords can be particularly helpful if you are trying to grow your channel since they might attract more viewers than the most obvious keyword choices.
YouTube keyword tools:
https://filmora.wondershare.com/vlogger/youtube-keyword-tools.html
The Metadata Process
Now that you’ve found the best keywords for a video you’d like to upload to your YouTube channel, you should do everything in your power to maximize its SEO value. The following YouTube Ranking factors all play a part in the success your video will enjoy:
- On Video (Metadata)
- Recommendations
- Channel
- User Action
As you can see, metadata is directly related to the search rankings performance of your videos. So what is metadata exactly?
Video file name: The SEO optimization of a YouTube video starts even before you upload the file to your channel. When naming a video file, make sure that the name contains a keyword, because the platform’s algorithm will analyze it and use it to determine how high it should be ranked in the search results.
Video title: The title of a YouTube video is added after the upload is complete. So, in order to increase the video’s chances of appearing high in the search results, you should place the keyword at its begging and avoid using titles longer than 70 characters as much as you can.
Description: The more words you use to describe a video, the better. YouTube descriptions can have up to 5000 characters, which gives you quite a lot of room to use the keywords you’ve selected.
Tags: You can hardly use too many tags, as a matter of fact, you should use as many tags as you can think of. Channel name, brand name, related keywords are all great choices for tags, just keep in mind that they can’t be longer than 127 characters.
YouTube tag generator:
http://www.betterwaytoweb.com/tag-generator-for-youtube
Transcript: Chances are that the keyword around which your video is based appears quite a lot in the narration and dialogue. YouTube lets you create transcripts of all your videos in just a few simple clicks, which enables you to take the SEO optimization a step further.
Promoting Videos Using Off-Channel Marketing
One of the greatest advantages YouTube offers is how easy it is to share the links to your videos on social media or anywhere else on the Internet. These off-channel marketing methods can help you drive more traffic to the videos you upload to YouTube:
Embedding the Link: Articles covering topics similar to the topic your video is covering are a perfect place to embed a link to the video featured on your channel. What’s more, you can embed a link in your blog posts, on your website, or on a website of a partner company.
Backlinks: A backlink is a link from some other website to the particular web resource, in this case, your video. You can insert links that offer additional information about the topic and by doing so increase the traffic.
Third-party Website Promotion: Share links to videos you upload to YouTube on websites like Quora or forums such as Filmora.io.
Team up with Other YouTube Creators: Looking for cooperation on Fiverr, or just send them private messages to ask for recommendation/follow. Add your video in their playlist, or in Related Channel, End-screen card, etc.
How to Monitor a Video’s Data?
YouTube Analytics is a tool that will enable you to find out more about the people who are watching your videos. How many of your subscribers have watched a video you added to your channel? How many viewers found a video you uploaded through search results? The answer to these questions can be easily found with this tool.
YouTube Analytics also provides insight into subscriber conversion rates, so you can know exactly which videos attracted the most subscribers. This feature is particularly important if you are still developing your channel since it can help you understand which type of videos inspired a viewer to take action and hit the Subscribe button
Combining the information supplied by the YouTube Analytics with the data Google Analytics can offer will allow you to get to know the viewers of your videos better, which can be useful when planning the topics of the videos you’d like to upload to your YouTube channel in the future. If you’d like to gain access to more advanced statistics, there are a lot of free and paid YouTube analytics tools that enable you to keep track of the number of video comments, rankings, dislikes, likes, video replies or favorites.
Each of these metrics serves as a building block of a successful YouTube channel because uploading a video during a weekend or during the working days may not produce the same results. The YouTube analytics tools can assist you in staying one step ahead of your competition and increasing the number of subscribers to your YouTube channel.
A Few Final Thoughts
Just keep these fundamental things into your mind when you’re doing YouTube SEO:
YouTube will do anything they can to keep viewer watch longer
So what’s relevant to the content? YouTube
Always suggest videos from the same creator (so you should use brand, channel name tags)
Evaluated what people watch next and which video they ignore.
Displays video with the similar titles and keywords/tags
So what’s relevant to the viewers? YouTube
Learns your preferences, style, tasted
Considers what content might be interesting to an individual viewer: analyze viewing history, channel subscriptions, search history, viewing choices.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
If there exists searches, there exists SEO. YouTube now is the second largest search engine which processes more than 3 billion searches in a single month. Besides making sure that each video you upload to YouTube offers thought-provoking content, you can also optimize the video in accordance with the rules of SEO to stand out from the 500 hours of videos uploaded per minutes.
If you are trying to learn more about the SEO optimization of YouTube videos, you’ve landed on the right page, because in this guide we are going to take you through the process of improving the search rankings for each video you upload to YouTube.
YouTube SEO Guide
Quick Jump Menu:
The guide covers these five aspects of YouTube SEO optimization:
- The Basics - Five Main Traffic Sources
- How to Come Up With SEO Topics?
- The Metadata Process
- Promoting Videos Using Off-Channel Marketing
- How to Monitor a Video’s Data?
The Basics - Five Main Traffic Sources
Producing a video and posting it on your YouTube channel is simply not enough to guarantee its success. You have to know where the video’s traffic will come from, because over 500 hours of video content are being uploaded each minute, and there are over 50 million content creators on the platform.
That’s the reason why you have to develop a strategy that will attract the traffic to your videos and place them high in the YouTube’s search rankings. Let’s have a look at five traffic sources that will boost the number of views and comments videos are getting.
YouTube Search
A great deal of traffic for your videos can come from the search results, which makes the title of a video one of the most important aspects of SEO optimization on YouTube.
Don’t use long titles, strive to use short and catchy titles that also contain keywords which accurately describe the contents of the video in order to appear higher in the YouTube’s search results.
Suggested Videos
The platform offers video suggestions that cover topics similar to those of the videos you already watched. Once more, the title and the description you provided will play a crucial role in driving more traffic to your videos, so make sure that each video you post on YouTube has an effective title that will spark interest in a potential viewer to take action and actually watch the video.
Suggested videos that appear next to the video
Suggested videos that appear after the video
Suggested videos that appear from links in a video description.
YouTube Advertising
Investing in the promotion of the content you’re posting on your channel can help you to generate more views, but different types of YouTube ads produce different results. Non-skippable ads never count as a view, while a skippable ad that lasts more than ten seconds must be viewed for at least thirty seconds in order to qualify as a view. All other types of YouTube ads require the viewer to click on them and play them so the YouTube Analytics can recognize the action as a view.
Channel Pages, Browse Features, Playlists
Channel Pages - This method of generating traffic includes views created by other channel owners as well as Topic Channels that are automatically created using the platform’s video discovery system. In either case, your videos are discovered through search results or video suggestions.
Browse Features - The homepage of your YouTube channel as well as the subscription feed and all other browse features can be a potential source of views for your videos. The YouTube users who watch a video on your channel can be either signed-in or signed-out, but the YouTube Analytics tool will still recognize their action as a view.
Playlists - Producing content other YouTubers will want to include in their playlists is one of the best ways to attract more traffic and increase the amount of views videos you upload to your YouTube channel are getting.
External Traffic Sources
Even though YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, sharing a link to a video on social media such as Twitter or Facebook or embedding it on your website can significantly increase the number of views the video is getting.
Sources of traffic mentioned above are not equally effective, because the intent to actually watch the video varies greatly for each source. That’s why you’ll be able to achieve the best results if you combine several, if not all sources of traffic described in this guide.
How to Come Up With SEO Topics
Videos are a form of communication, and like with all forms of communication, you must know who you are addressing in order to know what to say. Defining the target audience before you start creating a video will make the SEO optimization process much simpler and much faster.
Let’s say that you want to become a successful beauty vlogger and your aim is to produce makeup tutorials. Your first step should be to determine which market is the most relevant for you. Assuming you’d like to target the Asian market, it becomes obvious that the audience you’ll be addressing will consist of women in need of practical makeup advice and your colleagues who offer similar types of tutorials.
Now that you’ve defined your target audience you can proceed to develop the content strategy. People search videos for many different reasons, but their motivation can be approximately divided into four micro-moments. These are:
I want to know, I want to go, I want to do and I want to buy moments and some or all can be applied to all types of YouTube videos.
I want to know moments refer to YouTube users who want to learn more about a certain topic and often ask how to perform a certain action. In the beauty niche, the search terms may include questions like ‘Is makeup bad for your skin?’ or ‘What is contouring?’.
I want to do moments reflect a certain need the potential viewer of your videos has, and your video should provide a straightforward answer. Most common I want to do search patterns for beauty vloggers are ‘How to apply mascara, eyeliner, etc..’
If you know quite a bit about beauty products, then producing videos that rely on I want to buy moments is a sure way to attract a lot of traffic to your videos. These include product reviews, top ten videos or comparison videos that offer the reasons for and against buying a certain product.
Furthermore, you should try to think of a way to create a makeup video that makes the viewer feel involved, so even if you are just explaining the basic terms or tools in the video, viewers should have the feeling that they are learning something.
After defining your target audience and determining what you have to offer, you can choose the topic based on keywords. Here’s how you can easily come up with keyword ideas for your YouTube videos.
How to find the right keywords ideas?
YouTube Search Suggestions:
This is by far the easiest and fastest way to come up with an SEO friendly topic for a video. The best part is that the keywords you come up with will work without a doubt since all suggestions are based on search terms actual people have already used.
Copy the Keywords From a Video in Your Niche that Already Has a Lot of Views:
Study the competition and find a few channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers that cover the same topics as you. These channels probably have a significant number of videos so just sort them out using the ‘Most Popular’ option.
Click on a video that has the most views and that also has a topic that isn’t far removed from what you want to do. When the video is open, look for the keyword around which it is centered, in the title, description or tags and just find a creative way to incorporate it into your video.
Use YouTube’s Traffic Sources and Search Report:
If you would like to find out which keywords YouTubers have used to find your videos this is your best option. Even though the chances are you’ll know most keywords in the report since you already used them for SEO optimization of your videos, you might come up with a few unexpected entries that might be useful.
Look for low-competition keywords, because frequently used keywords are already used by videos featured on channels that have a lot of followers. Low-competition keywords can be particularly helpful if you are trying to grow your channel since they might attract more viewers than the most obvious keyword choices.
YouTube keyword tools:
https://filmora.wondershare.com/vlogger/youtube-keyword-tools.html
The Metadata Process
Now that you’ve found the best keywords for a video you’d like to upload to your YouTube channel, you should do everything in your power to maximize its SEO value. The following YouTube Ranking factors all play a part in the success your video will enjoy:
- On Video (Metadata)
- Recommendations
- Channel
- User Action
As you can see, metadata is directly related to the search rankings performance of your videos. So what is metadata exactly?
Video file name: The SEO optimization of a YouTube video starts even before you upload the file to your channel. When naming a video file, make sure that the name contains a keyword, because the platform’s algorithm will analyze it and use it to determine how high it should be ranked in the search results.
Video title: The title of a YouTube video is added after the upload is complete. So, in order to increase the video’s chances of appearing high in the search results, you should place the keyword at its begging and avoid using titles longer than 70 characters as much as you can.
Description: The more words you use to describe a video, the better. YouTube descriptions can have up to 5000 characters, which gives you quite a lot of room to use the keywords you’ve selected.
Tags: You can hardly use too many tags, as a matter of fact, you should use as many tags as you can think of. Channel name, brand name, related keywords are all great choices for tags, just keep in mind that they can’t be longer than 127 characters.
YouTube tag generator:
http://www.betterwaytoweb.com/tag-generator-for-youtube
Transcript: Chances are that the keyword around which your video is based appears quite a lot in the narration and dialogue. YouTube lets you create transcripts of all your videos in just a few simple clicks, which enables you to take the SEO optimization a step further.
Promoting Videos Using Off-Channel Marketing
One of the greatest advantages YouTube offers is how easy it is to share the links to your videos on social media or anywhere else on the Internet. These off-channel marketing methods can help you drive more traffic to the videos you upload to YouTube:
Embedding the Link: Articles covering topics similar to the topic your video is covering are a perfect place to embed a link to the video featured on your channel. What’s more, you can embed a link in your blog posts, on your website, or on a website of a partner company.
Backlinks: A backlink is a link from some other website to the particular web resource, in this case, your video. You can insert links that offer additional information about the topic and by doing so increase the traffic.
Third-party Website Promotion: Share links to videos you upload to YouTube on websites like Quora or forums such as Filmora.io.
Team up with Other YouTube Creators: Looking for cooperation on Fiverr, or just send them private messages to ask for recommendation/follow. Add your video in their playlist, or in Related Channel, End-screen card, etc.
How to Monitor a Video’s Data?
YouTube Analytics is a tool that will enable you to find out more about the people who are watching your videos. How many of your subscribers have watched a video you added to your channel? How many viewers found a video you uploaded through search results? The answer to these questions can be easily found with this tool.
YouTube Analytics also provides insight into subscriber conversion rates, so you can know exactly which videos attracted the most subscribers. This feature is particularly important if you are still developing your channel since it can help you understand which type of videos inspired a viewer to take action and hit the Subscribe button
Combining the information supplied by the YouTube Analytics with the data Google Analytics can offer will allow you to get to know the viewers of your videos better, which can be useful when planning the topics of the videos you’d like to upload to your YouTube channel in the future. If you’d like to gain access to more advanced statistics, there are a lot of free and paid YouTube analytics tools that enable you to keep track of the number of video comments, rankings, dislikes, likes, video replies or favorites.
Each of these metrics serves as a building block of a successful YouTube channel because uploading a video during a weekend or during the working days may not produce the same results. The YouTube analytics tools can assist you in staying one step ahead of your competition and increasing the number of subscribers to your YouTube channel.
A Few Final Thoughts
Just keep these fundamental things into your mind when you’re doing YouTube SEO:
YouTube will do anything they can to keep viewer watch longer
So what’s relevant to the content? YouTube
Always suggest videos from the same creator (so you should use brand, channel name tags)
Evaluated what people watch next and which video they ignore.
Displays video with the similar titles and keywords/tags
So what’s relevant to the viewers? YouTube
Learns your preferences, style, tasted
Considers what content might be interesting to an individual viewer: analyze viewing history, channel subscriptions, search history, viewing choices.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
If there exists searches, there exists SEO. YouTube now is the second largest search engine which processes more than 3 billion searches in a single month. Besides making sure that each video you upload to YouTube offers thought-provoking content, you can also optimize the video in accordance with the rules of SEO to stand out from the 500 hours of videos uploaded per minutes.
If you are trying to learn more about the SEO optimization of YouTube videos, you’ve landed on the right page, because in this guide we are going to take you through the process of improving the search rankings for each video you upload to YouTube.
YouTube SEO Guide
Quick Jump Menu:
The guide covers these five aspects of YouTube SEO optimization:
- The Basics - Five Main Traffic Sources
- How to Come Up With SEO Topics?
- The Metadata Process
- Promoting Videos Using Off-Channel Marketing
- How to Monitor a Video’s Data?
The Basics - Five Main Traffic Sources
Producing a video and posting it on your YouTube channel is simply not enough to guarantee its success. You have to know where the video’s traffic will come from, because over 500 hours of video content are being uploaded each minute, and there are over 50 million content creators on the platform.
That’s the reason why you have to develop a strategy that will attract the traffic to your videos and place them high in the YouTube’s search rankings. Let’s have a look at five traffic sources that will boost the number of views and comments videos are getting.
YouTube Search
A great deal of traffic for your videos can come from the search results, which makes the title of a video one of the most important aspects of SEO optimization on YouTube.
Don’t use long titles, strive to use short and catchy titles that also contain keywords which accurately describe the contents of the video in order to appear higher in the YouTube’s search results.
Suggested Videos
The platform offers video suggestions that cover topics similar to those of the videos you already watched. Once more, the title and the description you provided will play a crucial role in driving more traffic to your videos, so make sure that each video you post on YouTube has an effective title that will spark interest in a potential viewer to take action and actually watch the video.
Suggested videos that appear next to the video
Suggested videos that appear after the video
Suggested videos that appear from links in a video description.
YouTube Advertising
Investing in the promotion of the content you’re posting on your channel can help you to generate more views, but different types of YouTube ads produce different results. Non-skippable ads never count as a view, while a skippable ad that lasts more than ten seconds must be viewed for at least thirty seconds in order to qualify as a view. All other types of YouTube ads require the viewer to click on them and play them so the YouTube Analytics can recognize the action as a view.
Channel Pages, Browse Features, Playlists
Channel Pages - This method of generating traffic includes views created by other channel owners as well as Topic Channels that are automatically created using the platform’s video discovery system. In either case, your videos are discovered through search results or video suggestions.
Browse Features - The homepage of your YouTube channel as well as the subscription feed and all other browse features can be a potential source of views for your videos. The YouTube users who watch a video on your channel can be either signed-in or signed-out, but the YouTube Analytics tool will still recognize their action as a view.
Playlists - Producing content other YouTubers will want to include in their playlists is one of the best ways to attract more traffic and increase the amount of views videos you upload to your YouTube channel are getting.
External Traffic Sources
Even though YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, sharing a link to a video on social media such as Twitter or Facebook or embedding it on your website can significantly increase the number of views the video is getting.
Sources of traffic mentioned above are not equally effective, because the intent to actually watch the video varies greatly for each source. That’s why you’ll be able to achieve the best results if you combine several, if not all sources of traffic described in this guide.
How to Come Up With SEO Topics
Videos are a form of communication, and like with all forms of communication, you must know who you are addressing in order to know what to say. Defining the target audience before you start creating a video will make the SEO optimization process much simpler and much faster.
Let’s say that you want to become a successful beauty vlogger and your aim is to produce makeup tutorials. Your first step should be to determine which market is the most relevant for you. Assuming you’d like to target the Asian market, it becomes obvious that the audience you’ll be addressing will consist of women in need of practical makeup advice and your colleagues who offer similar types of tutorials.
Now that you’ve defined your target audience you can proceed to develop the content strategy. People search videos for many different reasons, but their motivation can be approximately divided into four micro-moments. These are:
I want to know, I want to go, I want to do and I want to buy moments and some or all can be applied to all types of YouTube videos.
I want to know moments refer to YouTube users who want to learn more about a certain topic and often ask how to perform a certain action. In the beauty niche, the search terms may include questions like ‘Is makeup bad for your skin?’ or ‘What is contouring?’.
I want to do moments reflect a certain need the potential viewer of your videos has, and your video should provide a straightforward answer. Most common I want to do search patterns for beauty vloggers are ‘How to apply mascara, eyeliner, etc..’
If you know quite a bit about beauty products, then producing videos that rely on I want to buy moments is a sure way to attract a lot of traffic to your videos. These include product reviews, top ten videos or comparison videos that offer the reasons for and against buying a certain product.
Furthermore, you should try to think of a way to create a makeup video that makes the viewer feel involved, so even if you are just explaining the basic terms or tools in the video, viewers should have the feeling that they are learning something.
After defining your target audience and determining what you have to offer, you can choose the topic based on keywords. Here’s how you can easily come up with keyword ideas for your YouTube videos.
How to find the right keywords ideas?
YouTube Search Suggestions:
This is by far the easiest and fastest way to come up with an SEO friendly topic for a video. The best part is that the keywords you come up with will work without a doubt since all suggestions are based on search terms actual people have already used.
Copy the Keywords From a Video in Your Niche that Already Has a Lot of Views:
Study the competition and find a few channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers that cover the same topics as you. These channels probably have a significant number of videos so just sort them out using the ‘Most Popular’ option.
Click on a video that has the most views and that also has a topic that isn’t far removed from what you want to do. When the video is open, look for the keyword around which it is centered, in the title, description or tags and just find a creative way to incorporate it into your video.
Use YouTube’s Traffic Sources and Search Report:
If you would like to find out which keywords YouTubers have used to find your videos this is your best option. Even though the chances are you’ll know most keywords in the report since you already used them for SEO optimization of your videos, you might come up with a few unexpected entries that might be useful.
Look for low-competition keywords, because frequently used keywords are already used by videos featured on channels that have a lot of followers. Low-competition keywords can be particularly helpful if you are trying to grow your channel since they might attract more viewers than the most obvious keyword choices.
YouTube keyword tools:
https://filmora.wondershare.com/vlogger/youtube-keyword-tools.html
The Metadata Process
Now that you’ve found the best keywords for a video you’d like to upload to your YouTube channel, you should do everything in your power to maximize its SEO value. The following YouTube Ranking factors all play a part in the success your video will enjoy:
- On Video (Metadata)
- Recommendations
- Channel
- User Action
As you can see, metadata is directly related to the search rankings performance of your videos. So what is metadata exactly?
Video file name: The SEO optimization of a YouTube video starts even before you upload the file to your channel. When naming a video file, make sure that the name contains a keyword, because the platform’s algorithm will analyze it and use it to determine how high it should be ranked in the search results.
Video title: The title of a YouTube video is added after the upload is complete. So, in order to increase the video’s chances of appearing high in the search results, you should place the keyword at its begging and avoid using titles longer than 70 characters as much as you can.
Description: The more words you use to describe a video, the better. YouTube descriptions can have up to 5000 characters, which gives you quite a lot of room to use the keywords you’ve selected.
Tags: You can hardly use too many tags, as a matter of fact, you should use as many tags as you can think of. Channel name, brand name, related keywords are all great choices for tags, just keep in mind that they can’t be longer than 127 characters.
YouTube tag generator:
http://www.betterwaytoweb.com/tag-generator-for-youtube
Transcript: Chances are that the keyword around which your video is based appears quite a lot in the narration and dialogue. YouTube lets you create transcripts of all your videos in just a few simple clicks, which enables you to take the SEO optimization a step further.
Promoting Videos Using Off-Channel Marketing
One of the greatest advantages YouTube offers is how easy it is to share the links to your videos on social media or anywhere else on the Internet. These off-channel marketing methods can help you drive more traffic to the videos you upload to YouTube:
Embedding the Link: Articles covering topics similar to the topic your video is covering are a perfect place to embed a link to the video featured on your channel. What’s more, you can embed a link in your blog posts, on your website, or on a website of a partner company.
Backlinks: A backlink is a link from some other website to the particular web resource, in this case, your video. You can insert links that offer additional information about the topic and by doing so increase the traffic.
Third-party Website Promotion: Share links to videos you upload to YouTube on websites like Quora or forums such as Filmora.io.
Team up with Other YouTube Creators: Looking for cooperation on Fiverr, or just send them private messages to ask for recommendation/follow. Add your video in their playlist, or in Related Channel, End-screen card, etc.
How to Monitor a Video’s Data?
YouTube Analytics is a tool that will enable you to find out more about the people who are watching your videos. How many of your subscribers have watched a video you added to your channel? How many viewers found a video you uploaded through search results? The answer to these questions can be easily found with this tool.
YouTube Analytics also provides insight into subscriber conversion rates, so you can know exactly which videos attracted the most subscribers. This feature is particularly important if you are still developing your channel since it can help you understand which type of videos inspired a viewer to take action and hit the Subscribe button
Combining the information supplied by the YouTube Analytics with the data Google Analytics can offer will allow you to get to know the viewers of your videos better, which can be useful when planning the topics of the videos you’d like to upload to your YouTube channel in the future. If you’d like to gain access to more advanced statistics, there are a lot of free and paid YouTube analytics tools that enable you to keep track of the number of video comments, rankings, dislikes, likes, video replies or favorites.
Each of these metrics serves as a building block of a successful YouTube channel because uploading a video during a weekend or during the working days may not produce the same results. The YouTube analytics tools can assist you in staying one step ahead of your competition and increasing the number of subscribers to your YouTube channel.
A Few Final Thoughts
Just keep these fundamental things into your mind when you’re doing YouTube SEO:
YouTube will do anything they can to keep viewer watch longer
So what’s relevant to the content? YouTube
Always suggest videos from the same creator (so you should use brand, channel name tags)
Evaluated what people watch next and which video they ignore.
Displays video with the similar titles and keywords/tags
So what’s relevant to the viewers? YouTube
Learns your preferences, style, tasted
Considers what content might be interesting to an individual viewer: analyze viewing history, channel subscriptions, search history, viewing choices.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
If there exists searches, there exists SEO. YouTube now is the second largest search engine which processes more than 3 billion searches in a single month. Besides making sure that each video you upload to YouTube offers thought-provoking content, you can also optimize the video in accordance with the rules of SEO to stand out from the 500 hours of videos uploaded per minutes.
If you are trying to learn more about the SEO optimization of YouTube videos, you’ve landed on the right page, because in this guide we are going to take you through the process of improving the search rankings for each video you upload to YouTube.
YouTube SEO Guide
Quick Jump Menu:
The guide covers these five aspects of YouTube SEO optimization:
- The Basics - Five Main Traffic Sources
- How to Come Up With SEO Topics?
- The Metadata Process
- Promoting Videos Using Off-Channel Marketing
- How to Monitor a Video’s Data?
The Basics - Five Main Traffic Sources
Producing a video and posting it on your YouTube channel is simply not enough to guarantee its success. You have to know where the video’s traffic will come from, because over 500 hours of video content are being uploaded each minute, and there are over 50 million content creators on the platform.
That’s the reason why you have to develop a strategy that will attract the traffic to your videos and place them high in the YouTube’s search rankings. Let’s have a look at five traffic sources that will boost the number of views and comments videos are getting.
YouTube Search
A great deal of traffic for your videos can come from the search results, which makes the title of a video one of the most important aspects of SEO optimization on YouTube.
Don’t use long titles, strive to use short and catchy titles that also contain keywords which accurately describe the contents of the video in order to appear higher in the YouTube’s search results.
Suggested Videos
The platform offers video suggestions that cover topics similar to those of the videos you already watched. Once more, the title and the description you provided will play a crucial role in driving more traffic to your videos, so make sure that each video you post on YouTube has an effective title that will spark interest in a potential viewer to take action and actually watch the video.
Suggested videos that appear next to the video
Suggested videos that appear after the video
Suggested videos that appear from links in a video description.
YouTube Advertising
Investing in the promotion of the content you’re posting on your channel can help you to generate more views, but different types of YouTube ads produce different results. Non-skippable ads never count as a view, while a skippable ad that lasts more than ten seconds must be viewed for at least thirty seconds in order to qualify as a view. All other types of YouTube ads require the viewer to click on them and play them so the YouTube Analytics can recognize the action as a view.
Channel Pages, Browse Features, Playlists
Channel Pages - This method of generating traffic includes views created by other channel owners as well as Topic Channels that are automatically created using the platform’s video discovery system. In either case, your videos are discovered through search results or video suggestions.
Browse Features - The homepage of your YouTube channel as well as the subscription feed and all other browse features can be a potential source of views for your videos. The YouTube users who watch a video on your channel can be either signed-in or signed-out, but the YouTube Analytics tool will still recognize their action as a view.
Playlists - Producing content other YouTubers will want to include in their playlists is one of the best ways to attract more traffic and increase the amount of views videos you upload to your YouTube channel are getting.
External Traffic Sources
Even though YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, sharing a link to a video on social media such as Twitter or Facebook or embedding it on your website can significantly increase the number of views the video is getting.
Sources of traffic mentioned above are not equally effective, because the intent to actually watch the video varies greatly for each source. That’s why you’ll be able to achieve the best results if you combine several, if not all sources of traffic described in this guide.
How to Come Up With SEO Topics
Videos are a form of communication, and like with all forms of communication, you must know who you are addressing in order to know what to say. Defining the target audience before you start creating a video will make the SEO optimization process much simpler and much faster.
Let’s say that you want to become a successful beauty vlogger and your aim is to produce makeup tutorials. Your first step should be to determine which market is the most relevant for you. Assuming you’d like to target the Asian market, it becomes obvious that the audience you’ll be addressing will consist of women in need of practical makeup advice and your colleagues who offer similar types of tutorials.
Now that you’ve defined your target audience you can proceed to develop the content strategy. People search videos for many different reasons, but their motivation can be approximately divided into four micro-moments. These are:
I want to know, I want to go, I want to do and I want to buy moments and some or all can be applied to all types of YouTube videos.
I want to know moments refer to YouTube users who want to learn more about a certain topic and often ask how to perform a certain action. In the beauty niche, the search terms may include questions like ‘Is makeup bad for your skin?’ or ‘What is contouring?’.
I want to do moments reflect a certain need the potential viewer of your videos has, and your video should provide a straightforward answer. Most common I want to do search patterns for beauty vloggers are ‘How to apply mascara, eyeliner, etc..’
If you know quite a bit about beauty products, then producing videos that rely on I want to buy moments is a sure way to attract a lot of traffic to your videos. These include product reviews, top ten videos or comparison videos that offer the reasons for and against buying a certain product.
Furthermore, you should try to think of a way to create a makeup video that makes the viewer feel involved, so even if you are just explaining the basic terms or tools in the video, viewers should have the feeling that they are learning something.
After defining your target audience and determining what you have to offer, you can choose the topic based on keywords. Here’s how you can easily come up with keyword ideas for your YouTube videos.
How to find the right keywords ideas?
YouTube Search Suggestions:
This is by far the easiest and fastest way to come up with an SEO friendly topic for a video. The best part is that the keywords you come up with will work without a doubt since all suggestions are based on search terms actual people have already used.
Copy the Keywords From a Video in Your Niche that Already Has a Lot of Views:
Study the competition and find a few channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers that cover the same topics as you. These channels probably have a significant number of videos so just sort them out using the ‘Most Popular’ option.
Click on a video that has the most views and that also has a topic that isn’t far removed from what you want to do. When the video is open, look for the keyword around which it is centered, in the title, description or tags and just find a creative way to incorporate it into your video.
Use YouTube’s Traffic Sources and Search Report:
If you would like to find out which keywords YouTubers have used to find your videos this is your best option. Even though the chances are you’ll know most keywords in the report since you already used them for SEO optimization of your videos, you might come up with a few unexpected entries that might be useful.
Look for low-competition keywords, because frequently used keywords are already used by videos featured on channels that have a lot of followers. Low-competition keywords can be particularly helpful if you are trying to grow your channel since they might attract more viewers than the most obvious keyword choices.
YouTube keyword tools:
https://filmora.wondershare.com/vlogger/youtube-keyword-tools.html
The Metadata Process
Now that you’ve found the best keywords for a video you’d like to upload to your YouTube channel, you should do everything in your power to maximize its SEO value. The following YouTube Ranking factors all play a part in the success your video will enjoy:
- On Video (Metadata)
- Recommendations
- Channel
- User Action
As you can see, metadata is directly related to the search rankings performance of your videos. So what is metadata exactly?
Video file name: The SEO optimization of a YouTube video starts even before you upload the file to your channel. When naming a video file, make sure that the name contains a keyword, because the platform’s algorithm will analyze it and use it to determine how high it should be ranked in the search results.
Video title: The title of a YouTube video is added after the upload is complete. So, in order to increase the video’s chances of appearing high in the search results, you should place the keyword at its begging and avoid using titles longer than 70 characters as much as you can.
Description: The more words you use to describe a video, the better. YouTube descriptions can have up to 5000 characters, which gives you quite a lot of room to use the keywords you’ve selected.
Tags: You can hardly use too many tags, as a matter of fact, you should use as many tags as you can think of. Channel name, brand name, related keywords are all great choices for tags, just keep in mind that they can’t be longer than 127 characters.
YouTube tag generator:
http://www.betterwaytoweb.com/tag-generator-for-youtube
Transcript: Chances are that the keyword around which your video is based appears quite a lot in the narration and dialogue. YouTube lets you create transcripts of all your videos in just a few simple clicks, which enables you to take the SEO optimization a step further.
Promoting Videos Using Off-Channel Marketing
One of the greatest advantages YouTube offers is how easy it is to share the links to your videos on social media or anywhere else on the Internet. These off-channel marketing methods can help you drive more traffic to the videos you upload to YouTube:
Embedding the Link: Articles covering topics similar to the topic your video is covering are a perfect place to embed a link to the video featured on your channel. What’s more, you can embed a link in your blog posts, on your website, or on a website of a partner company.
Backlinks: A backlink is a link from some other website to the particular web resource, in this case, your video. You can insert links that offer additional information about the topic and by doing so increase the traffic.
Third-party Website Promotion: Share links to videos you upload to YouTube on websites like Quora or forums such as Filmora.io.
Team up with Other YouTube Creators: Looking for cooperation on Fiverr, or just send them private messages to ask for recommendation/follow. Add your video in their playlist, or in Related Channel, End-screen card, etc.
How to Monitor a Video’s Data?
YouTube Analytics is a tool that will enable you to find out more about the people who are watching your videos. How many of your subscribers have watched a video you added to your channel? How many viewers found a video you uploaded through search results? The answer to these questions can be easily found with this tool.
YouTube Analytics also provides insight into subscriber conversion rates, so you can know exactly which videos attracted the most subscribers. This feature is particularly important if you are still developing your channel since it can help you understand which type of videos inspired a viewer to take action and hit the Subscribe button
Combining the information supplied by the YouTube Analytics with the data Google Analytics can offer will allow you to get to know the viewers of your videos better, which can be useful when planning the topics of the videos you’d like to upload to your YouTube channel in the future. If you’d like to gain access to more advanced statistics, there are a lot of free and paid YouTube analytics tools that enable you to keep track of the number of video comments, rankings, dislikes, likes, video replies or favorites.
Each of these metrics serves as a building block of a successful YouTube channel because uploading a video during a weekend or during the working days may not produce the same results. The YouTube analytics tools can assist you in staying one step ahead of your competition and increasing the number of subscribers to your YouTube channel.
A Few Final Thoughts
Just keep these fundamental things into your mind when you’re doing YouTube SEO:
YouTube will do anything they can to keep viewer watch longer
So what’s relevant to the content? YouTube
Always suggest videos from the same creator (so you should use brand, channel name tags)
Evaluated what people watch next and which video they ignore.
Displays video with the similar titles and keywords/tags
So what’s relevant to the viewers? YouTube
Learns your preferences, style, tasted
Considers what content might be interesting to an individual viewer: analyze viewing history, channel subscriptions, search history, viewing choices.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Sound Strategies: Tailoring Your Microphone to Align With Your YouTube Channel
Best Microphone for YouTuber
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Looking for a quality YouTube microphone ? There are 2 things that make for good YouTube content: quality pictures and quality audio. If you are an ambitious YouTuber, you cannot afford to compromise on either of these. In fact, many would argue that having good audio is far more important than having good visuals, the reason being that poor audio is sure to discourage people from viewing your video no matter how great the pictures are.
This is why it’s important to invest in a good microphone for your YouTube videos. The best microphone for you will depend on the kind of videos you make and also where you do your recording. In this post, we tell you the top 19 microphones for making YouTube videos and we’ve grouped our top picks based on the type and setting of the video.
- The Top 3 Condenser Microphones for Music and Singing
- The Top 6 Condenser Microphones for Voiceovers, Podcasts, and Interviews
- The Top 4 Camera Mounted Shotgun Microphones
- The Top 3 Shotgun Microphones for Out-Of-Frame Audio Recording
- The Top 3 Low-Profile Lavalier Microphones
The Top 3 Condenser Microphones for Singing and Music
Recording music requires a microphone that can pick up the nuances and depths of all the sounds involved in a performance. This is why microphones with large diaphragms, noise cancellation, and the capacity for high-pressure sound recording are ideal. Here are our top 3 microphones for singing and recording music.
1. Audio-Technica AT2035
The Audio-Technica AT2035 is a versatile condenser microphone that delivers excellent sound quality. It boasts a big diaphragm that enables it to pick up direct frontal sound very well and can also handle high-pressure sounds. According to some reviewers, this mic may pick up background noise if used in an environment that isn’t soundproof. That said, experienced vocalists and musicians are very pleased with the quality and warmth of the sound captured by this mic.
2. Rode NT1-A
The Rode NT1-A is a top-performing condenser mic that delivers the kind of professional sound quality YouTube vocalists and instrumentalists want from their studio recordings. Its great sound quality, low self-noise, and extended dynamic range make it remarkable for microphones in its class. It also comes with advanced features and its own Phantom power pack. Though priced higher than similar microphones, many YouTubers would agree that the quality delivered by the Rode NT1-A is well worth the additional cost.
3. AKG C214
The AKG C214 is by far the best studio-quality condenser microphone on this list. It is equipped with a large diaphragm for faultless sound fidelity and depth. It also has a bass filter and an attenuation pad that work together to capture loud and up-close bass sounds without audio artifacts. This mic is great for recording vocals as well as instruments and is famous for its durable build and consistent top-quality performance. The AKG C214 microphone is a great option for YouTube performing artists who are ready to up their game and produce content of impeccable quality.
The Top 6 Condenser Microphones For Podcasts, Interviews, and Voiceovers
Podcasts, interviews, and voiceovers are often shot in offices that double as studios. Usually, the podcaster and interviewees are seated at a desk in front of or next to a computer and may in fact be recording using a webcam. Here are 6 microphone options that give you the flexibility and connectivity you need for podcasts, voiceovers, and interviews.
1. Apogee Mic 96K
The Apogee Mic 96K is a plug-n-play cardioid USB mic that’s great for recording unidirectional sound like the human voice. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac (although it was primarily designed for Mac) and is perfect for recording simple voiceover videos and weekly podcasts. It’s also quite flexible and can be connected to mobile devices and cameras for both indoor studios and outdoor use.
2. Blue Yeti
The Blue Yeti is a popular USB condenser mic among YouTubers and podcasters. It delivers great sound quality in its cardioid mode (cardioid means it only records sound from in front of itself) and can be switched into other 3 other polar patterns thanks to its 3 in-build condenser capsules. This means that the Blue Yeti can be configured for bidirectional, stereo, and omnidirectional sound. This mic also comes at a relatively affordable price and is compatible with Windows and Mac. While most reviewers would not recommend it for recording studio music, it delivers the desired sound quality and range for YouTubers who focus on voiceover recordings and interviews.
3. Rode NT-USB
The Rode NT-USB is a great plug-n-play mic that comes with useful supporting equipment including a tripod mount and a storage pouch as well as a USB cable. It also has other desirable features like a 3.5mm headphone jack and on-mic mix control. That said, it lacks the voice configuration versatility of the Blue Yeti and is relatively more expensive. That said, this is one microphone that will impress fans of the Rode brand.
4. Blue Snowball
The Blue Snowball is a cool USB microphone that’s perfect for YouTubers on a budget. It has 2 sound recording configurations and will do a good job of capturing voiceover recording, podcasts, and interviews. The Blue Snowball is however very low on additional features and perhaps this is why it’s so much more affordable than the Blue Yeti. Depending on the Snowball model you buy, you may get no configuration options, no headphone jack, and no stand. All in all, this is a great starter-mic for voiceover YouTubers who are new to the game.
5. Audio-Technica AT2020
The Audio-Technica AT2020 is a solid USB mic that’s especially good for voiceover recordings and one-person podcasts. It is built with only a cardioid unidirectional setting and may not deliver the best sound quality in a video involving more than 2 people. Its newer model also has additional functional options like a headphone jack and mix dial which was not available on the older model. That said, it may cost less than a Blue Yeti for most shoppers and delivers enough functionality and sound quality for the average YouTube voiceover recording.
6. Rode Procaster
The Rode Procaster is a great cardioid microphone for voiceover recordings and podcasts. It is known to perform well when placed close to the speaker and comes with an internal shock mount to reduce vibrations in voiceover recordings. While it performs quite well for a cardioid mic, it may need additional devices to achieve better sound gain and an external shock mount to better resist vibrations.
The Top 4 Camera Mounted Shotgun Microphones
Shotgun microphones are great for outdoor recording because they feature solid ambient sound cancellation and add-on windshields to keep wind interference to a minimum. They can achieve remarkable ambient noise cancellation due to the narrow area through which they capture sound vibrations. They also tend to come with hot-shoe or cold-shoe mounts to fit easily on cameras. Our top 4 shotgun microphones for on-the-go vlogging are listed below:
1. Rode VideoMic Go
The Rode VideoMic Go is a solid cardioid shotgun microphone that will do the job for on-the-go vlogging and interviews. It’s great for both outdoor and indoor use and comes equipped with a cold-shoe mount that lets it sit comfortably on most DSLR cameras. The VideoMic Go also comes with a shock-absorbing mount that together with its cardioid configuration makes for great sound capture with minimal ambient noise.
2. Shure VP83
The Shure VP83 is a 2-in-1 microphone and audio recorder. It comes with a Micro SD slot for recording sound without a camera and is fitted with an LCD screen for control and monitoring while in use. As a digital audio recorder, the Shure VP83 can support the creation of improved audio recordings. It comes with a hot-shoe mount with in-built shock-absorbing tech for better vibration reduction. Instead of investing in a separate mic and digital audio recorder, the VP83 is a great 2-in-1 alternative that performs as well as expected.
3. Rode VideoMic Pro+
The Rode VideoMic Pro+ comes with the proprietary Rode Rycote Lyre mount for excellent vibration reduction. It sits comfortably on most DSLR cameras and performs well in quick motion recording scenarios. The VideoMic Pro+ also comes with filters to reduce background noise, boost sound signals, and boost sound depth during on-the-go recordings. All in all, this mic is a great investment for YouTubers who want to produce good quality videos on-the-go.
4. Sennheiser MKE 440
The Sennheiser MKE 44O is a top-of-the-line shotgun microphone that captures stereo sound beautifully. This v-shaped microphone can capture stereo sound optimally. It has a solid camera mount, a high pass filter to keep background noise to a minimum, and effective gain control to boost audio signals. This mic is great for capturing audio from more than one person on-the-go. If you plan to produce more videos on-the-go in dynamic indoor or outdoor settings, the Sennheiser MKE 44O is a great option.
Best Shotgun Microphones For Out-Of-Frame Audio Recording
For out-of-frame audio recordings, shotgun microphones with broader sound pick-up patterns and intelligent noise cancellation are preferred. The objective here is to capture high-fidelity audio even when there’s more than one subject and you’re shooting a video with dynamic audio patterns. It’s the sort of recording hardware that’s needed for more professional indoor and field video recordings. Out top 3 picks for out-of-frame audio recordings are below.
1. Rode NTG-3
The Rode NTG-3 is an impressive shotgun mic with very great specs. It boasts all the features a professional would want for an out-of-frame audio recording. It’s also famous for its excellent sound quality, low self-noise, and great noise cancellation. The NTG-3s has an accommodating sound pick-up pattern. It handles unidirectional, bidirectional, and alternative sound patterns quite well. This is one shotgun mic most professionals love for outdoor audio recordings.
2. Audio-Technica AT4053B
The Audio-Technica AT4053B is a hyper-cardioid microphone that’s great for indoor dialogue recordings. It has a sleek look, excellent noise cancellation, and a detachable capsule that lets users switch between a hyper-cardioid and cardioid modes. The AT4053B is also known to be great for live music recording scenarios and delivers crisp sound quality to edge out its competitors. It delivers the kind of professional-grade audio capture most professionals would appreciate having in their toolbox.
3. Sennheiser MKH416
The Sennheiser MKH416 is considered a premium shotgun mic by industry pros. It’s great for indoor and outdoor shoots in a variety of weather conditions and will require more technical knowledge to be utilized maximally. To prove its power and top-of-the-line performance, the MKH416 is often used on movie sets and can pick-up long-distance sound impeccably.
The Top 3 Low-Profile Lavalier Microphones
Lavalier microphones are ideal for any scenario where you need a microphone that’s small and easy to conceal, or which records your voice from close-up. Lavalier mics are hands-free microphones which are usually clipped onto clothing to capture high fidelity voice audio with as little sound interference as possible. They tend to be omnidirectional but perform well for voice recordings because they’re usually placed very close to the speaker’s mouth. Our top 3 picks are below:
1. Rode SmartLav+
The Rode SmartLav+ is the go-to Lavalier mic for most YouTubers. It is compatible with most modern smartphones and can be used as personal vlogging. The SmartLav+ captures great voice audio. With its solid design, it has everything a professional or amateur would want from a Lavalier mic. It may require additional hardware to connect to some recording devices.
2. Audio-Technica ATR3350iS
The Audio-Technica ATR3350iS is a cheaper alternative to the Rode SmartLav+. It comes with supporting hardware for easy connection to multiple recording devices including smartphones and cameras. Also, it captures voice audio acceptably well and does not fare too badly at noise cancellation. That said, some reviewers have observed that it is more fragile than the SmartLav+. Be sure to take precautions and handle with care to avoid damaging your ATR3350iS.
3. Sennheiser ME2
Coming from the Sennheiser brand, the ME2 is considered a relatively affordable professional lavalier mic. It comes with a 3.5mm jack and captures clear voice audio with decent noise reduction in controlled environments. It’s also a plus that the ME2 is compatible with the Sennheiser AVX wireless system and Sennheiser bodypack wireless microphone system. With its compact size, the ME2 is easy to conceal and capture great voice audio even when placed under clothing. While it may not be the top-performing lavalier mic in its price range, the ME2 is a reliable lapel mic.
What do you use for a YouTube microphone?
Custom Videos with Versatile Video Editor
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Looking for a quality YouTube microphone ? There are 2 things that make for good YouTube content: quality pictures and quality audio. If you are an ambitious YouTuber, you cannot afford to compromise on either of these. In fact, many would argue that having good audio is far more important than having good visuals, the reason being that poor audio is sure to discourage people from viewing your video no matter how great the pictures are.
This is why it’s important to invest in a good microphone for your YouTube videos. The best microphone for you will depend on the kind of videos you make and also where you do your recording. In this post, we tell you the top 19 microphones for making YouTube videos and we’ve grouped our top picks based on the type and setting of the video.
- The Top 3 Condenser Microphones for Music and Singing
- The Top 6 Condenser Microphones for Voiceovers, Podcasts, and Interviews
- The Top 4 Camera Mounted Shotgun Microphones
- The Top 3 Shotgun Microphones for Out-Of-Frame Audio Recording
- The Top 3 Low-Profile Lavalier Microphones
The Top 3 Condenser Microphones for Singing and Music
Recording music requires a microphone that can pick up the nuances and depths of all the sounds involved in a performance. This is why microphones with large diaphragms, noise cancellation, and the capacity for high-pressure sound recording are ideal. Here are our top 3 microphones for singing and recording music.
1. Audio-Technica AT2035
The Audio-Technica AT2035 is a versatile condenser microphone that delivers excellent sound quality. It boasts a big diaphragm that enables it to pick up direct frontal sound very well and can also handle high-pressure sounds. According to some reviewers, this mic may pick up background noise if used in an environment that isn’t soundproof. That said, experienced vocalists and musicians are very pleased with the quality and warmth of the sound captured by this mic.
2. Rode NT1-A
The Rode NT1-A is a top-performing condenser mic that delivers the kind of professional sound quality YouTube vocalists and instrumentalists want from their studio recordings. Its great sound quality, low self-noise, and extended dynamic range make it remarkable for microphones in its class. It also comes with advanced features and its own Phantom power pack. Though priced higher than similar microphones, many YouTubers would agree that the quality delivered by the Rode NT1-A is well worth the additional cost.
3. AKG C214
The AKG C214 is by far the best studio-quality condenser microphone on this list. It is equipped with a large diaphragm for faultless sound fidelity and depth. It also has a bass filter and an attenuation pad that work together to capture loud and up-close bass sounds without audio artifacts. This mic is great for recording vocals as well as instruments and is famous for its durable build and consistent top-quality performance. The AKG C214 microphone is a great option for YouTube performing artists who are ready to up their game and produce content of impeccable quality.
The Top 6 Condenser Microphones For Podcasts, Interviews, and Voiceovers
Podcasts, interviews, and voiceovers are often shot in offices that double as studios. Usually, the podcaster and interviewees are seated at a desk in front of or next to a computer and may in fact be recording using a webcam. Here are 6 microphone options that give you the flexibility and connectivity you need for podcasts, voiceovers, and interviews.
1. Apogee Mic 96K
The Apogee Mic 96K is a plug-n-play cardioid USB mic that’s great for recording unidirectional sound like the human voice. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac (although it was primarily designed for Mac) and is perfect for recording simple voiceover videos and weekly podcasts. It’s also quite flexible and can be connected to mobile devices and cameras for both indoor studios and outdoor use.
2. Blue Yeti
The Blue Yeti is a popular USB condenser mic among YouTubers and podcasters. It delivers great sound quality in its cardioid mode (cardioid means it only records sound from in front of itself) and can be switched into other 3 other polar patterns thanks to its 3 in-build condenser capsules. This means that the Blue Yeti can be configured for bidirectional, stereo, and omnidirectional sound. This mic also comes at a relatively affordable price and is compatible with Windows and Mac. While most reviewers would not recommend it for recording studio music, it delivers the desired sound quality and range for YouTubers who focus on voiceover recordings and interviews.
3. Rode NT-USB
The Rode NT-USB is a great plug-n-play mic that comes with useful supporting equipment including a tripod mount and a storage pouch as well as a USB cable. It also has other desirable features like a 3.5mm headphone jack and on-mic mix control. That said, it lacks the voice configuration versatility of the Blue Yeti and is relatively more expensive. That said, this is one microphone that will impress fans of the Rode brand.
4. Blue Snowball
The Blue Snowball is a cool USB microphone that’s perfect for YouTubers on a budget. It has 2 sound recording configurations and will do a good job of capturing voiceover recording, podcasts, and interviews. The Blue Snowball is however very low on additional features and perhaps this is why it’s so much more affordable than the Blue Yeti. Depending on the Snowball model you buy, you may get no configuration options, no headphone jack, and no stand. All in all, this is a great starter-mic for voiceover YouTubers who are new to the game.
5. Audio-Technica AT2020
The Audio-Technica AT2020 is a solid USB mic that’s especially good for voiceover recordings and one-person podcasts. It is built with only a cardioid unidirectional setting and may not deliver the best sound quality in a video involving more than 2 people. Its newer model also has additional functional options like a headphone jack and mix dial which was not available on the older model. That said, it may cost less than a Blue Yeti for most shoppers and delivers enough functionality and sound quality for the average YouTube voiceover recording.
6. Rode Procaster
The Rode Procaster is a great cardioid microphone for voiceover recordings and podcasts. It is known to perform well when placed close to the speaker and comes with an internal shock mount to reduce vibrations in voiceover recordings. While it performs quite well for a cardioid mic, it may need additional devices to achieve better sound gain and an external shock mount to better resist vibrations.
The Top 4 Camera Mounted Shotgun Microphones
Shotgun microphones are great for outdoor recording because they feature solid ambient sound cancellation and add-on windshields to keep wind interference to a minimum. They can achieve remarkable ambient noise cancellation due to the narrow area through which they capture sound vibrations. They also tend to come with hot-shoe or cold-shoe mounts to fit easily on cameras. Our top 4 shotgun microphones for on-the-go vlogging are listed below:
1. Rode VideoMic Go
The Rode VideoMic Go is a solid cardioid shotgun microphone that will do the job for on-the-go vlogging and interviews. It’s great for both outdoor and indoor use and comes equipped with a cold-shoe mount that lets it sit comfortably on most DSLR cameras. The VideoMic Go also comes with a shock-absorbing mount that together with its cardioid configuration makes for great sound capture with minimal ambient noise.
2. Shure VP83
The Shure VP83 is a 2-in-1 microphone and audio recorder. It comes with a Micro SD slot for recording sound without a camera and is fitted with an LCD screen for control and monitoring while in use. As a digital audio recorder, the Shure VP83 can support the creation of improved audio recordings. It comes with a hot-shoe mount with in-built shock-absorbing tech for better vibration reduction. Instead of investing in a separate mic and digital audio recorder, the VP83 is a great 2-in-1 alternative that performs as well as expected.
3. Rode VideoMic Pro+
The Rode VideoMic Pro+ comes with the proprietary Rode Rycote Lyre mount for excellent vibration reduction. It sits comfortably on most DSLR cameras and performs well in quick motion recording scenarios. The VideoMic Pro+ also comes with filters to reduce background noise, boost sound signals, and boost sound depth during on-the-go recordings. All in all, this mic is a great investment for YouTubers who want to produce good quality videos on-the-go.
4. Sennheiser MKE 440
The Sennheiser MKE 44O is a top-of-the-line shotgun microphone that captures stereo sound beautifully. This v-shaped microphone can capture stereo sound optimally. It has a solid camera mount, a high pass filter to keep background noise to a minimum, and effective gain control to boost audio signals. This mic is great for capturing audio from more than one person on-the-go. If you plan to produce more videos on-the-go in dynamic indoor or outdoor settings, the Sennheiser MKE 44O is a great option.
Best Shotgun Microphones For Out-Of-Frame Audio Recording
For out-of-frame audio recordings, shotgun microphones with broader sound pick-up patterns and intelligent noise cancellation are preferred. The objective here is to capture high-fidelity audio even when there’s more than one subject and you’re shooting a video with dynamic audio patterns. It’s the sort of recording hardware that’s needed for more professional indoor and field video recordings. Out top 3 picks for out-of-frame audio recordings are below.
1. Rode NTG-3
The Rode NTG-3 is an impressive shotgun mic with very great specs. It boasts all the features a professional would want for an out-of-frame audio recording. It’s also famous for its excellent sound quality, low self-noise, and great noise cancellation. The NTG-3s has an accommodating sound pick-up pattern. It handles unidirectional, bidirectional, and alternative sound patterns quite well. This is one shotgun mic most professionals love for outdoor audio recordings.
2. Audio-Technica AT4053B
The Audio-Technica AT4053B is a hyper-cardioid microphone that’s great for indoor dialogue recordings. It has a sleek look, excellent noise cancellation, and a detachable capsule that lets users switch between a hyper-cardioid and cardioid modes. The AT4053B is also known to be great for live music recording scenarios and delivers crisp sound quality to edge out its competitors. It delivers the kind of professional-grade audio capture most professionals would appreciate having in their toolbox.
3. Sennheiser MKH416
The Sennheiser MKH416 is considered a premium shotgun mic by industry pros. It’s great for indoor and outdoor shoots in a variety of weather conditions and will require more technical knowledge to be utilized maximally. To prove its power and top-of-the-line performance, the MKH416 is often used on movie sets and can pick-up long-distance sound impeccably.
The Top 3 Low-Profile Lavalier Microphones
Lavalier microphones are ideal for any scenario where you need a microphone that’s small and easy to conceal, or which records your voice from close-up. Lavalier mics are hands-free microphones which are usually clipped onto clothing to capture high fidelity voice audio with as little sound interference as possible. They tend to be omnidirectional but perform well for voice recordings because they’re usually placed very close to the speaker’s mouth. Our top 3 picks are below:
1. Rode SmartLav+
The Rode SmartLav+ is the go-to Lavalier mic for most YouTubers. It is compatible with most modern smartphones and can be used as personal vlogging. The SmartLav+ captures great voice audio. With its solid design, it has everything a professional or amateur would want from a Lavalier mic. It may require additional hardware to connect to some recording devices.
2. Audio-Technica ATR3350iS
The Audio-Technica ATR3350iS is a cheaper alternative to the Rode SmartLav+. It comes with supporting hardware for easy connection to multiple recording devices including smartphones and cameras. Also, it captures voice audio acceptably well and does not fare too badly at noise cancellation. That said, some reviewers have observed that it is more fragile than the SmartLav+. Be sure to take precautions and handle with care to avoid damaging your ATR3350iS.
3. Sennheiser ME2
Coming from the Sennheiser brand, the ME2 is considered a relatively affordable professional lavalier mic. It comes with a 3.5mm jack and captures clear voice audio with decent noise reduction in controlled environments. It’s also a plus that the ME2 is compatible with the Sennheiser AVX wireless system and Sennheiser bodypack wireless microphone system. With its compact size, the ME2 is easy to conceal and capture great voice audio even when placed under clothing. While it may not be the top-performing lavalier mic in its price range, the ME2 is a reliable lapel mic.
What do you use for a YouTube microphone?
Custom Videos with Versatile Video Editor
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Looking for a quality YouTube microphone ? There are 2 things that make for good YouTube content: quality pictures and quality audio. If you are an ambitious YouTuber, you cannot afford to compromise on either of these. In fact, many would argue that having good audio is far more important than having good visuals, the reason being that poor audio is sure to discourage people from viewing your video no matter how great the pictures are.
This is why it’s important to invest in a good microphone for your YouTube videos. The best microphone for you will depend on the kind of videos you make and also where you do your recording. In this post, we tell you the top 19 microphones for making YouTube videos and we’ve grouped our top picks based on the type and setting of the video.
- The Top 3 Condenser Microphones for Music and Singing
- The Top 6 Condenser Microphones for Voiceovers, Podcasts, and Interviews
- The Top 4 Camera Mounted Shotgun Microphones
- The Top 3 Shotgun Microphones for Out-Of-Frame Audio Recording
- The Top 3 Low-Profile Lavalier Microphones
The Top 3 Condenser Microphones for Singing and Music
Recording music requires a microphone that can pick up the nuances and depths of all the sounds involved in a performance. This is why microphones with large diaphragms, noise cancellation, and the capacity for high-pressure sound recording are ideal. Here are our top 3 microphones for singing and recording music.
1. Audio-Technica AT2035
The Audio-Technica AT2035 is a versatile condenser microphone that delivers excellent sound quality. It boasts a big diaphragm that enables it to pick up direct frontal sound very well and can also handle high-pressure sounds. According to some reviewers, this mic may pick up background noise if used in an environment that isn’t soundproof. That said, experienced vocalists and musicians are very pleased with the quality and warmth of the sound captured by this mic.
2. Rode NT1-A
The Rode NT1-A is a top-performing condenser mic that delivers the kind of professional sound quality YouTube vocalists and instrumentalists want from their studio recordings. Its great sound quality, low self-noise, and extended dynamic range make it remarkable for microphones in its class. It also comes with advanced features and its own Phantom power pack. Though priced higher than similar microphones, many YouTubers would agree that the quality delivered by the Rode NT1-A is well worth the additional cost.
3. AKG C214
The AKG C214 is by far the best studio-quality condenser microphone on this list. It is equipped with a large diaphragm for faultless sound fidelity and depth. It also has a bass filter and an attenuation pad that work together to capture loud and up-close bass sounds without audio artifacts. This mic is great for recording vocals as well as instruments and is famous for its durable build and consistent top-quality performance. The AKG C214 microphone is a great option for YouTube performing artists who are ready to up their game and produce content of impeccable quality.
The Top 6 Condenser Microphones For Podcasts, Interviews, and Voiceovers
Podcasts, interviews, and voiceovers are often shot in offices that double as studios. Usually, the podcaster and interviewees are seated at a desk in front of or next to a computer and may in fact be recording using a webcam. Here are 6 microphone options that give you the flexibility and connectivity you need for podcasts, voiceovers, and interviews.
1. Apogee Mic 96K
The Apogee Mic 96K is a plug-n-play cardioid USB mic that’s great for recording unidirectional sound like the human voice. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac (although it was primarily designed for Mac) and is perfect for recording simple voiceover videos and weekly podcasts. It’s also quite flexible and can be connected to mobile devices and cameras for both indoor studios and outdoor use.
2. Blue Yeti
The Blue Yeti is a popular USB condenser mic among YouTubers and podcasters. It delivers great sound quality in its cardioid mode (cardioid means it only records sound from in front of itself) and can be switched into other 3 other polar patterns thanks to its 3 in-build condenser capsules. This means that the Blue Yeti can be configured for bidirectional, stereo, and omnidirectional sound. This mic also comes at a relatively affordable price and is compatible with Windows and Mac. While most reviewers would not recommend it for recording studio music, it delivers the desired sound quality and range for YouTubers who focus on voiceover recordings and interviews.
3. Rode NT-USB
The Rode NT-USB is a great plug-n-play mic that comes with useful supporting equipment including a tripod mount and a storage pouch as well as a USB cable. It also has other desirable features like a 3.5mm headphone jack and on-mic mix control. That said, it lacks the voice configuration versatility of the Blue Yeti and is relatively more expensive. That said, this is one microphone that will impress fans of the Rode brand.
4. Blue Snowball
The Blue Snowball is a cool USB microphone that’s perfect for YouTubers on a budget. It has 2 sound recording configurations and will do a good job of capturing voiceover recording, podcasts, and interviews. The Blue Snowball is however very low on additional features and perhaps this is why it’s so much more affordable than the Blue Yeti. Depending on the Snowball model you buy, you may get no configuration options, no headphone jack, and no stand. All in all, this is a great starter-mic for voiceover YouTubers who are new to the game.
5. Audio-Technica AT2020
The Audio-Technica AT2020 is a solid USB mic that’s especially good for voiceover recordings and one-person podcasts. It is built with only a cardioid unidirectional setting and may not deliver the best sound quality in a video involving more than 2 people. Its newer model also has additional functional options like a headphone jack and mix dial which was not available on the older model. That said, it may cost less than a Blue Yeti for most shoppers and delivers enough functionality and sound quality for the average YouTube voiceover recording.
6. Rode Procaster
The Rode Procaster is a great cardioid microphone for voiceover recordings and podcasts. It is known to perform well when placed close to the speaker and comes with an internal shock mount to reduce vibrations in voiceover recordings. While it performs quite well for a cardioid mic, it may need additional devices to achieve better sound gain and an external shock mount to better resist vibrations.
The Top 4 Camera Mounted Shotgun Microphones
Shotgun microphones are great for outdoor recording because they feature solid ambient sound cancellation and add-on windshields to keep wind interference to a minimum. They can achieve remarkable ambient noise cancellation due to the narrow area through which they capture sound vibrations. They also tend to come with hot-shoe or cold-shoe mounts to fit easily on cameras. Our top 4 shotgun microphones for on-the-go vlogging are listed below:
1. Rode VideoMic Go
The Rode VideoMic Go is a solid cardioid shotgun microphone that will do the job for on-the-go vlogging and interviews. It’s great for both outdoor and indoor use and comes equipped with a cold-shoe mount that lets it sit comfortably on most DSLR cameras. The VideoMic Go also comes with a shock-absorbing mount that together with its cardioid configuration makes for great sound capture with minimal ambient noise.
2. Shure VP83
The Shure VP83 is a 2-in-1 microphone and audio recorder. It comes with a Micro SD slot for recording sound without a camera and is fitted with an LCD screen for control and monitoring while in use. As a digital audio recorder, the Shure VP83 can support the creation of improved audio recordings. It comes with a hot-shoe mount with in-built shock-absorbing tech for better vibration reduction. Instead of investing in a separate mic and digital audio recorder, the VP83 is a great 2-in-1 alternative that performs as well as expected.
3. Rode VideoMic Pro+
The Rode VideoMic Pro+ comes with the proprietary Rode Rycote Lyre mount for excellent vibration reduction. It sits comfortably on most DSLR cameras and performs well in quick motion recording scenarios. The VideoMic Pro+ also comes with filters to reduce background noise, boost sound signals, and boost sound depth during on-the-go recordings. All in all, this mic is a great investment for YouTubers who want to produce good quality videos on-the-go.
4. Sennheiser MKE 440
The Sennheiser MKE 44O is a top-of-the-line shotgun microphone that captures stereo sound beautifully. This v-shaped microphone can capture stereo sound optimally. It has a solid camera mount, a high pass filter to keep background noise to a minimum, and effective gain control to boost audio signals. This mic is great for capturing audio from more than one person on-the-go. If you plan to produce more videos on-the-go in dynamic indoor or outdoor settings, the Sennheiser MKE 44O is a great option.
Best Shotgun Microphones For Out-Of-Frame Audio Recording
For out-of-frame audio recordings, shotgun microphones with broader sound pick-up patterns and intelligent noise cancellation are preferred. The objective here is to capture high-fidelity audio even when there’s more than one subject and you’re shooting a video with dynamic audio patterns. It’s the sort of recording hardware that’s needed for more professional indoor and field video recordings. Out top 3 picks for out-of-frame audio recordings are below.
1. Rode NTG-3
The Rode NTG-3 is an impressive shotgun mic with very great specs. It boasts all the features a professional would want for an out-of-frame audio recording. It’s also famous for its excellent sound quality, low self-noise, and great noise cancellation. The NTG-3s has an accommodating sound pick-up pattern. It handles unidirectional, bidirectional, and alternative sound patterns quite well. This is one shotgun mic most professionals love for outdoor audio recordings.
2. Audio-Technica AT4053B
The Audio-Technica AT4053B is a hyper-cardioid microphone that’s great for indoor dialogue recordings. It has a sleek look, excellent noise cancellation, and a detachable capsule that lets users switch between a hyper-cardioid and cardioid modes. The AT4053B is also known to be great for live music recording scenarios and delivers crisp sound quality to edge out its competitors. It delivers the kind of professional-grade audio capture most professionals would appreciate having in their toolbox.
3. Sennheiser MKH416
The Sennheiser MKH416 is considered a premium shotgun mic by industry pros. It’s great for indoor and outdoor shoots in a variety of weather conditions and will require more technical knowledge to be utilized maximally. To prove its power and top-of-the-line performance, the MKH416 is often used on movie sets and can pick-up long-distance sound impeccably.
The Top 3 Low-Profile Lavalier Microphones
Lavalier microphones are ideal for any scenario where you need a microphone that’s small and easy to conceal, or which records your voice from close-up. Lavalier mics are hands-free microphones which are usually clipped onto clothing to capture high fidelity voice audio with as little sound interference as possible. They tend to be omnidirectional but perform well for voice recordings because they’re usually placed very close to the speaker’s mouth. Our top 3 picks are below:
1. Rode SmartLav+
The Rode SmartLav+ is the go-to Lavalier mic for most YouTubers. It is compatible with most modern smartphones and can be used as personal vlogging. The SmartLav+ captures great voice audio. With its solid design, it has everything a professional or amateur would want from a Lavalier mic. It may require additional hardware to connect to some recording devices.
2. Audio-Technica ATR3350iS
The Audio-Technica ATR3350iS is a cheaper alternative to the Rode SmartLav+. It comes with supporting hardware for easy connection to multiple recording devices including smartphones and cameras. Also, it captures voice audio acceptably well and does not fare too badly at noise cancellation. That said, some reviewers have observed that it is more fragile than the SmartLav+. Be sure to take precautions and handle with care to avoid damaging your ATR3350iS.
3. Sennheiser ME2
Coming from the Sennheiser brand, the ME2 is considered a relatively affordable professional lavalier mic. It comes with a 3.5mm jack and captures clear voice audio with decent noise reduction in controlled environments. It’s also a plus that the ME2 is compatible with the Sennheiser AVX wireless system and Sennheiser bodypack wireless microphone system. With its compact size, the ME2 is easy to conceal and capture great voice audio even when placed under clothing. While it may not be the top-performing lavalier mic in its price range, the ME2 is a reliable lapel mic.
What do you use for a YouTube microphone?
Custom Videos with Versatile Video Editor
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Looking for a quality YouTube microphone ? There are 2 things that make for good YouTube content: quality pictures and quality audio. If you are an ambitious YouTuber, you cannot afford to compromise on either of these. In fact, many would argue that having good audio is far more important than having good visuals, the reason being that poor audio is sure to discourage people from viewing your video no matter how great the pictures are.
This is why it’s important to invest in a good microphone for your YouTube videos. The best microphone for you will depend on the kind of videos you make and also where you do your recording. In this post, we tell you the top 19 microphones for making YouTube videos and we’ve grouped our top picks based on the type and setting of the video.
- The Top 3 Condenser Microphones for Music and Singing
- The Top 6 Condenser Microphones for Voiceovers, Podcasts, and Interviews
- The Top 4 Camera Mounted Shotgun Microphones
- The Top 3 Shotgun Microphones for Out-Of-Frame Audio Recording
- The Top 3 Low-Profile Lavalier Microphones
The Top 3 Condenser Microphones for Singing and Music
Recording music requires a microphone that can pick up the nuances and depths of all the sounds involved in a performance. This is why microphones with large diaphragms, noise cancellation, and the capacity for high-pressure sound recording are ideal. Here are our top 3 microphones for singing and recording music.
1. Audio-Technica AT2035
The Audio-Technica AT2035 is a versatile condenser microphone that delivers excellent sound quality. It boasts a big diaphragm that enables it to pick up direct frontal sound very well and can also handle high-pressure sounds. According to some reviewers, this mic may pick up background noise if used in an environment that isn’t soundproof. That said, experienced vocalists and musicians are very pleased with the quality and warmth of the sound captured by this mic.
2. Rode NT1-A
The Rode NT1-A is a top-performing condenser mic that delivers the kind of professional sound quality YouTube vocalists and instrumentalists want from their studio recordings. Its great sound quality, low self-noise, and extended dynamic range make it remarkable for microphones in its class. It also comes with advanced features and its own Phantom power pack. Though priced higher than similar microphones, many YouTubers would agree that the quality delivered by the Rode NT1-A is well worth the additional cost.
3. AKG C214
The AKG C214 is by far the best studio-quality condenser microphone on this list. It is equipped with a large diaphragm for faultless sound fidelity and depth. It also has a bass filter and an attenuation pad that work together to capture loud and up-close bass sounds without audio artifacts. This mic is great for recording vocals as well as instruments and is famous for its durable build and consistent top-quality performance. The AKG C214 microphone is a great option for YouTube performing artists who are ready to up their game and produce content of impeccable quality.
The Top 6 Condenser Microphones For Podcasts, Interviews, and Voiceovers
Podcasts, interviews, and voiceovers are often shot in offices that double as studios. Usually, the podcaster and interviewees are seated at a desk in front of or next to a computer and may in fact be recording using a webcam. Here are 6 microphone options that give you the flexibility and connectivity you need for podcasts, voiceovers, and interviews.
1. Apogee Mic 96K
The Apogee Mic 96K is a plug-n-play cardioid USB mic that’s great for recording unidirectional sound like the human voice. It is compatible with both Windows and Mac (although it was primarily designed for Mac) and is perfect for recording simple voiceover videos and weekly podcasts. It’s also quite flexible and can be connected to mobile devices and cameras for both indoor studios and outdoor use.
2. Blue Yeti
The Blue Yeti is a popular USB condenser mic among YouTubers and podcasters. It delivers great sound quality in its cardioid mode (cardioid means it only records sound from in front of itself) and can be switched into other 3 other polar patterns thanks to its 3 in-build condenser capsules. This means that the Blue Yeti can be configured for bidirectional, stereo, and omnidirectional sound. This mic also comes at a relatively affordable price and is compatible with Windows and Mac. While most reviewers would not recommend it for recording studio music, it delivers the desired sound quality and range for YouTubers who focus on voiceover recordings and interviews.
3. Rode NT-USB
The Rode NT-USB is a great plug-n-play mic that comes with useful supporting equipment including a tripod mount and a storage pouch as well as a USB cable. It also has other desirable features like a 3.5mm headphone jack and on-mic mix control. That said, it lacks the voice configuration versatility of the Blue Yeti and is relatively more expensive. That said, this is one microphone that will impress fans of the Rode brand.
4. Blue Snowball
The Blue Snowball is a cool USB microphone that’s perfect for YouTubers on a budget. It has 2 sound recording configurations and will do a good job of capturing voiceover recording, podcasts, and interviews. The Blue Snowball is however very low on additional features and perhaps this is why it’s so much more affordable than the Blue Yeti. Depending on the Snowball model you buy, you may get no configuration options, no headphone jack, and no stand. All in all, this is a great starter-mic for voiceover YouTubers who are new to the game.
5. Audio-Technica AT2020
The Audio-Technica AT2020 is a solid USB mic that’s especially good for voiceover recordings and one-person podcasts. It is built with only a cardioid unidirectional setting and may not deliver the best sound quality in a video involving more than 2 people. Its newer model also has additional functional options like a headphone jack and mix dial which was not available on the older model. That said, it may cost less than a Blue Yeti for most shoppers and delivers enough functionality and sound quality for the average YouTube voiceover recording.
6. Rode Procaster
The Rode Procaster is a great cardioid microphone for voiceover recordings and podcasts. It is known to perform well when placed close to the speaker and comes with an internal shock mount to reduce vibrations in voiceover recordings. While it performs quite well for a cardioid mic, it may need additional devices to achieve better sound gain and an external shock mount to better resist vibrations.
The Top 4 Camera Mounted Shotgun Microphones
Shotgun microphones are great for outdoor recording because they feature solid ambient sound cancellation and add-on windshields to keep wind interference to a minimum. They can achieve remarkable ambient noise cancellation due to the narrow area through which they capture sound vibrations. They also tend to come with hot-shoe or cold-shoe mounts to fit easily on cameras. Our top 4 shotgun microphones for on-the-go vlogging are listed below:
1. Rode VideoMic Go
The Rode VideoMic Go is a solid cardioid shotgun microphone that will do the job for on-the-go vlogging and interviews. It’s great for both outdoor and indoor use and comes equipped with a cold-shoe mount that lets it sit comfortably on most DSLR cameras. The VideoMic Go also comes with a shock-absorbing mount that together with its cardioid configuration makes for great sound capture with minimal ambient noise.
2. Shure VP83
The Shure VP83 is a 2-in-1 microphone and audio recorder. It comes with a Micro SD slot for recording sound without a camera and is fitted with an LCD screen for control and monitoring while in use. As a digital audio recorder, the Shure VP83 can support the creation of improved audio recordings. It comes with a hot-shoe mount with in-built shock-absorbing tech for better vibration reduction. Instead of investing in a separate mic and digital audio recorder, the VP83 is a great 2-in-1 alternative that performs as well as expected.
3. Rode VideoMic Pro+
The Rode VideoMic Pro+ comes with the proprietary Rode Rycote Lyre mount for excellent vibration reduction. It sits comfortably on most DSLR cameras and performs well in quick motion recording scenarios. The VideoMic Pro+ also comes with filters to reduce background noise, boost sound signals, and boost sound depth during on-the-go recordings. All in all, this mic is a great investment for YouTubers who want to produce good quality videos on-the-go.
4. Sennheiser MKE 440
The Sennheiser MKE 44O is a top-of-the-line shotgun microphone that captures stereo sound beautifully. This v-shaped microphone can capture stereo sound optimally. It has a solid camera mount, a high pass filter to keep background noise to a minimum, and effective gain control to boost audio signals. This mic is great for capturing audio from more than one person on-the-go. If you plan to produce more videos on-the-go in dynamic indoor or outdoor settings, the Sennheiser MKE 44O is a great option.
Best Shotgun Microphones For Out-Of-Frame Audio Recording
For out-of-frame audio recordings, shotgun microphones with broader sound pick-up patterns and intelligent noise cancellation are preferred. The objective here is to capture high-fidelity audio even when there’s more than one subject and you’re shooting a video with dynamic audio patterns. It’s the sort of recording hardware that’s needed for more professional indoor and field video recordings. Out top 3 picks for out-of-frame audio recordings are below.
1. Rode NTG-3
The Rode NTG-3 is an impressive shotgun mic with very great specs. It boasts all the features a professional would want for an out-of-frame audio recording. It’s also famous for its excellent sound quality, low self-noise, and great noise cancellation. The NTG-3s has an accommodating sound pick-up pattern. It handles unidirectional, bidirectional, and alternative sound patterns quite well. This is one shotgun mic most professionals love for outdoor audio recordings.
2. Audio-Technica AT4053B
The Audio-Technica AT4053B is a hyper-cardioid microphone that’s great for indoor dialogue recordings. It has a sleek look, excellent noise cancellation, and a detachable capsule that lets users switch between a hyper-cardioid and cardioid modes. The AT4053B is also known to be great for live music recording scenarios and delivers crisp sound quality to edge out its competitors. It delivers the kind of professional-grade audio capture most professionals would appreciate having in their toolbox.
3. Sennheiser MKH416
The Sennheiser MKH416 is considered a premium shotgun mic by industry pros. It’s great for indoor and outdoor shoots in a variety of weather conditions and will require more technical knowledge to be utilized maximally. To prove its power and top-of-the-line performance, the MKH416 is often used on movie sets and can pick-up long-distance sound impeccably.
The Top 3 Low-Profile Lavalier Microphones
Lavalier microphones are ideal for any scenario where you need a microphone that’s small and easy to conceal, or which records your voice from close-up. Lavalier mics are hands-free microphones which are usually clipped onto clothing to capture high fidelity voice audio with as little sound interference as possible. They tend to be omnidirectional but perform well for voice recordings because they’re usually placed very close to the speaker’s mouth. Our top 3 picks are below:
1. Rode SmartLav+
The Rode SmartLav+ is the go-to Lavalier mic for most YouTubers. It is compatible with most modern smartphones and can be used as personal vlogging. The SmartLav+ captures great voice audio. With its solid design, it has everything a professional or amateur would want from a Lavalier mic. It may require additional hardware to connect to some recording devices.
2. Audio-Technica ATR3350iS
The Audio-Technica ATR3350iS is a cheaper alternative to the Rode SmartLav+. It comes with supporting hardware for easy connection to multiple recording devices including smartphones and cameras. Also, it captures voice audio acceptably well and does not fare too badly at noise cancellation. That said, some reviewers have observed that it is more fragile than the SmartLav+. Be sure to take precautions and handle with care to avoid damaging your ATR3350iS.
3. Sennheiser ME2
Coming from the Sennheiser brand, the ME2 is considered a relatively affordable professional lavalier mic. It comes with a 3.5mm jack and captures clear voice audio with decent noise reduction in controlled environments. It’s also a plus that the ME2 is compatible with the Sennheiser AVX wireless system and Sennheiser bodypack wireless microphone system. With its compact size, the ME2 is easy to conceal and capture great voice audio even when placed under clothing. While it may not be the top-performing lavalier mic in its price range, the ME2 is a reliable lapel mic.
What do you use for a YouTube microphone?
Custom Videos with Versatile Video Editor
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
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- Title: "[Updated] Boosting Video Reach on YouTube An In-Depth Guide to SEO Techniques"
- Author: Brian
- Created at : 2024-05-25 13:12:28
- Updated at : 2024-05-26 13:12:28
- Link: https://youtube-video-recordings.techidaily.com/updated-boosting-video-reach-on-youtube-an-in-depth-guide-to-seo-techniques/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
