Remember, because YouTube is under the Google umbrella and is considered the second largest search engine in the world, it’s not enough to simply upload a video. You must consider the keywords, title, and other SEO tactics to get your video content noticed by the right people. Failing to employ basic optimization techniques into the metadata of your video could result in the video flopping when it would have otherwise garnered a large audience.
To boost your video’s SEO efforts, be sure to:
- Focus on the title. The title and the screenshot of the video are going to be the two largest determining factors of whether or not a viewer clicks on your video. Your title should be captivating and relate directly to what the video is about. If there are any keywords associated with the content of the video or your business, consider frontloading them in the title to help with SEO. Furthermore, the brighter and more compelling your screenshot is, the more likely that people will take notice of the video.
- Encourage likes, comments, and shares. Whether it’s in the video itself, in the annotations, or in the description of the video, encourage likes, comments, and shares from your viewers. Not only do these actions increase your base of viewership, but they also show search engines like YouTube and Google that your video has a high level of engagement – and the higher the engagement, the more valuable the content is seen through search engine lenses.
- Upload the transcript. If you used a script to film the video, then upload the transcript to the description portion of the video. Even if you don’t have a transcript, be sure to take the time to transcribe the audio. Why? Because the keywords in the spoken content of the video will help search engines understand what the video is about, so when people are searching for your video content, they’ll be able to find it immediately!
- Perform keyword research. Of course, uploading the transcript won’t have any major benefits unless it has optimized keywords in it. This is why it’s crucial for you to perform keyword research as part of the video creation process. It may seem counter-intuitive, since keyword research is usually associated with content marketing, but remember that video marketing is a form of content as well!
- Embed the video on your website. Since YouTube allows you to take the embed code for your video and place it anywhere you want, be sure to put it on your website or email marketing campaigns. Similar to a linking strategy, embeds give your video authority and legitimacy in the eyes of a search engine. After all, no one would want to embed your rich-media content onto their page unless it had incredible value to it.
While it may seem daunting to focus on both content marketing and techniques associated solely with video strategy, keep in mind that the rewards can pay major dividends for your business for years to come!