Surprisingly to some, YouTube is now the 2nd most widely used search engine after Google. What this means is that it’s more important than ever for a business to focus on producing compelling online video content to enhance its digital footprint and brand exposure.
For years, users were accustomed to asking questions through Google or their standard search engine of choice, and retrieving blogs, articles, or forums that satisfied those queries. While YouTube was often reserved for cat clips, music videos, and other visual media of that nature. Now, we’re seeing users searching for general information content in YouTube, as they often would through Google.
Therefore, if a significant portion of the search market is using YouTube as an alternative to Google (and traditional search engines of the likes), as a business owner, you need to be found on YouTube as well. If you’re not already, your competitors are beating you to the punch.
The value of video content and how it directly affects your SEO authority with Google is really twofold:
- You’re being found on YouTube, Vimeo, and other video search engines, which in turn drives new traffic to your website from alternative sources. People are not only viewing your original videos and subsequently visiting your website thereafter, but if the content is interesting enough, they’re also sharing it on social media, posting and linking to them on their blogs, and organically promoting your content and your brand for free. New or increased traffic to your website signals to Google that you’re an authority in your industry, which will reward you with stronger SERPs (Search Engine Page Rankings).
- Just as importantly, video content can often be leveraged in a way that builds brand trust between the customer and business. Getting in front of the camera as a business owner or employee personalizes your business and brand with the consumer. In addition, if the information is valuable, it further solidifies expertise in your field and confirms that you’re the right choice for your product or service over your competitors.
What Types of Video Should I Produce?
OK great, so you know why video content is important for your business online - how it affects SEO, as well as your consumer’s buying choice – and now you’re left scratching your head thinking about how you will ever produce video content anyone will ever want to see in the first place. Well it’s easier than you think.
If you’re already writing blogs and following an Evergreen content strategy that focusses on answering some of the frequently asked questions your customers or clients regularly request from you, you can easily answer those questions through video content as opposed to a blog format. Furthermore, if you’ve written blogs in the past that received some great traffic traction, why not re-create that blog in a video format?
Otherwise, some other great topics for video content are:
- Product or service demos and installation guides
- Before and after videos displaying your work or products
- Quick tips that relate to your product or service
- Advice from the expert
- DIYs that relate to your business/product
- Interview with the business owner on why the company was founded, history of the business, or what makes it different from the competition.
The list goes on.
2015 is going to be the year of the video and while it’s going to have a direct effect on your SEO placement, it will also increase your consumer’s propensity to buy. So get out your camcorders, digital cameras, and smartphones, because it’s time to start shooting videos for your business and enhancing your digital footprint!
