Over the course of a few years, videos went from being a rather niche area of content to being vital for optimization. Why? Well, the user’s didn’t change too much, but the many algorithms that steer content creation have. Now, video SEO is a vital component of a thorough and effective digital marketing campaign. At Focus DMG, we use the power of video, combined with SEM to deliver results for our clients.
YouTube is a Search Engine
Not many people are aware of this, but YouTube does not just have a search function, but it is a separate search engine. It operates very well with Google, and Bing, but does stand alone. While Google still stands as the world’s largest search engine, YouTube is the runner up.
As the world’s second largest search engine, YouTube indexes more than 100 hours of new video every minute.
YouTube uses its own algorithms and incorporates that with their user agreements for both viewers and content uploaders.
Video SEO is Transcendent
Okay, declaring Video optimization as transcendent might seem like a stretch but let’s break it down quite clearly.
- Google transcribes YouTube video content – automatically.
- You can link your website and your YouTube channel for premier optimization.
- Embedding a video into your site has a significant impact on conversion rates.
- Video reaches more users, specifically more mobile users.
- Video SEO promotes links and social shares.
Video has clearly set itself apart from the many text-based forms of content published online every day. You can take advantage of this as well. Using these insights into video’s optimization abilities and function, you’ll see that it’s just as important to focus on SEO keywords, links, and friendly structure in video formats as it is in text.
Impact on Click Through Rates and Conversions
Video can impact your click-through rates with an increase of over 100 percent in organic traffic. Conversion rates show similarly remarkable stats as some sites are reporting a 144% percent increase in purchases after adding video content.
So why is video so impactful? Well unlike infomercials from the late 1990s these videos are directly hitting the company’s target market. Often videos on products or services will help pull people into the sales funnel from very early on.
They pull new customers in by offering quality information. Why does this work so well? Glad you asked, this works extraordinarily well because you’re doing the research for your customer. They don’t need to go to another site to see if your product works, you’re showing them. They also don’t need to shop around, because the general thought is that it’s cheaper to buy from the source rather than a retailer.
While video can have all of these great impacts, it’s not worth anything if those videos aren’t seen. Dealing with video optimization is a never-ending cycle.
You must ensure that your videos are seen, particularly seen by your target market and that they’re optimized to garner that attention. Then the videos will perpetuate conversion rate increases and click-through rates, which hopefully will lead to authority and link building.
Video Marketing Hacks, Tips, and Tricks
There have been major advancements in video SEO through Instagram and YouTube in the last two or three years. Users can now implement hashtags and geolocation tags directly into the video for greater optimization. That’s not the extent of it though.
Yes, do your keyword research. Yes, ensure that you’re using tags and location properly. But also evaluate other tools for optimization such as Live Link Video from FlipSeek. This tool allows you to embed clickable sections into your videos.
These sections are “hotspots,” and you can use them to make it even easier for viewers to go straight to your product page. Links play a critical role in SEO, and links in videos are building even more steam than standard link building.
Without a doubt, video will continue to play a huge roll in search engine optimization. As it continues to have an impact on link building, conversion rates, and more, you should explore using video in your content marketing plan. If you have any questions about why videos are so important to SEO, call us today to discuss this topic further.
