You would think what I am about to share with you is top secret. I say that because the majority of people producing videos are not taking the extra effort to leverage video SEO to raise their rank in Google search. The Google Panda algorithm changes, it seems, almost daily and there is one thing that is clear. Producers have to include video content, that includes smart video SEO, with their posts to get a huge advantage to rank higher in Google search results. The reason most people aren’t leveraging video SEO is because it can be very time consuming. That is true, BUT if you take the time to fuel your efforts with the proper video SEO, your content will not only rise to the top in Google it will also pay dividends as you accumulate a bigger catalog of useful videos in your field.
It all starts with the keywords you are trying to rank for in Google search. Without identifying what keyword or words you are after, there is no video SEO that you can create that will matter without proper keyword assignment. The more long tail your keyword the better! As social becomes more prominent in search, you will want to use these same keyword principals with your posts on those networks in both the title and information fields.
Here’s a short video that highlights the key tips for using video seo to rank higher in Google Search…
Here is a step by step guide of how to load your video with the most effective video SEO to rank higher in Google Search:
Step 1: This step is ignored, big time, by many. You should title your actual file you are uploading to YouTube the same as your post that includes your keyword. You should use a dash between each word like I did for the video included with this blog: how-to-use-video-seo-to-rank-higher-in-google-search.mov.
Step 2: The video title should include your keyword or words that you are trying to rank for. It’s best practice to keep those keywords near the front of the title. I would suggest, as I did with this post, using the same title for your blog post as you do for your video.
Step 3: To get the most video SEO bang for your buck, I would suggest including your keyword(s) 2-3 times in your Youtube video description. This does not have to be a long description and I would recommend keeping it succinct. With every video you upload, you should also start each description with a complete URL (which could be short tail or long tail) to your domain. If you use the long tail link, you get even more SEO value as your keyword(s) are in that long tail link. So, I could simply put https://www.barnescreativestudios.com or for super video SEO value I would put https://www.barnescreativestudios.com/how-to-use-video-seo-to-rank-higher-in-google-search/ followed by a space then the description. See the example from the video embedded in this blog post:
https://www.barnescreativestudios.com/how-to-use-video-seo-to-rank-higher-in-google-search/ Video SEO is important if you want to leverage your efforts to rank high on Google. This video features tips and tricks to make sure all your video SEO is primed for success. Favorite this video and use it as a cheat sheet for how to use video SEO to rank higher in google search.
You also attach a call-to-action at the end of the description if that was a part of your strategy for that video.
Step 4: Add your YouTube keywords. These days these are becoming less important but you should still follow through as you may get a little bump from them. Start with your main keyword(s) then add a few other relevant keywords. Don’t go over 5-7. Here is an example of the keywords I chose for this video: video, seo, google, optimization, tips.
Step 5: Here is another one that no one takes the time to do but has serious video sep power attached…add a transcript! You want to be sure and follow Google’s rules when you are building your transcript or it won’t benefit you. Your transcript will be all searchable text inside Google and Google will also convert it to close captions with their technology built into YouTube! A freebie! To see the captions in action, click the “CC” on the above video player as you watch the video.
I can’t stress how important it is to follow their instructions to get the file set up perfectly before you upload it. Once you have your file, head over to your YouTube video manager and click the video title where you want to upload a transcript. Click “Captions”, then click “Upload caption file or transcript”. One important factor regarding your content, which becomes your transcript, is to be sure your keyword(s) are included in your actual content. It’s important when planning your content to include the keyword(s) so you are genuinely providing content centered around what you are trying to index for in Google search.
Step 6: If you are embedding the video in a blog post, write out a text intro above the video that includes your keyword(s). In my video above, you see this strategically placed: “Here’s a short video that highlights the key tips for using video seo to rank higher in Google Search…”
Step 7: If you are using WordPress for your blog, I would suggest investing in the Yoast video seo plugin which is awesome. It’s not a free plugin but well worth the investment if you produce a lot of videos.
Now you see why people skip out of adding the proper video seo to their videos. It takes time and thought! You will have an edge with your content by following these precise tips to get the proper video seo to rise to the top of Google!
