How to optimise your videos for SEO and rank higher on Google
Video is one of the most engaging and popular forms of content on the internet. According to a report by Cisco, video will account for 82% of all internet traffic by 2022. That means if you want to reach and attract more potential customers online, you need to create and optimise your videos for SEO.
As I’m sure you’re aware SEO stands for search engine optimisation, which is the process of improving your content's visibility and relevance for search engines like Google. By following some video SEO best practices, you can increase your chances of ranking higher on Google's search results pages and drive more organic traffic to your website.
In this blog post, we will share with you some of the most effective video SEO tips and techniques that you can apply to your videos today.
Use descriptive and keyword-rich titles
The title of your video is one of the most important factors that Google considers when ranking your video. It tells Google and your viewers what your video is about and why they should watch it.
To optimise your video title for SEO, you should use descriptive and keyword-rich words that match the intent and query of your target audience. For example, if you are creating a video about how to make a chocolate cake, you should use a title like "How to Make a Delicious Chocolate Cake in 10 Minutes" instead of "My Baking Video".
You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, TubeBuddy, or VidIQ to find relevant keywords for your video topic and see how competitive they are. You should also check what titles your competitors are using and try to make yours more compelling and unique.
Create transcripts of your videos
Transcripts are text versions of your video's audio that can be displayed on your website or YouTube channel. Transcripts help Google understand the content and context of your video better and index it accordingly.
Transcripts also help your viewers who may have hearing impairments, language barriers, or low internet speed. They can read along with your video or access the information without watching it.
To create transcripts for your videos, you can use tools like Rev.com, Otter.ai, or YouTube's automatic captioning feature. However, you should always proofread and edit your transcripts for accuracy and clarity.
Use tags and tag your videos accordingly
Tags are keywords or phrases that describe the topic, category, or theme of your video.
They help Google categorise your video and show it to relevant users who are searching for similar content. To optimise your video tags for SEO, you should use specific and relevant tags that match the keywords and intent of your target audience. You should also use a mix of broad and narrow tags to cover different aspects of your video topic.
For example, if you are creating a video about how to make a chocolate cake, you could use tags like "chocolate cake", "baking", "dessert", "recipe", "how-to", etc. You can use tools like TubeBuddy or VidIQ to see what tags your competitors are using and get suggestions for your own tags.
You should also limit the number of tags you use to avoid keyword stuffing and diluting your focus.
Optimise your thumbnails
Thumbnails are small images that represent your video on Google's search results pages or YouTube's suggested videos section.
They are one of the first things that users see when they encounter your video online. To optimise your thumbnails for SEO, you should use high-quality images that capture the attention and interest of your viewers.
You should also use text overlays, colours, contrast, and branding elements to make your thumbnails stand out from the crowd. You can use tools like Canva, Snappa, or Adobe Spark to create eye-catching thumbnails for your videos.
You should also test different thumbnails and see which ones perform better in terms of click-through rate (CTR) and watch time.
Create compelling descriptions
The description of your video is another important factor that Google considers when ranking your video. It provides more information about your video's content, purpose, and value proposition to Google and your viewers.
To optimise your video description for SEO, you should write a clear and concise summary of what your video is about and why people should watch it. You should also include relevant keywords, calls-to-action (CTAs), links, hashtags, and timestamps in your description. You can use tools like Yoast SEO or VidIQ to check the readability and SEO score of your description.
You should also follow Google's guidelines for writing meta descriptions and avoid spamming or misleading users.
Promote your videos
The last step to optimise your videos for SEO is to promote them and get more exposure and views. You can use various channels and strategies to spread the word about your videos and drive more traffic to your website or YouTube channel.
Some of the most effective ways to promote your videos are:
- Share your videos on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.
- Embed your videos on your website or blog posts and optimise them for speed and performance
- Email your videos to your subscribers or prospects and encourage them to watch and share them
- Collaborate with other influencers or creators in your niche and cross-promote your videos
- Use paid advertising or sponsored posts to boost your video reach and visibility
You can use tools like Google Analytics, YouTube Analytics, or VidIQ to measure the impact of your video promotion efforts and see what works best for your audience.
Conclusion
Video SEO is not a one-time thing. It's an ongoing process that requires constant testing, tweaking, and improvement.
By following these video SEO best practices, you can optimise your videos for SEO and rank higher on Google's search results pages. If you need help with creating and optimising your videos for SEO, you can contact us at james@slothfilm.com.
We are a professional video production company that specialises in creating high quality videos for businesses. We can help you with every aspect of video SEO, from keyword research to video promotion. We offer affordable prices and flexible packages that suit your needs and budget and are passionate about what we do and we always strive to exceed your expectations.
If you are interested in working with us, please get in touch with us. We would love to hear from you and discuss how we can help you create effective video content for your business.
