How to Optimize Video Podcasts
By Sheila on Aug 18, 2010 in Advertising Tips
It does not matter what you call them: vodcasts, vidcasts, videocasting, or video podcasting… there are a few behind-the-scenes actions you can take to help attract more attention to your video productions. Just like websites, it does not matter how amazing the content is if interested people are unable to find it.
Use the following suggestions to help increase the exposure your videos receive…
1. Use Keywords
In Video File Name Insert keywords in the name of the video file. When determining what keywords to use, do not simply rely on intuition; do research, just as you would for a website, to see what relevant terms people are searching on.
2. Create Video Feed
Create an RSS feed of all videos in a collection. Each feed item should contain a different video in the enclosure field. Optimize the feed using related keywords. For additional help, there is a Videocasting Feed Creation Tutorial available at http://www.feedforall.com/videocasting-tutorial.htm .
3. Increase Exposure
Host your videos on YouTube, and embed the video into your website, which will increase the video count on YouTube. The more popular a video seems to be, the more exposure it will receive.
4. Video Name And Description
In the video name and description fields, use keywords that relate to the content of the video. Create a compelling yet relevant title and description that will encourage people to click-through.
5. Google Video Sitemap
Create a video sitemap for the search engines. For details on what to include in such sitemaps, Google has provided specifications in their Google Webmaster Central Blog at http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2007/12/introducing-video-sitemaps.html .
6. Meta Data
Include meta data in the video file. The newer video search engines will often rely on meta data to produce relevant results. Many video editing products will allow you to edit and customize the meta data associated with the video file, and you should use this the same way you would use the meta data for a webpage.
7. Optimize Landing Page
Optimize the landing page on the website, embed the video in a webpage on your website, and then use standard SEO techniques to optimize that webpage for the search engines. Use keywords that relate to the video on the page that contains the video.
8. Transcripts
Provide a text transcript of the video, both on the landing page and in the RSS feed for the video.
9. Embed URL In Video
Brand the video with your logo in the initial video splash screen, and include your website address on the bottom of the video to increase your brand exposure.
10. Leave Them Wanting More
The video should be a teaser and leave the audience wanting more. Engage the audience, but try to encourage the viewer to visit the website or view other videos to learn more.
11. Submit YouTube Feed
YouTube creates an RSS feed for every user account that is created. In addition to manually creating an RSS feed, you can also use the YouTube feed to promote your videos. The formatting details for the YouTube video feeds can be found at http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/username/uploads (replace “username” in the url with your own YouTube account username).
12. Anchor Text
When linking to the video, use anchor text that contains keywords which relate to the video.
13.Video Submission
Submit the video to all the video websites and video podcast websites. Here are a couple of resource sites to get you started…
Podcast & Video Submissions – http://www.podcasting-tools.com/submit-podcasts.htm 140 Places to Submit Your Video List – http://www.stephanmiller.com/my-link-lists/140-place-to-submit-your-video-list/
14. Tag Video
Tag the video on the video networks with relevant keywords, making it is easier for people to find when they search on those keywords.
15. Track Views
Track and review the number of views that a video receives. If you find that a substantial number of viewers are abandoning the video before completion, the chances are good that the video is too long and could benefit from trimming.
16. Social Bookmarking
Use social bookmarking to draw additional attention to videos. This will also help with the number of incoming links, which in turn will help improve search engine ranking.
17. Shorter Videos Rank Better
No big surprise here — the file size of short videos is much smaller than that of longer videos. On the video networks like YouTube, short videos are viewed far more often than longer ones. A length of less than 3 minutes per video seems to be ideal, and absolutely make every effort to keep your video under 10 minutes! If you have a long video segment, consider breaking it into multiple videos. The more popular videos on the video networks are given more exposure, which will also help increase the number of views received.
18. Titles Capture Interest
Just like newspaper headlines, it is important that the title of the video be one that will attract attention. If possible, include important keywords in the video title. This will help the video perform well in video searches for that keyword or phrase. Word order may also make a difference in the video ranking, so try to use the more important keywords at or near the beginning of the video title.
19. Tag The Video
Tag the video with important keywords and phrases that are relevant to the video’s contents. This is particularly important on YouTube. For anyone searching for topical videos, this will help them find yours.
20. Encourage Commenting
Encourage customers or other viewers to comment on your videos. Most video networks increase a video’s exposure if it receives a lot of comments or views. Once a large collection of comments has been posted, you can turn commenting off. To further increase exposure, link to the video from social sites and social media profiles such as facebook, myspace, twitter, linkedin, etc.
21. User Name
Use your company name as the username for your account on video networks like YouTube. The company name will further reinforce your brand.
22. Embed YouTube Video
Embed the YouTube video in your website. YouTube is the largest video network with the biggest following — by embedding the YouTube video on your website, you will further increase the number of views the video receives.
23. Video Anchor Text
When you link to the video, use keyword-rich anchor text in the link to the video file.
24. Add iTunes Tags
Increase the exposure of your video by adding the iTunes tags and submitting the video podcast to iTunes.
25. Video SiteMap
On your website, use a sitemap that shows where the videos are located on your website. This will help both visitors and search engines in locating the videos.
26. Transcripts
Create a text transcript of the video. The text can then be spidered by search engines, giving the content an additional channel.
27. Allow Video Syndication
Allow others to syndicate your videos. This will increase the exposure and the number of views that your video receives.
28. Ratings
Ratings are a plus. Make sure that you allow other viewers the ability to rate your video on the video networks.
29. Compress File
File compression will reduce the file size of the video, and make it faster to download and view. The downside is that more compression results in lower quality. Compress the video file to the smallest possible size, but without compromising the video or sound quality.
30. Include Watermarking
Watermark your video file so that there is no doubt to its origin. Also, add a splash screen at the beginning, and embed your website URL in the video using video editing software. These things will increase your website’s exposure if the video file is syndicated.
The growth of video on the web has exploded in recent years. Competitors will leave you in the dust if you fail to adapt and provide the medium your customers are exploring. Keep in mind that simply having a video is not enough! To make the most of your video content, you should take steps to optimize the video and increase your exposure.
Videos are the latest marketing channel. In order to make the most of it, optimize the video and increase the exposure it receives.
About the Author: Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company
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4 Comment(s)
By amr mettwally abd elhafeez on Aug 18, 2010 | Reply
very useful stuff is there any additional resource on creating podcast
By Jen on Aug 18, 2010 | Reply
I’ve never done a pod cast, and I am not sure I ever want to do one. I would if I didn’t have to be the one on camera. However, these are great tips.
By jan on Aug 20, 2010 | Reply
very informative post..thanks for the good tips..just dropping by from entrecard.
By ProMovieBlogger on Sep 4, 2010 | Reply
Great list.