How to Optimize Your Videos for SEO

If you have heard of the term SEO, Search-Engine Optimization, then you may know just how important it is for your website. SEO-optimized videos can be a massive boon towards growing your client base and building a larger audience. But just putting up videos will not bring people to your website.

You will need to improve organic page ranking and get people to see your link on search engines naturally. Of course, higher-ranked websites attract more attention since more people will visit your page. But when people do arrive at your website, properly done SEO can provide the boost you need to start making conversions. This is where optimizing your videos for SEO comes in. 

The main focus of SEO is to put your content, your audience, and search engine algorithms all on the same page. With that in mind, you should know that search engines like Google put a high emphasis on backlinks and the time people spend on your website. High-quality videos can provide backlink support and simultaneously draw in longer page viewings, making them more than desirable.

In many cases, having videos made by professionals on or associated with your website can be essential. Whether you host them on your own site or use a video platform like YouTube or Vimeo, having them optimized ensures they get the attention you want. All it takes is following some simple steps. 

Stay Consistent

Once you start making videos, be sure to continue the trend and commit to providing more information for your audience. You don’t want to be ranking for just one word; you will want to aim to rank for multiple keywords. Your videos should be varied and applicable to a range of people who would be interested in your business and website. If one video does not work, another might, making it best to cast that net as wide as possible.

Releasing regularly also helps keep bringing people back for the latest news and updates. This is one of the best ways to optimize your videos by making sure you consistently provide your audiences with what they would expect from your brand or business.

Customize Your Thumbnail Images

The first hook that may net you potential audience members, a thumbnail, is often the first thing they see when scrolling through a list of videos. Regardless of the platform, every video you put up should have an eye-catching thumbnail. An image that draws the eye and shows that the content is different from its peers. 

Make Sure Your Video Educates and Explains

Vapid content is easy to make and put up on any website. Millions of videos across YouTube, Vimeo, and the dozen other video sites prove that. But your videos will need to have a purpose. A video that is being SEO optimized has a goal in mind. It may have a certain kind of product or service to sell.

There may just be something specific you want to tell your audience. In either case, your goal is primarily to educate your audience about something that will help you gain credibility and authority on the matter. Search engines focus on credible authority figures on a topic, with something as simple as a Q&A video or a demonstration being a great way to connect with your audience. 

Don’t Forget the Little Technical Details

The small things add up over time, and technical details for your videos can seriously impact its SEO optimization. Search engine algorithms crawl every aspect of your videos, even those you would not consider noticeable. Search engines and video platforms alike rank your video using aspects like: 

• Title tag information 
• Description tags
• Tags in general
• Comments 
• The likes and dislikes
• Subscriber count increase
• Watcher retention 

You cannot control the likes, subscribers, or retention aspects of a video. However, you can still affect the technical details to give your videos the best chance they could have. They can rank higher and gather the audience you want before bringing in the conversions you will aim for.

Optimize for the Platform

SEO optimization for a video changes depending on the platform you use to host it. While there are general aspects of an online video that should universally be taken care of, like video quality and tags, some elements remain specific. What may optimize your video for your website may not do the same for a site like YouTube or social media sites.

YouTube actually uses metadata like the title and description in conjunction with view metrics to determine relevance and rank. On the other hand, Google takes into account the links that lead back to a video. The more referred to and understood, the better. Be sure to optimize a video with the platform’s specific needs in mind.