Video SEO : 7 tips for higher ranking
- Author
- Effy Shkuri
- Published on:
- Published in:
- Video Marketing
VIDEO SEO
Video SEO is the process of optimizing your videos for better findability in search engines like Google and Bing. Following the right rules and principles determines whether your videos become visible in search results.
To attract more viewers, video SEO is a crucial part of a video marketing playbook.
The chances of a video going viral are slim and often based on luck. So how can you make video SEO work for you?
Super tip: Use video galleries. If you have multiple videos, give each video its own URL so it can be indexed separately.
"YouTube video SEO tips are misleading. YouTube is great, but it works with suggestions and a different algorithm than Google."
7 IMPORTANT VIDEO SEO TIPS (AND MISCONCEPTIONS)
HOW DO YOU GET YOUR VIDEO PAGES INDEXED?
Search engines see a video not as a separate entity, but as part of a page. So your page must qualify as a video page.
THIS MEANS YOUR PAGE MUST CONTAIN:
- A searchable video player - so crawlers can find metadata and files.
- Video as the main content - the embedded video should take center stage.
- Structured data - including title, description, thumbnail, file, transcript, duration and key moments.
1 - IS YOUTUBE THE BEST PLATFORM?
Not always. YouTube is perfect for brand awareness and views, but not ideal for lead generation.
Paid platforms such as Vidyard and Wistia help you better with indexing, analytics and lead tracking.
2 - DOES GOOGLE AUTOMATICALLY RANK MY VIDEOS?
Only with context. Without subtitles, metadata or structured data, Google's power is limited. See also Google's guidelines.
Use Google Search Console to monitor indexing, structured data and traffic from video searches.
3 - VIDEO SEO IS THE SAME AS REGULAR SEO
No. Video SEO requires additional steps such as hosting with providers that support structured data. JSON-LD is a powerful method here (example).
For WordPress, use the Yoast Video SEO plugin for automatic sitemaps and rich snippets.
4 - CREATE ENGAGING THUMBNAILS
Thumbnails determine whether someone clicks. Ensure consistent style and colors. A smart option is to link videos to white papers through campaigns.
5 - PLACE YOUR VIDEO AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE
That's how you give crawlers maximum SEO signals. Hosting providers often help by technically placing the video at the top.
This can result in rich snippets, which Google sees as higher-quality content that increases your CTR.
6 - PROMOTE ON ALL CHANNELS
Don't blindly post your video on all platforms. Duplicate content can lead to cannibalization.
Google's John Mueller has confirmed that YouTube has no automatic SEO advantage over other platforms (source).
7 - DO KEYWORD RESEARCH
Keywords are the basis for video SEO. Tools such as TubeBuddy help with YouTube-specific strategies.
Want to improve your ranking? Then sign up for our video marketing webinars.
Effy Shkuri
"Our people make the difference." Really? As a former "digital workplace & IT entrepreneur," I've said this for years about my 25 colleagues. But the reality is we were only considered thought leaders by 5% of our target audience. Even today, this remains a common statement from MSPs and IT service providers. But these words lose their meaning if your expertise does not extend beyond your existing customers and a handful of prospects. I now help IT entrepreneurs with thought leadership in their niche.