When half a billion people are already watching video on just Facebook every day, it’s time to jump on that bandwagon.
If you’re still not convinced, the think about the fact that in just four short years, 80% of all internet traffic will be for videos.
Which means it’s a fantastic way to market your business. But you need to know how to use it properly.
Like written content, videos should also utilize SEO to drive more consumers to your site. It can also help you leave your competitors in the dust.
Intrigued? Here’s how to become a video SEO expert.
Transcribe Your Videos
Every video SEO expert understands that just because videos are the future, the written word isn’t going away anytime soon.
Also, Google still loves written content. By transcribing your videos, you have the opportunity to rank even higher on Google and other search engines.
But your audience will reward you as well. Not everyone enjoys learning by watching a video.
In fact, 85% of business executives prefer reading the written text over video or audio when making business decisions.
Even if your target audience isn’t business professionals, there are also those who are hard of hearing who would be grateful for having it written out. There are also those for whom English is not their first language.
So give your audience a choice and they’re likely to thank you for it.
Make the Video Shareable
A good video informs and entertains. You want to have people engage with the video and relate to it.
Then you want them to share it with their friends, family, and colleagues. Every video SEO expert creates a video with shareability in mind.
Take this video that was recently created to sell a used 1996 Honda Accord. The car is worth less than $500 but because the video was so shareable, people were bidding over $150,000 for it until eBay shut it down.
That’s because even though the car isn’t great, the video made people feel something. The woman’s life was relatable to many people. It’s also really funny.
It was also fairly short. No one wants a long video. That’s what movies are for.
Before creating your video, know who your intended audience is.Then make a video they’ll want to watch and share.
Share Your Video on Multiple Platforms
A video SEO expert can tell you that not all videos will be successful on every single platform.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give people the option to share it on various platforms.
The one platform you need to share your videos on is YouTube. YouTube is how videos get ranked. That’s because it’s owned by Google.
Just make sure that when you do upload the videos to YouTube, they contain the right buttons to share on other mediums as well.
That doesn’t mean you can’t also post your video on Facebook or Twitter. It just means that no matter what, you should always post your video on YouTube.
Every Video SEO Expert Knows All Videos Should be Optimized for Mobile Phones
More than half the people watching your video will be doing so using their mobile device. So make sure all your videos are optimized before you launch them out to the public.
Since 85% of those viewers were using their phones, expect that those numbers will only increase over the years to come.
Fortunately, most hosting services now automatically offer mobile optimization. Just make sure yours does before proceeding.
Don’t Forget to Optimize the Metadata
Say you want to read an article about how to prevent bear attacks in the woods. You’d rely on the title and description displays in your search to find the best article to answer your questions.
A qualified video SEO expert will tell you videos work the same way as written content. So don’t forget to optimize your metadata.
While Google will put information there if you forget, you’ll get higher rankings if you do it yourself. You’ll also ensure you find the right audience.
Make sure the metadata information is compelling enough to encourage people to click on the video. It should also be both relevant and applicable to the video’s content.
Use the right keywords that will match why the viewer has chosen to watch your video. If your video is about bears attacking, don’t use the word, “teddy bear”. It would be misleading.
Don’t be too wordy. No one wants to read a long title so keep it to 55 characters or less. While you’re at it, keep the meta descriptions to fewer than 155 characters.
Link Building is Just as Important for Videos as Written Content
If you have a blog, one way to utilize SEO properly is to add both internal and external links.
Internal links help set you up as an authority on whatever subject you’re discussing. It also sends more traffic to places on your site that may not get as much.
External links, when done correctly, also help to set you up as an authority on your subject matter. A video SEO expert will tell you the same is true for videos.
Link building definitely helps increase your traffic. Internal video link building can help explain what you’re writing about in a blog by providing a visual demonstration.
External link building can do the same. But it can also help build up partnerships with other businesses. Just make sure you partner with reputable businesses and people.
Check periodically to make sure all links are still working. A website audit can help with that.
Understand Use Your SEO Data
After you’ve published your video, you’ll want to check out the stats. The data will tell you what’s working and what isn’t.
It’s a smart way to ensure you boost your SEO rankings.
However, understanding SEO can be difficult. So work with a reputable SEO company to help you understand exactly what your stats are saying.
But don’t stop there. You can do a lot of this yourself. So keep coming back to our blog to learn how you can use video and other online content to enjoy higher SEO rankings.
