Video SEO is a modern discipline that is still drastically changing. With the shifting of YouTube’s algorithm, as well as other social media platforms and websites coming to play, finding the most optimal route for video marketing can be difficult given these erratic conditions. 

Nowadays, Youtube is tailoring its algorithm to its viewer’s likes and interests, making it hard to score a higher video ranking. Not to mention the fact that video uploads are reaching an all-time high, with more than 500 hours of content uploaded every single minute. That’s a lot of competition to keep up with!

With all of these apparent challenges, it is still important to know how to steer your way around them. This article will teach you exactly that; how to apply the right strategies for optimizing videos!

What is Video SEO?

Simply put, video SEO is a method of optimizing videos for them to be indexed and have a higher video ranking on search engines. 

This means that if an average internet user were to type in related keywords, your video would pop up as one of the top results! It is about employing methods in order to increase a video’s overall views, shares, and engagements; creating a positive feedback loop that inevitably grows your audience. There are several strategies marketers can incorporate and they will definitely be touched upon later in this article.

Why You Need to Optimize Your Video

Over the years, video content for businesses has become more and more accessible and easy to produce. In a day and age where the average person has access to a camera and the internet, anyone can literally be a video producer. With YouTube paving the way for its popularity, a surplus of videos is inevitable and the attention of all viewers is so limited. For your knowledge as a marketer, it is absolutely necessary to take measures in climbing this attention hierarchy in order for your videos to be seen and heard. 

12 Tips for Optimizing Videos

It is important to note that despite the numerous hurdles that lay ahead in the realm of video optimization, there are also several different methods to make your life easier. Here are the 15 strategies you can employ in order to increase your video ranking!

1. Design goal-focused videos

Every single strategy needs to be centered on a reliable overarching goal. It is important for your intentions as a marketer to be accurately reflected within your mediums. Ask yourself questions like:

• “What type of video do I need to make?”
• “What is my video’s purpose?”
• “Who is my desired target audience?”

Strengthening your vision and specifying your objectives will make things easier for video production overall. Couple this with the collaboration of a good video production crew, and you’re set for making your vision a reality!

2. Incorporate the use of CTA’s

The use of instruction is a very powerful tool in the world of marketing and most businesses would include the popular “contact us now” in most of their profiles. The CTA or the call-to-action is important for optimizing videos because it provides the viewers with the option to engage further with the company and potentially become a consumer.

3. Opt for the right hosting platform

Choosing the right hosting platform for your video is a crucial factor. The location of your video upload could depend highly on your purpose of marketing and it is practical to specify the goals you would like to achieve. If your focus is on accumulating good brand awareness, YouTube and Vimeo are great websites to utilize. If you’re looking for more site visitors, it is important to note that due to the algorithm of these platforms, it is easy to get lost with all the content competing for video ranking. Although, the use of more strategies can remedy this. 

4. Make use of video transcripts

If you’re producing content with a well-written video script, it is best to include a transcript to accompany it. There are multiple video platforms that support the embedding of captions, and they are essential for your video’s accessibility.  A video with captions can be viewed without sound while still delivering the intended message. They are also more likely to be understood by the viewers; increasing brand legitimacy, and ultimately, followers.

5. Have an engaging thumbnail

Coming up with an attractive thumbnail is an old YouTuber’s game. People can be hooked by the thumbnails alone. Thumbnails entice them to click on more content. In fact, some video producers have run social experiments, changing video thumbnails from time to time, ultimately affecting the number of views. With that in mind, never underestimate the power of this image, because it can make a huge difference in optimizing videos. 

6. Aim for a great video title and description

Being right next to the thumbnail itself, the video title and description are the other visual hooks that can potentially attract clicks. Make sure to go for an interesting title, one that can instill curiosity in others. For the description, include the necessities for your brand, such as your website, social media, and services. 

7. Make use of inbound links

For most marketers, getting inbound links from other websites is one surefire way to earn a solid reputation. Not only is it good for increasing engagements, but it also grants you a lot of respect as a company as you gain testimonials from other websites. 

8. Make sure the rest of the page matches your video

When placing the video within your website, it is best to make the rest of your page reflect the content. Embed articles with a related video and contain key search words to increase video ranking. 

9. Make the video the centerpiece of your page

Much like the last strategy, this method refers to making the video content the main focus of your page; increasing engagements and interactions to both the website and video platform. Transcripts can be included in order to capitalize searches and redirect them to your content. 

10. Learn how YouTube works

First of, it is highly beneficial in video SEO to know how the platforms of their domain work; especially if it’s the most popular one, YouTube. Like most platforms, the YouTube algorithm is dynamic and changes over time. The marketer could take advantage of this to fit the viewer’s interest with suggested videos; content that the algorithm recommends after finding similar content. 

11. Measure your performance

The charts are essential indicators of what you’re doing right and wrong. Within these performance markers, you can spot the moments of most views, engagements, and shares, while also being able to view the low points. This is useful for identifying exactly where to improve on and if the type of content needs any changes. 

12. Remember the limitations of video SEO

As mentioned many times in this article, the algorithms of Google and other platforms change all the time. This would make video SEO not so reliable to use alone. It is difficult to control and it requires watchful eyes because, in the modern age of the internet, everything is developing rapidly. With more and more videos to compete with, sometimes it’s helpful to come up with new strategies entirely.

Conclusion

In this article, we were able to cover the many different methods you can use for optimizing videos and boosting your video ranking. We hope you are able to find this helpful and best of luck with what comes ahead!