Video SEO in 2013: Why Now is the Time to Implement a Video Marketing Plan

Content marketing has become the new buzz in a post Penguin and Panda landscape. Guest posts, infographics and social media campaigns are just a few tactics have been enlisted to push sites up the listings. However, one medium is being underappreciated; one that just so happens to provide some of the most successful SEO results, and that is Video Video provides quality content that is easy to engage with and has fantastic social potential. In fact studies tell us that sites with video content are 53% more likely to gain page one status.

Despite this factor, few companies are incorporating video into their content marketing strategy, even though the sites that have harnessed video are seeing a much quicker climb up the search ranks. Google are integrating more varied types of content into their SERP's, meaning alternative options to text based content are more important than ever. So just why are videos such valuable tools to search engine rankings? Videos are fantastic tools to increase visibility because of how easy they are to share. The ability to squeeze such a large amount of information into a small and entertaining space makes them popular sharing choices across all platforms, including other websites, social media channels and blog posts.

Good quality relevant content will on its own create fantastic backlink opportunities. Videos are easy to engage with; they are quick and don't require a high concentration level. Therefore the click through rate on videos is 41% higher compared to text based content. With the improvement in smart phone's and tablets and the introduction of 4G technology, this number is set to rise, with high quality videos having the ability to be streamed anywhere, without the off putting buffering delay. Videos quite simply increase a user's time on site. Users are prone to skim reading text content, whereas videos are likely to be viewed in their entirety. Videos therefore increase a user's time on site by up to three minutes longer than text based content. A longer time onsite indicates a great user experience, a factor which is becoming ever more important to Google. With video being a major player but an underused tactic, 2013 is set to be the year video marketing became big. This is why you will see the best benefits if you implement a video marketing plan sooner rather than later. Below we have compiled some tips to help create a successful video marketing campaign.

Create a YouTube channel - As the second biggest Search Engine, YouTube is a huge influence. In fact 100 million You Tube users take social action on videos every week, just think of the sharing opportunities. There is also an option to add an 'associated website annotation' on your YouTube channel. This acts as a backlink straight to your website from any video you post, which will help with driving direct traffic to your site. Your account status must be in 'good standing' before You Tube will allow you to attach your site, this can be checked in your channel settings under the features tab.

Optimise your video - Just as you would with text based content, make sure you have performed the right keyword research in order to optimise title tags, meta description, and H1 tags. Apply this to both your own site and your You Tube channel, by optimising the summary box, this information is still vital to make sure your video appears in specific keyword searches. Make sure you use the term 'video' especially within title tags, so Google can promote your page as containing video content.

Add a transcript - Adding a transcript that is reader friendly to the page your video is posted on is vital. Google will index the script giving you the perfect opportunity to optimise more keywords, all the time improving your ranking position.

Create a Pinterest account - Pinterest refers more traffic than Twitter, Linked In and Google+ back to sites. Each video you 'pin' acts as a backlink to your website. Also Pinterest users follow more brands than users of Facebook or Twitter; this is a perfect opportunity to improve brand awareness, remember Google reward great branding.