Video SEO 911

Aside from delivering the message in person, no vehicle is as direct or compelling as a well-conceived, well-made video.  And viewers are much more likely to watch and engage with a video than they are to read … anything.

But it’s all well and good to create great video content for the Web, but if a tree falls in the woods and no one’s there to hear/see it, does it make a noise?  On the Internet, the answer to this question is a resounding, “No!”

So what’s a content producer to do?  This post contains a few pointers on how to drive an audience to your hard-fought efforts.

Video SEO is a new and developing art and science.  So, where to begin?

As filmmakers, we recommend starting with compelling content.  Hire a script writer, and tell a great story!

Next we recommend producing high-quality content, created with and by professionals.  Real camera people, real audio engineers, real editors.  Professionals who do this every day for a living.

Then, upload your video to YouTube.  YouTube is a beast, but because the #1 search engine, Google, owns the #2 search engine, YouTube, video producers who seek a Web audience are obligated to add their content to YouTube.

If you don’t already have a YouTube “channel,” create one.  They make it easy to get going.  Fleshing out your YouTube channel will require some additional efforts.

Google cannot “see” the content of your video.  So, using Google metrics, determine which keywords will work best to promote you video.  Embed those targeted keywords on your YouTube channel.

Write a script and upload that into the transcript section of YouTube.  This will help Google at least “hear” your content.

We also recommend using Google AdSense to create contextual call-to-action banners to play over your video content.  Drive audiences to your videos and then drive them to action.

Next, add your video to Vimeo.  In addition to YouTube, Google also crawls other video sites, such as Vimeo, for video content.

Embed your YouTube and Vimeo videos on your Website, and surround that video content with contextual rich media including those same keywords used above.

If you have the resources, generate a video sitemap for your Website.  Google provides step-by-step instructions in the Webmaster section of their site to create this code.

Spread the word!  Promote and embed links to your videos on all the relevant social media outlets you have access to and time for.  This will help increase the search ranking of your video.

And if your ultimate goal is to live stream your awesome content using a cloud-based service like DaCast, these SEO strategies can also work well bundled together.  Producers can promote live streaming and pay-per-stream broadcast events, leveraging all of the techniques above.  DaCast differentiates its streaming services by offering a white-label presentation platform for its subscribers, and allows producers to monetize their content through an embedded merchant account.

Successful efforts to produce, drive traffic and then monetize all of your video communications will pay dividends.

A special shout-out thanks to Andrew Shotland who runs a great local SEO company in Pleasanton, CA.

Contact an experienced video production company who serves the San Francisco Bay Area!