Videos now play an integral part in the world of Internet Marketing. However, the true question lies in whether or not a video imbedded on a website helps with search engine optimization. The answer is yes.
The “time on site,” or the amount of time a visitor spends on a website, is one factor that search engines consider as part of their search algorithms. Posting videos significantly increases one’s “time on site” as it obviously takes time to watch a video. Although there are no definite studies pertaining to this, it could be a big factor in SEO. Search engines work by determining which websites have a high quality. If there is a website wherein visitors spend an ample amount of time, especially compared to other websites being viewed for just a few seconds, search engines will most likely view the former as being of higher quality.
Another factor that search engines consider when determining SEO ranking is the number of links that go into a website. When a video is placed via a distribution channel such as YouTube, this helps link building efforts. YouTube now has more keyword searches compared to Google. Distributing videos using certain distribution channels allows one to place links to the main website. When a video captures the interest of the viewer, the possibility of consumers clicking the link to a website is very high. Search engines will pick up the link, making it very good for SEO rankings.
To aid in SEO, these 4 elements should be considered when posting a video on YouTube or other video-sharing sites:
- The title of the video should contain the targeted keywords.
- The targeted keywords should be at the beginning of the video description, as well as the company’s name and website address.
- Make use of tags that coincide with the topic of the video.
- Place the video in a category.
Lastly, as search engine optimization goes, distribution is the key. Explore different video-sharing sites and distribution channels. This is very similar to the link building process, wherein a link appears on different websites. Select the option that allows consumers to imbed the video in their own blogs or websites. Push video marketing little further and make use of social media marketing strategies wherein the video appears on Facebook and other social networking sites. The more times the video is imbedded, the more it will help with search engine optimization.