Leveraging SEO for Video Content Performance
As we continue to witness the boom of the digital age, video content rapidly rises as one of the most consumed formats. According to Cisco, in 2022, online videos made up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic—15 times higher than it was in 2017. However, crafting engaging content is only half the battle - the other half is ensuring your videos are found and seen through effective SEO practices.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) isn't just for written content, it plays a critical role in ensuring your video content sees the light of day as well. Understanding Video SEO is simply put the practice of using SEO principles to increase the visibility and rankings of your video content in search engine results pages (SERPs). According to Moovly, videos are 53 times more likely to show up on page 1 of Google compared to text. So, how can you leverage SEO to amplify your video content performance? Let's start with the basics.
SEO Best Practices for Video Content
Keyword Research: Begin with thorough keyword research. Tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMRush, or Ahrefs can be extremely helpful. Try to find relevant keywords with a high search volume and low competition.
Optimized Titles and Descriptions: Your video's title and description should not only be compelling, but they need to include your primary keyword(s).
Transcript & Closed Captions: Search engines can't watch videos, but they can crawl text. Including a video transcript not only enhances accessibility but also provides more keyword opportunities.
Video Sitemap: A video sitemap provides search engines with additional information about your video content, assisting its understanding and indexing.
Backlinks: Create high-quality backlinks for your video content to improve its authority and ranking. Ensure that other reputable websites link back to your video content.
Hosting Platform: Where you host your video also matters. Leverage a mix of platforms including your own website and popular video platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo.
With the ongoing rise of video content, ensuring optimal visibility through effective SEO practices is not only strategic but vital. Our company's experienced and knowledgeable team partners can guide you through these practices, enhancing your video content's reach in the end.
Stay tuned for our next blog where we will cover the "Importance of production quality in video content". Happy optimizing!
Sources:
Cisco. (2019). Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Trends, 2017–2022 White Paper. Retrieved from https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/white-paper-c11-741490.html
Moovly. (2020). How to Improve Your Google Ranking with Video SEO. Retrieved from https://www.moovly.com/blog/boost-google-ranking-video-seo
SEMRush. (2020). Video SEO: The Definitive Guide. Retrieved from https://www.semrush.com/blog/video-seo/
