#don't let the length of this text mislead you

[solutionexpress]

Mastering YouTube SEO: Your Ultimate Guide to Video Visibility

In the vast realm of online content, YouTube stands as an undisputed giant. With over 2 billion logged-in monthly users, it's no surprise that creators are striving to make their mark on the platform. But with the staggering amount of content being uploaded every minute, how can you ensure your videos don't get lost in the abyss? The answer lies in mastering YouTube SEO (Search Engine Optimization). In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the strategies and techniques to boost your video visibility and grow your channel.

Understanding YouTube SEO

Before diving into the nitty-gritty of YouTube SEO, let's understand what it entails. Just like traditional SEO for websites, YouTube SEO aims to optimize your video content for search engines. In this case, YouTube's algorithm is the search engine, and your goal is to make your videos rank higher in search results and recommendations. Higher rankings translate to increased visibility, more views, and ultimately, more subscribers.

1. Keyword Research

Keywords are the foundation of SEO, be it for websites or videos. Start by researching relevant keywords that reflect your video's content. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, YouTube's search suggest feature, and other third-party platforms can help you identify high-volume, low-competition keywords. Incorporate these keywords strategically in your video title, description, and tags. However, ensure they fit naturally and don't compromise the quality of your content.

2. Compelling Titles and Thumbnails

Your video's title and thumbnail are your first impressions on potential viewers. Craft an engaging and descriptive title that includes your target keyword. Keep it concise, around 60 characters, to ensure it's fully visible in search results. Equally important is the thumbnail – it should be eye-catching, relevant, and curiosity-invoking. Avoid clickbait; your thumbnail should accurately represent the content to maintain viewer trust.

3. Optimized Video Description

The video description is your opportunity to provide more context to viewers and search engines. Include your target keyword early in the description, but make sure it flows naturally. Offer a brief summary of your video's content, and include relevant links, such as social media profiles or related videos/playlists. A well-optimized description not only improves SEO but also aids viewer comprehension.

4. Utilize Tags Wisely

Tags help YouTube understand your video's content and categorize it appropriately. Include a mix of broad and specific tags related to your video. Look at the tags your competitors or similar creators are using, but refrain from using irrelevant or misleading tags. You can also include variations and synonyms of your target keyword to capture a wider audience.

5. Video Transcript and Closed Captions

Uploading a transcript of your video or enabling closed captions has dual benefits. Firstly, it enhances accessibility, making your content available to a broader audience, including those with hearing impairments. Secondly, it provides YouTube's algorithm with more text to understand your video's context, improving its chances of ranking higher.

6. Engagement Signals

YouTube's algorithm considers user engagement as a crucial ranking factor. The more engagement your video receives, the more YouTube will promote it. Encourage viewers to like, comment, share, and subscribe. Pose questions in your video to prompt comments, and engage with your audience by responding to comments promptly.

7. Video Length and Viewer Retention

Longer videos (above 10 minutes) tend to perform well, provided they maintain viewer interest. YouTube prefers videos that keep viewers engaged throughout the content. Analyze your audience retention metrics in YouTube Analytics to identify where viewers drop off. Create content that addresses viewer expectations and holds their attention.

8. Playlists and End Screens

Organize your videos into playlists based on similar themes. Playlists encourage viewers to watch more of your content, increasing overall watch time. Additionally, utilize end screens and cards to promote other relevant videos or playlists, encouraging viewers to continue watching your content.

9. Publish Consistently

Consistency is key on YouTube. Stick to a regular upload schedule to build anticipation among your subscribers. Regular uploads also signal YouTube's algorithm that you're an active and committed creator, potentially improving your video's ranking in search results and recommendations.

10. Monitor and Adapt

YouTube SEO is not a one-time effort. Keep a close watch on your video's performance using YouTube Analytics. Monitor metrics like watch time, click-through rate (CTR), and audience retention. Adapt your strategies based on these insights. Experiment with different keywords, video formats, and content styles to find what resonates best with your audience.

In the competitive world of YouTube, mastering SEO can significantly impact your channel's growth. By diligently optimizing your videos for search, creating compelling content, and fostering engagement, you're on the path to enhancing your video visibility and ultimately, carving out your space in the YouTube landscape. Remember, it's not just about attracting viewers – it's about building a loyal community that values your content.

[peremadeleine]

T H E  F I R S T  L A D I E S #5 // Elizabeth Monroe & Eliza Monroe Hay

One of six children, Elizabeth Jane Kortright was born into a wealthy New York merchant family in 1768. She was educated by her mother and paternal grandmother and was probably given lessons in French, dancing, music, and literature, subjects considered appropriate for a young lady of her class. Elizabeth was from an early age seen as elegant and gracious. Her mother died when she was just nine years old, and the family’s home partially burned down during the American Revolution the following year. After the war ended, Elizabeth caught the eye of a young Continental Army officer from Virginia named James Monroe. The two were married in February 1786; Elizabeth was just seventeen.

The Monroes’ first child, a daughter named after her mother but called “Eliza,” was born that December. The little family lived in Philadelphia and Virginia before moving to Paris in 1794 when Monroe was appointed Minister to France. Regarded as beautiful, fashionable, and well-mannered, Elizabeth was popular in France, where both she and her young daughter flourished. She famously intervened on behalf of Adrienne de Noailles, the wife of her husband’s friend and American hero Lafayette, who was imprisoned during the infamous Reign of Terror. Eliza meanwhile attended the school established by Henriette Campan, where she befriended Hortense de Beauharnais, Napoleon Bonaparte’s stepdaughter and the future queen of Holland. The Monroes returned to Virginia in 1796. Elizabeth then had two more children: a short-lived son and a second daughter, Maria.

Around this time Elizabeth also began suffering from seizures and other health problems which severely limited her social activities. In 1808, Eliza Monroe married prominent Virginia lawyer George Hay. When her father was elected president in 1817, she, her husband, and their daughter moved to Washington. Eliza began stepping into the role usually performed by the president’s wife due to her mother’s ill health. Unlike her mother, however, she was thought to be haughty and even rude by much of Washington society. She refused to call on the wives of foreign diplomats, and the presidential social circle grew much more exclusive than before under her influence. Her self-important behavior, influenced by her time in Paris living with daughters of the French aristocracy, was at odds with the warmer and less formal conventions in place during previous administrations.

The extent of Elizabeth Monroe’s political influence–unlike that of Abigail Adams and Dolley Madison–is unknown: her husband burned their correspondence after her death. Her health continued to decline following the end of Monroe’s presidency, and she died in 1830 at the age of 62. James Monroe died less than a year later. After his death, the now-widowed Eliza left the United States. She returned to her beloved France and retired to a convent, where she lived until her death in 1840, aged 53.

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

So... you say that as long as the writer has fun translating, doing it wrong is okay, then, should we worry about your translations not being accurate enough because you were having fun while translating? It's not the same doing something for fun, that doing something because you get paid for it, if you're a proffessional you should do it accurately. I don't even mind Sk8, but I've seen enough translations that give a misleading meaning to readers/watchers. This was not okay.

Hm, I didn’t express myself well. Let me try again and add a couple of things.

Put under a cut for length because I turned into this partway through:

1. It turns out that this wasn’t the writer’s decision, so blaming a translator for this line is a moot point anyway.  The voice actor allegedly ad libbed the line, and it was allowed to stay in.

2. Here is a thread with a lovely, well-expressed opinion on the topic. The author’s explanation is more concise and better than anything I could do.

3. What I meant by fun was not wild irresponsibility with no repercussions - again, see thread - but creativity in expressing the appropriate ideas. Every chunk of text has two major components: the meaning of ideas being expressed (denotation) and the method in which the ideas are expressed. What I call “throwaway lines” are ones in which the meaning is something very generic and often only serves a small purpose like providing a scene transition or reinforcing characterization. As long as the meaning and purposes that I identify are correctly conveyed to the audience, then I consider the work to be translated correctly. If I am able to do so in a way that is creative and therefore more fun for me to write and more fun for the reader to read, then that’s all the better. I love reading clever writing. Who doesn’t?

Some examples off the top of my head:

Source text:

Meaning: Speaking character (Beat) is excited to fight two characters, one nicknamed “Lollipop”. That’s what the translation needs to get across. The translator will also likely want to write it in Beat’s tough boy speech style as a means of continuing to characterize Beat consistently.

If I wanted to be strict with fidelity in regards to the exact sentence structure (and even here I am “taking liberties” in order to make it be comprehensible), I could write it as “We will face Candy and Pink Hair together! Take us on!” That’s not remotely as entertaining (and one should assume most video games are intended to entertain) as “We’ll take both you and Lollipop at once! How many licks could it take?!” Both convey the same meaning. One is more enjoyable. I’d rather read something more enjoyable.

Or this:

Source text:

Meaning: Speaking character (Stella) is explaining to an off-screen listener that she needs help and asking why it hasn’t been provided yet in an exasperated and somewhat rude tone. The translator will also want to consider that the way Stella speaks is both slangy and irreverent.

If translated more literally (and again, I’m not going as literal as I could go in order so that this is actually understandable), it could be read as “The situation has become like this, so why haven’t you helped us?” Not only does this sound incredibly awkward, it’s not halfway near as fun as the very silly “We’re in a right old gherkin here, why don’t you give us a flapping hand?!” At risk of this latter phrase sounding inappropriately funny, it should be noted that this game as a whole, in addition to this character, is lighthearted and silly from start to finish in such a way that this doesn’t stand out. Additionally, having Stella cheekily suggesting a swearword with “flapping” furthers Stella’s characterization, is in line with her speech style, and continues to entertain the audience.

I don’t handle most dialogue with as much liberty as video game translators do, but I absolutely spice up throwaway lines to focus on character voice and entertainment value. Some recent examples:

None of these lines are terribly important in the grand scheme of Hypmic, and so I approached them more creatively in order to:

In some cases, avoid repetition

Strengthen character voice

Sound like more natural English

Entertain myself, because there are only so many times I can write “Let’s go!” in a rap scene before falling asleep of boredom

Hopefully entertain the readers too

4. To be frank, what you’re advocating for isn’t practiced by any professional translator that I know of. I can’t think of a single manga, anime, or video game I’ve interacted with that doesn’t use this process of approaching throwaways creatively like I’ve talked about. I don’t see any good reason why I should practice methods that are explicitly contrary to what is considered correct practice by the entire professional community.

5. In terms of you worrying about my accuracy, I make plenty of errors. You’ve all seen typos or that bizarre trouble I’ve been having recently with writing names completely fucking wrong (for the life of me, I don’t know what’s causing this or why I’m not catching it in editing, but I swear I’m trying to get to the bottom of it), and there are tons of times when I write something that doesn’t land with readers like I think it will. Like all people, I am learning, and I make mistakes. Yet I’m pretty sure that any major comprehension errors or other mistakes would be caught and brought to my attention, as people have been great about doing that already. And that’s awesome!

That’s the extent of what I care about. However, if are worried about fidelity to sentence structure of throwaway lines, you can always make the choice not to read. It’s absolutely no skin off my back. Seek out whatever sorts of translations you like, and have a good time with them. Cheers!