Website Video

Consider the following:

  • YouTube is now the third most popular website on the internet.
  • Facebook (the second most popular site) now has a YouTube application.
  • Google (the number one site) indexes video for search engine optimization.
  • Because new video is available every day, search engines check for video content more frequently.

A society in a hurry

Let's face it; in this fast-paced world our attention spans are shorter than ever. When looking for answers, your customers want easy, succinct information - not pages of text. It has been shown that people will overwhelmingly choose a video over text, even if it takes the same amount of time to watch as to read. Conversely, people will spend hours perusing videos even after they find what they are looking for.

By offering short videos on your site, you will surge ahead of your competition.

Reach customers you may never have found before

One of the best aspects of video is that it can span cultures. The internet itself has created a global culture - one that video speaks to more than anything else. Since anyone may share your video through other social media veins, your product or service may be seen by exponentially more people than your static website would ever have attracted. This means that you definitely want to add video as part of your search engine optimization efforts so that your brand will get exposure to new markets.

Now that many mobile devices are capable of streaming videos, your content could land in new hands anywhere, any time.

What makes a good video?

There are many angles you can take to get your message out to the masses. Give your viewers an experience rather than a pitch. The more creative, the better - but keep in mind what you do and why you do it.

Yes, funny or quirky commercials may go viral - but a well done how-to video establishes your credibility and offers a value that your current and potential customers will appreciate (and share!).

What makes your product or service stand out from the rest? A short video will shout where pages of text would only whisper.

What makes good video optimization?

  • You want your video to be short (less than five minutes), relevant and informative. It absolutely must be original.
  • Ensure that your logo appears in the video either as a corner watermark or on a splash at the beginning and/or end.
  • Give your video a catchy title that gets people interested in clicking on the link no matter where it may appear. Remember to tag your video just as you would any content and offer social media optimization so that others may link back to it. Provide interactivity by allowing visitors to rate your video.
  • Make sure you establish link loops - for instance, if you upload your video to YouTube, make sure you also have a link back to your site. Go one step further and provide the code so that they may embed your video on their blogs or related sites.
  • Always ensure your videos are fully accessible by providing transcripts. This text serves the dual purpose of adding more searchability to your site and enabling everyone to enjoy what you have to say no matter what their physical abilities.

The most popular and easily optimized videos are:

  • How-to
  • Testimonials
  • Branding
  • Promotional
  • New product launches

You may wish to include one of every type as part of your marketing plan.

Videos are cost-effective

Truth be told, we are in the midst of a fortunate surge of technology that enables you to create your own videos quickly and inexpensively. In fact, you may already have the tools on hand. All you need is a good product and a little imagination!