Category Archives: Video SEO and Optimization

HOW USING VIDEOS ON YOUR WEBSITE HELPS YOUR BUSINESS

videosonyourwebsite.com
www.videosonyourwebsite.com

More than 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool. Video is the most cost effective and fastest way to get your product in front of people. Videos are powerful for telling the stories about your business. People are also 52% more likely to share a video than an article. Search engines love content-rich pages, and videos are a big part of that.

Explainers or promos on the homepage, and also on About Us, or product and service pages add to the user experience. Career sections or support pages need videos, too.

How many videos should you have on your website? I’ve found that a minimum of three videos do the most for establishing credibility and authority. Of course, you can have more, but the rule of thumb is: wherever you place a video on your page, make sure you have some kind of text around it. It’s also helpful to add a duration. Telling the visitor how much time he will be investing is an engaging tool that actually helps your videos get more clicks.

Making sure that you have relevant, engaging content will keep visitors on your site longer. Clean presentation is also key. Oddly enough, the most important quality in video is – audio. If the sound is bad, or hard to hear, visitors won’t watch more than a few seconds. The second most important quality is lighting. Well-lit subjects are more watchable. And finally, the third most important quality is stabilization. Shaky camera moves do nothing to tell your story and keep viewers engaged.

Video cuts through the noise and captivates customers and prospects alike. It’s time to get that competitive edge and harness the power of video on your website.

–that’s a wrap.

CAN YOU OFFER COUPONS ON A VIDEO?


Frequent deals and special offers can entice customers to shop at your store instead of competitors’ sites. Coupons are effective at creating repeat customers when included in a customer loyalty program. Coupons bring a higher chance of conversions. A discount or freebie can inspire a person to try a new product or a brand other than the one they usually buy. The goal of any offer or coupon is to encourage the consumer to try the product or service. The truth is the consumer needs an incentive to depart from their current habits and try something new.
5 Benefits of Using Coupons
• Bring in new customers.
• Strengthens brand recognition.
• Customers will benefit from knowing when to buy.
• Offloads older goods with assistance.
• Minimize your marketing expenses.
But, if a company is using video marketing, can they offer coupons as well? The answer is YES
At some point during the video, mention that there is a coupon offer coming up. Then, either or at the end, simply show a QR code that takes the viewer to a printable, or downloadable coupon on your website. You could also require that an email address be entered before showing the coupon, but be careful of asking your prospect to jump thru too many hoops to get that reward.
Videos On Your Website can help businesses offering coupons. If you’d like to explore using coupons inside your video, just contact us. We will create the QR code and insert it into your video for you.

–That’s a wrap.

Ron Harper is the founder of Videos On Your Website, a Cincinnati digital marketing firm specializing in video web content for businesses. Get a FREE Video Buying Guide at Videos ON Your Website – Cincinnati and Dayton Video Production Guide.

Should You Embed Videos From Other Companies?

Embedding Videos
Problems with embedding videos from other companies

If you can’t produce your own videos for your website, why not just find some others and embed them? Simple, right? Well, not exactly.

Many businesses have a dedicated “Videos” tab on their site for relevant content. Often, someone will curate video content from other sources and believe this is a valuable practice. But just as often it is fraught with problems. The image above is taken from a company website that has many videos embedded from YouTube under their “Videos” tab.

Can you see what’s wrong?

Somewhere along the way, the original content creator has removed the video, leaving blank spots with no content on the page.
Here’s why it’s not a good idea to use other folks’ videos:

    1. You have no control over their content. And if their videos are monetized on YouTube, they could be showing an ad that is counter-productive to your business.
    2. The videos may have a call to action or a link that takes visitors away from your website.
    3. The practice really does nothing to help your Search Engine Optimization and get you found more often.
    4. The best course of optimizing with videos is to have relevant content on all of your pages, especially on your About Us page. Videos under a dedicated tab may be overlooked by your visitors.
    5. Google loves original content. That means videos specific to your business and your message with a few lines of text that compel the viewer to click and watch.

Business websites that use a “Videos” tab are often not updated frequently, so problems like the image above are missed for a long period of time.
Original, professionally produced video content is affordable and gives your business an advantage over the competition. Remember – if you use video, and they don’t: You Win!
–That’s a wrap.

Ron Harper is the founder of Videos On Your Website, a Cincinnati digital marketing firm specializing in video web content for businesses. Get a FREE Video Buying Guide at Videos ON Your Website – Cincinnati and Dayton Video Production Guide.

IF YOU MADE VIDEOS IN 2018, FOLLOW THESE STEPS RIGHT NOW


Frankly, I hate resolutions. I resolve to be different. How’s that?

But the new year is a time of renewal, and if you have videos that you’re hosting on YouTube, there are some Start-Of-The-Year chores you should do to keep your content relevant.

1. Review and update the titles of your videos. Your video titles should be engaging, include keywords, and reflect your message and goals. If your marketing strategy has changed in the past 12 months, maybe you should reflect that in your video titles. Titles are easy to change from within your YouTube video manager. Try something to get visitors to click. Some of the words that show up big in search include: How To, Steps, Tutorial, Best and Funny. Can you include or re-write a title to include those?

2. Review and update your video descriptions. Start with your website in the description field. Make sure it’s a page that reflects the subject of your video. It may not be your home page. YouTube allows 5000 characters for a video description – that’s about 800 words. Be sure your keywords are towards the beginning of the description. And yes, you can add hashtags here.

3. Review and update any tags. Tags don’t show up when the video is being played, but it definitely helps in search. Use one word keywords. Use multiple word key phrases. And don’t leave out generic tags, like your city.

Time to get some fresh eyes on your content. These steps can engage more viewers, and make your videos show up in front of more of your prospects.

–that’s a wrap

Ron Harper is the founder of Videos On Your Website, a Cincinnati digital marketing firm specializing in video web content for businesses. Get a FREE Video Buying Guide at Videos ON Your Website – Cincinnati and Dayton Video Production Guide.

Thumbnailed It – Good Views Season 2, Episode 3

What makes someone want to watch your video, aside from all the interesting and compelling information you have, that is? Well, one very important element is the frame that shows in your video player. That frame is also called the thumbnail.
YouTube gives you a choice of three different thumbnails you can use to showcase your video, but there are also ways you can (and should) make and upload your own.
In this edition of Good Views, I’ll show you some of the most important qualities of thumbnails, and a couple of easy ways to make your own. I hope you enjoy it.
Don’t have any videos yet? Call me. I’d love to talk with you.

Watch Time (3:04) Link to transcript
Location: Cliff Hardware, Sharonville, OH
Guest: John Houston – Spectrum Business

Getting Rid Of Black Bars – Good Views Season 2, episode 2

A few times each year, I get a call from someone wanting to know how to get rid of “black bars”, that annoying unused space around an older 4:3 aspect ratio video. This little trick is very easy. And if you’re putting videos on your website, it is essential for any video published before 2008.
This is episode 2 of my series “Good Views” and I plan to feature the kind of information and tips you can start using today. I hope you enjoy it. Don’t have any videos yet? Call me. I’d love to talk with you.

Watch Time (4:30)Link to transcript
Guest: Black Bart

License Sense – Good Views season 2, episode 1

It could be your favorite song, or maybe it’s a movie theme that perfectly fits your video.
Don’t Use It. Just don’t. If you don’t have the rights to use a piece of music, you could be fined hundreds of dollars, or your video could be removed totally. And that’s not fun.
But YouTube has a library of music that’s free for you to use in your videos, and it’s simple to work with.
I’ve renamed this series “Good Views” and I plan to feature the kind of information and tips you can start using today. I hope you enjoy it.Don’t have any videos yet? Call me. I’d love to talk with you.

Watch Time (4:30)Link to transcript
Guest: Adam Mathews: Dearie, Fischer & Matthews
Location: Gary Rasmussen Farmers Insurance

Don’t Forget Hashtags On YouTube

YouTubeHashtags

Within the past few weeks, YouTube has added hashtag capability. Hashtags can now be used in the YouTube search box, but more importantly, they can also be used in the Description field, and in the Title as well. This is a great addition, because not only can you search with YouTube in the search box, but you can click on an included hashtag and get some of the newest and most popular videos on the channel.

What does that mean for Cincinnati businesses with video? It means that you should immediately add hashtags wherever you can in the videos that are already on your channel. Early adapters will likely see good success. I also encourage you to invent your own hashtag and use it everywhere. I believe that you will get a lot more engagement from new viewers if they find you via a hashtag. Since this a new feature to YouTube, a lot of folks don’t know about it yet. So get the jump on your competition and move ahead in search. Make it short, simple and memorable. And do some research before you commit to an invented hashtag.

If you need help, have questions or would like a free YouTube audit on your channel, get in touch.
–that’s a wrap

In 30 days . . .

30 days
A lot can happen in 30 days after posting a video to your business website.

  • One of my clients booked a contract that paid him over 25 times what he had paid me
  • Another client received a 5 figure grant to grow her business
  • still another client was the subject of a local TV news story, AND won a Cincy Innovates award
  • And let’s not forget the million-dollar condo. We did a feature video, and it sold in 59 days. (ok, it was a slow market.)

Where will YOU be 30 days from now? I’ll keep saying it: If you’re using video, and the competition isn’t, You Win.

— that’s a wrap.