Would you like to move up in the organic search rankings? Really, who doesn't? A high position in the search rankings means increased free traffic - and no one turns down free traffic. You’d obviously like to be higher in the rankings, but so would everyone else. So how do you make it happen? These video SEO tips just may be what you need to bump your site in the right direction!
As you know, video has virtually taken over the web in recent years. Thanks to faster load times, it is now more effective for businesses to use video as part of their marketing efforts. If you would like to keep up in the web marketing space, you’ll almost certainly need to leverage the power of some form of video. While creating and uploading those videos, keep the search engine optimization tips listed below in mind.
#1 – Make the Videos Your Own
It takes time and effort to produce a quality video that you are going to use for marketing purposes. With that in mind, it doesn’t make much sense to load the video onto someone else’s platform. Consider hosting your videos directly on your own site, as to make sure that the traffic actually winds up on your pages. Unless you upload an incredible number of videos, the pressure this plan puts on your server should not be too dramatic.
#2 – Remember the Meta
Often, good SEO comes back to the basics. It is easy to get caught up in advanced techniques which are developed using the latest research, but don’t let that distract you from the tried and true methods of ranking your site. For instance, you need to make sure that the metadata attached to your videos is conducive to good SEO. Give the video a filename that is actually descriptive of the content in the video and write a description with relevant details and keywords.
#3 – It’s Important to Share
SEO is not all about keywords. A big part of the SEO equation comes down to reach and being able to have your content shared across the web in a variety of places. This is going to lead to backlinks, and those are like gold when they come from the right places. As you plan and create your videos, think about producing content that is going to be easy for viewers to decide to share. Usually, that means creating something that elicits a certain reaction, whether it is laughter, surprise, or even tears.
#4 – A Specific Sitemap
You already know that you need a sitemap to help search engines crawl your site appropriately. But did you know that a video sitemap can help search bots do the same with regard to your video content? By adding a video sitemap, you’ll be helping the search engines get everything they need to index and rank your site properly. This is a relatively simple step to take, so there is no reason to pass it over.
#5 – Invest in Transcription
The idea of having your videos transcribed brings a couple of potential advantages to the table. For one thing, it is a nice service to your audience, some of whom may not be able to hear the audio, or some so simply prefer to read the content. Also, having a written version of what is said in the video is going to give search engines direct access to the content. Assuming there are relevant topics discussed and keywords used in the video, the benefits from an SEO perspective should be obvious.
#6 – Permit Use
If other sites would like to embed your video into their pages, don’t see that as a threat. Instead, see it as an opportunity. When someone wants to use your videos, they are doing you a big favor in placing your content directly in front of their audience. Make it as easy as possible for others to embed your videos and encourage them to do so.
#7 – Remember Social Media
It seems that no article on digital marketing would be complete without some kind of mention of social media. And sure enough, we have reached that point in this article. In only makes sense to promote your videos using your social media channels. For one thing, it is quick and easy to do so. Also, if you wind up with followers who share your content with their audience, the links and improved traffic could be yet another SEO boost.
#8 – Make Great Videos!
Let’s step back for a moment from the constant focus on SEO to simply think about what you are trying to accomplish here. The goal of your videos is almost certainly to grow your business by earning new customers, selling additional products or services, etc. So, what do you need to do to be successful on that front? Create great videos, of course! Don’t cut corners in this process, and don’t think that just throwing anything up onto the web will do the trick. Make it great or don’t make it at all.
#9 – Attract Clicks
It’s not good enough to simply push your video up the search rankings through the use of solid SEO tactics. You also need to make sure people are clicking on your video, which is where a quality thumbnail comes into the equation. The thumbnail image which represents the video in the search results is important because it tells the reader a lot about what they can expect when the video starts. Choose an image that indicates the video will be of high quality, entertaining, and worth their time.
#10 – Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
Finally, we want to point out that it is important to get as much possible use out of each video as you can. Once you’ve made a great video – especially if it is a long way – use it in different ways across a variety of platforms. Feel free to cut it up into smaller segments if necessary, based on where and how it is being used.
We hope this list has given you a lot to think about in terms of your video SEO strategy. Whether you’ve been using video for years or plan to get started in the coming weeks and months, these tips will hopefully help you climb the rankings in short order.
