Is Video An Effective SEO Technique?

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.

Videography is far different from photography. When you are trying to capture great pictures for a portrait or an event, you think in terms of still shots. In your mind the objective is “what will make a great picture.”

Video opens up whole scenes to be captured on film, for better and for worse. But it also opens up a lot of opportunity for mistakes, unexpected results or interruptions and surprises. Not only do you have to continue to think about what makes a great shot, you now have sound and movement issues to factor in.  So while videography is much more fun, it also can be a lot more work.

You are trying to find a middle ground when you start offering video as part of your services. You know that anybody can bring a camcorder and capture video streams. These days they can even do it with their phone. But you want to create a more professional shot than the high school kid with a camcorder. Then again, you are not trying to win an academy award here. So the level of professionalism has to be better than amateur so you can justify charging for it but it doesn’t have to be great art to be a good video that the customer will be happy with.

To accomplish this mix of perfectionism and compromise, a few tips from the pros who have already set up a video business can help a lot. Here are what many of the old pros tell us to focus on especially as we are getting our video business up and running…

The cornerstone advice that the pros give about making great video is plan ahead. The more you know about your shoot, the better equipped you are when you show up. If you are shooting a wedding, visit the chapel, perhaps the reception hall and plan where you will set up to capture the best images. Plan your routes as you move around so you can create a smooth flow that works with the wedding procession rather than interrupts it.

The same is true of any event. Even a sporting event, as spontaneous as that is, will offer some less traveled areas where you can position yourself to catch the action. If the best location for capturing video is above or a distance from the activity, then you know you will need to use zoom and focus differently than if you can be in the middle of the action. This helps you plan how to prepare your equipment and your crew who will be supporting the shoot.

Lighting is something that must be part of your preplanning so you have sufficient light so the action and facial reactions are easy to pick out on the video. Outdoors, keep the sun behind you if at all possible. Indoors, scout out how the existing lighting will look on video during the hours that you will be shooting. If they are not sufficient, you should get in there and set your lights in place well in advance of the event and work with the event organizers so they know your lights will be on during the event. The people who hired you want a great video so they will work with you. But you have to let them know what is going on.

A good video is a combination of stability of the camera and constant movement. So use a tripod to stabilize the shots when the video is being actively shot. But you have to be able to move the set up quickly to a new location. So make sure that your equipment is well maintained and that cameras, tripods and that all supplies are quickly accessible for field changes or repairs.

One of the most valuable insider tips is to shoot with the intention of editing. In that way, you will shoot more footage than you need, knowing you are going to edit it together later. You can go back and capture connecting video shots to smooth out the action and you don’t have to get upset if you get some bad footage. These and many other talents you will develop will take you to that level of professionalism you want to reach. And your customers will notice it too and come back for more of your talented videography.

In my search for the perfect high definition camcorder, the number one contender to date if the VIXIA HF S100 Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder. I runs around a thousand dollars, three hundred dollars cheaper than it’s sister camcorder, the VIXIA HF S10 Dual Flash Memory High Definition Camcorder. The latter records both to SD card and internal memory. The s100, my choice, records only to external flash card.

>>>>>>>>  Purchase the VIXIA HF S100 High Definition Camcorder at B&H Photo

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

For the last year or so, the Canon Vixia HV30 has been the High Definition camcorder of choice for professional Web videographers

I’m currently looking for a Hi Def camcorder and have looked into this model. This video discusses some of what I’ve found.

Canon Vixia HV30 Camcorder - Mint US $475.00 Auction Ends: Wednesday Feb-08-2012 15:30:58 PST   | Watch this Item

Canon Vixia HV30 Camcorder - Black (tape deck recently factory refurbished) US $250.00 (1 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Feb-09-2012 7:01:59 PST   | Watch this Item

W229 Bag for Canon Camcorder VIXIA HF R20 M400 HFS21 HV30 DC310 DC320 FS10 FS11 US $7.88 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Feb-09-2012 10:17:36 PST   | Watch this Item

Canon Vixia HV30 Camcorder - Black US $350.00 (0 Bid) Auction Ends: Thursday Feb-09-2012 10:32:17 PST   | Watch this Item

Canon Vixia HV30 Camcorder - Black US $200.50 (7 Bids) Auction Ends: Thursday Feb-09-2012 12:48:52 PST   | Watch this Item

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.

Comments, tips and recommendations are welcomed.

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.

All better now.

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.