How To Effectively Use SEO For Your Videos

SEO is a vital component in making your content rank in search engines, but how can video creators take advantage of it for their videos since search engines use texts for inputting information? How can they effectively use SEO for their videos?

Have you ever thought about how you can make your video content perform in search rankings? Search engine optimization (SEO) is a key ingredient to the formula but how can content creators use it for their video content?

Fortunately, there are several optimization strategies that can give your videos a shot at ranking high in the search engine results page (SERP), which we will discuss in this article.

In video SEO, you optimize your video to rank on search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords.

Businesses have begun using video marketing more and more lately. As high-performance DSLR cameras were made affordable and available to an average consumer, it became easier for marketers to produce videos and upload them online (thanks to YouTube) even without a degree in professional videography.

Video has become a big part of our daily lives, and most of us carry cell phones with the capability to record decently high-quality video wherever we are, regardless if the content is a product of DIY videography or that of a YouTube video editing service.

But make no mistake, it has recently become increasingly difficult to rank in universal search results due to the explosion of video due to the massive influx of video content online, so some websites can rank in the video tab, but not all can rank universally.

The process of getting your video indexed on the video tab has become much more difficult than it was several years ago.

It is important to know how your website is authoritative, how video-focused it is, and how your video ranks for video-related queries before you can gain rank with your video on universal search. Rather than focusing too much on universal search, it is recommended to reach for higher video search rankings.

Search Engine Optimization and Videos

Search engine optimization involves aligning your content strategy with what the search engine’s algorithm prioritizes.

Even though Google doesn’t always reveal what they’re looking for, video is a powerful SEO tool.

What is the connection between video and SEO rankings? Here’s what we know.

It is known that when Google displays a video thumbnail next to a search result – which it does for an average of 26% of search results – users are more likely to click on the listing.

In addition to having the thumbnail, the result is considered a “rich snippet,” and rich snippets are more likely to be clicked than standard snippets.

Rumors have it that Google prioritizes video results over non-video results.

Despite Google not explicitly confirming it, many marketers think this is the case based on their SEO results.

In addition to video, Google also takes other metrics into account when ranking websites.

It is nearly always true that video improves both the time users spend on your page and the number of backlinks referring to your domain when it comes to SEO.

The more quality content you provide, the more likely you are to get backlinks. People spend over twice as much time on a page with video than without.

As a result, video benefits SEO both directly and indirectly. The video itself is likely to influence your ranking, but it also impacts other factors Google considers when making its decisions.

Video content is increasingly prioritized in Google’s algorithms, so it’s not something you want to ignore; 93% of online experiences begin on the first page, so you should maximize your chances.

Ranking videos on Google: How to do it

We understand that ranking on Google’s first page is a lot harder these days, but how can we ensure our video content has the best chance?

Videos are subject to several factors that can affect how highly they rank in search results, just as regular content is subject to a number of factors as well.

SEO Best Practices for Videos

All on-page factors are aligned

The page, not the video itself, is being ranked when we are talking about ranking videos on search engines. If we do all of the following things right, the result of that page may appear as a video-rich snippet or at the top of the page as the ‘Featured Snippet’.

As a result, all the usual on-page factors apply. These include:

The title and headers should contain the target keyword, as well as variations and related keywords within the body copy.

A page title and/or meta description could also indicate that the video is the focus of the page.

Meta-description: “Watch our complete video guide on video marketing. Perfect for beginners!” Page title: “The Ultimate Guide to Video Marketing [Video]”

Ensure copy is relevant, including target keywords

The video itself should be surrounded with relevant copy, and if possible, a keyword-focused header should come right before it.

This can be achieved by including a text description or a transcript of the video. Many content creators resort to outsourcing such tasks to a YouTube video editing service to save themselves the trouble.

The video should be positioned at the beginning of the article. Make sure it is BIG and prominent.

By doing so, the video will be clearly seen as the main focus of the page, and not as an afterthought.

Make it shareable

Indirect ranking factors such as social signals do not affect video rankings directly, but they may assist in getting your video in front of people who will then link to it.

Add bold social sharing buttons, and provide embed codes that visitors can copy and paste on their own sites (with a link to yours)!

Incorporate schema markup 

You should use an online resource or app such as schema.org markup for your videos if you want Google and other search engines to be able to understand what they are about.

Your development team may have an ‘automatic’ solution or plugin that can simplify this process. If you’ve got one, speak with them about setting it up.

In this guide, Google provides a detailed overview of the most important features:

Concise, human-friendly, and keyword-rich titles

In your video description, mention the subject matter in a brief paragraph, and again, do not forget to include a variation of the keyword you are targeting.

As with blog posts, title and meta descriptions play a crucial role in ranking videos. Create a strong title and description for your videos. Conduct keyword research to ensure you’re targeting the right keywords.

Video creation date and duration

It is important to make sure your video thumbnail is eye-catching and appealing, as it will appear in Google’s search results.

Your transcript can be included in the markup to indicate your video has captions. The transcript should naturally contain keywords associated with the video’s topic.

XML Sitemap

Additionally, you should maintain an XML sitemap containing information about all videos on your site.

Here are some key points to include in Google’s guide:

Title

Description

Play page URL

Thumbnail URL

Raw video file URL and/or the video player URL

Your video sitemap should be submitted to Search Console, and you should check to see if it has been indexed correctly.

Time stamps 

Your video description may also include time stamps to indicate different sections of your video, which can be displayed alongside it in the carousel.

Searchers will be able to navigate directly to the part of your result that is most relevant to them, and this can help you stand out from the crowd.

Primary focus on video

Users have to scroll and scroll and scroll until they finally find the video on websites that hide or place it below the fold. The result is a low play rate, as people do not want to go out of their way to find the video. Search crawlers are also unlikely to index a video that is hidden.

You will have less chance of ranking your video if it is hidden or embedded far below the fold.

By making your video the focal point of your page, you can increase crawlability.

Always remember that content is the key to a successful YouTube or any video-hosting channel, no matter what SEO techniques or tools you use. Make sure your viewers have something high-quality and relevant to watch when they find your channel.