Thursday, March 20, 2008

How To Optimize Online Videos For Search Engine Optimization

Online videos are, in comparison to an article, devoid of the common search engine optimization techniques that most webmasters take advantage of. You can't exactly target specific keywords with a video- or any at all- since search engines can't crawl a video's content.

But before you give up on online video marketing altogether, know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. All you need is three things: creativity, a determined mindset, and the perseverance needed to succeed in online video marketing.

Why Market With Online Videos, Anyhow?

You're probably asking yourself why anyone would want to market with a video, if they don't carry the SEO benefit of a lengthy article. The simple answer: every forthcoming generation has an increasingly decreased attention span of the one before it. You'll notice that fewer and fewer Internet users prefer a good read over a flashy video that can achieve the same thing in less time and with more entertainment.

Online videos also offer a one on one perspective with the service or product that the video is in relation to. What strikes you as more compelling: a Super Bowl ad, or a billboard on the side of the road? Of course the Super Bowl ad would influence a decision more, as a direct result of the persuasion that comes from sound, movement, and of course those subliminal messages that commercial creators love to use.

So How Do I Optimize My Online Video For Search Engines?

To get your video out and about on the Internet, you'll have to follow some of the typical rules that normal content follows. The golden rule in this case: put as much content, keywords, and effort into each and every website that you can.

In our case we have less to work with, but this doesn't mean we are down and out. Add Title tags to the video, and make use of descriptions and comments as well. You'll notice that most online video sharing websites have areas where users can upload lengthy descriptions this is great for search engine crawlers! Comments also tend to add a little weight to websites, given that they are relevant and aren't spam comments.

But as most Google experts will tell you, great content isn't always the only thing you need to get ahead in rankings. To get noticed by Google you need backlinks which are simply links from other sites that point to a page on your website. Pointing these backlinks to a specific video will enable Google to both crawl and assign rank to your pages faster, and hopefully assign high rank as a result of good link building.

Final Thoughts on Video Marketing and Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization is a large business on the Internet, and it's no wonder that the services of big-name SEO companies are starting to pour out into video marketing. If you can get a tight grip on the next killer viral marketing video, investing in search engine optimization methods will multiply profits from the increase in visitors. And as visitors increase, so do sales of services or products.

But as we said earlier, one of the three things needed is perseverance. Don't be surprised if you don't get ranked highly on your first attempt. If all else fails, ask for a consulting company to quote your company on an SEO job and be prepared to watch the sales come in from the next big hit in attention-grabbing marketing.

Video marketing and video search optimization service.

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