How to optimise your videos for search

By Josh Locke, Content Manager at Extramile Digital

The rise of video content is largely because it sells, engages, and educates. But we’ve now reached the point where strategic video content can play a significant role in your SEO strategy to boost visibility on Google. You’ll have noticed that Google shows videos in its search results, and you might wonder how you can get featured in this valuable SERPs spot.

Here are my tips on how to create engaging video content that will rank in search engines:

Know your audience

Before you even hit record, think about your target audience. What vocabulary do they use? What are their pain points? What questions do they have?  By understanding their search intent, you can tailor your video content to their specific needs. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to create truly helpful and educational videos that are exactly what your target audience is looking for.

Title it like a click-worthy cliffhanger

Your video title is like a film trailer — it has to grab people’s attention enough to make them click on the video. Craft a title that’s informative, intriguing, and uses strategic keywords. For example, “5 video hacks that will boost your SEO” or “The secret weapon of B2B video marketing (it’s not what you think!)”.

The details matter

Imagine spending hours on a video only to watch it get uploaded to YouTube and given a mere sentence in the description, or even worse, no description at all. The description is your chance to expand on that title and give viewers a sneak peek into your video’s content. Briefly explain what the video covers, pepper in some keywords (naturally!), and add a call to action—tell viewers what you want them to do after watching, like subscribe to your channel or visit your website.

The eye-catching ace up your sleeve

When Google shows video results in generic search result pages, it also shows the video thumbnail. This gives you an edge over regular search results because you have an opportunity to draw their attention with a graphic. Your video’s title and description are also displayed as part of this search result.

Think of your thumbnail as your video’s cover art. It needs to be visually compelling and accurately represent your content. Use high-quality images, bold text, and clear messaging to make viewers hit that play button before they scroll down another inch.

Jump right in

Position the hook of your video right at the start to get your viewers invested within the first few seconds, even if you jump to a general introduction after this. Once someone knows they’ve found the video they need, they’ll stick with it until they get what they came for. 

Use chapters

If your content requires more time, consider creating a series of shorter videos or using chapters to provide a more concise breakdown of your content. Google can promote the chapter that is most relevant for the viewer.

To create chapters on your YouTube video, follow these steps:

• Sign in to YouTube Studio

• From the left menu, select Content

• Click the video that you’d like to edit

• Click SHOW MORE 

• Under Automatic chapters, select ‘Allow automatic chapters and key moments (when available and eligible)’

• Click SAVE

Surprise, surprise, you need to optimise

Use every opportunity YouTube gives you to signpost your video to its relevant audience. Use tags, categorise your video correctly, and consider adding captions and transcripts to improve accessibility and searchability. Remember, many people want to watch videos with the sound off if they can.

Promote your masterpiece

Don’t just upload your video and hope for the best. Any good content strategy agency would tell you to share it on social media, embed it on your website and collaborate with other channels to expand your reach.

I’ll be back at some point with another blog on optimising your social media videos for search, so give us a follow on social media so you don’t miss it! Similarly, if you are looking for some corporate videography for your B2B business, we can help you.