Human beings have short attention spans and hop around online quickly.
We bet you’ve already scrolled further down to see what this article is about. (It’s about optimizing your video content for increased conversions and short attention spans, by the way. *wink.) Welcome back.
As we were saying, human beings are renowned for their notoriously short attention spans.
This means that to stand out online and as a business owner, you need something extra to grab your audience’s attention and keep it.
People are visual creatures, and we are attracted to images and videos. As a result, these are a brilliant way to engage customers, drive traffic, and maximize conversions.
Effective video SEO: more than cute kitten footage
As you may have suspected, however, it is not as simple as just throwing up any old video on your website or social pages. (Unless you choose kittens. People always want to see kittens–you’re welcome).
Okay, back to video optimization–even for kittens. There are, however, a few tips and tricks you can utilize to help your video content really rock. To help, we asked our good friends and industry experts at Romain Berg, to share their ultimate insider secrets.
When you need a results-driven partner in digital marketing, contact Romain Berg for a comprehensive strategy that converts.
Do I need videos?
According to research, almost 60% of all marketers saw an increase in traffic when they added video into their marketing campaign. Video is a great way to get your message across quickly and simply. Even better, creators can control everything from mood to color scheme to represent your brand perfectly.
Video can also be a great way to show off your product in 3D and full surroundings. This is at present a feat that photography or text cannot achieve.
You can place your product in context, demonstrate how it works, and deliver powerful messages in just a few minutes. Video is far more fun for your audience when done right, improving the user experience and their association with our site.
Enjoying an engaging video offers an audience incentive and provides a hook for visitors to stay online and complete the purchase.
Even better, video can help you with that most coveted (or dreaded, depending on your perspective) of marketing tools: SEO.
Video and SEO
Any marketing fan will understand the importance of SEO; this is a crucial aspect of your site. Good SEO allows you to rank higher on search engines such as Google. This, in turn, leads to higher levels of organic traffic and better conversion rates – all good things for business owners.
Traditionally, SEO was achieved by strategic keyword placement, but SEO has its place in the video world too.
Just like regular SEO, video SEO works by optimizing your video. This, in turn, allows it to be indexed and ranked on a search engine for keyword searches relevant to the content.
The prevalence of smartphones has made elevating your video search rank trickier – standing out is a challenge when anyone can shoot and upload a video. With a few tweaks to your current video strategy, however, you can rise above the competition.
How to boost video content
Keep these critical elements in mind for video content, which converts every time!
Choose the right host
Before you choose your video hosting platform, you will need to think about your aspirations. Do you want to raise awareness of your brand, or are you aiming for increased site traffic and new leads?
To raise brand awareness, sites such as Vimeo and YouTube are a good option. They are massive platforms with millions of viewers, and so are perfect for exposure.
On the downside, most of the traffic will head straight to them, not your business site. The increase of adverts on YouTube can also be a turnoff for some viewers – every video starts with an ad!
If brand awareness and raising your platform is the priority, these sites are your go-to. For increased leads and traffic, however, you should consider an alternative platform like Facebook or Instagram.
Include a transcript
Including a transcript of your video offers a number of bonuses. Mainly, customers can enjoy videos in the middle of the night without getting kicked out of the house.
Most importantly, for you, however, is that Google sees the transcript in the same way as web copy. Strategic placement of keywords in your video transcript can elevate your search rank.
In addition, your video is more likely to “shout out” to search bots thanks to the inclusion of text. Transcripts also help make your video – and by extension, your brand – more accessible to a wide audience.
Don’t skimp on description
It is important to put as much thought into video titles as you would in heading a blog post. The description is also crucial; it must persuade people to click ‘play,’ choosing your content in a sea of similar videos.
Try to make the most of keywords and location, and always research your keywords to ensure they are targeted. You want the right people to find your videos- this is half the battle won.
Choosing the right thumbnail is also important here; you’ll intrigue your audience to click play when you choose your thumbnail wisely. Make sure it is relevant to the content, well-framed, and appealing. Videos with a custom human thumbnail can enjoy a 30% higher click-through rate, so make an effort.
Make sure it fits
It is crucial that your video fits in well with the rest of the page, and is surrounded by high-quality, relevant content. If this is not the case, the page won’t rank – no matter how cute the kittens.
Let the video take center stage
One of the most important considerations is the visibility of the video. A video set beneath long blocks of text will go unnoticed by viewers, and suffer from reduced click-through rate.
More importantly, search crawlers will not bother to index it, making all your hard work irrelevant. Keep the video as the primary focus on the page for the best results.
Embed your top video to rank first
As a rule, Google will only index one video per page. For this reason, you must make sure that the video you want to rank is embedded as the first piece on your page. This should be the highest performing and main focus – you only get one shot.
Want To Learn More?
Video SEO can have a huge impact on your ranking, traffic, and conversions – but only if done right. If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, outsource your video SEO to our pals Romain Berg.
An experienced digital marketing agency, they have the insider knowledge you need to boost your rankings and enjoy some serious profit! Get in touch today for a chat, and watch your business soar.
