Tuesday, September 20, 2011

10 Ways To Use Online Video To Benefit Your Search Engine Optimization


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The majority of online marketers have been battling it out for search engine supremacy over the last few years. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has become the number one priority in a lot of industries and marketers have been turning to video sharing sites like YouTube to do it. So, how do you use online video to help your SEO? The following article explores 10 essential tips for using web video to boost your search engine rankings:
1. Use Keyword Specific Titles:
Just like if you were creating a landing page for a website or writing an article, your online videos need to have keyword specific titles. Having your content correctly titled will make the search engine Gods smile fondly upon it. The last thing you want is to create content that can’t be found because of a poor title. Ensure every online video you upload is titled appropriately to give it a strong chance of popping up in both Google and YouTube Page 1 searches.
2. Optimize Your Online Video Descriptions:
Descriptions are an essential piece of the online video SEO puzzle that must be optimized. Always put your website URL on the first line of your videos descriptions. This will help to improve conversion rates and give your website a little bit of link juice. Use the text space available in your descriptions to tie in your keywords and phrases to your videos content. By doing so, you can make your online videos as search friendly as possible.
3. Use Keywords As Tags:

Given YouTube is the number two search engine and owned by Google you want to be on as good terms with it as you can. Tags are one way to do so. Tagging your videos with your keywords and words relevant to your niche will help to link your online video to other videos in the same field, which will increase its chances of being seen. Beware though, YouTube is pretty strict on Tags, try to switch them up from video to video and only use a few of them at a time in order to avoid the Spambots.
4. Use Closed Captions & Transcripts:
Transcripts and Closed Captions are very unused in online video and need to be optimized. Closed Captions and Transcripts in practice function as subtitles for any users with hearing impairments. However, in online marketing terms they provide great SEO benefit. Google and YouTube search through the text in these Transcripts allowing you to optimize them for your keywords and phrases. This will help your content appear higher in the search results.
5. Generate Activity:
Whether your hosting your video on Vimeo or YouTube you will have a user account and so will the majority of the audiences visiting the site. Generating activity amongst users on your online video content will help to boost your favour with the search engines. In pretty much every social media the users with the most views, friends, subscribers, likes, comments etc are always going to be top contenders in search results and the same principle goes for the activity on your online videos.
6. Keep Your Online Videos Updated:
Think of your old online content as your nearest and dearest pet or perhaps your beloved garden. You don’t want to just leave them there unattended for weeks on end with no interaction. Update your old content regularly. By keeping your content updated you’ll be seen far more favourably in the eyes of the online video search engines. This in turn will help you get your content more views and let it stand a better chance at generating a better conversion rate as a result.
7. Use Your Channel To Its Full Potential:
If you’re on a site like YouTube you have a whole Channel at your disposal. You can brand your Channel, include your URL, keywords, phrases, calls to action and prompt connections to your social medias. Having a well branded Channel will work in the same way as your website, making your content seem more credible and trustworthy, which will help to generate conversion, content shares and more online activity.
8. Share & Connect With Social Medias:
Video sharing sites are fantastically compatible with social media sites. They offer great ways of sharing content to wider audiences and help to promote not only your online video, but interaction with it. Ensure you’re online videos are being shared on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogs and Tumblr. Google search now scans such sites for links and content giving your online videos a higher chance of appearing on Page 1 in the search results.
9. Use Sitemaps
A sitemap is the best way of letting Google know where your online video content is. If you’re using embedded video from Bitsontherun, Brightcove or a Vimeo/YouTube video you’ll need to include a sitemap. It’s a common misconception that YouTube videos are automatically sitemapped to Google in their embed code. Sitemaps are a great SEO boost if you’re not using video sharing sites and merely want to use the content on your landing pages for your website visitors to see.
10. Use All Video Sharing Sites
Everyone has a favourite video sharing site for watching or uploading content. YouTube is an obvious choice due to its sheer popularity, but getting your content, keywords and URL on all video sharing sites can be a great SEO boost. Check out underrated sharing sites like Daily Motion and Viddler and make sure you follow all the rules of the above on every one of your online videos. A website you can get SEO value from and generate traffic from is never a prospect to turn your nose up at.

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