Why Video is a Must-Have for SEO

January 28, 2016 | 4 minute read | Search Engine Optimization

Everybody knows that Google is the number one search engine. However, you may not be aware that YouTube, the son of Google, ranks as a close second. In 2009, a Forrester study found that “pages with video are 53-times more likely to rank on the first page of Google search results.” This allows for almost immediate organic SEO results.

With the emergence of applications such as Vine, Instagram and even Snapchat, video marketing is gaining a tremendous amount of traction for many reasons. It keeps content relevant, fresh and relatable. It also offers a great opportunity to show a personalized glimpse inside your office — providing prospective patients with a trusted experience.

You don’t have to have a huge production crew or spend thousands of dollars to produce effective videos. Often times, a simple video using your computer webcam or personal camera will work just as well. Below are some tips for creating great videos without a huge budget.

Create Effective Content

Many companies struggle with video marketing because they don’t know how to put a video together or don’t have the equipment to make a professional film. Don’t fret. If you’re not comfortable producing a video yourself, there are great options to outsource at reasonable rates to videographers on websites like fiverr.com or upwork.com — they have an abundance of professional freelancers who work on videos of all scales.

If you don’t have a budget for video or are comfortable providing it yourself, webcam or smartphone shoots can do the trick with the right content, as most of these shoot HD video. Just make sure to capture clear sound, utilize good lighting, stabilize it with a tripod if possible and avoid zooming in (it’ll make the picture grainy).

As far as content goes, videos that feature a sneak peek into your office or staff, give patient demonstrations, present how to videos or share testimonials are fantastic ways to break into video marketing.

Add Relevant Titles and Descriptions

Titles and descriptions in YouTube help your audiences understand your content, but they also play an important role in Google SEO. Keep them short and succinct; if they have more than 70 characters, Google truncates them. Keep them relevant; if viewers click and aren’t finding the content they’re looking for, this damages your audience retention score, and in turn, your Google ranking.

Descriptions are also vital. They appear just below the title on the search page. Include relevant keywords. You may also include a transcript of the video; when Google’s spiders crawl your page, they’re able to better translate the content to what your viewers are searching for. This also helps with any prospective patients who have hearing loss.

Spread the Word

Share to social media sites; make sure content is interesting and authoritative so people watch the video to the end. Ideally, you want 100 percent audience retention, but even if 40 percent of viewers watch your movie to the end, you’ll rank higher in the organic YouTube search. The only way to increase audience retention is by making an awesome video. Poor quality and boring content equate to less interested viewers.

Embed your YouTube videos on your website: YouTube has one of the highest domain authorities of any site, meaning you want to create links to it (and, if possible, get others to share your link). Don’t just include the link on your site, though. Make sure it’s embedded. If you send us over the YouTube link, we can easily embed it for you on your website!

The Takeaway

Video marketing is essential for creating a relatable brand that ranks well on Google. Don’t be intimidated. Just create awesome content, share it and make it as accessible as possible. Happy filming!

References:

Crowell, G. 2013. Social Video ROI: Relationships That Convert. Retrieved from https://searchenginewatch.com/sew/how-to/2303498/social-video-roi-relationships-that-convert

Kwall. Shoot Great Marketing Videos with your iPhone. Retrieved from http://www.infusionsoft.com/blog/shoot-great-marketing-videos-your-iphone

Yan, C. 2013. The Importance of Video for SEO. Retrieved from http://www.poweredbysearch.com/blog/importance-video-seo/

Mendez, J. J. 2014. 7 Essential Video Tips to Rank #1 on YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.socialmediatoday.com/marketing/2015-02-25/7-essential-video-seo-tips-rank-1-youtube

Forno, S. 2014. How Video Marketing Creates Immediate SEO Results. Retrieved from https://blog.shareaholic.com/video-marketing-seo-results/