Many companies, including B2B companies, continue to overlook the power of
online videos as part of their SEO efforts. In today’s online environment people crave rich content such as videos, and when matched head to head with a non-video listing on a search engine results page (SERP) it may have a better chance for a higher CTR. The key is making sure your audience finds your video content once you put it out on the web.
There’s many ways to share online videos these days but YouTube obviously takes the cake. Here’s 5 easy ways to optimize your YouTube videos for improved visibility both on YouTube and in the SERPs:
1. Include Target Keywords in Your Video Title and Description Similar to optimizing a web page your video title and description needs to be optimized. The title should contain a short target keyword phrase, and the description should be 2-3 sentences in length with the use of target keyword variations. It’s also good to include a URL at the beginning of the description to drive traffic.
2. Utilize Keyword-Rich Tags When selecting tags for your video be sure to use relevant keywords, and aim for 5-7 total. Using the right tags ensures your video is associated with other videos that use the same tags, which means your content will appear as a “related video” when people are watching other videos. This all leads to additional views.
3. Work to Boost Popularity/Views Total views of your video and the number of views in a 24-48 hour period directly relates to the perceived popularity of your video, which is an important factor in how well your video will rank in YouTube search results. Continually work to promote your videos through social media and other channels to maintain a steady level of views.
4. Monitor and Secure Inbound Links/Embeds Similar to the importance of inbound links in traditional SEO, securing inbound links to your video and embedded video placements on other websites (which functions like an inbound link) will help your video rank higher in search results. You can track the number of inbound links and embeds your video has using YouTube’s “Insights” tool. A great way to build links and embeds is to look at the “Statistics and Data” of other similar YouTube videos, which will reveal sites or blogs that have linked to that particular video. It’s possible that if a particular site or blog liked another similar video they may also like yours and want to link to it, so why not ask!
5. Encourage Ratings and Comments A video with higher ratings and more comments is another indication of a relevant and interesting video, which plays a factor with how YouTube ranks your video. Encourage your blog readers and avid social media followers to rate and comment on your videos, which are likely to be favorable.
