The rise of AI Overviews in Google search results and the growing popularity of AI chatbots have both made it more difficult to drive traffic using traditional text content. Thus, understanding the importance of video for SEO has never been more critical for marketers.
Meanwhile, YouTube continues to benefit most from Google’s search algorithm updates, and ChatGPT and other large language models actively cite videos as sources when responding to user queries.
To this end, it’s safe to say that video content for SEO is becoming an increasingly valuable tool, offering many advantages if search marketing is an important focus for you. And, below, I will explain in a little more detail how video content could benefit your own SEO marketing strategy!
Videos Drive Organic Traffic
It’s easy to upload a video to your YouTube channel and include a link to your website in the video description. Alternatively, YouTube videos can be easily embedded into your website itself. A few examples of practical locations could include:
- Your services page
- A page describing your product’s features
- A page with an interactive tool, etc.
But do YouTube backlinks and content actually help your SEO? Yes, absolutely! Indeed, website pages with embedded videos appear in Google search results as a thumbnail, making them valuable and appealing to visitors.
Embedded YouTube videos help SEO and make your page stand out among the other results, significantly increasing the likelihood that users will click on it as a result!
Video Content Attracts a New Audience
While some people prefer reading text, others mainly watch videos; this can also vary depending on a person’s preference at the time. As such, by creating different types of content, you can reach a wider audience and avoid limiting yourself to just one means of consuming information.
This simple change improves SEO results and helps to diversify your traffic sources, reducing reliance on any single search channel.
“85% of US adults say they ever use YouTube, making it the most widely used online platform. — SproutSocial”
Video Drives Organic Backlinks
Backlinks have been one of the most important ranking factors for many years. In fact, in most cases, effective SEO in competitive commercial niches is virtually unthinkable without a backlink-building strategy.
Videos have high viral potential and are often actively shared on social media. Eventually, websites in your niche will also start linking to your video, and so on down the list.In many cases, the quantity and quality of backlinks alone from video content can offset the costs of creating the video in the first place — a clear demonstration of the SEO value of video content that many brands continue to underestimate.
Video Improves Behavioural Metrics
The amount of time that users spend on a website is an important SEO metric that Google uses to determine how well a specific page or site meets users’ queries.
Even a short 60-second video can greatly improve SEO engagement signals by increasing the amount of time users spend on a page, positively impacting overall site engagement metrics.
Video Makes Your Marketing Multi-Channel
Adding videos to your website allows you to drive traffic from both Google’s text and video search results. As such, you can increase your SEO reach naturally, gaining additional impressions and clicks for existing keywords and expanding your brand’s reach to new search queries.
It’s still SEO, but you’ll enjoy more organic channels for audience engagement. And, since your fixed costs remain the same, your ROI should increase in turn.
It Positively Impacts Conversion Rates
As an interactive format, video captures viewers’ attention within the first few seconds and significantly accelerates your potential customers’ journeys through the sales funnel. This is true even for complex products because visual storytelling offers an ideal way to explain technologies and complex concepts.
Even if your landing pages already have an impressive conversion rate, there’s always room to improve – and integrating video could help you achieve even better results!
“87% of marketers say video content has directly increased their sales, and 88 percent credit video with helping them generate leads.”
Let’s Sum It Up
Creating video content is more difficult and requires greater investment than working with standard text content alone. However, the SEO benefits are clear, and investing in video production gives you a noticeable edge over your competitors. The opportunity to stand out, even in a highly competitive market, is invaluable.
But how does video help SEO? In reality, both text and video content work best together, complementing each other. So, if you’re already working with text content but want to drive better results, now might be the perfect time to take it to the next level.
Zelios can help you develop a customized video strategy to boost your growth. Reach out today and let’s get to work!
Select the video type that aligns with your marketing objectives, and receive an immediate high-level estimate of the production cost.
