SEO Optimization for videos – 10 Effective Strategies

Today’s business world is in such a constant state of flux that we are always looking for ways to better optimize our marketing strategy. One of the best parts of video marketing is that it’s a long-term strategy. It’s not some fad that’s going to fade away from existence.

Storytelling is a time-tested method of marketing, and videos can be used to tell a fantastic story about your brand. But videos are useless if they are not reaching the right people, so this post is going to provide you with some strategies for proper SEO optimization for videos.

Video SEO is the method used to ensure videos are being picked up and ranked by search engines. Since search engines can’t read the video itself, we use specific strategies to ensure that these crawlers can grab your videos and put them in front of a broader audience. One of the coolest things about videos is that they are easy to rank, provided you follow through with the right optimization methods. 

The key that you need to keep in mind is that even if you have the most highly engaging video created, but if it’s not ranked highly, then it will be the best video that no one has ever seen.

Here are the ten best ways to ensure SEO optimization for videos:

#1. Decide on the Right Platform for Sharing

Firstly, decide the reason why you want your video to rank highly. Are you looking to funnel traffic to your website, or are you just trying to raise brand awareness?

Some videos might be capable of both, but you still need to decide on the primary goal. Then you can determine what platforms you will use to share your video.

I recommend Facebook and YouTube for beginners since they are the easiest to rank, but once you get a handle on it, you can move onto more advanced platforms. 

 

#2. Create an Enticing Thumbnail

Potential viewers will see a thumbnail of your video before they click on it, so it needs to compel them to act. Think of it as a book cover. It must be professional and compelling.

However, it must also be relevant to the video. I’ve seen a lot of videos use a cool thumbnail, but then when I watch the video, the “cover” had nothing to with the content.

 

#3. Have the Video Transcribed

Hire a video editing company or a transcriptionist to transcribe the video. The reason to do this is that search engine algorithms pick up on text. They have no way to see the video content itself without text, so transcripts are going to allow videos to be indexed.

This process makes your video more accessible so more people will know what to expect. Even though it gives away the contents of the video, visual learners will still watch the video to learn more. 

#4. Optimize Videos for Mobile Users

This one might require the services of a video editing company, but you must ensure that your videos are well optimized for the mobile experience. With the 5G network set to hit the market in 2020, mobile users will be watching more videos than PC users. Therefore, you must tap into this audience. 

Note: Most video sharing sites like YouTube do this automatically. You only need to worry about it when you are posting videos on your website.

#5. Titles and Meta Descriptions are Essential

Using SEO friendly titles and descriptions that accurately describe your video is essential for successful content optimization. Additionally, adding essential links to the description is important for search engine visibility.

It is also advisable to learn SEO techniques to make sure that your content is optimized for search engine results. Avoid deceptive titles and irrelevant tags as this will cause you to lose the trust of potential viewers.

#6. Do Your Homework

Make sure that you take the time to research the right keywords to include along-side of your video. Every video gives you a huge opportunity to get noticed, but you need to make sure that you are getting seen by the right audience.

The best keywords are not general but written in “small-tail” form so that they target a very specific demographic. Aim for keywords that generate around 500 searches per month to ensure that you are focusing on a particular demographic.

#7. Make Sure Videos You Want to Rank Highest are at the Top of your Page

Search engines will typically only index a single video per page, so if your website contains several videos, make sure the one you want to rank is at the top. That’s the one that’s going to be the focus of web crawlers.

Most of the time, you will see popular content developers keep the same video at the top of their page for a long time. This is usually called a “feature video” and it’s the one they devote the most effort into ranking. They use it to bring in traffic.

#8. Make Sure your Video is Visible

Seems like common sense, right? Some videos are entertaining but get hidden in a lot of other content. It’s so buried that people tend to get lost in a mess. Videos should be prominently displayed. 

If done correctly, videos can be an extremely powerful form of content and make a significant contribution to your overall SEO strategy. Get in touch with a professional SEO service provider, to create quality videos that will generate good ROIs.

#9. A Video Should be the Focus of a Page

Featured videos should always be the focal point of a web page if you are using it on a landing page. You should limit videos on landing pages to just one so that the lead can focus on it.

#10. Focus on your Target Market

Each video should reach out to a specific audience that is defined before you ever start filming it. Doing this means that you are going to get viewers who are more interested in your message.

 

SEO optimization for videos always starts with creating a high-quality video. After all, it does little good to spend all your effort optimizing a video that sucks.

Is your business ready to discover the power of video? Try Wideo and create your own videos today. 

Helen Clark

 

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