It may seem like a big job, but you can make small tweaks to your video strategy right now to increase the visibility of your brand’s videos. Let’s look at 10 ways how.
U.S. adults spent 5.5 hours per day consuming digital video in 2015, according to eMarketer. We know that platforms like YouTube host more than a billion users all over the world, and with the kind of entertainment and education on-demand video provides, these are important moments that matter to consumers.
Your Overall Video Strategy
Your video strategy should take into consideration YouTube (the second largest search engine next to Google), Google Videos (which Google touts as the largest video search property on the Web), and the Universal Search results. Some videos are appropriate for your website and some are better for YouTube. Oftentimes, that has to do with the intent of the video (an informational product video on your site versus an inspirational video on YouTube) and where your consumer is in their decision-making journey. Videos on your website can show up in the Google search results as can your videos from YouTube. Get clear on your strategy, and use a mix of video on both channels when appropriate.
Get More Visibility On Your Website
1. Avoid Complex JavaScript or Flash
Configure the pages that feature your videos in a search-friendly way. Both Flash and complex JavaScript can hinder the search engines from displaying your videos in the search results.
2. Create a Standalone Page for Each Video
While you may have one landing page for all your video content, each individual video should open on a standalone page so you can optimize for that content like you would any other page.
3. On-Page Optimization
A video on its own has little text associated with it, and text is what helps Google better understand what the video content is about. Create original meta information for the page the video is featured on, and upload and format the video transcript to display on the page underneath the video – and voila! Insta-article.
4. Schema Markup
Google recommends using Schema.org markup on videos for a greater chance of indexing. The three attributes it needs at minimum are title, description, and thumbnail. Make sure the thumbnail associated with your video is good quality, too. And that the titles and descriptions are unique to each video.
5. Create a Video Sitemap
A video Sitemap can further Google’s understanding of what the content is about, thus improving the video’s chance to be shown in the search results. Google gives more guidelines on its uses here, and suggests that along with the Schema markup, the two deliver all the information needed for a better chance of visibility. A common scenario, Google says, for using both is to “use on-page markup for all of your videos and a video sitemap to tell Google about any new, time-sensitive, or hard to find videos.”
6. Spot Check: robots.txt
Make sure your robots.txt file doesn’t block any of the video resources Google needs to index the video, including the page the video is on, the video, or any required markup.
Get More Visibility On YouTube
1. Optimization
Video titles, descriptions, and the tags you use to describe the video are important. Make sure they are enticing and use the key search terms you’re after. You can also include any relevant links to your website with in the description.
2. Transcripts
Transcripts lend even more context to the video, let your viewers scroll through the video content quickly, and even assist the hearing impaired to access your content. (Captions also available, here.)
3. Engagement
Watch time is an extremely important metric in the YouTube algorithm, with YouTube pointing out that the “algorithm for suggesting videos includes prioritizing videos that lead to a longer overall viewing session over those that receive more clicks.” Think about the different ways you can increase watch time on your videos by checking out the information here.
4. Trends
Knowing what’s hot right now and becoming a relevant part of that conversation (if it’s brand appropriate) can potentially give you a boost in visibility. Google real-time trends launched in 2015 and includes YouTube data. Poke around and see what’s happening in your world.