KazmaCourses

Course · Beginner to intermediate

YouTube SEO and Discovery

How YouTube search and recommendations really work in 2026, and how to make videos that get found, clicked and watched.

8 modules26 lessonsabout 5 hoursreviewed September 2026
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A navy video screen with a gold play symbol sits at the centre of a ring of teal and navy viewer nodes, with a gold magnifier nearby, representing videos being discovered by the right audience.
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A practical, up-to-date course for creators, small businesses and marketers. Learn how YouTube's search and recommendation systems decide what to show, how to find video ideas people are looking for, how to package videos with honest titles and thumbnails, which metadata still matters, how to keep viewers watching, how Shorts, live streams, podcasts and TV fit in, how videos surface in Google and AI search, and how to read your analytics. Every lesson follows Luna Bakes as it launches and grows a baking channel.

Who it's for: New and growing creators, small businesses and marketers who want more views from YouTube search and recommendations. No prior experience needed.

A navy hub with a gold play symbol reaches out along gold lines to a ring of viewer nodes, representing how YouTube matches videos to each viewer.
Module 1 · 33 min

How YouTube discovery works

How YouTube's systems follow the audience, the differences between search, home, suggested and Shorts traffic, and the myths to unlearn.

  1. YouTube follows the audience11 min
  2. Search, home, suggested and Shorts12 min
  3. YouTube myths to unlearn10 min
  4. Module quiztest yourself
A radiant gold circle hovers above a row of navy and slate tiles, linked by a dotted teal line to one teal tile, representing a good idea chosen from many possibilities.
Module 2 · 33 min

Finding ideas people want

Researching what viewers search for, matching format to intent, and learning from outlier videos in your niche.

  1. Researching video ideas12 min
  2. Matching format to intent11 min
  3. Learning from outliers10 min
  4. Module quiztest yourself
An isometric navy box wrapped in a gold ribbon with a gold play symbol on its side, representing how a video is packaged with its title and thumbnail.
Module 3 · 35 min

Titles and thumbnails

Writing honest titles that earn the click, designing thumbnails that read at a glance, and testing them with Test and Compare.

  1. Titles that earn the click12 min
  2. Thumbnails that work11 min
  3. Testing titles and thumbnails12 min
  4. Module quiztest yourself
A navy video frame with a gold play symbol sits at the centre, with teal, slate and gold label tags and lines of text-like bars hanging from it, representing the metadata that describes a video.
Module 4 · 31 min

Metadata that still matters

Descriptions, tags and hashtags, chapters, captions and multi-language audio, and the playlists, end screens and cards that keep viewers on your channel.

  1. Descriptions, tags and hashtags10 min
  2. Chapters, captions and languages12 min
  3. Playlists, end screens and cards9 min
  4. Module quiztest yourself
A retention curve falls across a light grid while a line of gold dots stays high near the top, representing viewers who keep watching to the end.
Module 5 · 33 min

Keeping viewers watching

Hooks for the first 30 seconds, structuring videos and reading the retention graph, and the satisfaction and community signals YouTube listens to.

  1. Hooks and the first 30 seconds10 min
  2. Structure and the retention graph12 min
  3. Satisfaction and community11 min
  4. Module quiztest yourself
Four shapes stand side by side on a gold baseline: a tall vertical screen, a dot sending out broadcast rings, a rounded microphone capsule and a wide television, representing Shorts, live streams, podcasts and TV.
Module 6 · 33 min

Shorts, live, podcasts and TV

How Shorts discovery works now, live streams and podcasts on YouTube, and making videos for the living-room screen.

  1. Shorts in 202612 min
  2. Live streams and podcasts11 min
  3. YouTube on TV10 min
  4. Module quiztest yourself
A navy video tile with a gold play triangle sits at the centre while lines radiate out to a magnifier and a gold diamond, showing videos travelling into Google and AI search.
Module 7 · 35 min

Video in Google and AI search

Getting your videos into Google results, key moments and AI Overviews, how YouTube's own AI features change discovery, and how AI answer engines like Gemini, ChatGPT and Perplexity use video.

  1. YouTube videos in Google Search12 min
  2. YouTube's own AI features11 min
  3. Video in AI answer engines12 min
  4. Module quiztest yourself
Four isometric columns rise in steps from navy to gold, joined by a gold line with a leaf-shaped node at the top, representing a channel growing through analytics and strategy.
Module 8 · 58 min

Analytics, policy and growth

The analytics that matter, the policies that can quietly limit reach, building a channel strategy, a full case study and a glossary.

  1. Analytics that matter12 min
  2. Policies that affect reach11 min
  3. Building a channel strategy11 min
  4. Case study: Luna Bakes' first 90 days14 min
  5. Glossary10 min
  6. Module quiztest yourself