How much money can I make putting adverts on my Youtube videos?

Wow,  that's a tough question.

There are so many variables, so I'm going to try to answer it again in a slightly different way.

You may want the very basic information, so we'll get that out of the way first.  Simply put, you will likely get between £1 and £2 in the UK for every thousand Youtube video views.  I reckon that's about the same worldwide, so just convert to your currency and you'll get a very rough idea.

As I'm discovering though this is just a tiny portion of the battle, and unless you are really thinking of changing careers and becoming a producer for Youtube then it's not worth bothering, because the moment you stop uploading videos, editing you descriptions and managing your channel, your views could drop as if you'd never done any work.

People are constantly asking how to get more views on Youtube, as if there's some kind of secret way that you can trick Google into giving you lots of money.  It sounds ridiculous when I put it like that doesn't it?

Well, you can get lots and lots of views on Youtube and I'll tell you how.  Here's the simple formula, a plain truth, not a get rich quick scheme and I reckon pretty much all successful Youtube channels will agree with this:

If you don't like making films and editing, don't bother.
If you don't have much time to put in, don't bother.
If you want to do it quickly and easily, don't bother.
If you want to do it so everyone will tell you you're awesome, don't bother.
If you don't like learning and taking on board new skills, don't bother.
If you're not too fussed about quality and a path of continuing improvement, don't bother.
If you're not a creative person with bubbling ideas just waiting to get out, don't bother.

If none of the above apply to you then:

Choose something you love.  If you love something, chances are others will love it too, and if your passion for it is real it will be contagious, and easy for you to maintain down the years.  Yes, years.

Content is king, Youtube track how your video is watched.  If too many people turn off too quickly or don't watch to the end, they are less likely to offer it as a search result.  So you'll get less views.  Make sure your video is interesting from the very start, to the very end.

Produce regularly, and upload regularly.  Upload one video every Monday rather than four at a random point in the month.

Experiment with the titles of your videos, changing them and checking how your videos rank regularly will give you an idea of what works and what doesn't.  On Google chrome, use 'ctrl shift n' to open a browser which will give you the same search results everyone else sees, so you don't get tailored results and a false impression of rankings.

Always fill up your descriptions with good explanations, interesting information and original content relevant to your channel and the specific video too.

Use annotations to encourage interaction such as 'please click like' and 'why not subscribe now?' and 'Please share with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter etc.'

Take your channel seriously; 'Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.' Zecharia 4:10.  If you take your work seriously and do it from the heart, other people will take it seriously and take it to their hearts.

Choose your target market and stick to it.  Google likes it's new toy Youtube, and ranks it very highly in the 'web' search results, not just the 'Video' search results.  You will often see a Youtube video on page one of Google, whatever you search for.  Choose your niche, and use this AWESOME tool to see which keywords you should be focussing on: http://www.google.com/trends/

Put your keywords in everything connected with your site, including the names of the custom thumbs you upload, the names of the raw video files you upload, the banners you upload and obviously liberally peppered around your video descriptions and channel descriptions, and not least the name of your channel!

TOP TIP: Keywords in video titles can be repeated twice, and are read as acceptable by Google for example: 'Christian kids songs, Jesus is amazing, song for Christian kids about amazing Jesus.'  As we speak, this appears to strengthen the title  of my videos and enhance search rankings.  This could change at any time of course!  And don't overdo it, sentences should be proper English (or whatever language you speak) and you keywords should make sense in the context you use them or it may be seen as spam and you'll have a long and sad road ahead of you if that happens.  Back to square one!

Be careful not to be caught in a trap of constant networking and promotion in social networks.  They are of some value, but set aside a sensible amount of time to manage your accounts. They are the internet equivalent of the pub.  Sure, business does come along sometimes, but it's a bonus feature rather than the main game.  Choose your favourite platforms, let's say your blog, twitter and Facebook, and spend an hour a day in total writing content for them. YOUR MOST VALUABLE TIME IS SPENT ON PRODUCTION, and your most valuable SEO is spent on Youtube.  Remember, SEO is important but you will never trick anyone into subscribing or liking you.  Manage your time properly and remember that you are a producer first, promoter close second.

Captions are searchable by Google.  Videos with captions tend to rank better.

Don't spend money on advertising your channel, unless you are selling a product.  Paying for views does not make financial sense unless you are selling something.

Always thumbs up comments you like, and reply quickly. Thumbs up and comment on your own video when you upload it.

In your channel settings/in video programming, make sure you set one of your videos to appear as an option to click, as well as a link to your channel.

Customise your channel with strong original and memorable branding.

If there is anything obvious I have missed, please contact me and I will include all good suggestions.