Many YouTube users have become frustrated at the 10-minute upload limit for videos in recent years. In response to demand, YouTube has now upped the upload time to 15 minutes for all users.

A spokesperson for YouTube said: “We want YouTube to be the best place to upload video. Without question, the number one requested feature by our creators is to upload videos longer than 10 minutes.”

YouTube also reports that it has improved its ContentID system and other tools for copyright owners.

The spokesperson added: “Because of the success of these ongoing technological efforts, we are able to increase the upload limit today. We will continue our strong commitment to provide advanced technology and tools to protect the rights of small and large copyright owners worldwide. We’ll also do everything we can to release incremental improvements like this one that benefit our video creators.”

By the way, if you tag your videos with “yt15minutes” and upload them by August 4, YouTube may select your video to feature on the YouTube home page.

Speak to WebCreationUK for more information on integrating video in to your website.

We all know that videos are becoming an increasingly poplar option on a widening range of websites. And, of course, YouTube is one of the biggest players in this arena.

But did you realise that for every minute, a massive 24 hours of video is uploaded on to YouTube. That’s quite some thought.

Just last week it was announced on the YouTube blog: “Today, we’re announcing that you’ve done it!  In just 60 quick ticks of the second hand, more than a full, action-packed day in Jack Bauer’s life is now uploaded to YouTube.”

Just nine months ago, YouTube announced that the pace for video uploads was 20 hours per minute. So in less than a year, the upload quantity has increased 20%. That’s pretty awesome by anyone’s standards.

And, of course, YouTuber is keen to compile its own “top” list for 2009. It comes as no surprise to find that the most watched YouTube video of 2009 was Susan Boyle’s audition video from Britain’s Got talent.

The Year End Top Video Report for 2009 also revealed that Pitbull’s “I Know You Want Me” topped the music video category.  Here are the top five results:

Most Watched YouTube videos globally:

1. Susan Boyle – Britain’s Got Talent (over 120 million views)
2. David After Dentist (over 37m views)
3. JK Wedding Entrance Dance (over 33m views)
4. New Moon Movie Trailer (over 31m views)
5. Evian Roller Babies (over 27m views)

Most watched music videos on YouTube globally:

1. Pitbull “I Know You Want Me” (over 82m views)
2. Miley Cyrus “The Climb” (over 64m views)
3. Miley Cyrus “Party in the U.S.A.” (over 54m views)
4. The Lonely Island “I’m On a Boat” (over 48m views)
5. Keri Hilson “Knock You Down” (over 35m views)

It might surprise you to hear that YouTube is the second largest search engine. This massive web player attracts hundreds of millions of users a month, while 15 hours of video are uploaded every minute. All of which makes YouTube a great tool for website owners, especially if you have a bit of videoing ability.

Video ranking
The key to making good use of YouTube’s SEO and marketing potential is to aim to improve your video ranking. Here are some tips for improving your video ranking:
* Include an accurate and descriptive title.
* Make sure your description is, well, descriptive. It should be accurate and unique, and written with complete sentences.
* Descriptive keyword tags but avoid “keyword stuffing”.

Social networking
But YouTube is much more than just a video search engine. It’s also considered to be a powerful social networking community site. Which means that community opinion counts. As with any other community on the web, your best results will come if you actively participate. So, ideally, you should be aiming to share videos with other members. Try experimenting with:
* Annotations,
* Video responses
* Thumbnails.

Embedding
What’s more, YouTubers should also ensure their videos are embedded to make them more “discoverable”.

Analytics tool
Find out more about videos on YouTube by using the analytics tool to:
* Check demographics
* Find where video are posted
* Discover who posted videos
* Check Hot Spots, that is you can pinpoint the specific parts of the video that get viewed the most.

There’s a whole world of YouTube marketing out there that many people haven’t even considered. Now start filming!