When most small businesses think of SEO, the main focus of most of the efforts is on the website. However, as much as content for your website is still your top priority, there’s no need to limit yourself to just website content. Improving search results can now be done with maps, business listings, tweets, Facebook fan pages, and even videos.
There are a lot of ways videos can be used to boost your rankings. One of these is creating a YouTube channel. Not only can you post videos on the site, the videos are also tagged and indexed, which makes it so much easier for your business name to come up on natural searches.
Here are four basic steps you need to do when starting a YouTube channel.
First Step: Come Up With Video Topics
The main freak-out factor for those thinking of making videos for YouTube is the thought of nobody watching their videos. There’s no need to think that way when you do what’s necessary to ensure you get a decent amount of viewers.
Like almost anything with SEO, content is king. When thinking of topics for your videos, you also need to follow the same basic line that you use when placing content in your site. Mix promotional with informational, and add a dash of entertainment. Your viewers will appreciate videos that can help them know more about your product, how to fix it when it breaks, and what other useful ways it can be used.
To engage your viewers more, it is also a great idea to share your expertise on things not just exclusive to your product. Think wider and come up with videos on how-tos, useful tips, and FAQs.
For instance, if your business is selling wines, you can create videos that give more info on how your wine is manufactured. Or you can also give out tips on how to choose the perfect wine for the perfect meal.
Second Step: Record
After brainstorming some ideas, you can then start recording your videos. There’s no need to have a professional camera guy involved. All you need is a decent camera and outstanding material. It can even help to have the video look like it wasn’t done by a professional. The less commercial look your video has, the more viral the appeal it has on the viewers.
Remember to prepare a list of things or important notes you need to point out on the video. No need to create a script; a basic outline is fine.
Since the main focus of your videos will be on tips or advice, you can do the product marketing at the start and end of your video. Plug your product and don’t forget to put a link that directs to your website on the video. This way, when your viewers’ interest is peaked, they can just easily click a link.
Third Step: VSEO Your Video
Now that the recording is done, the next step is to upload the video on YouTube. The process asks for you to give a title to your video, then a description, then tags. Here’s the basic guide to the process:
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Title. When creating a title for your YouTube video, keep in mind the keywords you’re using for your website SEO and the main topic of your video.
For instance, your business is cakes and pastries and you’ve just created a video on how to bake chocolate chip cookies. And ‘cookies’ is one of the keywords you’re using for SEO. In this case, your title should mention your keyword twice; like this: “Chocolate Chip Cookies – The Easiest Guide to Baking Chocolate Chip Cookies”.
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Description. There should be a link back to your site included in the beginning of your description, then a short paragraph that uses your keyword and topic of the video.
Following our cookie example, your description should look like this: “http://www.cookie-cutter.com – In this video, our resident cookie expert, Arthur Markham, gives you an easy-to-follow guide on how to bake chocolate chip cookies at home without breaking a sweat.”
Remember that the description you create will be shown in Google search results and will help Google determine on what search results your video should appear.
- Tags. Use the keyword you used for both description and title, and then include other common terms. 10-15 words and phrases are enough. And remember to put phrases in double quotes: “chocolate chip cookies,” cookies, pastry, “delicious cookies”
Build a Fan Base
There are a lot of ways you can get the word out on your videos, here are some:
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Twitter. Tweet about your new video and attach the YouTube link.
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Facebook. This can be done either for your normal profile or fan page. Just attach a link of your YouTube video to your Wall.
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Post a ‘Video Reply’. You can search for videos that might be related to the video you have, and then post your video as a reply.
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Get websites to link back to your video. Basic principle is: the more links from websites that go to your video, the more relevant your video becomes on searches. The best way to get more links is to find out who links back to the most popular videos on your category, go to their website, and ask them nicely to link back to your video.
Your video should start appearing on Google for your desired keywords soon as you have a few hundred views. Don’t worry; when the four steps mentioned are done right, you don’t need to wait that long.
Want to make use of videos and YouTube to help boost your rankings on Google? Our virtual assistants are trained on all effective strategies for SEO.
