Video content has become an essential part of a brand’s online strategy. The pandemic has accelerated video content usage. Video SEO or V-SEO can have the potential of building quality links and increasing conversion if done correctly. Video’s need to offer viewers something they want to see and be of high quality, when used correctly, they can provide a huge boost to your SEO campaign.
Here are 5 ways you can optimize your videos for SEO:
Video Hosting Platform Selection
This is an important first step for your video SEO strategy, there are 3 types of hosting, 1) a social video platform, 2) self-hosting, or 3) a third-party host. The best video hosting platform for SEO really depends on the type of website/business you are running and your goals with video.
The most popular platforms include Vimeo, Wistia (paid video hosting platforms), YouTube, Facebook, and IGTV (Free social platforms). There are pros and cons to all, but essentially, you can get videos indexed and ranked with any platform.
Ensure Video Caption/Transcript are Inserted Post Production
Inserting closed captions [post production text file] ensures that viewers who are muted can still be able to watch. A recent Facebook survey indicates that 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. By adding a video transcript, your video is accessible to a larger audience, as well as making the video more visible to search engines.
Attractive Thumbnail Image
Since search is becoming more visual, it is important to have a strong thumbnail image, it will have a great impact on click-through rates and other video SEO metrics. To create a successful thumbnail, make sure it is clear and crisp and conveys the video content in the most effective way.
Craft an Engaging Video Title and Description
An SEO-friendly title & description can boost your video’s rankings. You want to aim to include your target keywords, ensure the viewer understands what the content is about and make it compelling enough to click on.
Embed video on Page
You want to keep a prospective customer on your page longer. Regardless of where a video is hosted, the bottom line is that a video on your website will likely increase engagement and that’s what we want for SEO. Whenever possible use video schema markup in your HTML code to help make your video more visible for search engines. Consider a video-rich snippet to further promote your video.
It’s important to consider optimizing your video content with the above but ultimately, good video content will ensure your viewers have something high-quality and relevant to watch when they find you.
