Is your SEO strategy already solid? It may vary by company and target audience, but one thing we know for sure: video is key! It is a perennially important element in the assessment of your content quality and thus for the Google algorithm. Want to become even more findable and have an edge over your competitors? Then read our 10 tips for good video SEO.
What is video SEO?
First things first: what exactly is video SEO? Search Engine Optimisation, but for video. This form of SEO is all about quality, a clear story and long-tail keywords in the right places. With video SEO, you actually kill two birds with one stone: your chances of being found better are increased and you provide your visitor with the content he is looking for. Today's consumers are increasingly persuaded by video: a godsend, therefore.
Google rates websites with video higher than websites without video. In fact, video converts much better than written content alone. It is a smart way to increase the conversion rate of your website or landing page. However, if you really want to benefit from this, the rest of the SEO quality of your website must also be in order: it is obviously not the case that a website with little and non-unique content, but with video scores well. Need help with a web design with good SEO? Or would you like to have a new website created and immediately equipped with strategic SEO? Then feel free to contact us and enlist our help!
Video SEO: 10 tips
So having a video made and simply putting it on your website is not enough.
This video needs to be optimised so that it can contribute to your findability in Google. How exactly do you do this? Read our 10 tips below:
1. Create a professional look
¨Doing a video? I'll just fix that with my smartphone.¨ No, it doesn't work that way. Sure, smartphone cameras are top notch these days, but they still don't measure up to a professional video shot by an expert. Even behind the so casual-looking vlogs there is a certain expertise, so get an expert to think with you or engage a video producer to help you with this. What does video quality have to do with SEO? Your visitors want to see a good video: if they see that it's of poor quality, they won't look any further... And there goes your score.
What kind of videos can you make and what about video marketing? Read it in our blog on video marketing and content!
2. Create relevant content
Don't just make a video ¨for fun¨. Think about what information you want to convey and what your goal is with the video. As with your website SEO, it is important that your video has a certain necessity and Google sees that you provide your visitor with relevant information. Of course, this can be very diverse: do you want to give your visitor an inside look at your company? Give useful tips? A product description? Whatever it is: think of your purpose.
3. Clarify your story to Google
Google really is smart. But you have to help it a little. How do you do this? Tell Google what your video is about by using keywords. These should be findable in the titles, description, tags and url. When you go to upload your video in YouTube or on your website's video player, make sure it has a keyword as the file name. So do not call this file ¨website-newvideo_final-1234¨.
4. Write in long-tail keywords
When it comes to keywords for video SEO, longtail matters. After all, you cannot assume that your video is going to score with a generic keyword, such as ¨wood furniture¨. With longtail, you formulate your keywords longer and more specifically. Videos that answer a question are more suitable than general, informative videos. This is because such practical videos answer a question a user can search on (¨How does this work?¨). Consumers will not easily search on just a product: there must always be a use case, review or question linked to it.
5. Choose your thumbnail
The thumbnail is the image you see in Google, Youtube or other video player before the video starts. The choice of this image is important because it can be part of why someone decides to click and watch your video. So a thumbnail can make all the difference when it comes to views and ultimately whether Google considers your video as quality content.
6. Upload to YouTube and your own video player
We've said it a few times already: you can upload your video in YouTube or your own video player in your website. YouTube is interesting because Google can show your video in the organic search results, alongside the normal website results. Uploading in your own video player is also interesting: you make sure the video fits within the style and web design of your website and Google sees that your website has unique content.
7. Extend your viewing time
How long is your video being watched? An important question in relation to your ranking in YouTube and Google. The longer the viewing time, the better your rank score. Why? If your video is watched all the way or for a long time, it means it contains relevant content for your target audience. Therefore, always make sure your video is informative and reflects what the viewer expects.
8. Write a subtitle
Subtitling your video has once again to do with making Google understand what your video is about. In YouTube, you can very easily add your subtitles. Your viewer can decide whether they want to be able to read your subtitles, but the search engines see them anyway.
9. Ask for reactions
Ask your viewers and loyal customers to post a comment to your video. You can ask for this at the end of your video, but also, for example, in your description. Why? Comments give you extra content for free. This form of content is appreciated by Google. Because: does your video have a lot of reactions? Then you must be very relevant!
10. Share on social media
Views, viewing time and reactions don't just happen: make sure you share your video! Where? Take your website, Facebook, Instagram and other social media channels, for example. Sharing online gets your video easily and quickly onto your followers' screens and they can then share it with others themselves.
Video SEO: piece of cake?
You see: there are a few things involved in an online video, provided you want it to really benefit you! Your video should not only be of good quality, but also feature relevant content and the right descriptions in the right places. To get everything right, work out a video SEO strategy and make sure you tick off all the points.
Need help setting out this SEO strategy? Then let us give you a hand! With us, you can not only get a brand new web design or a new website, but we are also happy to help you with your SEO. Feel free to contact us or come in for a coffee and we will catch up with you!
