The YouTube experiment

**kline11** · 07-04-2008, 04:45 PM

I am trying a little experiment using YouTube for traffic, by creating a "funny commercial". I'll keep track of traffic stats using Google Analytics. Here is the film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUwcClijfcU
I'll keep you posted. If it works out, it may be something for you to consider.

**kline11** · 07-07-2008, 03:12 PM

YouTube Traffic Experiment update:
Here we are at day 3. The YouTube video has 70 watches, and 3 ratings (5 stars).
According to Google analytics, SearchBliss received 11 hits through the profile. or "channel" page. What cannot be accounted for, however is the "direct traffic" as a result of seeing the information on the video.

Changes:
I began an attempt to "optimize" the video for searches on YouTube. I started this yesterday, and the hits went from 39 to todays 70. Nearly double.

What's Next?
A second video. I put a llot more thought into this one, and it shows.

**raptrex** · 07-07-2008, 10:45 PM

how did you "optimize" the video for searches?

**usearchme** · 07-08-2008, 03:42 AM

Hi there

Can you put ur url on youtube videos, or do u just rely on getting the message across in the video !

Woc

**kline11** · 07-08-2008, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by usearchme

Hi there

Can you put ur url on youtube videos, or do u just rely on getting the message across in the video !

Woc

The message is on the screen, like a music video.

**kline11** · 07-08-2008, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raptrex

how did you "optimize" the video for searches?

I have control of the video listings title, description, and tags. I don't know what YouTube uses in it's Algo, so
I optimized all 3. Using ajectives is key.

**VirtuosiMedia** · 07-08-2008, 02:41 PM

Just as a word of caution, if you're doing a test like this and are publicizing your results, you probably shouldn't post a link to the video being tested because it will taint your results. How do you know if your traffic and views aren't a result of the link you posted in this forum and not organically from YouTube itself? People on here will think, "Oh cool, a test of video on YouTube. I'll follow the link and check it out and then go to his website to see how it fits." That might get you more traffic, but it doesn't give your experiment reliable results as to how YouTube alone would boost your traffic.

**kline11** · 07-08-2008, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VirtuosiMedia

Just as a word of caution, if you're doing a test like this and are publicizing your results, you probably shouldn't post a link to the video being tested because it will taint your results. How do you know if your traffic and views aren't a result of the link you posted in this forum and not organically from YouTube itself? People on here will think, "Oh cool, a test of video on YouTube. I'll follow the link and check it out and then go to his website to see how it fits." That might get you more traffic, but it doesn't give your experiment reliable results as to how YouTube alone would boost your traffic.

Great points, however, what I am testing is not traffic from YouTube to the video itself, but the traffic to SearchBliss as a result of viewing the video/channel.

**VirtuosiMedia** · 07-08-2008, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kline11

Great points, however, what I am testing is not traffic from YouTube to the video itself, but the traffic to SearchBliss as a result of viewing the video/channel.

Even so, I personally think that it might taint the results, especially with lower traffic numbers. If you were getting 1000's of visitors from the YouTube page to your site, the link here may not be statistically relevant, but if your goal is to measure what the effectiveness of the video on its own merit, the link introduces an unquantifiable factor (unless you are able to track which visitors started here, viewed the video, and then went on to view your site).

**usearchme** · 07-09-2008, 08:13 AM

lol good point virtosi unless this is also part of his marketing for his youtube video lol !

Woc

**kline11** · 07-09-2008, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VirtuosiMedia

Even so, I personally think that it might taint the results, especially with lower traffic numbers. If you were getting 1000's of visitors from the YouTube page to your site, the link here may not be statistically relevant, but if your goal is to measure what the effectiveness of the video on its own merit, the link introduces an unquantifiable factor (unless you are able to track which visitors started here, viewed the video, and then went on to view your site).

Good points. I will try this experiment again with a different video and only post the information I find after the experiment is complete. I was planning a second video anyway...funnier and better quality.

**Learning Newbie** · 07-09-2008, 04:51 PM

MAOI = Mono Amine Oxidase Inhibitor. Your brain has an enzyme called MAO that sort of acts as the bouncer. Anything that passes through the blood brain barrier, but doesn't belong in there, is carried out by MAO. This can be an issue with particular medicines and other types of drugs, because certain of them are especially depotentiated by monoamine oxidase.

An MAOI is a chemical that "turns off" MAO. Some of them for several hours, others for life, and there are some that run the gamut in between.

MAO was discovered in 1954 by the west. MAOIs have been known for countless thousands of years to indigenous societies, especially in the rainforest. Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is the most powerful psychedelic known to man, but in most forms, it's completely depotentiated. It can be extracted from certain wild grasses and then smoked, but these aren't always native where DMT is used. In the Amazon, a drink called ayahuasca (aka yage) is a mixture of many plants, but mostly one containing DMT, and another with powerful, but temporary MAOIs. Eating DMT by itself does nothing, as it's removed from the brain before it has a chance to act, even if it passes the blood brain barrier. In combination with an MAOI, it fuels Shamanistic rituals.

Many foods in the western diet, and many western medicines, can be fatal if MAO isn't acting to clean the brain. Because some medicines require the patient to take MAOIs, and because MAOIs themselves were used as a primitive anti depressant, you occasionally hear a warning that people taking them should avoid certain medicines.

(Anyone who watched the video will understand why this is on topic.)

**kline11** · 07-10-2008, 01:01 PM

Thanks for the explaination!

**Learning Newbie** · 07-11-2008, 07:22 PM

No problem! I thought that was a little funny when you mentioned it the first time around, then I had an opportunity to give my spiel!

**kline11** · 07-13-2008, 05:58 PM

Well, traffic only averages about 8 a day. So I have just uploaded a second video, "optimized" for YouTube...I hope. I am assuming the traffic may be worth if it was to become popular...I'll see.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQsIAXKsQPc

**jv17** · 07-13-2008, 11:37 PM

nice vid...its very informative though..

**AdHack** · 07-21-2008, 06:34 PM

Youtube viral videos are a great way to drive targeted traffic to your site. Is anyone here using those new "annotation" things in their videos. I'm currently testing to see if adding them to the beginning or end of videos makes any difference to my stats.

**kline11** · 07-21-2008, 09:39 PM

Well, so far the traffic has been minimal. Hits from my "channel" in the last 2 weeks has been ab