Bottom Line: These YouTube video SEO strategy templates eliminate guesswork from your optimization process. Each template is battle-tested by successful creators and designed for immediate implementation. Download, customize, and start optimizing.
For the complete YouTube SEO strategy guide these templates support, read: Complete SEO Strategy For YouTube 2026
This pack contains eight essential templates covering every phase of YouTube SEO:
| Template | Use Case | Time Savings |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Production SEO Checklist | Before filming | 30 min/video |
| Video Optimization Worksheet | During publishing | 20 min/video |
| Monthly SEO Audit Spreadsheet | Channel review | 2 hours/month |
| Keyword Research Tracker | Content planning | 1 hour/session |
| Competitor Analysis Framework | Market research | 1.5 hours/competitor |
| Tag Strategy Planner | Metadata optimization | 15 min/video |
| Thumbnail Testing Log | CTR optimization | 10 min/test |
| Content Calendar with SEO | Planning | 30 min/week |
Use this template before filming any video to ensure SEO is built into your content from the start.
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ VIDEO SEO PRE-PRODUCTION CHECKLIST ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Video Topic: ____________________________________________ ║
║ Target Keyword: _________________________________________ ║
║ Search Volume: __________________________________________ ║
║ Competition Level: □ Low □ Medium □ High ║
║ Target Video Length: ______ minutes ║
║ Planned Publish Date: ___________________________________ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ KEYWORD RESEARCH ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ □ Primary keyword identified and validated ║
║ ║
║ □ Secondary keywords listed (minimum 5): ║
║ 1. ____________________________________________________ ║
║ 2. ____________________________________________________ ║
║ 3. ____________________________________________________ ║
║ 4. ____________________________________________________ ║
║ 5. ____________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ □ Search intent confirmed: ║
║ □ Tutorial/How-to □ Review □ Entertainment ║
║ □ Comparison □ Listicle □ News/Update ║
║ ║
║ □ YouTube autocomplete suggestions reviewed ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ COMPETITOR ANALYSIS ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ □ Top 5 ranking videos analyzed: ║
║ ║
║ Video 1: _________________________________________________ ║
║ - Views: ________ Duration: ________ Age: ________ ║
║ - Title pattern: _______________________________________ ║
║ - Thumbnail style: _____________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ Video 2: _________________________________________________ ║
║ - Views: ________ Duration: ________ Age: ________ ║
║ - Title pattern: _______________________________________ ║
║ - Thumbnail style: _____________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ Video 3: _________________________________________________ ║
║ - Views: ________ Duration: ________ Age: ________ ║
║ - Title pattern: _______________________________________ ║
║ - Thumbnail style: _____________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ □ Content gaps identified: ║
║ 1. ____________________________________________________ ║
║ 2. ____________________________________________________ ║
║ 3. ____________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ □ Unique angle determined: ║
║ __________________________________________________________║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ TITLE OPTIONS ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Create 3-5 title options (50-60 characters each): ║
║ ║
║ 1. ______________________________________________________ ║
║ Character count: _____ ║
║ ║
║ 2. ______________________________________________________ ║
║ Character count: _____ ║
║ ║
║ 3. ______________________________________________________ ║
║ Character count: _____ ║
║ ║
║ 4. ______________________________________________________ ║
║ Character count: _____ ║
║ ║
║ 5. ______________________________________________________ ║
║ Character count: _____ ║
║ ║
║ □ Primary keyword near beginning in all options ║
║ □ Clear value proposition in each title ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ THUMBNAIL CONCEPTS ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Concept A: ║
║ - Main visual: _________________________________________ ║
║ - Emotion/Expression: __________________________________ ║
║ - Text overlay (max 3 words): __________________________ ║
║ - Color scheme: ________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ Concept B (for A/B testing): ║
║ - Main visual: _________________________________________ ║
║ - Emotion/Expression: __________________________________ ║
║ - Text overlay (max 3 words): __________________________ ║
║ - Color scheme: ________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ □ Both concepts follow brand guidelines ║
║ □ Readable at small sizes (mobile preview tested) ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ CONTENT OUTLINE ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Hook (first 30 seconds): ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ Key points to cover: ║
║ 1. ______________________________________________________ ║
║ 2. ______________________________________________________ ║
║ 3. ______________________________________________________ ║
║ 4. ______________________________________________________ ║
║ 5. ______________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ Keywords to mention verbally: ║
║ □ Primary keyword: ______________________________________ ║
║ □ Secondary: ____________________________________________ ║
║ □ Secondary: ____________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ CTA planned: ║
║ □ Subscribe prompt at: _______ minute mark ║
║ □ Comment question: _____________________________________ ║
║ □ Related video to mention: _____________________________ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ FINAL PRE-FILMING CHECK ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ □ All research complete ║
║ □ Outline reviewed and refined ║
║ □ Thumbnail concepts ready for capture/creation ║
║ □ Title options narrowed to top 2 ║
║ □ Timestamps planned in outline ║
║ □ Resources/links to mention prepared ║
║ ║
║ Ready to film: □ Yes □ No - Missing: ___________________ ║
║ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Use this template when uploading and publishing to ensure complete optimization.
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ VIDEO OPTIMIZATION WORKSHEET ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Video File Name: ________________________________________ ║
║ Upload Date: ____________________________________________ ║
║ Publish Date/Time: ______________________________________ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ TITLE (50-60 characters) ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Final Title: ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ Character Count: _____ ║
║ ║
║ Checklist: ║
║ □ Primary keyword near the beginning ║
║ □ Clear value proposition ║
║ □ No clickbait (content delivers on promise) ║
║ □ Matches thumbnail messaging ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ DESCRIPTION ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ FIRST 150 CHARACTERS (visible before "Show More"): ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ □ Contains primary keyword ║
║ □ Compelling hook ║
║ ║
║ PARAGRAPH 1 (Topic Expansion - 100-150 words): ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ Secondary keywords included: ║
║ □ ____________________ □ ____________________ ║
║ □ ____________________ □ ____________________ ║
║ ║
║ TIMESTAMPS/CHAPTERS: ║
║ 0:00 - ________________________________________________ ║
║ __:__ - ________________________________________________ ║
║ __:__ - ________________________________________________ ║
║ __:__ - ________________________________________________ ║
║ __:__ - ________________________________________________ ║
║ __:__ - ________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ CALL TO ACTION: ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ RESOURCES/LINKS MENTIONED: ║
║ - ____________________________________________________ ║
║ - ____________________________________________________ ║
║ - ____________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ RELATED VIDEOS (cards/end screen): ║
║ 1. ____________________________________________________ ║
║ 2. ____________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ HASHTAGS (3-5): ║
║ #____________ #____________ #____________ ║
║ #____________ #____________ ║
║ ║
║ ABOUT CHANNEL (standard footer): ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ TAGS (15-20) ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Position 1 (Exact match primary keyword): ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ Positions 2-5 (Variations): ║
║ 2. ______________________ 3. ______________________ ║
║ 4. ______________________ 5. ______________________ ║
║ ║
║ Positions 6-10 (Related terms): ║
║ 6. ______________________ 7. ______________________ ║
║ 8. ______________________ 9. ______________________ ║
║ 10. _____________________ ║
║ ║
║ Positions 11-15 (Broader/Misspellings): ║
║ 11. _____________________ 12. _____________________ ║
║ 13. _____________________ 14. _____________________ ║
║ 15. _____________________ ║
║ ║
║ Additional (if relevant): ║
║ 16. _____________________ 17. _____________________ ║
║ 18. _____________________ 19. _____________________ ║
║ 20. _____________________ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ CATEGORY & SETTINGS ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Category: _____________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ □ Comments enabled ║
║ □ Made for kids: □ Yes □ No ║
║ □ Age restriction: □ Yes □ No ║
║ □ Visibility: □ Public □ Unlisted □ Private □ Scheduled ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ THUMBNAIL ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Thumbnail file: _______________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ Checklist: ║
║ □ High contrast and readable at small sizes ║
║ □ Face with clear emotion (if applicable) ║
║ □ Text overlay max 3 words (if any) ║
║ □ Brand consistent ║
║ □ Different from title (complementary, not duplicate) ║
║ □ A/B test version saved for later testing ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ CARDS & END SCREENS ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Cards: ║
║ Card 1: ______________ at __:__ (Type: ______________) ║
║ Card 2: ______________ at __:__ (Type: ______________) ║
║ Card 3: ______________ at __:__ (Type: ______________) ║
║ ║
║ End Screen (last 20 seconds): ║
║ □ Subscribe element added ║
║ □ Video/playlist element added: __________________________ ║
║ □ Best for viewer element added ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ FINAL PUBLISH CHECKLIST ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ □ Title optimized with keyword ║
║ □ Description complete with all sections ║
║ □ All tags added (15-20) ║
║ □ Thumbnail uploaded ║
║ □ Category selected ║
║ □ Cards added at relevant points ║
║ □ End screen configured ║
║ □ Captions reviewed/edited (if auto-generated) ║
║ □ Playlist(s) assigned: ________________________________ ║
║ □ Scheduled or published ║
║ ║
║ Video URL: ____________________________________________ ║
║ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Use this template at the start of each month to review performance and identify opportunities.
╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ MONTHLY YOUTUBE SEO AUDIT ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Channel: ________________________________________________ ║
║ Month: _________________ Year: _________________________ ║
║ Audit Date: ____________________________________________ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ CHANNEL OVERVIEW (This Month vs Last Month) ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ This Month Last Month Change ║
║ Total Views __________ __________ _____% ↑↓ ║
║ Watch Hours __________ __________ _____% ↑↓ ║
║ New Subscribers __________ __________ _____% ↑↓ ║
║ Videos Published __________ __________ _____ ║
║ Avg. View Duration __________ __________ _____% ↑↓ ║
║ Channel CTR __________% __________% _____% ↑↓ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ TRAFFIC SOURCE BREAKDOWN ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Source This Month Last Month Target ║
║ YouTube Search _________% _________% _________% ║
║ Suggested Videos _________% _________% _________% ║
║ Browse Features _________% _________% _________% ║
║ External _________% _________% _________% ║
║ Direct/Unknown _________% _________% _________% ║
║ Playlists _________% _________% _________% ║
║ Shorts Feed _________% _________% _________% ║
║ ║
║ Key Observation: ________________________________________ ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ TOP 10 SEARCH KEYWORDS DRIVING VIEWS ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Rank Keyword Views Impressions ║
║ 1. ____________________________ ______ ___________ ║
║ 2. ____________________________ ______ ___________ ║
║ 3. ____________________________ ______ ___________ ║
║ 4. ____________________________ ______ ___________ ║
║ 5. ____________________________ ______ ___________ ║
║ 6. ____________________________ ______ ___________ ║
║ 7. ____________________________ ______ ___________ ║
║ 8. ____________________________ ______ ___________ ║
║ 9. ____________________________ ______ ___________ ║
║ 10. ____________________________ ______ ___________ ║
║ ║
║ New keywords appearing: _________________________________ ║
║ Keywords declining: _____________________________________ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ VIDEOS TO OPTIMIZE (High Impressions, Low CTR) ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ These videos are being shown but not clicked - optimize ║
║ titles and thumbnails: ║
║ ║
║ Video CTR Impressions Action ║
║ 1. ________________________ ____% __________ □ Done ║
║ 2. ________________________ ____% __________ □ Done ║
║ 3. ________________________ ____% __________ □ Done ║
║ 4. ________________________ ____% __________ □ Done ║
║ 5. ________________________ ____% __________ □ Done ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ VIDEOS WITH DECLINING PERFORMANCE ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Video This Mo Last Mo Action ║
║ 1. ________________________ _______ _______ □ Done ║
║ 2. ________________________ _______ _______ □ Done ║
║ 3. ________________________ _______ _______ □ Done ║
║ ║
║ Potential causes: _______________________________________ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ TOP PERFORMING VIDEOS (Learn From Success) ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Video Views AVD CTR ║
║ 1. ________________________ ______ ______ ____% ║
║ 2. ________________________ ______ ______ ____% ║
║ 3. ________________________ ______ ______ ____% ║
║ ║
║ Common patterns in top performers: ║
║ - Topic: ________________________________________________ ║
║ - Title style: __________________________________________ ║
║ - Thumbnail style: ______________________________________ ║
║ - Length: _______________________________________________ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ KEYWORD OPPORTUNITIES IDENTIFIED ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Keywords with high impressions where I don't have ║
║ dedicated content: ║
║ ║
║ 1. ________________________________________ Priority: P__ ║
║ 2. ________________________________________ Priority: P__ ║
║ 3. ________________________________________ Priority: P__ ║
║ 4. ________________________________________ Priority: P__ ║
║ 5. ________________________________________ Priority: P__ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ COMPETITOR MOVEMENT ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Competitor changes noticed: ║
║ - ________________________________________________________ ║
║ - ________________________________________________________ ║
║ - ________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ Keywords competitors are targeting that I'm not: ║
║ - ________________________________________________________ ║
║ - ________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ACTION ITEMS FOR NEXT MONTH ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ Priority 1 (Must Do): ║
║ □ ________________________________________________________ ║
║ □ ________________________________________________________ ║
║ □ ________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ Priority 2 (Should Do): ║
║ □ ________________________________________________________ ║
║ □ ________________________________________________________ ║
║ □ ________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ Priority 3 (Nice to Have): ║
║ □ ________________________________________________________ ║
║ □ ________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ NOTES & OBSERVATIONS ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ __________________________________________________________ ║
║ ║
║ Next Audit Date: _______________________________________ ║
║ ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝