Video content is extremely compelling. It is viewed by users for all kinds of reasons, from boredom to education to group entertainment. If the popularity of YouTube is anything to go by, video content is only going to grow in the future.

The format of video presents some difficulties for search engine optimisation, and this means that there isn’t a lot of information about video content in the SEO community. Video should be an option taken into consideration for every SEO campaign. Although the content itself at present can’t be scanned by the search engines, the attraction of video to users, the off-page possibilities and the effect it has on a site’s reputation are all qualities that makes it a powerful SEO tool. The benefits of video content ultimately overcome the drawbacks.

The medium of video daunts many businesses, and this has resulted in an underuse of videos for websites. In truth, anyone can make a video. Some of the video virals that have flown around the net have established that video doesn’t even have to be very high quality to attract attention. All you need is a camera, a room to shoot in and some good ideas.

That said, it’s important to know one or two things before you set the cameras rolling. Here are some top tips:

• Be as interesting as possible. The same rule applies to video content as all other content. A user can just as easily click away from your video as they can any other form of content, and the time they’ve taken to download will factor little in their decision. Videos are also a great opportunity to encourage users to forward your content
• Remember SEO when you publish. If you’re publishing your video to your own pages, remember that the search engines cannot see inside video content. Inform search engine spiders about the content with a caption, or even a text transcript of the video content. If you have any questions about how to SEO video content, please talk to us, the experts, at SEO Consult
• Reach beyond your site. Videos present a great opportunity to publicise your business outside your site. Posting your video to video hosting sites means that it is exposed to a bigger audience and may generate links. Answers and how-to sites are also good places to post video content
• SEO your meta data. File names, titles and tags are a perfect place to further your SEO plan. Be sure to include your keywords, brand and business name in the meta data of the video. You may need to re-enter this data when you post it outside your site to places like YouTube. Remember to include the word ‘video’ in titles and tags, as users often search specifically for video content
• Enforce your personality. If your video is picked up and goes viral, it needs to reflect your brand. Stay true to the personality of your business in order to ensure that the long-term effect of your video content suits your business aims and your reputation

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