Yes, videos are good for SEO when used on your website and on video search platforms like YouTube.
When video is used on your business website, it helps to increase your visibility in search engines by enhancing your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in a number of different ways that we'll discuss later in this article.
Is Video Really Worthwhile?
The data would suggest that video is definitely a worthwhile investment.
In 2023 people are watching, on average, 17 hours of online video per week. Globally, people are watching around 84 minutes worth of videos every single day (DASH.app)
Using video in your website design & digital marketing isn't just about following trends, search engine rankings or creating compelling visuals. I
It's also about engaging your target audience, building trust/confidence in your brand and guiding your ideal customers towards doing business with you.
Video can help more of your ideal customers find your business online. Now, let's look at video production in the context of website SEO.
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What is SEO?
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the art and science of making your website more visible to search engines like Google.
Simply having a website these days is not enough for the majority of businesses. Think of the countless business websites out there competing for new customers online.
You need to ensure that your website is discoverable by the people who are looking for the products, services, or information you offer. That's where SEO comes into play.
Why Are Videos Good for SEO?
Placing relevant videos on your web pages will not only engage your potential customers but also help improve your rankings in the search results.
This is because website SEO involves various techniques including (but not limited to):
- Using the right keywords that people commonly type into search engines;
- Making it easy for users to find the information they need;
- Getting links to your pages from other reputable websites;
- Creating high-quality content.
Creating and publishing a relevant, high-quality video will actually tick all of these boxes.
Many Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Specialists agree that video production is a huge benefit to your website, your SEO and your ability to attract new customers/clients to your business.
"Video content is a powerful yet underutilised and undervalued marketing tool for many Australian businesses. Video is a must-have if you want to stand out online." - Michael Sherry | SEO Specialist at MSWD.
How Do Videos Improve SEO for Local Businesses?
To get the most out of your website and SEO, you need to harness the power of video production.
Here is how videos can directly influence and improve your website's search rankings and overall SEO:
1. Win More Visibility on Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs)
Videos are becoming more prominent in Google's search result pages on mobile and computers. Google presents videos in a carousel format to showcase related videos for many searches.
When it appears on mobile, the whole screen is taken up by the video carousel, and it can take a while to scroll past it.
These carousels show up for about one-third of searches and present a huge opportunity to get massive visibility for your brand.
2. Attain Rich Snippets in Google Search
Having videos on your site alongside the correct structured data markup can lead to Google displaying your videos as rich snippets and also getting into the video carousel mentioned above.
The video thumbnails that Google displays in the carousel or just in the organic search results will entice more clicks to your website and drive higher visibility for your brand.
The catch is, to take full advantage of this you need to have a video embedded on the target web page.
3. Naturally Attract More Backlinks
High-quality video content is shareable and link-worthy.
When others link to your videos, it not only expands your reach but also enhances your website's authority, contributing to improved search rankings.
When you've added your videos to a platform like YouTube, you can also place backlinks in the video description back to relevant pages on your website.
4. Increased Referral Traffic
Engaging videos have the potential to go viral or be shared on social media, on forums and on other websites driving more users to your site.
This referral growth in traffic not only expands your audience but also sends high-relevance signals to search engines about your content.
With higher relevance comes stronger search rankings.
5. Add Page Content with Video Transcriptions
Including accurate transcriptions of your video content makes your website more accessible to deaf users or visually impaired people who screen readers.
It also provides search engines with indexable text. This provides internal linking opportunities, allows your videos to rank for relevant keywords and improves the overall SEO of your page.
6. Possibility of Social Sharing
Compelling videos are highly shareable, increasing the likelihood of them being shared across social platforms.
This broader exposure can bring in more website visitors and social signals which may positively influence your search engine visibility.
7. Better Website User Experience (UX)
Videos enhance user experience, making your site more engaging and informative.
Improved UX leads to longer time spent on-site and repeat visits. This sends positive signals to search engines and turns more visitors into new leads/enquiries or direct sales for your business.
8. Added Benefits from the YouTube Search Engine
Leveraging YouTube's search engine can lead to a dual benefit. Optimizing videos for YouTube SEO not only enhances their visibility on the platform but can also drive traffic to your website through embedded videos, expanding your online presence.
The Benefits of Video for Your Website
Utilising videos on your website is great for SEO but it also has a range of other great benefits.
Lift Your Conversion Rates
Engaging video helps with building trust and authority which leads to higher conversion rates.
Whether it's signing up for a newsletter, submitting an enquiry form or making a purchase, relevant videos can quickly take users from research mode to buying from you.
Raising your website conversion rates is a real possibility and a crazy good advantage for your business.
Imagine your site is getting 1000 visitors a month and you're conversion rate is 2% - that means you're getting 20 conversions per month from that 1000 visitors.
If a couple of good videos could lift that conversion rate to 3%, that's an extra 10 conversions per month that you are now getting...and you're getting that extra 10 conversions each and every month.
Over time, that is an additional 120 conversions per year and it's quite significant. Don't sleep on website video.
Increased Customer Engagement
Videos are an engaging form of content and can help you present complex information about your product or service in an approachable way that is easy to understand.
If you can take complex information and break it down for your potential customers, they are going to view your brand as an industry expert. People are more likely to do business with brands (and people) they know, like and trust.
This increased engagement on your videos can also lead to longer time spent on your website, which is a metric that search engines value.
Generally speaking, the more time a user spends on your website during their session, the more likely they are to buy from you now or sometime in the future.
Improved Search Engine Rankings
We've covered it already but SEO had to be mentioned again.
Search engines (including Google) consider user engagement metrics when ranking websites.
Websites with engaging videos often rank higher due to increased user interaction, and longer time spent on the page.
In short, the general population prefers video content - so naturally, search engines will give priority to relevant web pages that contain original and helpful videos.
Diversified Website Content
Videos offer a refreshing change of pace from text-based content and still images. It's also a good way to keep your pages fresh, interesting and easy to understand.
Diversifying the media you use in your site content means you can appeal to a wider range of customers. Some people like to read, some like to watch videos and others will actually do both - it's about catering to everyone.
Offering your website visitors different options for consuming your content will increase the time they spend on your page, build your trust and authority and make them more likely to enquire about doing business with you.
Video Puts a Face to Your Business
One of the most significant advantages of using video is its ability to convey emotion, personality, and authenticity – elements that can be challenging to communicate through text and images alone.
Imagine walking into a physical store and being greeted by the friendly face of someone who's eager to help you solve a problem.
Video offers a similar experience on your website. It gives your brand a personality, a voice, and a face that potential customers can relate to and trust.
Want To Add Video to Your Marketing Strategy?
Video Production is one of the most effective marketing tools and we look forward to showing you how it can unleash the potential of your Gold Coast or Brisbane Business.
Caldwell Entertainment is a Gold Coast and Brisbane Video Production Company excelling in the conception, creation and delivery of high-quality video content.
Our Clients include some of the most recognisable brands both around the world and throughout Brisbane and the Gold Coast - Read our honest client reviews here.
Get in Touch
Contact us today to discuss your needs and get a quote. Alternatively, phone Steven Caldwell directly on 0410 835 683.