If you’re hitting your head against a wall because you just can’t seem to figure out SEO video marketing, you’re not alone. Figuring out how to properly SEO a video for your marketing needs can be a hassle, but if you know the top tips to get your video the best SEO it will make your life a breeze.
We have created a guide to help you figure out, execute, and see results from SEO video marketing. To check out our guide keep reading below.
What Is SEO Video Marketing?
SEO, or search engine optimization, video marketing is when you optimize your video for better ranking on search engine result pages or even in keyword rankings. You may be thinking this is an impossible task, but if you know how to properly SEO your videos, you will get views and more exposer to potential clients.
How Has SEO Video Marketing Changed?
Over the past few years, there has been a major change in the SEO video marketing industry. This rise has come from the popularity of using videos to market one’s business in the past few years.
With the help of DSLR cameras and YouTube, it became very easy for anyone to post a video, whether that be a funny video or one to market a business or service. Before YouTube and digital cameras, one had to pay a videographer or photographer to help create a marketing video.
As the years went on videos popped up around us everywhere. When you use an internet search to look up information or a product you’re bound to see at least one video in the search results. When you’re browsing social media you are going to see a lot of videos mixed in with pictures.
Since videos are everywhere and people now prefer to see and hear things over reading, it’s no surprise that SEO video marketing has become popular. But, if you’re competing with thousands of other videos how do you get the client to see yours over your competitors? That’s where the SEO part comes in.
How To Optimize Your Videos For the Best Exposure
To stand out in the vast sea of internet videos you must make sure your video is SEO. When you heighten your video’s SEO you are more likely to appear on search engine searches and be placed exactly in front of the customer.
If you’re unsure of how to SEO your videos, we are here to help. Below you will find a few tips on how to best SEO your content.
Choose the Right Platform To Host Your Video
You may think that choosing where to upload your video is the least of the battle. The truth is that where you decide to upload your content has a big impact on its SEO.
When choosing a platform thinking about the reasons why you need your videos to rank high. An example is figuring out if you would like your videos to bring more traffic onto your site or if you’re trying to land a sale. There are many other reasons as to why you may make a video, such as brand awareness, new leads, and much more.
If you’re focusing on getting more brand awareness then uploading to YouTube or Vimeo is the way to go. Once your video is indexed on these sites the traffic will go directly to them rather than your site. This will help make viewers aware of your company and product.
Keep in mind that these are just two hosting examples. Before uploading your video figure out your reason and look into other hosting platforms. You may find more than one that will give you the results you want.
Use a Video Transcript
You’ve most likely seen a video transcript used within a video before. If you’ve ever been scrolling on social media and watched a video with the captions and no sounds then you’ve witnessed a video transcript.
Video transcripts make it easy for anyone to view your video in any situation. If they are communicating on a train it makes it easier to follow along with the video if they can’t hear. Some people may not be in the position to turn up their volume but can follow along and watch your video by reading the captions the transcript generates.
Even though this makes your videos appeal and be more accessible to a wider audience, they also help search bots pick up on your videos due to the use of additional text on the page. This means your SEO will go up greatly versus if you were to not have a transcript. Using a transcript will help you rank for more queries and get you even more exposure.
Make Sure Your Thumbnail Image Is Interesting and Engaging
When searching for a keyword or video the first thing a viewer will see is your video’s thumbnail on their search page. There will be additional videos that will pop up alongside yours, so it’s important to choose a thumbnail that helps your video to stand out and is also interesting.
When choosing a thumbnail image think of it as choosing a cover for your book. Usually, if a cover isn’t eye-catching or interesting the reader won’t see it in the sea of other books or they won’t be interested in picking it up and checking it out.
It’s also a good thing to keep in mind that your thumbnail should be relevant to your video and compelling. When looking at your thumbnail the potential viewer should be able to have a good idea what your video is about in a few seconds.
If you have no idea where to start when it comes to your thumbnail image we suggest taking photos of your or another human. Usually, if a viewer sees a human in your thumbnail image then they will be more likely to select your video and watch it.
Be Mindful Of Your Video’s Title and Description
Just like any website page or blog post on the internet, the title and meta description are very important when it comes to your SEO rankings. You should take your time when crafting a title for your video, even doing some quick keyword searches to see which ones you should include getting your video on people’s search result pages.
Try to use the main keyword in your title and a few others in the meta description. This is important because search engines will also look at your meta description for any relevant keywords the searcher is looking for. This means you have two chances in your title and description to raise your SEO and be placed in front of potential viewers.
Remember to not just load your title and description with a bunch of keywords. You should ask yourself if they are interesting, being searched, and clickable for the viewer.
Make Sure Your Page Is Relevant To the Video
If your page has nothing to do with your video, the viewer may become confused and not navigate further on your page or even make a sale. If your providing information or a product it should be relevant to your website as a whole.
Also, you should make sure that your website is also SEO. You can’t just rely on your video to get your website exposure on search engines.
If your video is having trouble ranking then it may be with the SEO of your website. Try taking the time to SEO your site to make your SEO video marketing the most effective it can be.
Make Sure To Make Your Video the Focus Of the Page
Time and time again you will find a video on a search engine and select it to lead to the company’s page. When you arrive finding the video may be near impossible because it’s below the fold or completely hidden. Don’t be like these competitors.
People don’t want to go out of their way to find and watch your content. If you do this your rates will drop. Make sure the relevant video is at the top of the main focus of the page the viewer is redirected to.
Don’t Put the Same Video Multiple Places
If you put your video on multiple pages on your website you will basically be hurting yourself in the long run. Overall the video and page it’s listed on should be relevant to each other. This will give you the best possible SEO and exposure.
Don’t Just Rely on SEO To Promote Your Videos
The last tip we would like to give you is more of a reminder to not just rely on SEO to promote your videos. When it comes to reliable promotions for your website or service, SEO can be very unreliable at times.
The reason as to why SEO is unreliable is due to search engines always changing their algorithms for search results and doing this frequently. Also, you will be relying on search bots to place your video on a search result page, and this can be inconsistent at times.
SEO gives you a leg up on free promotion and exposure, but if it’s something you desperately need for your business you may have to pay for some ad space. Buying ad space for your video is a foolproof way to reach your audience and more reliable than SEO and its bots.
So Why Are Videos So Popular?
Now that we have given you a few tips on how to better SEO your video, let’s discuss why they are so popular. One of the top reasons videos are so popular with viewers is because they create an emotional connection.
If your video is accessible, easy to use, and interesting you will be holding the viewer’s attention for longer than if they were reading. Also, you can put more information in a video than on a text page.
When creating your video focus on your emotions. If you show emotion (happiness, anger, humor) in your videos then your viewers will better relate and connect with your videos.
Another reason as to why videos are so popular is due to the fact that they are an easy way to take in and learn new information. Some people don’t like reading, have trouble with it, or just don’t have the time to. Videos take the content they could learn reading and make it into an easy, audible, and viewable course.
What Should You Take Away From This Guide?
Congratulations, you have made it through our SEO video marketing guide. We hope this guide has answered any questions you may have had about SEO video marketing and can provide you with a few tips and tricks to get your video on the front page of a search engine.
From learning how to choose the right thumbnail to know that posting your video multiple times can actually work against your SEO, we have provided you with the most important tips for getting your SEO video marketing underway. Your takeaway from this guide should be having confidence in yourself to create an amazing marketing video and knowing the foolproof ways of getting it SEO.
We look forward to seeing your successful video marketing campaign and to seeing more traffic on your website (or achieving whatever goal you set in the beginning). For more marketing tips and tricks be sure to check out the rest of our website here.
