We have always stressed the growing importance of video optimization. Now, more than ever, it is time to take advantage of the power of video. In November of 2012 there were 10.5 billion video ads viewed. By November of 2013, this number had more than doubled to 26.8 billion. Capitalizing on this growing trend, Google introduced a new reporting tool called Earned Actions. This will show Earned views, subscribers, playlist additions and much more.
Before breaking into the world of video, there are a few things to consider. Should you be posting your videos, or hosting them? Hosting a video on your website has a lot of benefits, but it also has one major drawback.
Drawback
Popular videos consume a large volume of bandwidth, which could have many costly and time-consuming consequences. Many hosting accounts range around 20-40 GBs monthly. Overage fees are fairly substantial and add up quickly.
Solution
There are a few services out there, like those offered by Amazon, which can cut down on the cost of hosting.
Pros & Cons of Posting
You may be starting to think that hosting your video on your own site seems like more trouble than its worth and you’re leaning toward posting them. Consider the pros and cons of posting:
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- Pros
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- It’s free! Who doesn’t love free?
- You can share your videos
- Open your video and your brand up to massive amounts of exposure and traffic
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Cons
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- There is a limitation on the length of your video
- You will occasionally experience low video quality
- You don’t have control over the advertisements surrounding your video
Video Optimization
No matter what you decide to do, your videos still need to be optimized. Here are a few tips to help you optimize with hosting and posting:
- Chose a descriptive file name. These descriptive words will help the search engine determine what your video is about.
- Produce clear audio. Of course, this makes the video more enjoyable, but it may have another benefit. YouTube is working on transcriptions. This means they will be able to index the content, only if the audio is clear enough to understand.
- Use text where it makes sense. Layer keywords over your video. This is another thing that Google will soon be able to index.
- Like always, make sure the content is evergreen. Don’t reference dates. This puts a longer life span on your video.
- Tags. Use them like you would to rank for anything. Keep your SEO ethics consistent when applying tags. Use as many as necessary and use multiple versions of the word you are trying to rank for.
Now is the time to make the leap to video, so wait no more. It absolutely is. Weigh these options and determine what method works best for your company and brand image. If you have any questions or concerns about video optimization, give us a call we’d love to talk shop.
