Every website owner is well aware of the importance of SEO or search engine optimization. The search for the secret formula that will enable you to draw traffic to your website has been a competitive free for all for quite some time. Just when SEO experts thought they were getting a handle on content for websites that would send the crawlers reeling along came web video. It became clear that no longer would a site be complete with the written word alone. Web video was the new frontier. Of course the power of the written word reigns supreme but the value and effectiveness of sound web video SEO technique should not be underestimated.
Although web video is comparably new to the scene the loyalty to it has become immense. The success of video sharing sites like YouTube has been phenomenal. YouTube received over 90 million visitors in March 2009 and is easily the most popular video sharing site online. People are fascinated with videos. They enjoy creating them and they will stop to watch them. The 25 to 35 year old age group has proved to be very attracted to web videos. They just happen to be the age group with an established conversion rate on the Internet as well. The opportunity to reach them with web videos makes this method an effective SEO technique.
Of course like all SEO methods it must be utilized wisely. Proper placement and content of videos must be precise. Recent studies have shown that almost 40% of users find their videos through the search engines. The major search engines like Google and Yahoo have enhanced their ability to include videos into their search engine process.
Web videos can be SEO friendly on your website or through Video sharing sites like YouTube. Through video sharing you get your message and your link out there to draw people to your website. Web videos on your website can draw them further in for the sale. By properly preparing your videos for SEO they can be picked up in the search engines and drive traffic to your site. The short, sweet and straight to the point web video can make an excellent SEO tool.
Here’s a second attempt at producing a video through my Vaio’s internal Web cam, using only daylight (minimal). I had to sharpen it a bit in Vegas and I also adjusted the contrast some. The colors are more realistic, though the highlighting (glow) on my forehead and cheeks is a bit disconcerting. My conclusion is that it would be okay to create a quick video using only the Web cam and natural light, or perhaps bulbs which simulate daylight. Still I’m glad the storm has passed and I can go back into my studio and use pro equipment again.
Before I do that, I’ve got to see if I can get rid of the audio timing problem by capturing Web cam footage in Vegas directly.
The only adjustment that I made in post was sharpening (through Vegas). I suppose had there been a better looking subject that the results would have been passable. But passable is generally not good enough. Not for pro work. Still I think I’ll try again (since the storm is lingering) using Vegas to capture instead of Arcsoft
I’m Jeff Wild, Site owner and Web videographer. I’ve created this short video because the Web has changed. Apparently Site visitors want to know with whom they’re dealing.
The truth is I’ve become a recluse. I’m far more comfortable editing video, messing with graphics, creating Web Sites, analyzing SEO needs, or hiding behind a camera, than I am dealing with people, but the Web has become a social tool. So…Well this is me.
At the time of this writing, I do not own an High Definition camcorder. I shoot with a Panasonic 3CCD camera which impresses the hell out of clients, both in quality and in looks. When you setup a camera like that with a long XLR shotgun mic, it’s obvious your a pro.
I purchased the Pansonic AG DVX-100 about four years ago. With three chips and 24 p (film like) capacity, it was Panasonic’s great prosumer breakthrough. It’s still an awesome camcorder, and available today brand new at B & H Photo, as is it’s HD brother, the AG HMC-150 – which these days is a bit over budget for me. Unfortunately clients often ask if I shoot in HD. I’m not sure why they care. The difference on the Web between a 3 chip SD and an affordable HD is generally marginal.
Still, the client is always right – so I’m shopping around for an affordable Hi Def camcorder. Many of the succeeding posts on this Site will be the result of my research.
Although I’ve been called an idiot by several of my former significant others, (now insignificant others) I’m not really stupid enough to have gotten within tooth-range of that eight foot gator. I admit, however, as I leaned over the platform at Sawgrass Lakes Park, in St. Petersburg Florida, with six pounds of camcorder in my hands, I did feel temptation.
The truth is, I arrived home safely from my nature videography session, only to trip over my dog, on my way to the bathroom, smashing my head on an ill fitting door sill.
If you want to drive traffic back to your site from sharing sites like YouTube, Vimeo or Google than the first step is to plan a video that presents your message clearly and precisely. It must be short and offer solutions to the viewer’s problems. You have to prevail upon them what you can do make their situation better with the product or service you have to offer. Then you have to create the video itself. Making your own video to place on the sharing sites is not as hard as you might think.
You can make a video to promote your website with a digital camcorder, a webcam or a cell phone with video recording capability. The camcorder will offer better quality but the webcam and cell phone are potential options to explore. Of course you also have to option of paying someone else, like us to create a professional looking video for you. The important thing is that you get your video with an optimized set of tags and descriptions, on as many top ranking video sharing sites that you can. It cannot be stressed enough that the video does not have to be of academy award quality but it does have to be professional and precise. You can put a million videos on sharing sites but if they lack substance and quality it will benefit no one.
However, if you place quality videos on various top ranked video sharing sites the benefits can be enormous. First of all you are getting your brand in front of millions of potential customers. The more familiar users get with your brand the better. Of course all of your videos will be accompanied by a link. The video message will drive users to utilize the link to explore your website. It is feasible on sharing sites like YouTube to get lucky (with a bit of technical skill and SEO knowledge) and have over a million views on a video. The more views your video receives and in addition the clicks to your website, the higher your site moves in the search engine rankings. Quality videos, properly placed on video sharing sites can certainly enhance the traffic to your website.
Most online businesses constantly struggle with the problem of driving traffic to their websites. When you own a business on Main Street you depend on those passing by to see your business sign. You hope that something on your sign or storefront will drive the customers into your location. The online world is totally different. On the Internet your link is your business sign. You have to get your link in front of potential customers so that they can click on it and enter your online store. Web Video can play a major role in this process. The proper use of Web Video will drive traffic to your Website again and again.
Boosting traffic with Web Video can be done fairly easily through the placement of your video on a number of video sharing Sites and hoping that other Web Site owners will find it relevant enough to embed your video on their Sites.
Adding Web videos to a Site can boost conversion if placed correctly. The home page is an excellent place for a web video. Studies have shown that over 50 percent of users will click on a home page video. The idea is to use that video to draw them deeper into your domain. Then you place a video in your gallery to enhance the opportunity for interaction. When you do this ensure that your video is beside your product and allows for a path back to the product you are pushing and a way to purchase it.
Lastly you want to drive purchase behavior in your customers so it is essential that you mix your videos with a call to action. It has been proven that videos will drive user conversion to increase sales. To take advantage of this you want to place these videos proudly next to your products or services. Keep in mind that you do not need an academy award winning video. You want to keep them short and sweet. You want to get your message out directly and instantly displaying how you can solve your customers needs with your product or services.
Through video, you can not only boost your website traffic, but increase sales conversions as well.
