Page 262 - SKU-000506274_TEXT.indd

Chapter 21 Optimizing Your Videos for Search 241

Optimizing Your Description

Finally, we come to the text description of your video. Here is yet another opportu-
nity to include keywords that viewers might be searching for.

Adding keywords to your video’s description is much like performing SEO on your
website’s body copy. You have lots of space to work with, so you’re not as limited as
you are with the video’s title. Yet you still need to incorporate keywords in an
organic fashion; they have to feel natural, not artificial.

Fortunately, it’s easier to work keywords into descriptive copy than it is into short
titles. The extra length works wonders. Again, make sure that the keywords aren’t
just inserted randomly, or in a list at the end of the description; that’s keyword
stuffing, and that’s a no-no. Instead, write your copy to include as many keywords
as genuinely fit. If your keywords are indeed descriptive of your video’s content, and
not just chosen to attract a certain audience, then this shouldn’t be a problem.

Optimizing Embeds and Links

In traditional website SEO, the number of inbound links to page will increase that
page’s ranking. The same thing goes for YouTube videos. The more web pages that
link to your video, the more likely it is that your video will appear higher in
YouTube’s search results. Likewise, you can increase your search ranking by getting
your video embedded in more external web pages.

That’s right, links to and embeds of your video will affect its YouTube search rank.
The challenge is, you have little control over how many sites link to or embed your
video. That doesn’t mean you have no influence, however.

First, the more unique and authoritative the content in your video, the more likely it
will be linked to or embedded. It all comes down to quality content; you need to
make your video as “linkworthy” as possible.

In addition, you will want to encourage viewers to link to your video. The more you
spread word of your video, the more people who will be exposed to it. Have your
PR department push your video to influential bloggers, encouraging links or
embeds. Email related websites and encourage them to embed or link to the video.
Encourage recipients of your email mailing list, readers of your company blog, fans
of your Facebook page, and followers of your Twitter feed to do the same. Get the
word out and encourage as many links and embeds as possible.

Optimizing Views

Here’s another important factor in determining YouTube’s search rank—the number
of times your video has been viewed. Fair or not, YouTube will rank a popular video