insider secrets to video seo for ecommerce sites
TRANSCRIPT
Secrets to Video SEO for eCommerce
Stephan SpencerCo-Author of The Art of SEO; Author of Google Power Search; Founder of Netconcepts
First Off... Who Am I?
• Author of Google Power Search &Co-author of The Art of SEO
• Founder of SEO agency Netconcepts• Sold Netconcepts to Covario in 2010• Lived in NZ for 8 yrs, returned to US in 2007• Invented an SEO technology called GravityStream• Launching an SEO training/coaching program at
ScienceofSEO.com
A Blog is an Asset
My daughter,blogger & SEO.$5 - $30 / daypassive income. Started when she was 14.
SEO: So simple even a child can do it!
Want this PowerPoint… in “Extended Edition”?
• With copious notes, already taken for you?• Text your name and email to (773) 639-1331
What Are Searchers Looking For?
• Keyword Research– “Target the wrong keywords & all your efforts will
be in vain.”• The “right” keywords are …
– Relevant to your business– Popular with searchers– Attainable for you to rank for
Keyword Research for Videos
Tools for brainstorming a seed list– YouTube Suggest– Google Suggest– Soovle
Tools to check popularity of keyword searches– YouTube Keyword Tool– Google Keyword Planner– Google Trends
YouTube Suggest
Google Suggest
Soovle
Soovle.com
Soovle.comSoovle.com
Soovle.com
YouTube Keyword Tool
www.youtube.com/keyword_tool
Google Keyword Planner
adwords.google.com/ko/KeywordPlanner/Home
Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner
Google Trends
www.google.com/trends
Be Remarkable!• Seth Godin’s definition of “remarkable”• Publish unique video-based content
– Podcasts (e.g. Rooster Teeth)– Screencasts (use Camtasia or Screenflow)– Microsites (e.g. Mentosintern.com)– Explainer videos (e.g. CrazyEgg, Dollar Shave Club)– Whiteboard drawings (e.g. RSA Animate)– Animation (e.g. Quantitative Easing Explained)
Leverage Power Users
• Seed linkworthy videos from power user accounts
• Social media marketing most effective when you have something viral to spread– memes
Video Content Building
• Must be compelling• Reinforce the message of your brand
around keywords to target• Use keyword research for brainstorming • Include a watermark to indicate its origin• Include links and references to your site
The Title
• Huge factor in convincing a user to view the video– Second only to the thumbnail
• Keyword-rich• Catchy • YouTube title tag limit = 62 characters
The Title
• Append your brand name at the end• Will help the videos in your channel to rank
when your brand is searched
The Description
• Keyword-rich• Unique & differentiated from competitors• Solid call-to-action • Link to your site
Tags
• Separate each tag with a comma• Use adjectives as well as category descriptors• Don’t use throwaway words like “and” & “to”• Do your keyword research• Tag list is capped at 120 characters. Make full use of
this.
Tags
• Set Privacy to “Public”.• If videos are set to “Unlisted”, only people
with the link can search for them• Additionally, select a “Category” for each
video
Annotations• Place near the end, inviting the
viewer to click to subscribe or suggesting another video
• Link selection button gives you option of making channel subscription link
• Promote channel or video across your library via “InVideo Programming” annotation tool
• Channel watermark = unobtrusive 1-click subscribe button
Location
• Add Location to videos associated with a location
• Allows the videos to show up in location-filtered search results
• Videos have been displayed in Google Maps at various times– May be exposed in Google+ updates
Thumbnails• Even more important
than the title for click-through!
• Search for your keywords to see thumbnail competition
• Verified users can upload a custom thumbnail!
• Appears in Google too
Formats
• Preferred format– e.g. .mov, .avi, or .wmv
• Offering multiple file formats? No SEO benefit• Make only one version visible to search
engines, offer them all to the users.
Length
• 5 minutes or less• “Write copy for your site. Then cut it in half.
Then cut it in half again” -Usability Expert Steve Krug
• % of a your video that users watch is key
Transcripts• Override YouTube’s
auto generated transcript with your own
• Foreign language translations
• dotSub or Automatic Synch
A transcript file must be saved as a plain text file without any special characters before it is uploaded.
Likes/Dislikes
• Allow users to like/dislike. Never disable.• Crucial part of getting user engagement
– Highly rated videos attract viewers
Video Link Building
• Get YouTube viewers engaged
• YouTube offers many social features such as comments, video replies, favorites, and likes
• Offer option to embed your videos in other people’s sites.
• End the videos with a “send to friend” option.
Video Link Building
• Syndicate your video using DropLoad• Reference in RSS or mRSS feeds.• When you include a URL in the video’s
description, YouTube will make it clickable, but NoFollowed.
• Consider a presence on hosted blogs– e.g. Wordpress.com, Blogger, Tumblr
• numbers of embeds factor into video rank• post on Twitter and Facebook
Anchor Text
• Use appropriate keywords in the name of the file and the title.
• Keyword-rich anchor text carries a lot of weight.
• Focus on keywords the videos are about.
Measuring Success in YouTube
• Measure and track your videos’ YouTube search and engagement rankings
• Use tools like Voot and YouTube Insights
YouTube Analytics
Voot
• Surprisingly, you can glean some insight on your competitors’ videos simply by clicking on the graph icon next to the number of views. Chances are your competitors weren’t savvy enough to turn that off to keep their competition from viewing their stats.
Hide Your Stats
• Disable and hide your videos’ stats
• Uncheck the box “make statistics and data for my videos publicly visible by default” under “Privacy” settings.
• Or click the graph icon below your video
Q&A• What can you do tomorrow that will improve your
video SEO? Write down 3 things!• To contact me: [email protected]• Follow me on Twitter: @sspencer• To get the EXTENDED EDITION of this slide deck, a
beta invite to Voot, a whitepaper on SEO myths, a how-to on getting higher rankings in YouTube’s search engine, and the link building chapter of my book The Art of SEO, e-mail [email protected] or text your first name and email to (773) 639-1331.