When it comes to marketing, a well-designed video can have a positive ripple effect across your entire campaign that's too powerful to ignore. Video is something 75% of online users have interacted with in the past month, something 90% of people find helpful when making purchasing decisions, and it generates brand awareness, recall, and more.
However, videos can't be created or released in a vacuum. If you want new viewers to discover your video, you need to focus on SEO just as much as you would on that blog post or whitepaper you just published. When it comes to video SEO practices, if you really want to rank higher with your video, there are a few key things to keep in mind.
Similar to search engine optimization (SEO) for articles and web pages, SEO for video aims to increase the visibility of your video content in search engines like Google and on video platforms themselves. With the right SEO strategy, your video has a greater chance of appearing in top search results, getting more views, and ultimately achieving your stated goals, whether it's increasing brand awareness, driving sales, or simply sharing information. This article will thoroughly explore the importance of SEO for video content and provide practical steps you can implement.
What is SEO?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a set of strategies and techniques designed to increase the visibility of a web page or digital content in organic (non-paid) search results from search engines like Google, Bing, and others. The primary goal of SEO is to help search engines understand your content, deem it relevant to user queries, and rank it higher in search results.
In the context of video content, SEO applies similar principles, but with some specific adjustments. Search engines can't "watch" videos like humans, so they rely on various textual elements and other data to understand the content and context of the video. Therefore, video optimization involves optimizing elements such as the title, description, tags, thumbnail, and even the video transcript.
For aspiring digital content professionals, a deep understanding of video SEO is crucial. The Digital Content Broadcasting undergraduate program equips students with essential knowledge and skills in creating and distributing effective content, including optimization strategies to increase the reach and impact of video content.
What Exactly Is Video SEO?
SEO isn't just about articles and textual content. SEO principles also apply to videos, known as video SEO. And when we talk about video SEO, it's synonymous with YouTube video optimization, as the platform itself is the largest video-sharing platform and the second-largest search engine worldwide.
Google owns YouTube and frequently displays videos in relevant search results. This means that if you can optimize your videos for search, they're likely to rank well on YouTube as well.
Videos can boost your website's SEO as long as they're optimized for the web and don't compromise the user experience. Just like website SEO, you want your videos to rank high in search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords or queries. This will result in more people finding and watching your videos.
Ranking factors for videos are similar to those for websites, but there are some specific factors that apply only to videos, including:
- Video file name
- Title
- Description
- Transcript
- Tags
- Closed captions
To make your video SEO journey less daunting, here's a comprehensive guide, complete with actionable tips and tools you can use to ensure your videos are optimized for search engines.
Why is SEO Vidoe Important?
The primary goal of investing in video SEO is to make your videos more discoverable. However, there are other benefits for your business that can result from your video ranking in SERPs, such as:
1. Increased brand awareness and reach
When your video content is more visible and accessible, it means you have a higher chance of people finding your videos—even if they weren't specifically searching for you. This can help increase brand awareness and reach, as people will begin to associate your business with the keywords you rank for. And solid brand awareness is a powerful asset because it can ultimately lead to brand loyalty.
2. Generating leads and sales
Ranking your videos for relevant keywords can also help you generate leads and sales for your business. Remember that the larger the audience you reach, the greater your chances of capturing their attention and building their trust. This is where you have the potential to convert visitors into leads or even paying customers.
For example, if you sell products or services online, ranking your marketing videos or product demonstrations for specific keywords can help increase the chances of people finding and watching your videos—and ultimately making a purchase.
3. Increasing engagement and social sharing
High-quality, informative videos that are properly optimized can also help increase engagement and social sharing.
When your videos are easy to find and watch, people are more likely to engage with them by liking, sharing, or leaving comments. This increased engagement can further help improve your video SEO, as social signals are a ranking factor for videos.
The better you engage with your audience, the more likely they are to remember your brand and return in the future.
4. Driving more traffic to your website
The higher your video ranks, the more traffic it will attract. However, unlike website SEO, where you want people to spend more time on your site, the goal of video SEO is to get viewers to watch your video all the way through and then take action—whether that's subscribing to your channel, visiting your website, or making a purchase.
You can include a link to your website in the video description to make it easier for viewers to find you and take action.
5. Gives you a higher ROI
Well-optimized video content can also help you achieve a higher ROI for your online marketing efforts. This is because videos are more engaging and can help keep people on your site longer, increasing the likelihood that they will take a desired action like purchasing a product or subscribing to your channel.
How do you rank your video higher?
To rank higher with video SEO, optimize your title, description, and tags with relevant keywords, create an engaging thumbnail, and focus on quality and audience retention. Also, increase engagement through social media and ensure your video is embedded on your website to drive more traffic.
1. What's in a name?
If you really want to rank higher in SEO with that great video you just shot, you need to start with a compelling title. Your goal is to create a title that's both descriptive (so people know what they're about to watch) and engaging. If someone is on the fence about watching your video, a title that raises questions is a great way to motivate them to click "Play."
Whatever your video title, make sure you include relevant keywords. This is one of the many ways to SEO videos, and it's actually very similar to general SEO practices for content like blog posts. Think about the keywords you're targeting and ensure at least one of them is included in your title (in the most natural way possible) for best results.
2. Choose the right keywords
Just like website SEO, you want to target keywords that have high search volume and are relevant to your business. However, due to the unique factors involved in video SEO, you should also consider including long-tail keywords in your targeting. These are specific queries that have low competition but high search volume.
This is because videos that rank for these keywords are likely to offer more in-depth and informative content, which is what you want for your business. So, when choosing keywords to target, be sure to include both short-tail and long-tail keywords to get the most out of your efforts.
Furthermore, it's always best to make your videos keyword-rich. This means including your target keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags.
For example, when you're listing blockchain games, try keywords like "best blockchain games" or "popular blockchain-based games to play." Or, if you're using videos to promote your business—say, an online digital marketing course—then your target keyword could be something like "digital marketing courses."
However, you can also include long-tail keywords like "free digital marketing course" or "digital marketing course for x months." These keywords make your keywords more specific, allowing you to rank for videos that are more relevant to your business.
3. Create an engaging content structure
When it comes to video SEO, your video content is just as important as its optimization. Your viewers need something informative and engaging to watch. This means creating a structure for your video that keeps people engaged from start to finish.
Some suggestions for doing this include:
- Start with a hook to grab viewers' attention
- Keep videos short and to the point
- Use visuals and animations to break up the text
- Add calls to action throughout the video
The key here is to increase retention rates and session time. You want your viewers to watch your video all the way through and keep them on video-sharing platforms like YouTube to watch more of your videos.
When YouTube sees that your videos are keeping people on the platform, they will promote your videos. Naturally, a quality YouTube editing platform will help with this. You can also use the timestamp feature to create chapters and give your videos a more structured look.
4. Pay attention to your video file names
We're used to giving random file names, like "video_1234" or "vid_0001." But did you know that video file names affect your video rankings?
When you upload a video to YouTube, be sure to give it a keyword-based file name. This means using your target keyword in the file name and not including spaces or special characters. So, for the digital marketing course example from earlier, a good file name would be "digital_marketing_course.mpg."
The reason your video file name can affect your rankings is because YouTube (and other search engines) look at the file name when determining what your video is about. If you have a keyword-rich file name, your video is more likely to appear in relevant searches.
5. Don't Forget Your Video Description
You should also ensure you include an informative, SEO-rich, and concise text description to accompany your video. Don't give away the entire video, or people won't have a reason to watch. Instead, create a description with questions that the video itself will answer.
Again, this serves a dual purpose. Not only will it help your video rank higher (especially if your description includes one or more relevant keywords or phrases), but it will also be another opportunity to motivate people to get off the fence and watch your video.
6. Create a transcript for your video
Adding a transcript to your video is one of the best ways to optimize it for SEO. This is because transcripts make your content more accessible and help search engines understand the key points of your video. This, in turn, helps improve your rankings.
Furthermore, including a transcript can also help you rank for long-tail keywords you may not have considered before. To create a transcript, you can type out your video dialogue or use a speech-to-text program. Once you have a transcript, all you need to do is add it to your video's description box.
Video transcripts serve several important purposes. For starters, there will be certain people who want to enjoy the information contained in your video but can't watch or listen to it—a transcript helps you get clicks from these people, too.
But more importantly, transcripts allow search engines like Google to index related videos—something they can't do on their own. A video by itself only has a title and description. The content of the video isn't something Google can analyze and index well (yet). For now, video transcripts serve that purpose and are a crucial part of your overall SEO strategy for that reason.
7. The Power of a Good Thumbnail
They say you only get one first impression, so you might as well make it a good one. For many people, their first impression of your video isn't the title, but the thumbnail. Choose a strong, compelling image from your video that represents what someone is about to watch and motivates them to keep watching.
Always ask yourself the following question: "If I didn't know anything about this video, would this thumbnail make me want to watch it?" If the answer is "no," keep trying until you find "yes."
8. Your Video Sitemap
If there's a recurring theme in all of this, it's that if you want to rank higher with your videos, you need to make it as easy as possible for Google to find and crawl your content. A video sitemap, which is an XML document that describes your videos, is one way to do this.
A video sitemap is something you submit to Google that allows it to understand your content WITHOUT having to wait for it to automatically crawl your pages. Think of it like a "Fast Pass" that you can use to skip the lines for rides at Disney World. Everyone rides the rides—you just ride faster. As an added bonus, a video sitemap allows you to take advantage of advanced functionality like country restrictions, platform restrictions, expiration dates, and more.
9. Make Your Videos Shareable
Finally, one of the best ways to rank higher with videos is to ensure that your content is not only shareable, but also that people actually want it. Upload your videos to a neutral, popular platform like YouTube for easy access. If you include links on your website, make sure to always include social media buttons for networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Don't make your videos too long—aim to keep them under ten minutes—to not only increase overall views but also increase the likelihood that someone will share them. When it comes to video SEO best practices, "highly shareable" should always be a top priority, as the more likes and retweets your video receives, the higher it will rank.
SEO Optimization Steps for Your Video Content
Optimizing video content for SEO involves several key steps you need to consider:
1. Comprehensive Keyword Research
The first and most important step is to conduct keyword research. Identify keywords and phrases that are relevant to your video topic and that your target audience is likely to use when searching.
- Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or a YouTube-specific keyword tool.
- Analyze keywords used by popular videos on similar topics.
- Consider long-tail keywords (longer, more specific search phrases) that have lower competition and a more targeted audience. Examples of LSI keywords related to a Bachelor's degree in Digital Content Broadcasting are "digital content broadcasting curriculum," "job prospects for digital broadcasting graduates," or "digital content broadcasting courses."
2. Optimize Video Titles
The video title is the first element seen by users and search engines. Create a title that is engaging, clear, and contains your primary keyword.
- Place your primary keyword at the beginning of the title whenever possible.
- Limit the length of your title to avoid being truncated in search results.
- Use numbers, brackets, or attention-grabbing words to increase your click-through rate (CTR).
3. Write an Informative Video Description
Video descriptions provide search engines and viewers with further context about your video's content.
Include your primary keyword and related keywords naturally in the first few sentences of the description.
- Write a comprehensive description (ideally more than 200 words) that provides a complete summary of the video's content.
- Use clear, concise, and engaging language.
- Utilize timestamps for longer videos to make it easier for viewers to navigate to relevant sections.
- Include calls-to-action (CTAs) such as an invitation to subscribe, visit your website, or watch other videos.
4. Use Relevant Tags (Keywords)
Tags help video platforms categorize and understand the topic of your video.
- Use a combination of broad and specific tags that are relevant to your video's content.
- Include primary keywords, long-tail keywords, and LSI keywords such as "learn digital content," "video production," and "social media strategy" related to the Digital Content Broadcasting undergraduate program.
- Avoid using irrelevant or excessive tags.
5. Optimize Video Thumbnails
A thumbnail is a static image that represents your video and is the first visual element potential viewers see. An attractive thumbnail can significantly increase CTR.
- Create a custom thumbnail that is high-quality, visually appealing, and relevant to the video content.
- Use colors, text, and design elements that stand out and are easy to read.
- Ensure the thumbnail is consistent with your branding.
6. Provide Subtitles and Closed Captions (CC)
Subtitles and closed captions not only improve the accessibility of your video for viewers with hearing impairments or those watching in noisy environments, but also provide text that can be indexed by search engines.
- Create accurate subtitles or CC for your video. You can create them manually or use the automated features provided by the video platform, and then proofread them.
7. Drive Viewer Engagement
Viewer interactions such as likes, comments, shares, and subscriptions are positive signals to video platform algorithms that your content is valuable and relevant.
- Encourage viewers to interact at the end of your videos.
- Respond to comments and build a community around your content.
- Promote your videos on social media platforms and your website.
8. Analyze Video Performance
Once your video is uploaded and published, monitor its performance using the analytics features provided by the video platform.
- Pay attention to metrics such as views, watch time, audience retention, traffic sources, and viewer demographics.
- Use this data to understand what's working and what needs improvement in your video SEO strategy going forward.
Conclusion
SEO optimization for video content is a crucial investment for anyone who wants their content to be discovered and viewed by a wider audience. By understanding basic SEO principles and implementing the right optimization steps, you can increase your video's visibility in search engines and video platforms, generate quality organic traffic, build brand awareness, and achieve your content goals.
In today's busy digital world, generating brilliant video content ideas is one thing, but optimizing them for SEO is another. While YouTube and other search engine algorithms are constantly changing, following the tips above will definitely give you an edge in ranking your videos higher in SERPs.
By following the tips and tools in this guide, you can ensure your videos are optimized for both users and search engines, which will help you get more views and generate more leads for your business. But as with anything, there's no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to SEO. So, experiment with different tactics and see what works best for you and your business.
