It shouldn’t come as a surprise that video is quickly becoming the most preferred form of media content. Think about it, video content is easy to digest, visually engaging, and tunes into multiple facets of your senses. Video is what most marketing strategies consist of these days, and research suggests that those that use video saw a 94% increase in new customers.
Do we have your attention yet? Last year alone, video content accounted for over 82% of all internet traffic. And that number is not going to decrease anytime soon.
So this just means, it’s important for you to stay ahead of the trends and to ensure the videos you are producing are boosted by video SEO. Getting started may feel overwhelming, and we aren’t going to lie, it can be a complicated feat. But, as always, there are tips and tricks out there that you can use in your marketing strategy.
So how do you incorporate video for SEO into your marketing strategy? This article will cover that question. But first, let’s see what makes SEO video marketing effective.
IS SEO FOR VIDEO EFFECTIVE?
The answer is a resounding yes. People love videos. And guess what? Search engines love it too! How many times have you noticed videos appearing in search results? Too many times, we’re going to assume!
Videos now play an integral role in Google’s search ecosystem. Check out the search results for “how to make motion graphics.”
Or, “how to use a mac.”
Notice a trend? Google is now displaying a lot of videos for “How To” related articles.
Not just search results, but many users are now turning to video streaming platforms like YouTube, Instagram Reels, and TikTok for news, tutorials, or product reviews.
When consumers want to buy a new gadget or purchase a new clothing item, or search for their next destination, viewers want to see what they can expect from a visual perspective, and they most certainly want to hear real reviews from regular people.
Get this – current stats show that almost 40% of Gen Z prefer using TikTok as their search engine instead of Google. Moreover, consumers say they want more video content from brands in 2023, with many admitting they bought products after watching a video.
Even though SEO video marketing shows incredible results, many marketers argue that it doesn’t give the best return on effort. Some believe other more familiar SEO techniques bring more notable results requiring less time and resources.
For example, if you get a batch of backlinks at a lower cost per link, you could reduce expenses and spend less effort compared to creating a new funnel of videos, but realistically, the question is – how many backlinks would you need to become successful? And would those backlinks apply to you reaching the conversions you desire?
Although video content is time-consuming, it brings many unique advantages.
BENEFITS OF VIDEO CONTENT FOR SEO
You may be wondering, so what are the benefits of video content for SEO? There are several. Some of the most common advantages are as follows:
1. Makes Your Brand Stand Out
Marketers who use videos for product or service awareness report up to 54% success rates than those who don’t. Also, videos make brands memorable as people engage more senses (auditory and visual). And better familiarity brings more clicks. Besides, videos tend to evoke emotions better than text-based content.
2. Improves Your User Retention
Let’s face it – videos, if done correctly, are a lot of fun! They are great for keeping visitors engaged and encouraging them to stay on your site longer. And that’s music to the ears for search engines! That’s why you should start embracing video content. It will help improve user retention by engaging your users, and that, in turn, will drive successful conversions!
3. Receives More Links and Shares
Up to 92% of people love to share videos they enjoy. Adopting videos as part of your marketing strategy can increase your likes and shares. Make your videos more appealing and see your engagement skyrocket.
4. Increases the Number of Backlinks
Backlinks are essential for SEO. When people share your videos, they help your content reach a wider audience. This can produce a ripple effect as more users link back to your videos.
5. Boosts Organic Growth
Videos are great as part of an SEO strategy for speeding up your organic growth. The more often people link to your video and your video’s landing page, the higher the traffic is on your site. In fact, 91% of marketers say videos helped them increase traffic.
6. Gets You Higher Conversions
When more users visit your webpage, your conversion rates also tend to grow. According to Wyzol, 90% of those surveyed said videos helped them generate more leads, and 87% reported more sales.
Now that we recognize its importance, let’s talk about how you can use video content to impact SEO rankings.
6 TIPS TO RANK WITH VIDEO SEO
Here are some hacks to help you optimize your video content for SEO and rank higher.
1. Use Videos Strategically
First thing first, don’t just randomly upload videos. Truly think about the purpose of the landing page and the type of videos you want on it. Consider your target audience and think about what they would like to see.
Using videos strategically can pay off in a myriad of ways. For example, there are several video types to choose from. You can simply tell the story of your brand in a promotional video, give virtual tours of your business place in a behind-the-scenes sort of video, or share how your product works in an explainer video. These are just a few ideas but keep in mind the importance of placing your visual content where it will get the most views.
For example, we here at Bottle Rocket Media have placed a hero video above the fold to help our audience understand our brand better. Rolex does the same.
You want viewers to form a connection with your business which will in turn increase engagement. Keep the tone light and add a touch of humor to it (if applicable).
You can even use short animated videos. If you’re new to this or feeling apprehensive about what to do, and where to start consider trusting a video production team with your video concept.
2. Pay Extra Attention to the Technical Details
You should ensure that your videos have a proper script, you have quality lighting and talent and of course, editing your video to enhance your purpose will be essential. All of the above leads to the best visual aspects of your video, but please do not forget to pay attention to the technical SEO parts of your content.
Every video streaming platform uses its algorithms to rank your creation. This means you need to provide clear details and optimize your video titles, descriptions, captions, tags, and thumbnails. Several tools, like VidIQ, can help you with keyword-relevant and rich tag suggestions. Doing this will make it easy for search engines to index your pages and help boost your video website ranking.
Lastly, consider the format of your videos. You want to ensure that there is compatibility across all devices and browsers.
3. Keep Accessibility and Inclusivity a Priority
Understanding how Google Search Algorithm works can help you rank well with video SEO and avoid common SEO mistakes. Accessibility is a big part of this. With a significant part of the population living with a diverse range of disabilities, such as hearing loss, adding transcripts to your videos is a great way to make them inclusive and accessible for everyone.
But there’s more. Adding closed captions or transcriptions benefits all users, not just those with hearing loss. So in the spirit of inclusivity, the entire mass benefits.
Not to mention, many individuals prefer to read captions rather than have the volume on. Using timestamps and “key moments” is also a good way to improve user experience, especially if your video is long.
4. Use Clear and Concise Call-to-Actions
CTAs are essential for any marketing content piece. Use them wisely in your videos to drive engagement and to get a response or particular action from your viewers. Some common CTAs are, “subscribe,” “purchase,” and “learn more.”
Remember to keep your calls to action simple and concise. Vague or confusing CTAs will lead to no actions.
5. Keep Researching
To rank well in video SEO, you need to be research-savvy. Like regular SEO content, you should understand what your audience needs and what words or phrases they use in their online searches. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, or any other SEO software can come in handy in this step.
6. Track Your Video Performance
Trends come and go, but that doesn’t mean your views and video engagement should do the same. You should prioritize keeping an eye on your video performance. Use your SEO software tools like Google Search Console, YouTube, or Instagram Analytics, or even build out your own data dashboard to track all of the traffic and engagement generated by your content.
This is how you will know if your efforts are paying off or if they are off target. Remember to adjust your video optimization strategy regularly, especially if you notice a drop in traffic.
And if you see that some videos performed better than others, think about how to make it work to your advantage. You can make a sequel from that topic or reuse that information in other content types. Get creative, and don’t forget to ask your audience about what they’d love to hear from you. Sometimes, we get caught up in what may interest us, when in reality, everything we produce should be focused on our audience’s wants and needs.
Conclusion
Using video for SEO is a powerful way to increase sales and create long-term marketing success. Understanding how search engine algorithms rank videos gives you the knowledge to optimize your content for SEO. Apply the suggestions in this article to get more engagement, push website rank in SERPs, and generate more leads.
When your YouTube video views and click-through rates increase don’t forget about us. Not to mention, we’d love to help you develop the perfect video project for your brand and your video SEO strategy that increases its visibility. To learn more about Bottle Rocket Media’s video production services and other services like motion graphics services, connect with us to start your video project.