There are video SEO tools, techniques, and secrets that all explain how to get videos and their hosting websites to the top of the search engines. These video SEO techniques all focus on a winning search on Google, the biggest search engine of them all, as well as Yahoo and Bing.
But the biggest video SEO secret?
Forget about winning a search on Google, win a search on YouTube instead. That is because YouTube is the second biggest search engine in the world, behind Google. Furthermore, the fact that YouTube is so popular, also gives YouTube videos a high ranking in search results on Google and other search engines online.
Why is YouTube so important?
When people have “how to” questions where they need to learn how to do something – how to replace a key on a keyboard, how to defrag a hard drive, how to change a car’s oil – there is a video of it. Or when they want to watch a music video from their favorite band or a scene from their favorite movie, they can find it on YouTube. Why not take advantage of this?
Think about it. Everyone is focusing all their attention on Google, using onsite search engine optimization techniques, trying to win the search for their chosen keywords. But what if it was possible to win search on YouTube instead? Imagine what kind of impact this could have on regular SEO efforts. Start paying attention to the Google search results page and see what shows up near the top of the search results every time. Videos! And not just any videos, but the videos that are most likely to be found during a YouTube search – videos that only have the most basic video SEO done to them will even win search on YouTube, and by default, appear high on the Google search rankings.
Since most people do not even bother to optimize their videos, it is only by luck and happenstance that most videos appear at the top of YouTube’s search in the first place. But by performing some basic video SEO techniques, it is possible to make a video appear high in YouTube’s rankings as well as Google’s.
Video SEO technique #1: Use Keywords in the Video Title. It is not enough to just give the video a clever title. The video needs a descriptive title that people will most likely use during a regular search, like “How to change a keyboard key on a laptop” or “How to change the oil in a car.” This tells Google and YouTube what the most important keywords in the title are.
Video SEO technique #2: Use Keywords in the Description. It is important to use the keywords or key phrase at least once, and possibly twice, in the description of the video. Just like in an optimized blog post, the description tells YouTube (and Google) what the video is about.
Video SEO technique #3: Include Backlinks in the Description. Backlinks are an important part of regular SEO, and should be a part of video SEO as well, being incorporated into the video’s description, which helps boost a website’s ranking. But then, be sure to point several backlinks from other websites to the video.
Video SEO technique #4: Use Transcripts and Subtitles. Another way to include keywords to a video is to include video is one person talking about how to replace keys on a laptop, or is an interview between two people, it is very helpful to include a written transcript as part of the video SEO. When editing a YouTube video, there is a window to upload a transcript or a subtitle file and have it play along with the video. This is additional text that Google and YouTube are able to index and count toward search results, which helps video SEO.
These video SEO techniques allow marketers an advantage. YouTube’s status as the world’s second biggest search engine, will help to ensure your videos show up at the top of the search results in regular Google searches as well as within other search engines, social media and article and press sites online. Follow these steps and begin ranking online!
Want to learn more and incorporate video in to your website contact The Computer Company for more information on how we can assist you. Please contact us today!
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Article originally written by Julie Ann Ross.
