If you pay any attention to the world of SEO, you know that things have changed quite a bit in the last few years. Tactics that could once skyrocket you to top rankings can now get you banned from SERPs. It’s no longer about how many links you can build. Algorithms are becoming more and more advanced, rewarding sites with quality content that acquire links naturally over time.
Most people immediately think of text when they hear the words, “quality content,” but text alone isn’t the best SEO strategy. Sure, awesome blog posts and informative white papers and eBooks are important, but if you’re leaving video out of your SEO strategy, or if you are using video but aren’t making it a top priority, you are missing a huge piece of the puzzle. When you properly develop a video strategy for SEO, it can make a significant impact on your results.
The first step in developing a video strategy for SEO is to define your goals. Most people have the same goals when embarking on a SEO journey: gain links, have your content shared on social media, and increase conversions.
Using Videos for Link Building
You may be wondering how on earth you could create videos for your business that people will want to share on social media. But a well-crafted video can generate hundreds or even thousands of social shares and natural links. The key is not to approach the video with links in mind. That seems counterintuitive since that’s one of the main reasons you’re working with video. But like all quality content, you have to create video with your audience in mind. If you provide something extremely useful or entertaining, your fans and followers will undoubtedly share it.
Dollar Shave Club is a relatively new startup with a simple concept: men hate shopping for razors. When you join Dollar Shave Club, razors show up at your door. By the time your current razor needs to be replaced, a new one is waiting for you. You never have to run to the store in search of razors or blades. Seems like a great idea, but when the company started, nobody knew about them or cared about them. And besides, how to you make razors fun, interesting, and worth sharing?
Like this:
This video became a viral sensation and even won “Best Out-of-Nowhere Video Campaign” at the 2012 AdAge Viral Video Awards. The press coverage and natural links that flooded the website created instant SEO success. Don’t believe it? Majestic SEO, a free backlink discovery tool, shows this increase in backlinks to Dollarshaveclub.com over time:
Not everyone is going to strike link-building gold like Dollar Shave Club with one video. But if you take the time to plan something that is creative and genuine, that speaks to your audience and highlights your company’s unique brand, you can successfully create a link buzz.
You can help your viewers along by making it easier for them to share your content. A solid video strategy for SEO should include share and like buttons on each video. Don’t make people go to the extra trouble of copying links in order to share. If all they have to do is click one button to like or share, viewers are more likely to do it, and you’ll gain more traction
Using Videos to Increase Conversions
The main purpose of SEO is to increase rankings. But if you increase your search rankings and don’t get any conversions out of it, was it really worth it? Video is a great way to convert visitors once they find you.
Evernote recently launched Skitch, a picture editing tool. Rather than take 800 words to try and explain how it works, they created this video and popped it on the Skitch landing page:
The video is far more effective at showing the myriad ways users can take advantage of the product, and probably made a huge impact on conversion rates. Demo videos and instructional videos are great ways to capture visitors and lead them down the next step of your funnel.
Planning Your Video Strategy for SEO is Pivotal
As you can see, video can serve two important functions for SEO – sharing and converting. But planning your video strategy for SEO can mean the difference between viral success and epic failure. It’s important to know your purpose before you begin. Is your hope to generate links from your video, or is it to convert users once they find you? A good video strategy for SEO will incorporate videos that can piggyback off of one another and do both.
Some companies have shied away from video because they think it’s too expensive or too big of a gamble. Good video isn’t always cheap, but when it’s produced well and properly strategized, the ROI can be exponential. And it doesn’t always have to be super flashy or full of effects in order to be effective. Follow the example of Dollar Shave Club and Evernote: have a purpose, put your best features forward, and show your personality. The links and conversions will eventually follow.
What are some of your favorite successful online videos?