Video is undoubtedly one of the most powerful mediums for brands when it comes to engaging audiences, telling stories, and showcasing products and services. In fact, according to a recent study by Wyzowls, 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool and 92% of video marketers reported that video gives them a positive ROI. With the increasing popularity of video consumption, it’s become essential for brands to focus their attention on Video Search Engine Optimization (or Video SEO). But how can you help ensure your videos will reach a wider audience and gain maximum visibility online?

Quality content is of the utmost importance: The most crucial element of any successful video is its content.. Make sure your videos are relevant and engaging, and that they provide real value to viewers. Videos should address your target audience’s needs, deliver a clear message, and maintain a professional production standard. High-quality, relevant, and engaging videos that provide value to viewers are more likely to be shared, linked to, and rank higher in search results. 

Complete keyword research: Keyword research isn't just for traditional SEO– If you want more eyes on your videos, you’ll first want to identify relevant keywords/phrases that your target audience is likely to search for when looking for content like yours. Google's Keyword Planner can assist with this task, and you can also take advantage of YouTube's autocomplete feature to get a better idea of what might be popular at the moment. 

Once you’ve chosen your keywords, it's time to work them into your video data (titles, tags, descriptions, and transcripts) to help with discovery.

Optimise your video’s metadata: Create compelling titles that will capture the attention of audiences and that also include relevant keywords. Write informative and keyword-rich descriptions that clearly explain what the video is about, and urge viewers to watch it. Use appropriate tags to categorize your video accurately and improve its discoverability across platforms. In addition, using closed captions and transcripts will make your videos more accessible to viewers, while making it easier for search engines to understand what your content is all about.

Use an attention-grabbing thumbnail: Though thumbnails may seem inconsequential, they are the first thing viewers will see when considering your video. What will make your thumbnail stand out from the crowd? Ensure your thumbnail is true to your brand identity, and create a thumbnail that is professional-looking, visually appealing, descriptive, and representative of the video's content. An eye-catching thumbnail can significantly increase the click-through rate and attract more viewers.

Host your videos on a video sitemap: A video sitemap is a specialised XML file that feeds search engines the essential information about the videos that are on your site. According to Google, this special sitemap will help search engines “find and understand the video content on your site, especially content that was recently added or that we might not otherwise discover with our usual crawling mechanisms.”

Implement schema markup: Schema markup is structured data that you can add to your web page’s HTML to help search engines understand your content better. For videos, implementing VideoObject schema markup can provide valuable information about your video, including  title, description, duration, thumbnail URL, and more. This helps search engines display rich snippets in search results, which can also help click-through rates.

Video SEO is a vital part of digital marketing today. By working on the above suggestions, you’ll be well on your way to gaining more views and boosting your overall brand exposure. If you would like to find out more about how to optimise your video and content strategy get in touch with us today.