Why SEO in Video Marketing Matters in Online Search
Video content has been steadily taking over for years. Whether it is on YouTube or the new platform on the block (looking at TikTok), one thing is certain – we’re watching videos daily.
Last year, 92% of marketers said that video is an important part of their overall marketing strategy. Although video marketing alone doesn’t have the power to make or break your search ranking or marketing goals, it still plays a part in the complete strategy. Having high-quality content, like sharable videos, can attract traffic and get you links to your site, affecting SERP ranking. Video marketing can also provide businesses with an increased ROI by helping increase sales.
To effectively use video marketing, you not only need high-quality videos about engaging content, but you also need to optimize your videos for search. In other words, your amazing video about how to use your new product is useless when no one can find it on the internet!
SEO in video marketing optimizes your videos to get more traffic and visibility. Videos can be optimized for Google and video platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo. Read our essential video marketing SEO tips to improve your overall SEO, so your business dominates the competition.
[Related: Video Marketing is Your Company’s Next Best Tool]
Must-Know Video Marketing SEO Tips
SEO Video Marketing Tip #1: Video Integration
Having video on your business’s website will positively improve your overall SEO efforts. Video is used everywhere and on almost every social media platform – it is constantly being shared and linked to. Even if SEO on video doesn’t have a huge direct impact, having the video on the site where people will link back to it can make a big difference. Back links from other websites are a major factor in search ranking.
SEO Video Marketing Tip #2: Keyword Labels
More is better in the game of SEO. Help search engines identify your videos with keyword labels. Including keywords in the text fields such as the title, file name, descriptions, and tags ensure that your video will show up for relevant searches.
Titles should appeal to the user and the search engines, so don’t title your video “Product #3 Video” – make it engaging and clickable! Otherwise, your video will be left in the dust by your competition.
The titles should provide context that draws people in, so they have no option other than clicking play while naturally including the keyword for search. Tags also need relevant keywords with a mix of general and specific words. These keywords let the video viewer find other similar topics and search engines identify your video’s topic for ranking. Descriptions should feature one or two main target keywords in the beginning and accurately describe your video’s topic.
SEO Video Marketing Tip #3: Video Transcript
Adding a video transcript is another surefire way to improve SEO video marketing. A transcript with keywords bolsters your overall video SEO for search engine ranking. Since video analysis is still developing, your transcript lets search engines know exactly what your video is about, which helps determine relevance in ranking.
It also fits ADA compliance. Video transcripts and captions are becoming the norm now because it benefits people with hearing impairments.
You can manually type your video’s transcription, but you can also use an AI tool to speed the process. There are several transcription tools available designed to break down your transcript in a matter of minutes.
SEO Video Marketing Tip #4: Video Sitemap
Video sitemaps serve as an extension of your website’s general sitemap. This would include the most important data about the video content, including the video’s duration, rating, view count, and other useful information for search engines. This SEO video marketing information is a goldmine since search engines are looking for it when indexing.
SEO Video Marketing Tip #5: Hosting
Where you host your videos greatly matters in SEO for video marketing. YouTube alone is the second-largest search engine. There are other large video hosting options, such as Vimeo. While you can host your video on your business’s website, it’s best that you host on YouTube, Vimeo, or another platform and embed the video on your website.
A large video hosting platform can extend your reach and make for faster speed times. Video platforms have dedicated services and compression tools so that it doesn’t slow down your website.
SEO Video Marketing Tip #6: Optimize Videos for Load Time 
Page speed is a big factor for Google when they’re ranking websites. Google values speed times on websites, so if your video slows down the site, it can negatively impact ranking. Google has a guide with the best video practices for users.
Slow page load times negatively affect the user experience, and honestly, it feels like watching paint dry. Video can affect the load time of your website. Video compression tools reduce the size of video files without compromising the quality. Smaller media files load faster, so your clients don’t have to wait around.
Our team of creatives at Catapult Creative Media can assist you in optimizing your business videos for search. Don’t have a video marketing strategy? Our brand strategists can work with you to develop a fool-proof strategy that rivals the competition. From scriptwriting to integrating your video seamlessly into your website, we can do it all. Talk to us today about video marketing at 225-590-3310.
Allison Bruhl is a Copywriter at Catapult. She has a degree in mass communication with a concentration in journalism and a minor in Spanish. In her free time, she does photography at local concerts and music festivals.
Work with Catapult Creative Media Inc. Catapult Creative Media Inc. is a digital marketing and design agency serving clients over the United States but is proud to call Baton Rouge, Louisiana home. Founded in 2007, Catapult provides digital, social, and mobile marketing solutions backed by relevant strategy and measurable results. Catapult works the web to their clients’ advantage, launching them to their next level of success.
