SEO Checklist for Video Marketing

Nowadays, more marketers have been switching their marketing strategies using videos. The reason is that videos are more engaging than other types of content marketing and most people watch videos for a quick explanation. 

Not to mention, videos make up 82% of the internet traffic this year. That means many internet users will search for video content to gain information. 

Video marketing is now a must-have marketing technique if brands want to reach out to a wider audience.

However, creating marketing videos isn’t simple. You don’t record a thing and call it a day if you don’t know how this strategy works. Video marketing requires more than shooting a clip. You’ll need a video marketing checklist to succeed. This includes considering the SEO part of a video. 

SEO helps your videos get discovered quickly on the search engine. Landing on Google’s and YouTube’s first page means more traffic and views to your content. And more views would also mean a higher opportunity to get customers. 

Here are the SEO checklists you should work on for your videos. 

1. Include Keywords on Title and Description 

When it comes to SEO, keywords are essential to make your content get crawled easier. It also applies to video searches.

Make sure to optimize your metadata information, that includes title, description, thumbnail, and tags. Listed below are some aspects you should keep in mind when optimizing your video’s title and description:

• The video title should be 55 characters or less
• The video description should be 155 characters or less
• Make a compelling and enticing title
• Make the video title relevant to the content

It’s better to research keywords to match your target audience. You can use Google Trends or any other platform to find out what queries users are searching for.

If you’re a newcomer and don’t have many audiences, it’s also recommended to make your keywords specific. For example, rather than using ‘Recruitment Dashboard,’ you can use ‘Recruitment Dashboard template Excel’

2. Include a Captivating Thumbnail

Video thumbnails are also important and can affect your search ranking. An eye-catching thumbnail can make users stop and click on your video.

Here is a list of aspects that you need to consider when creating a thumbnail for your video.

• Include enticing text
• Add pictures relevant to your content
• Pay attention to the color contrast of your thumbnail
• Create a design for a small screen
• Use font styles that can be easily read by users

3. Use Tags to Increase Ranking by Suggested Video

SERP ranking is not the only way to get your video viewed by many users. You can also get viewers when your video appears as a suggested video.

When you play a video on YouTube, there will be a suggested video on the sidebar. Those videos are considered similar to the one you’re watching.

To make your video appear as a suggested video, you could use the same tags or similar ones as used in other videos, given that these other videos correlate to your video. The best way to do it is by using the same or similar tags with videos that correlate to yours.

4. Provide Captions and Video Transcripts

Providing captions and transcripts can be winning points for your video marketing strategies. It can serve broader reader preferences. Moreover, it helps your content appear in Google searches.

Video transcriptions can strengthen your SEO just like any other text-based content. Moreover, it’s very helpful for people who watch a video in public spaces. They’re more likely to watch videos with sound off and substitute it with subtitles.

5. Analyze Data Using YouTube Analytics Statistics

YouTube provides a tool for you to analyze your video’s performance. To access this tool, go to your Creative Studio and choose YouTube Analytics. Once you dive in, you will discover the number of views, likes/dislikes, shares, additions to the playlist, and the average watch time of your video.

Not only that, but you can also find out your most-watched video and get more information on that, such as locations, traffic sources, regions, and gender. After analyzing your video, you can create new videos according to the data and optimize existing videos.

6. Post and Share on Many Platforms

When talking about marketing videos, YouTube isn’t the only place to get popularity from. You can also submit your video on any other platforms that you wish. Other social media platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin, are also promising to get your content recognized by a mass of people.

A video also works great on a landing page. So, make sure to include one to boost your SEO, traffic, and conversions. However, keep in mind that video formats might be different from one platform to another. It’s recommended to make your video suitable for the targeted platform and audience.

Last Bit of Tips

SEO is very essential when it comes to video marketing. If you don’t apply the right SEO strategy, your marketing video won’t perform well, no matter how flattering your video is. Another focal point is to make a killer strategy, including researching and analyzing the keywords for your SEO. 

Those six SEO checklists can be your starting point and guidance for a well-performed marketing video that leads to higher traffic and conversion. The process might not be instant, but the result will be worth every effort you make.