In 2022, a well-made video for your business is the equivalent of a flashy business card. But not only will a high-quality video help you stand out from your competitors, it will also help you rank higher on Google SERPs.
The world today runs on video. Surveys conducted this year by Wyzowl found that 86% of businesses now use video as a primary marketing tool. Ready to do the same and improve your Google ranking? First you’ll need to consider some important elements involved with video marketing strategy, like:
- Video length
- Video views
- Video watch time
- Closed captioning
- Engagement
- Keywords
Unsure where to start? Keep reading to learn how video SEO services can merge quality video content with smart SEO (search engine optimization) tactics to ultimately benefit your organization.
Keywords
Virtually all SEO strategies involve keyword research on some level. In order to get your website in front of your target audience, your video content must include the same keywords they’re searching for. This is especially true for SEO-friendly video marketing strategies.
The best place to start is with a tool like Moz or Ahrefs. These allow you to see all the keywords relevant to your industry, along with which ones have high search volume and low competition. Make a list of good keywords you find, and then try to structure your video content around these keywords. Begin with keywords that aren’t ranked too difficult; these will be easier to achieve and help you increase Domain Authority. Then, as your Google ranking improves, try targeting the more challenging, competitive keywords. If you can score these, you’re on your way to success.
Include keywords in all your video titles, descriptions, and tags so that anyone searching for those keywords online will find your content. Specifically, pay attention to:
Video Titles: A video title can make or break your search rankings, so think carefully before deciding on one. Many people like to include their company name in video titles, but this usually backfires (unless you’re an already well-established brand). Otherwise, the best thing to do is create an interesting title that both incorporates your target keywords and entices online users to watch your video.
Video Descriptions: Use keywords in your video descriptions, but don’t overdo it. If you use too many keywords and keyphrases, Google will see through it, and you’ll risk looking desperate to your viewers. People want an authentic description here, not keyword fluff.
Video Tags: Alright, this is where you can go crazy with keywords. Similar to hashtags, video tags allow users to find your video on SERPs. Use all your keywords as tags. You can even try mixing up variations of your keywords, along with general terms related to your industry. Think of this process as casting a fishing net—you want to catch the most searches.
Transcripts
When you provide full transcripts for your videos, they tend to rank significantly higher on Google SERPs. This happens for two reasons:
The first is thanks to Google. Specifically, since Google seeks to provide users with an optimal search experience, it considers transcripted videos to be all-inclusive and more easily accessible, and as a result ranks them higher.
The second reason transcripts help your videos rank higher is because of all the text they provide. Additional text provides more data for Google indexes to reference during searches, making your videos more accessible and easier for users to find.
Thumbnails
If you were taught not to judge books by their covers, forget that lesson. Because everyone judges videos by their thumbnails. Take some time here and choose yours carefully. Remember, most people just glimpse at thumbnails. As users scroll through search results, your thumbnail should be eye-catching, relevant, and appealing in some way. Make users want to view your video. The better your thumbnail is, the better your video click-through rate (CTR) will be.
Social Media and Backlinks
If you already have an engaged community on your company’s social media page, posting a video to social media is a fantastic way to boost your Google ranking through video SEO services. When other people promote and share your video across their social channels, these count as backlinks (a.k.a. “inbound links”). Backlinks are some of the most valuable pieces of SEO you can collect, as they prove to Google that another resource validates your content as valuable. As your video receives more backlinks, Google SERPs will consider it more valuable and rank it higher.
Staying up-to-date in the software industry is a full-time job. And creating a video marketing strategy often requires professional SEO services. That’s why many companies turn to business partners like KitelyTech, INC. for assistance. At KitelyTech, INC., we work with companies to develop and implement new software solutions and marketing strategies. Call us at (800) 274-2908 to discuss your business’s software needs and find out how we can help.