What role do keywords play in video marketing for SEO? 

As with all content, the more relevant and engaging your videos are, the better the chance they’ll get ranked. Search engines rely on a variety of factors to rank content, including how much traffic it receives, how many people click on it and how long they watch it for. 

One of the most important ranking factors is how well your video is indexed and positioned within YouTube’s search results. This means that the keywords you use in your metadata, titles, and closed captions are also important for SEO, as they help YouTube understand what your video is about and how it should be positioned. 

How to Optimize Metadata, Titles and Captions for Video SEO?

Using keywords in your video’s metadata, titles and closed captions is an essential part of optimizing your video for search engine optimization (SEO). You can find this information in Google’s keyword planner tool or your YouTube search report under Traffic Sources > Video. 

The more relevant and logical the metadata, titles and closed captions are to your video’s topic and audience, the more likely it is to be indexed by search engines and positioned in the search results. Moreover, this is an excellent way to boost video engagement, as it helps users learn what the video is about before they start watching. 

When choosing your metadata and titles, think like a user—what would you type into the search bar to find content similar to what you have? This will guide your selection of the right keywords to optimize your video for. 

How to Choose a Thumbnail for Video Marketing?

The first thing someone sees when they discover your video on YouTube is your thumbnail, which is the cover photo that appears alongside your video. The thumbnail is a crucial component of your video’s optimization for SEO and can drastically improve the number of clicks and watch times you generate. 

A great thumbnail will grab your viewer’s attention and motivate them to click on the video. It should be clean, easy to read and include your branding. It should also inspire curiosity and encourage clicks without being misleading or obstructive to the actual content of your video. 

Your thumbnail should be a high-resolution, branded image that reflects the subject matter of your video. It should also have a compelling tagline that gives viewers an idea of what they can expect from your video. 

You can also add a call-to-action (CTA) to your video’s thumbnail to increase engagement, which can lead to more views and more clicks on your video. A good CTA can be as simple as offering a bonus to those who watch the video until the end. 

Embedding a link to your website in the description of your video is also another strategy that can help you earn a higher ranking on Google. This is especially important if your video contains a product or service that you sell on your website.