Does Video Add to SEO?
Adding Video can Boost SEO
There are a number of ways to optimize your website for search engines, one of which is the use of video. Most people immediately think of video as being this mega viral thing that takes the world by fire. However, not all videos have to be big viral hits to be effective. The proper use of video on your website can make a big impact on how your website is viewed by the search engines, and more importantly by visitors that come by!
I will point you to a case in point. Terry McDonald, a local real estate agent in Charlotte, NC did a very simple video introducing the Charlotte area for his potential clients. The video itself was low key, to the point and friendly… but in no way was it some major viral success. However, this video has been a great marketing piece and even gained attention of at least one local mortgage lender (me, when I was in the mortgage industry) that linked back to his site and video. As a matter of fact, I am going to share more link love today as I link back to his Charlotte NC introduction video now!
Not only is the video showcased on his own real estate website, but it is also hosted on YouTube.com which gives him a tremendous audience as well. Many people search YouTube directly for subject matter in addition to the other major search engines. Remember that Google actually owns YouTube now and that relevant video content will also show up in Google search results!
There are a number of ways you can create video. You can record yourself using a webcam or camcorder. There are a number of video editing software programs available that can help make even the most amateur videos look at least semi-professional! Editing your videos allows you to add items such as your website URL, phone numbers and even links to your website embedded within the video itself!
Personally, I use 2 software programs for video creation and editing, both from Techsmith (a major leader in video editing software). I highly recommend checking them out. Below are quick summaries about the programs as well as links to download the programs if you so choose to.
- Jing: [download here]
Jing is a free software program that allows you to record actions on your computer screen and also take screen shots. This is a handy little program that is perfect for instructional and tutorial type videos. The only real limitations are a 5 minute maximum recording time and there are no real editing options for videos. Screen shots can be editing with text, highlighting and callouts. - Camtasia: [download here]
Camtasia 6 is a great, full featured video editing software package that allows you to a number of items with video. It can easily edit your Jing files as well as virtually any video you can shoot. You can add text, call outs, hot spots for links, focus in and out of areas, add audio, edit the time line and even add images for transitions! While the link to Camtasia is an affiliate link in which I will get a small fee should you decide to purchase it, this is a very powerful program that I personally do use and endorse.
Adding video to your website can help add additional content and create a “stickiness” that can be found by the search engines and keeps visitors coming back. Give it a try and see
