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How Does Video Help With SEO – Outlining the Importance of Video in SEO

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Article Overview

Wondering how video can help with your SEO and its importance in your overall marketing strategy? There is direct evidence that YouTube marketing can help directly with your SEO rankings, and it does play a massive part in driving qualified leads and website traffic. Videos indexed by Google, in many cases, will appear above the organic search results, which is why you should consider videos as part of your overall SEO strategy.

So how does video help with SEO? And, what role does video have in helping your online visibility and SEO rankings?

In this article, I look at the importance of video in your click-through rates. And why pages with videos have more than a 50% chance of ranking on page 1 of Google.

How often have you landed on a web page to see a cool-looking video? Of course, you’re going to click on it. Videos are visual and exciting and make content so much more digestible. It makes browsing the internet so much easier, so pages with videos will probably rank higher.

How Does Video Help With SEO

Why do videos help with SEO?

Well, it’s about time spent on your website and consumer engagement. Let’s break this down into layman’s terms. Google wants to display appealing pages full of relevant, informative information. If someone lands on your website and actively spends time browsing the site and clicking on videos, Google will note this. The longer they are on your site, and the more time they spend watching, the lower the bounce rates and the higher the engagement—a great formula for SEO success.

For this reason, some companies spend an absolute fortune on slick video presentations. You can see how Google has taken this up by displaying rich snippet content at the top of the search results during this COVID pandemic. All you need to do is Google ‘ COVID Vaccine’, and the first results are all pages with videos.

For other businesses, videos are a quick and easy way to sell your product or service. Look at what Bunnings have done here with their ‘ how to install a roller blind’. It’s a highly searched term, and if you Google the keywords ‘ how to install roller blinds’ this video comes up # 1. It’s top promotion and a fantastic way to drive traffic to you’re website. A tradie does it, so it looks authentic, trustworthy, and above all, it’s a quick watch.

videos and SEO example
You can see how videos directly correlate with your SEO Google rankings.

You could apply video content to so many businesses to help with rankings. Think about travel, legal advice, insurance, health, home improvements, etc. Think about this statistic: web pages with videos have over a 50% click-through rate, and competitive online space is a huge advantage. You want people to see you’re video, and you want them to watch as much as they can.

All you need to do is create a YouTube channel for your business and post the videos. Once done, use the link to insert it into your post or article.

Is video a good SEO Option?

Most definitely, and as we move into 2023, Google will emphasise the user experience more. Gone are the days when all you had to do to rank a website was pop a few keywords on a page and create some nifty backlinks. Google now wants quality over and above anything else. Some business owners may think they don’t have the time, skill or expertise to create slick video content like Bunnings has done. But, the reality is apparent, and we can see what Google wants for its users.

Another interesting statistic regarding click-through rates is that videos have five times higher engagement rates. Now that is something that should be mouth-watering to most businesses wanting to get more sales and inquiries. It’s a straightforward exercise, and your video can be live to a broad audience immediately if you have a decent camera on your phone. Also, think about the social media aspect of posting these videos to the likes of Instagram & Facebook. Essentially, by adding a simple video to your content, you are improving your online visibility massively.

Video in Google search results

Google displays more video thumbnails, carousels, and videos in its search results right at the top of the page. These video snippets are becoming more popular, and users are getting used to seeing these types of developments in the SERPs. It’s human nature to click on a video rather than scroll through a long page of copy and text; Google knows this all too well.

Neil Patel has a great read about the relationship between videos and SEO in his article The Secret Guide to VSEO: Video SEO where he says If used correctly, video can be an extremely powerful form of content and make a significant contribution to your overall SEO strategy, in more ways than one.

Research has recently shown that over half of Google searches now have video carousels. For those who don’t know, a video carousel is a whole bunch of videos you can scroll through that are relevant to your search query. There are about ten videos in the carousel, with the 3 most popular ones displaying first before you have to scroll.

Since 2017 Google has evolved its search algorithm to include these carousels, and you will start to see these play a more prominent role in the search results.

What is YouTube’s role in search results?

Everyone knows YouTube, the second most popular search platform in the world. And, for those who don’t know this, Google owns YouTube. Simply put, Google has a massive slice of the search market. So, posting videos on YouTube will directly correlate with the search results.

As the owner of YouTube, Google will prioritise ranking YouTube videos over rival platforms. 97% of videos on Google are from YouTube, and the other 3% are from platforms like Vimeo.

It’s worth noting that videos hosted on YouTube will inevitably rank higher on Google’s search results. In fact, according to Oberlo, According to the latest YouTube statistics, the video-sharing platform has 2.6 billion users worldwide as of 2022 (Statista, 2022). Many people are tuning into YouTube daily, opening the door for serious video marketing for your business.

How does video help with SEO?

It’s a lot to get your head around but let me break it down for you. Google wants only to put the most relevant, trustworthy and easy-to-digest websites on page 1. They want sites that are also graphical (including videos) and, in some cases, entertaining. Now, ask yourself this question as you look at your website; ‘does my site have any of these variables?’ If not, you might have to do something about it, but that’s for another discussion.

If your web page has exciting video content that people are watching, perhaps referring to another person to watch and actively spending time on your site, then Google will treat this as a positive sign. Combine this with quality content, and you will appear higher in the SERPs.

A point to note here is that you can’t just produce any video and hope this will do the trick. Your video must be informative, entertaining and have a specific value and intent. An effort is required to get a great-looking video that will keep people glued to it. The more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. Simple as that! But remember, this point video can also work against you if it does not satisfy the user’s search query. If they land on your web page and leave the page after watching your video, this can adversely affect rankings. I continually encourage clients to create YouTube videos for their business, like our friends at Blu Label LIfe, who try to create at least 1 YouTube video every 3 months, like the example below.

Summary

Video and its role with click-through rates and consumer engagement will play an invaluable part as we progress into 2023 & 24. We see the trend already, and the likelihood of it continuing is certain.

Video content will increase the value of your website and your online visibility. Videos and their role in SEO are intertwined and not isolated and should therefore be part of your marketing strategy.

If you’d like to learn more about video content and SEO, get in touch with the SEO specialists at SEO Sydney Experts. With an enthusiastic, proactive team of SEO experts, we’ll help you realise the full potential of what’s possible online. Call us on (02) 9360 8514.

steven waldberg - ceo seo sydney experts

About the author

Steven Waldberg

Steven is the director of SEO Sydney Experts and is one of the founding members ( that’s over 18 years ago). He has one of the longest careers in the SEO and content marketing industry and has written for many prestigious websites, including B & T and AdNews. If you’re serious about working with someone who will dedicate 100% of himself to your business; Steven is your SEO Expert.

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