Follow These SEO Best Practices to Make Your Video Content a Success

SEO, keywords, long-tail, links, optimization, metrics, strategies…the list of terms that come into play when talking about SEO and digital marketing can be overwhelming, especially for a newbie. Now, pair all of these terms and tie them to the optimization of video content. If you’re not following all the latest video SEO best practices and SEO video marketing tips for success with your video content, you could be missing out on a lot of organic traffic opportunities. We’re here to guide the way.

Video SEO Factors to Consider

Various factors impact your video SEO success. As you consider optimizing your video content for search engines, your focus should be on first the platform that you’re using to achieve success with your content and second the search features that pertain to audiences within that platform. So for instance, if you’re sharing your video content on YouTube, you’ll need to follow specifics relative to their individual ranking factors in order to get your content in front of a wider audience. Likewise, if you are sharing your videos on your own website, you’ll need to follow Google’s specific rules in order to generate traffic to your pages.

Knowing where you intend to share your video and how the individual algorithm works for each platform is vital. Take some time to learn the basics of the platform that you intend to share video content to most. You can always branch out and learn more as you go.

Video Title Optimization

The title of your video is one of the most important SEO elements that you have full control over. A title that is too “clickbait” rich will not please the audience and yet a title that is boring or lacks keywords will never appear in search. You must take the time to plan your title in a way that will maximize your SEO success. 

When optimizing your video titles, consider the following:

• Place keywords at the beginning of the title or as close to the beginning as possible.
• Keep titles short so that they are not truncated. Follow the length requirements set by the platform you share your content to.
• Don’t exaggerate your title. You want to create a click-worthy title, but you must deliver with your content–now is not the time to lie to your audience.
• Run A/B Split tests to try different titles and determine which generates higher CTR or views.

Video Description Optimization

The next SEO element that you have control over is the description of your video. The video description or video meta description is a short snippet of details about your video that helps search engines (and potential viewers) know what your video is about. SEO optimized video descriptions should be short, sweet, and relevant to the video content.

When optimizing your video descriptions, consider the following:

• Keep descriptions within the allotted word/character count for the platform you are sharing on.
• Descriptions should be a few sentences at most.
• Use keywords in your description but don’t keyword stuff.
• Like the title, the description should be accurate and engaging.

Video Thumbnail Optimization

Optimizing your video thumbnails will help viewers to click on your content and watch the video. An attractive thumbnail that encourages the viewer to click is one of the main features that determine your video views. Consider an enticing image that will catch the viewer’s eyes and make them feel compelled to watch the video.

Video Transcript Optimization

Video transcripts are a powerful video SEO optimization tool. Without a transcript, Google and many other search engines have no real way of knowing what your content is about. However, optimizing the video transcript goes beyond just adding the words to the page.

When optimizing your video transcript, consider the following:

• Keyword-rich descriptions that support your transcript.
• Keyword-rich subheadings to separate major elements of the story.
• Details in the transcript that help readers know if sounds are playing in the video in addition to the narrative.

Optimized Video Webpages

Often, videos are shared on your website, and in these cases, you can optimize the pages that the video content is shared on.

Optimizing the page that you share a video on within your website involves the following:

• Including a keyword-rich title and meta description on the page.
• Including a brief description of the video on the page.
• Consider including the video transcript on the page.
• Place your video above the fold. This way viewers don’t have to scroll to see your content.

Video SEO is a lot like traditional content SEO. With high-quality videos, a well-optimized thumbnail and video title, and a transcript that includes your supportive keywords, you’re bound to see your video content succeed.

For help creating videos that you can use in your marketing efforts, give Beverly Boy Productions a call. We’re available worldwide to assist you with your next major video production project.