BENEFITS OF VIDEO ON SEO
Over 300 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute. People watch over 1 billion hours of videos, daily, on YouTube. These numbers alone speak loudly. Recent trends have clearly demonstrated that the use of video on company websites has become an industry standard in SEO. Simply put, Video Search Engine Optimization refers to the use of video in order to rank higher in search engine results and drive more traffic to a website.
A well produced short video, that shows people what your company does, will get far more attention and results, than a text driven message ever will. Videos allow people to consume more content, faster. A video on YouTube will extend your Brand’s reach to get you the customers you want.
YouTube continues to capture audiences’ attention, because streaming video is the most versatile and profitable digital marketing tool available. A well produced video can tell your story in less time. Grab peoples’ attention. Showcase your product and services. Explain how your company works and build trust. Showing people what you do as opposed to telling them, will give your business a kickstart.
Since the dawn of language, storytelling has been a culture building phenomenon. Marketing is storytelling. The internet has revolutionized the process of storytelling. You could say that the Internet is video. Two years from now it is entirely probable you might be watching, instead of reading this post.
Benefits of Video For Your Brand
Now that Brand storytelling is all the rage, it isn’t going away anytime soon. The most efficient way to tell your story is to produce a video. When you are browsing through a company website, what draws your attention most? If you can choose between a text driven page, describing the company’s missions, goals and so on, or a video, which would you choose?
Using video to tell your company’s story is more likely to peak people’s curiosity and interest in your product. Video gives your company a more organic online identity. Video gives your company a face. Authentic storytelling is a powerful medium, which creates connectivity. This also explains why websites and pages showcasing videos have outperformed traditional text driven websites.
People only retain 20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see and 70% of what they hear and see. In an age of information overload, it is vital for a business to produce content that meets consumers expectations and the content better be engaging and easy to digest, otherwise consumers will just move on to the next. YouTube’s streaming video platform can catapult your marketing strategy to a whole new level of performance. The use of videos in SEO has proven, beyond any reasonable doubt, that they yield results.
If a picture can tell a thousand words, ask yourself how much a one minute video can reveal. In a world where success is literally measured in seconds, a one minute video stands a far better chance of engaging your customers, long enough, to make a purchase. When people stop to watch a video on your website, they will stay longer on that page. This will signal to Google and other search engines that the content on your website is relevant and interesting enough to capture people’s attention. The longer they dwell on your website, the better for your rankings, which in turn will grow your online business. This in a nutshell is how video benefits SEO.
Including videos on your company website will help you rank higher in search results and it is the only way your business can hope to rank in Google’s first page results, because Google loves rich content. Consumer video consumption has risen exponentially and as a result, search engines have increased the ranking factor of video on landing pages. This practice will only increase in the near future, which is why including video on a company website has become increasingly important, to boost ranking on search engines.
If you are just now considering using videos on your company website, you could start with a company overview or an About video. Below is a list covering the video genres used for online marketing.
ONBOARDING VIDEOS
These videos show clients how to get started. They help them understand your culture and create a bond with your company. Onboarding videos are an excellent way to help companies hire because they provide prospective new talent an opportunity to get to know your company culture and how you operate.
COMPANY CULTURE VIDEOS
Company culture videos can assist in creating a sense of community, promoting company values, best practices and missions. They also make your business more attractive to candidates, if you are hiring.
PRODUCT VIDEOS
Product videos demonstrate the benefits of your products, inspiring people to buy and they make your product pages more SEO friendly.
TUTORIALS
Show and tell videos can be used on a product page. Depending on the type of business you run, these tutorials could be part and parcel of your onboarding video. Tutorial videos are perfect for YouTube, where potential customers may be searching for tutorials related to your product, service, or industry.
TESTIMONIALS
Show your potential customers that you are trustworthy and qualified. Interview real customers on camera. Testimonials instill trust in potential customers, because people tend to empathize and respond more positively when hearing a testimonial from one of their peers.
EDUCATIONAL
Educational, webinar-style videos are an occasion for you to showcase your expertise and drive new traffic to your website. These are also helpful with video SEO.
A well produced video will inspire people to take action. There are clearly costs associated to video production and marketing. You may be tempted to produce your own video, which these days is simple enough. A cautionary message though, better no video than a badly produced video. If you have the time, there are plenty of blogs and videos on YouTube, that will show you the ropes and the do’s and don’ts. Your other option is to hire a professional.
The increased demand for marketing videos has given birth to a whole new online platform of digital marketing services. These companies help businesses with their online presence. The advantages of having a professional on board are several. Aside from the technical know which they bring to the table, there is another important ingredient. A digital marketing expert speaks the language. Video, like any other form of communication, has rules and exceptions. Depending on how these are applied, you can either make it or break it. This is what a typical breakdown for a product video looks like:
- A Hook
- Video Introduction
- Delivery
- Bonus/Offer
- Call to Action
A digital marketing expert can help you define and build your brand, and most importantly create a digital marketing strategy that will give you results. They have the know how to target traffic to your website that will convert. With Google constantly changing their algorithms, SEO is hard to control, and this in itself makes hiring a digital marketing expert a wise investment. People have high standards when it comes to digital content and the competition is fierce.
Once your video is ready to be showcased on your website, remember that videos need to be optimized for SEO and this can be tricky, if you are not in the know. A simple solution is to embed videos on your website, from your YouTube channel. There are numerous optimization strategies to give videos a higher chance of ranking on YouTube. YouTube SEO can help increase important metrics like follower count, brand awareness, website visits, and revenue. The video description you use on YouTube should be clear and concise. Be meticulous in your description of the video your are uploading. Include a call to action in the description. The copy you enter will be read by search engines and anyone who finds your video online.
Make sure you pick an appropriate image to use as a thumbnail, when uploading your video to YouTube. This is the image that will show when the video appears in a search. The image you choose to use as a thumbnail should be clear, in focus, compelling and relevant to the content of the video.
Video will increment your company’s visibility on Google, resulting in an increase in your website traffic, conversion rate, and revenue. The benefits of video in SEO derive from the simple fact that no other content type online has the viral potential that video has demonstrated so far.
- YouTube reaches more 18-49 year-olds than any broadcast or cableTV network
- 64% of users are more likely to purchase a product online after watching a video
- Conversions may increase by as much as 80% with a video on your landing page
- Visitors spend 88% more time on a website that includes video
- Video gets more sharing and other interaction on social media than any other type of content
Why should you consider using video? Because video offers a rich sensory experience which lures people, and there’s a fairly good chance your competitors are already using video.
Words Have Power 