SEO Marketing, Video Marketing
What Benefit are Website Videos to SEO and Rankings
Do Website Videos Actually Help SEO?
We're joining the debate on whether videos on your website help or, in fact, hinder website performance. Some industry experts will say incorporating video content into your website is a necessity for both SEO and user experience. On the other hand, there are several cases where un-optimised videos cause more damage than good to your website's performance. There are lots of different types of video content which, in short, could potentially give your website the edge to stand out above the competition, but we will explore how and which videos are best for creating engaging and effective website content.
Bringing Your Brand to Life
As high as 66% of customers actively search for video content when trying to learn more about a brand or a product. This means a video could be all it takes for you to stand out above a competitor. That being said, we don't want to stick video content on a website without a clear purpose or customer objective in mind. Firstly, let's look at a couple of video types, their benefits and what they're most suited to.
Animated and Real-life Videos
Engaging and entertaining, animated videos can simplify complex concepts or showcase your brand's creativity. On the other hand, real-life videos provide authenticity, allowing users to connect with your brand on a personal level. Balancing both types can cater to a diverse audience and capture attention in different ways.
Brand Showcases & Product Ranges
Give your audience an immersive experience with videos that introduce your brand, highlight your product range, and provide valuable educational content. Whether it's a walkthrough of your company's story or a tutorial demonstrating product usage, these videos create a stronger connection between your brand and your audience.
Review-based Content
In light of Google's review update, this option is increasingly important. These videos could be created by a customer interview or simply a compilation of customers' homemade videos of them enjoying the product. However, you choose to create them the power of user-generated content remains the same. Incorporating reviews and testimonials into videos helps build trust and credibility, influencing future customers in their decision-making process.
So, what are the advantages of having video content on the website?
Advantage #1. Enhanced Engagement
Of course, the number one reason why you would use a video is higher engagement. You're offering customers an alternative way to learn about your brand without them having to read it for themselves. Customers are more likely to stay on your website longer, increasing their engagement and helping them understand your brand better.
Advantage #2. Improved Understanding
If you have a particularly challenging topic or one that requires a lot of explaining, it might be useful to make a video on it. Complex concepts or product features can be communicated more effectively through video and users are more likely to comprehend and retain information presented in a dynamic and visual format.
Advantage #3. Emotional Connection
Videos have the power to create emotions, allowing customers to connect with your brand on a deeper level. This emotional resonance contributes to brand loyalty and customer retention.
Do Videos Help Ranking Performance?
As with any good SEO debate, there runs a fine line between optimising a website for technical health and optimising it for the user's benefit. With video content, there are a few SEO best practices to follow which will make your website video content not only highly user-friendly but SEO-friendly too.
So to answer the burning question: video does help SEO rankings. Search engines, particularly Google, prioritise websites with diverse and engaging content. By including videos, it can improve your site's overall performance and contribute to higher search engine rankings.
Implementing structured data (schema) for videos enhances their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) further. Rich snippets provide additional information about your video, helping the Google bots understand the content and making it more appealing to users, increasing the likelihood of clicks.
While the benefits of video content are substantial, it's crucial to be mindful of load speeds. Large video files can slow down your website, affecting user experience and SEO. To optimise load times for large videos there are a few things you can check. Make sure any videos added to the website are compressed as this reduces the file sizes without compromising quality.
Choose the Right Format: Use formats that balance quality and file size.
Implement Lazy Loading: Load videos only when they come into the user's viewport.
Leverage Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): Distribute videos across multiple servers for faster loading times globally.
So What is our Opinion?
We are pro video! ... As long as it is uploaded in an SEO-friendly way. Integrating various types of video content into your website not only enhances user experience but also boosts your SEO efforts. It is key to strike the right balance between engaging visuals and optimised load speeds as this will ensure your website stands and ranks well. If you want to find out how video call help your website perform better, why not give us a call for a free consultation on 01794 830042.
