There's no doubt about it, videos are engaging, entertaining, and attention grabbing. Having been an upcoming online marketing trend in the past years, video SEO has now become a proven, tested, and powerful tool to push traffic to your site, build lasting relationships with consumers, and ultimately increase conversions. There are five business reasons that explain why video SEO must be a crucial part of any business owner's online marketing strategy for growth in 2017.
In 2016, 85 percent of online users in the U.S. has watched video, according to comScore. [quotesright]By 2017, Cisco reports that 69 percent of online traffic will go to watching video. [/quotesright] Moreover, email marketing that incorporates video can boost click-through rates by more than 90 percent.
These statistics show that video consumption continues to surge among computer and mobile device users. Now more than ever, video presence is becoming a determining factor in moving up or down the search engine rankings. For your website to stay competitive, you need to keep your digital marketing strategy in tip-top shape and invest in video content optimization.
If you're still wondering what makes video much more effective than traditional SEO methods, read the following key reasons that explain why video SEO is an essential Internet marketing strategy for your business.
Full Size Image. Click to expand.1. Video SEO makes your content stand out from competition.
Compared to traditional web content, video is much more appealing to the eyes of website visitors. Videos easily stand out on search results, and people are more likely to notice them than plain text. The visual element makes video eye-catching to most web surfers. [quotes]Did you know that 90 percent of information sent to the brain is visual? [quotes] What’s more, the brain processes visual imagery 60,000 times faster than text, which is why video leads to better viewer retention.
Outbrain reports that around 87 percent of online marketers are already taking advantage of video content, and Forbes reveals that 59 percent of executives are more inclined to watch video rather than read text. [quotesright]With the help of video SEO, your video content will rank well, therefore driving more traffic to your site. [/quotesright] More people will discover your product or service, leading to higher profits and more business. Video SEO helps your content attract more attention and gives you the opportunity to position your brand as the most prominent result on the front page.
2. Videos effectively seal the deal.
Videos have increased sales more consistently than plain text advertisements in B2B and B2C markets. Up to 90 percent of consumers report that video helps them make purchase decisions, based on a study involving Swimwear Boutique customers. Also, 52 percent of [quotes]consumers feel that viewing product videos amplifies their confidence in buying online products.[/quotes] Additionally, landing pages that feature video have up to 800 percent more conversion power compared to the same pages that lack video content, according to Brainshark reports.
Unlike plain text, videos allow people to both see and hear your message, calling them to action more effectively than text alone. People love to watch videos, because videos are far more interesting and entertaining than plain text. Video also allows marketers and business owners to connect with customers on a personal level. Plus, users will get the gist of the message effortlessly without having to scroll down through chunks of text content.
With video SEO, you get a better opportunity to showcase your product or service in a clearer and more compelling manner.
3. Video is more shareable.
The user interaction statistics on the shareability of video is astounding: 92 percent of mobile users share videos with other people. This incredible user interaction goes to show that videos are quite powerful and engaging.
[quotes]Video boosts a website’s number of monthly visitors by up to three times and doubles the time users spend browsing[/quotes] websites that have it, says MarketingSherpa. With video SEO, you’ll have much higher chances of drawing in more visitors and getting your content shared with other users. When done right, you can drive immense traffic to your site and promote your brand effectively. Ultimately, you'll get your message across to your target customers and convert leads to sales.
4. Video SEO cements your reputation.
On average, Internet users spend around 88 percent more time on websites featuring video content. Adding videos to your site helps retain site visitors and allows you to demonstrate professionalism as well as show that your brand is outstanding, credible, and reputable.
By implementing video SEO, you can push positive, well-thought-out videos to appear on the first page of organic search engine results and YouTube results, helping you build and maintain a solid reputation. Your target customers will get to see only the videos you want them to see with the help of proven video SEO practices. When you create and properly market interesting and persuasive video content, you can gain the trust of your target customers and increase conversions.
5. Video SEO helps your content rank higher.
[quotes]The fact is Google prefers video content over plain text-based content.[/quotes] Forrester Research reports that a web page is 50 times more likely to pop up on the first page of search engine results if it features video. Whatever users search for on the web, there's a high possibility they will encounter a video at the top of the search results.
Why does Google put more importance on video? The major reason is that videos are deemed more difficult and more time consuming to create, post, and curate. [quotesright]This means a website without any video will have a tough time beating a competitor[/quotesright] that features numerous well-made videos, particularly if the videos are amplified by captions and transcripts.
And what if you have lots of videos already? Well, your competitors do too! What will set you apart from others who are vying for top search results placement is to have your video content properly optimized around your target keywords. Fail to do this and you'll miss out on a crucial opportunity to reach your customers no matter how good your text content is.
Take Advantage of the Power of Video SEO Now
If you haven't tried video SEO yet, I think you now understand that you’re missing out big time. Online video has the power to drive large, quality traffic to your site and promote your brand. When you use traditional SEO methods alone, you'll lose out to your competitors who are already employing the power of video marketing.
Knowing that video SEO is a critical part of a competitive online marketing strategy, it's time that you implement this tactic to transform your business. To get the best results it's a smart move to combine it with your overall content strategy.
