The numbers are in, and online digital video is an unstoppable tidal wave of captivating content. According to the statistics, TV and radio are steadily falling, and online video is aggressively climbing.
Search Engine Optimization and VIDEO
SEO helps capture the attention of those looking for any type of content, not only video. Ideally, it will bring your videos to the first page of results in a search engine query. To improve SEO, publishers need to:
• Create a title for the video that is as compelling as a print headline and includes relevant keywords.
• Add tags to the video that represent likely search terms your audience will use.
• Write a description that is relevant, easy to read and includes common keywords, all of which help search engines index the content.
• Transcribe the content for closed captioning. The transcript may not be visible to viewers unless they click to reveal it, but search engines crawl through transcripts and the text helps them make better decisions about how high to rank a given video.
• Build a video sitemap that can be submitted to search engines—which is another way to help them locate and
index video content.
• Maximize the number of videos available on your site, which helps search engines index content continuously.
This last point is the most important: “High quantity is an absolutely critical factor for improving SEO performance,” says the director of analytics for a large business news organization.
“If you offer one video, your chances of reaching a hundred thousand views is significantly lower than if you offer hundreds of videos. Volume builds relevance and drives organic search traffic.”
Providing a significant quantity of video content can feel daunting. But producing all video content in-house is not typical, even for the largest publishers. That is why our firm offers a robust and complete set of services for great Boston Video Production.
In the same way that newspapers license print and photography, digital properties can license video content to augment original content.
Content Networks & Video
Content networks are third-party providers that publishers can leverage to drive audience. (Two of the biggest in the U.S. are Outbrain and Taboola, both of which are expanding internationally.) As part of an audience acquisition strategy, publishers can send these content networks a feed of video assets. The content network then uses algorithms to determine where these videos can be placed on other partner sites for recommended viewing.
Recommendations typically appear alongside original hosted video content on sites, and publishers pay per click. Depending on the cost per click (CPC), publishers can use content networks to promote all content or select clips. Content networks can also be employed to make any site’s internal video recommendations more precisely targeted.
Social Networks & Video
Videos are some of the most frequently shared items on social networks.
Promoting video content on the social networks strengthens your brand, extends your influence among current viewers and builds your credibility as a digital video provider.
People are more likely to share your digital video content, which increases the chances that you can captivate a consumer, and create a sale or strengthen your value proposition.
Managing social networks successfully requires a concerted effort by a focused group.
According to Bloomberg (who releases over 3500 videos every month) here are some best practices publishers can follow to help audiences find engaging digital video content within their social properties that will encourage likes, comments and sharing:
• Post and share noteworthy videos on a variety of networks, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and popular regional networks.
• Post throughout the day, not just one time, to maximize exposure.
• Post content that is relevant to the network. For example, LinkedIn users will be more attuned to business-related content than Facebook users.
• Enable sharing for posted videos and make sure videos link back to your site.
• Use analytics to find out which videos are performing well and refine your approach accordingly.
From Acquisition to Retention
To retain the audience you’re building, publishers can use a number of proven approaches, according to the director of analytics for a large business news organization. Specifically, publishers may want to:
• Make video an integral part of the site experience with a home page video module. This helps cultivate loyal users who return daily for new video content.
• Embed video within news stories. Story integration helps audiences discover relevant content more readily.
• Rotate a selection of video clips based on how well audiences are reacting to them. Analytics-driven content keeps your sites fresh and focused.
• Create dedicated video pages that automatically serve up more video content. Autoplaying content helps reduce the risk of early exit.
• Offer recommendations based on viewing history to create an attractive path for viewers to follow. Visitors who are unsure what to do are more likely to disengage.
sources: Bloomberg Media