The Web is overwhelmingly addicted to online video content. Cisco forecasts online video traffic comprising 82% of all IP traffic by 2022. In the stat’s regards, creators forgoing SEO video marketing face obscurity.
Here’s the kicker: There’s no excuse why your brand shouldn’t explore video.
Video creation is easier-than-ever thanks to inexpensive video cameras and editing programs. The camera in your smartphone is often enough to create engaging videos. Even YouTube offers a free editing suite in its platform!
Video and SEO happen once you embrace the “something is better than nothing”. It’s overcoming your fright of being on camera and perfection. Those saying, “Yes, I’m ready!” keep reading because you’re about to learn how it’s done.

Why SEO Video Marketing Matters
Consider this: YouTube is the 2nd most used website and shares the same rank as a search engine. Yes, a search engine! YouTube is where many begin their discovery — appearing there has similar effects to the top 10 in Google.
Let’s not discount the 1-billion videos viewed on YouTube each day, either.
YouTube benefits are too good to pass — they include:

Presenting a face to your brand
Tapping the massive user base
Creating new marketing funnels
Building bigger brand awareness
Integrating with promo efforts

Video content is also among the most shared viral content types. A well-received video could change your business overnight! Given YouTube’s insane traffic, your efforts may prove more fruitful than written blogs alone.
Convinced yet? Let’s explore what you’ll do.
How to Create and Optimize Videos for YouTube
Your video SEO efforts do better when the content is good, that’s a given. Aim for high-quality videos covering in-demand topics. Read your audience and deliver what they want by looking at video stats and analytics.
Likewise, spend as much as you need for great video and sound quality. The mix of good content choice and video fidelity will boost engagement. The engagement is what you’re aiming for since this is one of the biggest SEO signals.
Now, let’s get into the video SEO techniques and strategies you’ll use.
1. Do Your Research
YouTube keywords are similar but different from those used in Google. Remember how YouTube is a search engine? Use its search features for topic and keyword discovery — type in your query and take notes!
Look how others use keywords:

Let YT autosuggest keywords in the search bar
Sort videos by ‘Most Popular’ with the given keyword
Look at the creator’s keyword placement

Use this time to make a list of creators in your space and follow them. The list keeps a tab on their efforts and shows content gaps between their channel and yours. The content gap is the missing topics yet covered — giving you an advantage if you choose to cover these items.
2. Define Your Goals
Consider the video content type and how it relates to user intent:

Informative
Sales and marketing
Brand awareness
Internal resources

Your keyword selection often reveals the user intent by way of its topic. Create a spreadsheet and brainstorm a dozen ideas for each category. Then, define the direction and call-to-action used in these video types.
Examples would include tutorial or explainer videos for informative pieces. Or, reviews and product overviews for sales videos.
When knowing the intent you can:

Define where the video gets shared/embedded
Who you’ll work with for its promotion (influencers)

You can also use a tool like mySimpleShow to start creating whiteboard and animation videos through a simple drag and drop platform. There is no need to create your own videos, audios, or even being a coder or video producer.

3. Keep Viewers Engaged
YouTube wants users spending a lot of time on their site. The longer users engage the better chance it shows positive ranking signals.
You can increase video engagement by doing the following:

Create video around interesting topics
Including video transcripts (they’ll linger while reading)
Use enticing thumbnails to boost clicks/views
Interlink videos on the platform and resources on your site
Ask for comments, subscribes, and shares

Aim at creating longer videos, too, if the topic supports it. Longer videos keep viewers hooked and could spur comments (and shares).
4. Wrap It with Content
Give your video a boost by embedding it on a page featuring relevant information. Examples include a product review on a product page. Or, crafting a video in tandem to a blog post either covering everything or acting as support.
Here’s what you can do:

Convert a popular post into a video
Optimize the video on YouTube
Embed the video back onto the page

Worry less about technicals like keeping it above the fold and more about its context. Give visitors a reason to stop and view the video by calling out its value in the content leading up to the embed.
5. Apply the Optimization
Apply optimization strategies to YouTube pages as you would your site:

Place keyword(s) in the title, description, and tags
Include a transcript or let YT transcribe for added content
Add videos to catchy-titled playlists

Refer to your YouTube research for the keyword selection. Front-load the keyword in the title and early on in the description. Use secondary and long-tail keywords, too, if they add value to the video’s description.
You should take this time to craft an engaging channel about page, too. Fill the basics like channel description, details, and contact. Give people a reason to subscribe so they’ll return with each published video!
6. Get It Promoted
Invest in the video’s promotion as if it were a product:

Share it across your social channels
Tap influencers for mentions and shares
Interlink videos on popular platforms
Send the video URL to the newsletter
Promote it through paid advertising

To learn more about any of these methods and to see what’s working best for others, view this list of top influencers on YouTube. They don’t have millions of subscribers just out of luck. They actually know what they are doing when it comes to online video, and how to get viewers to click, like, and share.
The promotion satisfies two things:

Gets more views and potential shares
Provides feedback for new video ideas

Promoting like a product commands more commitment vs jumping to the next project. You’ll maximize the video’s potential and reach. This extra effort could turn viral — giving you a break in the industry!

Video Killed the Blog Star (Don’t Let It Be You)
Blogging has been the vehicle for business promotion for many years. Yet, this is changing as brands double-down on SEO video marketing. The Web has spoken and they want video content — will you deliver?
Don’t wait any longer nor overcomplicate the video creation process. Set up, press record, and shoot a video. Create something and use it when applying the video SEO strategies in this post.
Ready to take the next step in video production? Read our YouTube channel guide to grow with video content like you never imagined!
The post SEO Video Marketing: How to Approach Video SEO and Optimization in 2019 appeared first on Zac Johnson.
Source: Zac Johnson