Search Engine Optimization - 5 Ways to Optimize Your Marketing Videos

Details

Written by Etsel Skelton

Video is a great way to promote your local business.  When handled properly, video can increase sales and help your website rank higher in search engines.  The methods for optimizing a video are similar to the search engine optimization techniques used for other pages of your website.

5 ways to optimize your videos:

1) Make sure there is keyword rich text around the video.  

A video in the middle of a blank page isn't going to rank well.  Search engines can't watch a video so you will need to provide some text that they can use to properly index and rank the page.  Make the text descriptive of the video using relevant keywords.
Also, there are a few people, myself included, who prefer to read what you're presenting rather than watch your video.  Unless there is a compelling reason to spend the time watching the video I will almost always scroll down to look for the text version.

Tip: You can edit the video script or transcript to make it stand on its own as an article, and post it below the video.
Tip: Make good use of the "real estate" around your videos on video sharing sites by adding keyword rich text to the page wherever reasonable.

2) Insert keywords in the video's metadata.

This data is attached directly to your video and can be extracted by search engines to better index and rank your content.  You will definitely want to create a keyword rich description of the video within the metadata.  Keep in mind that this is data that can be viewed by users who download your video.

3) Insert keywords in the video's filename.

4) Insert keywords in the URL for the video page.

Tip:  Video sharing sites often use the video's "Title" to create the URL, so use keywords judiciously.

5) Always include the complete URL for your video page in your video's description.

I make it the very first thing in the description.  Sometimes the website that you upload it to will turn it into a real link back to your site, sometimes they won't.  At the very least, it provides users with everything they need to find your video, or your website.

Have questions?  Call us now:  (805) 233-3274