The Search Engine Optimization (SEO) benefits of corporate video production and marketing videos are widely touted, especially because YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, after Google. Of course, Google also owns YouTube, which means many videos appear in search results where relevant, which is a hugely beneficial development for companies able to acquire top video placement. As with any marketing, though, targeting is critical and guidance is necessary for success. Simply creating a video, throwing it up onto your company Website, and hoping for SEO results is bound to be a failed proposition ending in wasted time, wasted money, and considerable frustration. Here are some tips for using video to boost SEO efforts:
1. Videos should all be placed on company channels on Vimeo and YouTube as well as embedded into your Website. Not only are you missing out on huge amounts of traffic by failing to upload your videos to YouTube, but you may also be hurting the video’s chances of ranking on Google. The video production itself is the expensive part of the video marketing process, so once you have the collateral, promote it everywhere. When posting your video to other media sites like YouTube, make sure to link back to your company site in the description.
2. Tag and name your video appropriately. If you run a fitness product company, for instance, and want to target possible consumers of your new protein bars, title the video something like, “Best Nutrition Bars for Athletes” or “Protein Bars for Weight Loss” or whatever long-tail terms you are targeting on Google. Your naming conventions should fit into your other SEO goals, including what keywords you target for Google AdWords, organic search engine rankings, and social media posts. When posting videos to various video sites, you typically have the opportunity to list keywords. Make sure yours fit the subject and your marketing goals.
3. Make sure when you post the video on your Website that you optimize the page itself. The title of the video file should fit with your keyword targeting, but you should also have a header tag (what users see at the top of the browser or in the tab) reflecting the video subject matter and proper keyword phrase. The H2 tag, which is what users see within the page itself (like a heading on our site), should also contain a helpful, relevant phrase. For instance, “Best Protein Bar for Weight Loss Video” with the video featured below the heading.
4. Write descriptive text that reflects the video content or mirrors it. Whether you choose to transcribe the video and post the text below the video for readers and ranking purposes or you write a separate, shorter description that summarizes the video, you need text. Google can’t decipher the content of your video without your help, so give them the help they need to help your video rank appropriately.
5. Link to your video from other pages of your site with an anchor tag. For instance, in another blog entry you may reference your company’s new protein bars, so create a hyperlinked text such as, “We are excited about our line of products, featured in our video about protein bars for weight loss.”