How to Identify and Capture Organic Search Opportunities for Your Video Content

Last updated on Monday, October 23, 2023

How to Identify and Capture Organic Search Opportunities for Your Video Content.png

There is a massive demand for video content. However, it’s equally true that most videos created to satisfy the demand fail to reach the intended audience. One of the reasons is the massive shortcoming in tapping into organic search opportunities.

Navigating the search engine landscape, identifying, and capturing organic search opportunities for your videos requires finesse. Worry not; you have come to the right place.

In this short guide, we unravel the secrets of capturing organic search opportunities. The purpose of video content is to thrive and not just exist. By exploring these practical steps, you can improve the visibility and discoverability of your video content.

Symbiotic Relationship of Organic Search and Keyword Selection

Keywords play a pivotal role in ensuring the success of your video content across platforms like Google, YouTube, and various others. When formulating SEO strategies for video marketing, prioritize keyword research.

Importance of selecting the right keyword

  • Inclusion of appropriate keywords in the title and description aids algorithms in understanding, categorizing, and presenting your content to the intended audience.

  • Keyword selection and organic search are interconnected. Crafting and optimizing video content around the right keywords enhances the likelihood of achieving a higher ranking, attracting increased traffic, and thereby increasing the opportunity for more views, likes, and comments.

  • Keyword research in video marketing is crucial as it unveils the audience’s search intent, needs, pain points, and preferences.

  • By pinpointing the right keywords through research, you also circumvent wasting time and resources on unpopular words, highly competitive keywords, or overly broad terms.

How to identify suitable keywords for your video content

Google Keyword Planner.png
Source: google.com

In the preceding section, we discussed why focusing on keyword research is essential. This section will delve into the tools to use and the process of generating a potential list of keywords for your videos.

You can compile a list of potential video keywords using a variety of tools and sources:

  • Google Keyword Planner (for keyword popularity), Google Trends (researching season keywords), and the Google search engine (learning from Google Autocomplete) – utilize these tools to conduct comprehensive keyword research.

  • YouTube search bar and YouTube autocomplete – leverage these tools to refine your keyword choices and identify long-tail keywords.

  • Specialized keyword research tools such as Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, VidIQ, TubeBuddy, and others – employ these tools for in-depth keyword analysis.

  • Competitor’s videos and video tags – learn from competitors’ video titles, descriptions, and tags to identify successful keywords.

  • Analytics data from websites, YouTube, and social media – explore YouTube and website analytics data to identify high-performing keywords.

Searchvolume.com.png
Source: Searchvolume.com

Tips for selecting your video keywords

  • Analyze and prioritize keywords compiled from various sources.

  • Consider factors such as the video’s purpose, audience intent, video type and format, as well as video length.

  • Factor in the video’s goal, value proposition, and main message.

  • Opt for keywords with sufficient search volume and low competition.

We can’t stress this enough: make keyword research an integral and vital part of your continuous ‘search’ education. Search skill, which encompasses the capability to find important user terms, consumer trends, vital topics, etc., is a crucial skill to improve SEO and content strategy.

Choosing the right keyword is the initial and paramount step in exploring organic search opportunities for your video content. A well-selected keyword not only makes the video easily searchable but also enhances its appeal to the audience.

Craft Compelling Videos for Prominent Google Presence

The use of paid video marketing is on the rise; however, there remains ample opportunity to captivate audiences organically through search. On the Google Search Ranking Page, three distinct content blocks offer potential placements for your videos.

Edit your videos for better engagement and impact: The importance of video editing cannot be overstated. Video editing costs have drastically come down, which is good news for companies. A well-edited video enhances visual appeal. Additionally, it also improves viewer engagement and impact, contributing to improved viewer satisfaction and overall video performance

Thumbnail videos: Nowadays, for most Google searches, you’ll find the search algorithm recommending videos alongside regular page results. This provides you with a valuable opportunity to increase the visibility of your videos. Crafting compelling videos that entice users and provide valuable content can significantly enhance your video’s chances of being noticed.

Custom Video Thumbnail.png
Source: Google.com

Featured videos: The featured snippet area has become prime real estate on the Google search results page. For Google to display your videos here, you need to create videos that answer the user query, must be search engine optimized, and tailored to align with criteria for featured snippets.

Featured Video.png
Source: Google.com

Video carousel: The Video Carousel is a dynamic feature that is positioned prominently on the Google SRP. The area showcases an array of videos that are closely related to the search query. Search engine-optimized videos have a higher chance of making it to the Google video carousel, thereby boosting discoverability and overall impact.

Now that we’ve identified these three key targets on the Google Search Results Page, the next step is optimizing your videos for maximum impact. Beyond selecting suitable keywords, there are various strategies for effective search engine optimization..

Use attractive and proper thumbnail images: Including custom video thumbnail images is crucial for boosting click-through rates and overall viewer engagement. Instead of using a random frame from the video as a thumbnail, use a custom thumbnail that presents the gist of the video content. Using powerful visuals can encourage users to click and explore the content further.

Pay attention to video length: Striking the right balance in video length is essential for the success of a video.

Videos that are too short may fail to deliver a comprehensive message. On the other hand, excessively long videos risk losing viewer interest.

Tailor the video length to the topic at hand. This will enhance the viewer experience, effectively deliver the marketing message, and positively influence video ranking.

Optimize the meta data: Crafting an optimized title, video description, and appropriately categorizing and tagging your video are pivotal for effective search engine optimization. Well-crafted metadata increases the discoverability of your video and ensures it reaches the intended audience.

Focus on the script, tone, and captions: The video script, tone, and closed captions play a vital role in viewer engagement. Thoughtful scripting can boost engagement; the use of captions can enhance accessibility. These can contribute to an improved overall viewer experience and positively impact video ranking on Google Search.

Add effective call to action (CTA): Including one or more compelling CTAs in your video contributes to improved video ranking and a better conversion rate. A well-placed CTA prompts users to take desired actions. This enhances the overall effectiveness of your video content.

By implementing these strategies, you can improve your video’s visibility and impact. Additionally, they ensure a prominent presence on Google’s search results page.

Maximize Video Impact Across Platforms

Even if you initially post your video on a single platform, such as YouTube, it’s crucial to extend its reach by cross-promoting on all available channels.

Enhanced visibility directly correlates with improved organic search rankings across various platforms, including Google, YouTube, and Facebook.

Promote videos on all platforms that witness active participation from your target audience. Leave no stone unturned, as cross-platform video promotion should be a vital component of your overall business plan.

Share your videos on your website, social media platforms, email marketing newsletters, and more. Rather than waiting for viewers to come to your website, take your video to where your audience is.

Promote your videos on appropriate social media platforms

  • Identify platforms that offer the greatest chance of engagement with your target audience.

  • Choose video types that align with the platform’s strengths; for instance, how-to videos excel on YouTube, live videos make a greater impact on Facebook, expert videos find success on LinkedIn, and short, funny videos thrive on TikTok.

  • Encourage customers to create unboxing, how-to, and testimonial videos. Utilize a video editor to transform raw customer footage into professionally-edited marketing videos.

  • Employ platform-specific promotional techniques, such as hashtag marketing on Instagram and creating video reels on Instagram.

  • Understand and analyze metrics to refine your video promotion strategy.

Combine videos with email marketing for optimal impact

Email marketing remains a robust tool for nurturing leads and cultivating long-term relationships with existing clients. Use the following tips to enhance the reach of your videos and keep the leads and customers engaged.

  • Incorporate the word ‘Video’ in the subject line.

  • Personalize the subject line, email content, and video content.

  • Embed a video thumbnail into the email.

  • Build an email list and use MailChimp (a robust Sendinblue alternative) to announce product launches, special offers, and live events with videos.

  • Distribute newsletters featuring videos.

Plus, you can use short code texting or another form of SMS marketing alongside your email marketing to maximize your video’s impact even further.

Integrate videos with live events to engage your audience

Videos at live events are a win-win situation for both. For videos, this provides access to new viewers. On the other hand, videos contribute to the event’s success by creating an emotional connection and improving the viewer experience. Here are some simple tips to integrate videos with live events.

  • Utilize mixed content during live events to keep the audience engaged.

  • Include QR codes in videos for the audience to subscribe, comment, and rewatch the content later.

  • Incorporate videos during live events to give speakers a short break to recharge during lengthy presentations.

Integrate Videos into Blog Posts, Website Content, and Landing Pages

Adding videos to blog posts, website content, and landing pages can significantly enhance the organic reach of both the video content and the page.

However, how do videos benefit from appearing on landing pages, websites, and blog posts? Let’s find out:

Enhanced explanation: Search algorithms will gain a better understanding of the video when placed alongside text content.

Mutual benefit: Landing page or blog post visitors would stay longer on the page not just to watch the video but also to read the text content. This helps improve the chances of both the video and web page appearing higher on the Google Search Results Page.

Better SEO performance: Diverse content ensures visitors stay longer on the page, which, in turn, lowers the bounce rate. An increase in dwell time, higher engagement signals, and better interaction can improve the video’s search page ranking.

Final Thoughts

People often hold the misconception that a video will eventually find its intended audience. Rather than learning the truth the hard way, you can sober up now and actively pursue organic search opportunities for your video content.

In our little guide, we provide numerous ideas to get you started. Monitor your videos’ performance and adjust video SEO and marketing strategies as needed.

Cristian Stanciu

Article by:

Cristian Stanciu

Freelance Video Editor

Cristian Stanciu is a freelance video editor, owner and post-production coordinator of Veedyou Media – a company offering video animation services to marketing agencies, video production studios and brands all over the globe. You can catch up with him on his blog

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