Youtube is the second largest search engine. As a blogger, I drive more traffic to my blog from my Youtube screencasting videos. I have become video blogger two days before. To get most out of the Youtube through my videos, I would have to use lot of Youtube tips and tricks. I learned some cool Youtube tips and tricks. I combined all those Youtube tips and tricks as a valuable resource to vloggers and bloggers who use videos to drive traffic to their blogs and checkout the amazon Youtube for dummies ebook by chris.
URL Tips
Useful Youtube URLs
Comment Tips
Search Tips
Youtube Tips
Increasing views Tips
Playlist Tips
Embedding Tips
Channel Tips
Future of Youtube Tips
Before go into all tips, I first share some of the cool Youtube tips that you want to know very much. Most of these tips are not shared in online.
1. Thumbnail of your videos
You can know what are the three thumbnails have been chosen for your own videos. Same like that, you can know three thumbnails for any videos in Youtube. Here is the trick.
For every video uploaded in Youtube, it generates 4 thumbnails. To know the thumbnail image location, replace the 11 digit alphanumeric with your own VIDEO ID or any Youtube VIDEO ID in the following example.
Thumbnail image location for Youtube.
0 http://img.youtube.com/vi/G2KNVAEA5aA/0.jpg (480*360) (20.72kb)
1 http://img.youtube.com/vi/G2KNVAEA5aA/1.jpg (120*90) (3.61kb)
2 http://img.youtube.com/vi/G2KNVAEA5aA/2.jpg (120*90) (3.59kb)
3 http://img.youtube.com/vi/G2KNVAEA5aA/3.jpg (120*90) (3.5kb)
These thumbnail image locations are very useful in creating Video sitemap.
2. To know the friends of any Youtube user
Some Youtube channel authors disable the friends list in their channels. But you can find the friends list using this URL. Just replace the username with any Youtube username to whom you want to know friends list.
3. Submit video in Group:
Many of them don’t know about this facility. I don’t know why Youtube doesn’t show this feature in navigation or in “my account”.
Create or find a group in Youtube depending upon your content. If you can’t find any group related to your content, then create a group and ask others to upload videos in that group.
4. Clickable link
Youtube doesn’t allow clickable link inside the video. Non-profit organizations’ channel only can add clickable link in Youtube video. But Linkedtube gives a great opportunity to add your own clickable link in Youtube video while you embed into your webpage. Know this: When you embed the video in your webpage, clickable link works. This is not for playing videos on Youtube page.
Visit the site and enter the video id which you want to embed and add your clickable link. Copy the code and paste into your webpage.
5. HTML 5
Say Bye! Bye! to buffering videos.
Click here http://youtube.com/html5 and enable the HTML5 in your Google chrome browser. If you are using Internet Explorer, you have to install the chrome frame to enable HTML5. Mozilla Firefox doesn’t support HTML5.
This HTML 5 is still in Beta. So you can’t get perfection. But soon this HTML 5 will rock entire video world.
URL Tips
6. Know your video ID?
Whenever you upload a video in Youtube, an 11 digit alphanumeric is assigned to
your videos. These video ID plays an important role in Youtube tips.
By default the URL should be like
For eg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEhJLSNtLEc
The 11 digit code EEhJLSNtLEc is the video ID of your uploaded videos.
Uses of Video ID
They are so many usages in using VIDEO ID. Here I listed few of them.
To find the thumbnail of your video
It is useful to find how many of them added your video in playlists or embedded in website.
7. View high quality videos. (Source: 10 Youtube URL tricks tips)
To view the Youtube video in high quality append the following at the end of the URL as &fmt=6 or &fmt=18 (480p) or &fmt=22 (720p HD) or &hd=1
For Eg: See the URL below
&fmt=6 increases the resolution from 320×240 to 448×336, Flash 7 video @ 900Kbps; audio @ 44.1KHz 96Kbps Mono CBR. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfWXRybZS4A&fmt=6
&fmt=18 increases the resolution to 480×360, H.264 video @ 512Kbps; audio @ 44.1KHz 128Kbps Stereo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfWXRybZS4A&fmt=18
&fmt=22 increases the resolution to 1280×720 (720p), H.264 video @ 1024Kbps; audio @ 44.1KHz 232Kbps Stereo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfWXRybZS4A&fmt=22
To know more about HD Youtube videos visit here.
(Source: http://www.squidoo.com/youtubehd)
8. Watch Youtube videos in full screen on Browser
To watch full screen of your Youtube videos in any browser, just replace the VIDEO ID with your video ID in the following example.
Default: ID
Eg: http://www.youtube.com/v/zrUqe4dxIS0
This will show the video in entire browser window. See the image below.
9. Watch Interesting part of the video
Do you find some part of the video very interesting? You can easily skip the rest
Of the part by adding specific time in the URL of the video
Add #t=xxmyys at the end of URL (xx is minutes; yy is seconds)
For eg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt34NL6lc8Y#t=03m21s
10. To watch adult Youtube videos
Do you want to view the adult video without logging in?
Add NSFW before the word Youtube in your URL.
http://www.nsfwyoutube.com/xyz in your address bar
11. Download your Youtube videos
There are so more software’s, add-ons are available to download Youtube videos
Here I mention only few of them.
Add prefix kick to your Youtube videos Eg: http://www.kickyoutube.com
Add prefix kiss to your Youtube videos Eg: http://www.kissyoutube.com
To download HD videos Eg: http://Keephd.com
To download only mp3 Eg: http://listentoyoutube.com
Click here to know more about Downloaded and uploaded Tips
Useful Youtube URLs
12. Upload your videos from your Phone?
Youtube has given these features to upload your videos through mobile phone.
To access this, type the below URL in address bar then upload your videos.
http://www.youtube.com/account#mobile
13. Set up play high quality videos always
To setup high quality videos enter the below URL and set as depending upon your connection speed.
http://www.youtube.com/account#playback/quality
14. Entire RSS feed for Youtube
You can get the RSS feeds for search, tag, and user, videos, most discussed
Videos, most viewed videos etc. by typing the below URL
15. To check Youtube speed
Have you noticed this? Videos take more time to load. At that time, you can check the speed of your Youtube videos with bar chart in the specification of world, country, State, city, Your ISP.
http://www.youtube.com/my_speed
Comment Tips
16. Comment search in Youtube
Before creating and uploading any videos on Youtube, just type the keyword of your niche or video content in comment search and find out what’s being said about your keyword and your niche.
For example, I searched for SEO.
http://www.youtube.com/comment_search?q=seo
17. Type the time in comment section
Youtube doesn’t allow you to share any hyperlink in comment section but if you like any part of the video very much, then in comment section type the time of the particular video. It automatically comes as link in comment for your videos.
For example, In a 2 minutes video, if you like the part at 1:13, then type in the comment as 1:13. Once you posted your comment, the time automatically becomes as link. When a viewer clicks on the time link, he can automatically watch the video from the time 1:13.
18. Submitting video response
While submitting your videos as video response to other video or even in your video,
Do remember, you can submit a video only once as video response. If you submit the same video into many places Youtube will take it as a video response to only the last video to which you submitted as video response.
In new Youtube design the video response will be here source: (http://youtube.com/blog) Eg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_Gzg6-W2Q4
19. Stand out from crowd
Are you creating video episodes or video in series? If yes, then the new Youtube design helps to you. Submit your next part video as video response.
For eg: If you are creating video series as part 2, 3, 4, etc… Then submit the Part 3 video as video response in part 2.
The new Youtube will show your own video in video response as separately and other Youtube user submitted video responses as together.
Some Youtube search tips given below. (Source: http://news.cnet.com/an-experts-guide-to-youtube/) These below mentioned Youtube search tips are helping you to search efficiently and save your valuable time.
Search Tips
20. Keyword search only in title
In Youtube, type any word and hit search button. It will show the results based on the keyword used in title, description, and tag. Sometimes when it shows the unrelated results, it will be annoying to user. If you want the results only from title then,
You have to type as “allintitle:keyword”
Eg: allintitle: wordpress. It will show videos only the keyword wordpress presents in title.
21. To Exclude some of the term
While searching in Youtube to exclude some of the keywords type – and followed by your unwanted keyword.
For eg: wordpress –tutorial. You will get wordpress videos but not the videos have keyword ‘tutorial’.
22. Automatically fill in the blanks
Put asterisk in middle of the keyword sentence.
For eg: “thesis * theme”.
Youtube understands that the user needs content related to the keyword thesis theme and for all the keywords filled something between them.
Click here To know more about Youtube search
Youtube Tips
23. Description
Add your website link in the description of the Youtube videos. Please remember it should start with http:// not just as www. If you miss http://, it won’t be visible as link.
24. Tag
Give all the relevant tags to your videos. Don’t try to give duplicate tags.
For example don’t give all these as tags: video blogging, video blogging tips, video blogging guide, and video blogging benefits. Youtube automatically removes some of your duplicate tags.
25. Channel Type
Youtube offers facility to change your channel type at any time like guru, comedian, director, youtuber etc… Choose any one of the categories depend upon your brand.
26. Queue
In new design, while seeing the related videos if you like any one of the videos keep Over the mouse on that particular videos. It will show add to queue option. Then it will appear in right side of your currently watching video every time whenever you logged in.
27. Create playlist
Do you have the series videos like Part 1, Part 2, etc. If yes, then collect all your videos and create a playlist for your videos. It will be very helpful for viewers to see the series of Youtube videos.
28. Use white board
While explaining the tutorial in the video, use white board as background so that it feels the speaker and viewers in the same conference hall.
29. Upload video as full screen
while upload your videos try to remove the sidebar of Youtube videos. These are called Pillar boxes. While doing screencasting tutorial you must to do this. Upload HD videos always so that it will fit into full portion of player.
In our channel you can see all the videos are in full screen (no bar in you tube)
30. Complete your profile
In your Youtube channel, fill out the About me section. I have seen many of the Youtubers missed to do this. Show your website link in channel it will help the viewers to know about your blog or website. In addition to do this, write your twitter or Facebook account links to get more advantage of social media.
31. Choose your music
while doing screencasting tutorial you can add music to your Youtube videos. After you upload the video, depending upon your video length, you can select your own music. ( adding music to your videos)
They are so many techniques to increase Youtube views. The following tips will be very helpful to increase your views. If you follow these steps, you will feel the difference in your video views.
Increasing views Tips
32. Title
Add the words “Exclusive” or “Leaked videos” in video title. (Don’t spam).
Your video gets more views.
33. Left Most Title
Give the important keywords in the left most of your title. It will increase your views as Youtube search gives more importance to left most part of title.
34. Submit in video sharing sites
Distribute videos on popular video sharing sites and drive more traffic to your website/blog. See our Google profiles to view which video sharing websites Fourblogger is using.
35. Brand your videos
Whenever you upload a video, add your own logo in videos.
It builds brand value.
36. Email signature
Add your channel link in the email signature and send your videos to friends and relatives.
37. Submit video as Fan video
submit your own video in popular Facebook Fan pages in your niche.
38. Share videos on twitter
share your videos in Social media like Twitter. It helps to drive more traffic to your site. Use the following links to use social media for videos.
10 ways to share videos on twitter
39. Add your Youtube in Facebook Fan Page
Go toand start adding application in your Facebook Fan Page. It will show your latest video in your fan page.
Click here to add this application.
Playlist Tips
40. How to rearrange order of videos in Youtube playlists?
In common, the videos are in order of recently uploaded videos to old uploaded videos. many Youtube users don’t know this feature. Check this video to rearrange the order of videos in Playlists.
41. How to know who added my videos in their playlists?
You can find the playlists in which your videos have been added. By doing this, you can also approximately count how many playlists have added your videos. Check this video to know how to find the playlists which added your videos.
Embedding Tips
42. How to embed your channel with subscribe button using gadgets?
You can embed your Youtube channel with subscribe button in your blog sidebar or Footer. Get the Youtube channel widget.
43. How to embed Youtube Playlists in your blog?
If you like any Youtube playlist, you can embed the playlist into your blog as you embed the videos. Use this video to see how to embed playlists in your blog.
Channel Tips
44. Know RSS feed of your Youtube channel
The below link is the RSS feed for your channel
USERNAME/videos.rss
45. Ping your Youtube channel
By visiting the pingoat.com you can ping your channel
Visit www.pingoat.com or watch this video about ping to your channel.
46. Direct subscriber link to your channel
Instead sending your blog readers to your channel link to subscribe, you can use this
Direct link http://youtube.co/subscription_center?add_user=fourblogger. It asks confirmation alone. There are more conversions than sending readers to your channel.
Future of Youtube Tips
47. To watch videos in 3D
Youtube is always experimenting with new features. Just add this yt3d:enable=true in your video tags to make your video as 3D. It will automatically change to 3D version.
You need the special glasses to watch these 3D videos in 3D.
In 3D videos, some of the features currently not available like captions & subtitles.
48. Feather beta
If you are using very slow internet connection, you can enable the Feather Beta facility on Youtube. If you enabled this facility, you can watch video page without unnecessary options. Enable Feather Beta here. It will avoid loading of the related videos, comment etc…
Annotation
49. Use Annotations Differently – Think Out-of-the-Box
You can use YouTube annotations efficiently with your creative idea. You can use “Don’t Click here” text as annotation text. When people watch your videos, they often wants to click on it as it is human nature. You can link the “Don’t click here” annotation to your channel or any of your particular videos. When more people clicks on annotations, that videos automatically get selected as “Related videos”. But remember don’t use your think-out-of-the-box ideas for spamming purpose. User may dislike or flag your video. 
Fourblogger Labs Research on Youtube:
Currently I am experimenting about
how to add clickable link in youtube videos
how to create video sitemap and use it to drive traffic to your blogs.
how to put our videos on First page of Youtube search for popular keywords.
YouTube keyword ranking factors etc..
I will submit all test results on this upcoming labs page.
If you are a person who wants to drive traffic to your blogs or websites through videos, then you may want to check my Five Video Traffic Techniques video which I have submitted recently for Darren Rowse’s Problogger Blogger Group Project.
Soon I will get results. Once I get results, I will update here. So bookmark this post on Delicious or StumbleUpon or alternatively you can subscribe to our feed and YouTube channel.
Alternatively, you can host the videos on your web host but if you have tons of traffic then it is best to have dedicated servers.
Related Tutorials:
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
This is superb work done! thanks a lot!
Thanks Ross.
What a great list of helpful tricks. I haven’t really seen anyone do a list of Youtube tips like this. Fresh content is good content.
Thanks Tony.
Sharing is our pleasure.
Excellent work! This is the by far the best YouTube tips post I ever saw. I will nibble at these one by one.
I feel like I should try to give you a tip too but you might know this one already. Have you ever tried quietube.com You can watch your video without the comments and other stuff, just drag the button to your browser’s bookmarks bar to watch your video surrounded by a white background.
I hope you can use this one.
Many thanks!
@Ileane
hai Ileane,
nice site.. there is no disturbance while watching youtube videos..
Thanks Ileane! That is very cool!
Great article dude. Before reading this I considered myself as youtube power user, now I just feel like little newb
Hi Darth,
Cool. Glad about your comment.
Nice work mate…
Quite a detailed list of youtube zazz…
Cheers.
I shared your article on Faceboook because hard work you did recognised with the world. Useful for all webmasters.
There is a lot of tips on here I haven’t seen before – make more
Thank You
Thanks . I will do more.
hey pascal i really loved ur list but however i tried the tip for better quality (&fmt=22) but i did not notice a single difference…..its the same for all videos :s….please help me, thanks
Thanks for sharing so much info! Useful :]
Thanks for comment.
Pascal:
Wow! You really did an amazing job with this list…way to go, man! All of this hard work and kindness will pay you dividends in the long-term. I love the site; keep up the great work!
Awesome list – I’m trying some now – I love the facebook advice – I’m still trying to figure it out though lol
good stuff.. best youtube tip list ever! epic win x100
man! All of this hard work and kindness will pay you dividends in the long-term. I love the site; keep up the great work!
Thanks for your appreciation. All the best for your business!
Before reading this I considered myself as youtube power user, now I just feel like little newb
can i asked some quastions how long can i upload to youtube video.
help thanks..
You can upload upto 15 minutes in youtube.
I’m looking for a way to post in the comment “the current viewer number” – For example…in the comments section someone would put, “Thumbs up if you are viewer # _________” – example found here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4H_Zoh7G5A
Question about play lists
Is there anyway to add someone else’s play list to my youtube account? The reason being, is that when I use Wii to watch youtube on my TV, I have to go to youtube.com/xl, and then I can watch ONLY playlists that I have made in my own channel by logging in on youtube.com/xl, I can’t go to someone else’s playlist on that site…….IF I could simply add their playlist to my channel, then go to Wii and log in via youtube.com/xl, I could watch the entire playlist without having to add each video individually which takes a while if ,say it’s 100 videos or more.
I think that we can’t add others playlists in our channel.
wow, the tricks above is very useful for me..
thanks for sharing..
Tip #1 Upload in the right aspect ratio!
I have been doing a lot of research lately regarding YouTube. I never had a lot of interest in it first but now I see it as a valuable resource. Some of the information in your blog was totally new to me and will quite helpful in the future. I will continue to follow your blog and will definitely be applying some of your tips. Thank you.http://howtogainviewers.blogspot.com/
How can unblock YouTube video in our country ?
Thank you so much for sharing these awesome tutorials, we have just launched http://www.youtube.com/clubittv and we will take into consideration these tips for our channel, thank you very much
Thanks for the tips,
There’re very good website for auto replay and download Youtube video: http://tubeencore.com
This tool let you:
- Search Youtube video.
- Auto replay Youtube video, whole or a portion of it.
- Download Youtube video.
So you can search, auto replay your favourite video forever and download it if you like.
I think the tool worths being considered into your tips, too.
you should join the business community, and post is useful information in the you tube form, so that people would not only become more familiar with who you are, but they will also read your “YouTube video tips” and you can build credibility from the site too
how do you install a site map on youtube video i got to verify it
Nice post dear, i have also got some very interesting app for desktop. with this app you can watch youtube videos directly from your desktop even you don’t have open your browser for going to youtube.com just play the video from your desktop.. please visit http://100dollerblog.blogspot.in/2012/02/search-watch-youtube-videos-directly.html
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