YouTube SEO

YouTube is the second most visited website according to Alexa. With 2 billion active users, the platform uploads more than 500 hours of video content per minute.

Most popular social networks worldwide as of April 2020, per Statista

It’s safe to say that YouTube is a marketing channel worth exploring, but for more reasons than just being found on YouTube. Google also integrates YouTube videos into its search results. Quite often, actually.

As you can see with this snapshot of the SERP Features Monitor, videos show up more than most other features on the search results page:

And you can bet that those videos will be YouTube videos. Google owns YouTube, and videos from the platform tend to find favor in the search results.

This data is five years old now but shows that even back then, YouTube videos accounted for more than 80% of videos displayed in the search results.

Of course, videos show up more for some queries than others. Searches for how-to instructions, tutorials and reviews can often trigger videos as part of the search results. If your website contains this type of content, then YouTube SEO is especially important.

In some cases, these videos will claim a featured snippet at the top of the page, aka “Position 0” — like this one on how to tie a shoe:

In 2018, Google began showing video carousels for desktop searches. With a video carousel, searchers are presented with a video box that prompts them to scroll horizontally in order to view all the results.

You’ll first see the top three video results without having to scroll. This is like the top three organic blue links on a page — the coveted positions.

YouTube SEO in a Nutshell

You may think that ranking well within the YouTube platform means that you will automatically rank well in the Google search results for the same query. Not so. In fact, there has been a lot of research on this, which you can view here and here.

So how do you increase the chances of your YouTube videos showing up for a Google search?

It starts with understanding that you should research and optimize a YouTube video as well as you would a webpage. Here are some basic steps:

1. Target the queries that most often show videos results and then make videos for them.

The success of your video marketing first relies on your targeted keywords. In a conversation a few years back at PubCon, Google’s Gary Illyes suggested that if you see video results for a target query, you should consider making your own video for it. Do thorough research to identify keywords and trends.

2. Use optimization techniques that signal to the search engine that the video is relevant to the search.

YouTube SEO includes things like:

  • Using your targeted keyword(s) in your video file name
  • Optimizing the video’s title with targeted keywords
  • Creating a detailed video description and optimizing it with targeted keywords
  • Using the “tags” feature in YouTube to categorize the video with targeted keywords in it

If you’re not making videos for YouTube as part of your marketing strategy, you’re certainly missing out on the chance to be found on YouTube. But perhaps more importantly, you’re missing out on another chance to rank in the Google search results.

Voice Search Opportunities

Voice search presents a massive and often untapped opportunity for brands to add more value and gain more visibility. Here’s what you need to know about this growing trend.

Key Definitions and Facts

Voice search is a voice-enabled way to search or complete a task on the web or an app. A person speaks their query into a microphone (on their phone or a home assistant device). The queries are usually in the form of a question (such as “What is …”) or a command (“Do this …”).

Voice assistants are the programs on digital devices that facilitate the queries. Examples of voice assistants include Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Voice assistants can be found on many devices. For example, Google Assistant is on smartphones and a ton of other devices for the home.

Smart speakers are devices like home assistants that are powered by voice assistants. Think Google Home (powered by Google Assistant) or Amazon Echo (powered by Amazon Alexa).

Actions (Google) or Skills (Alexa) are the terms used for voice-enabled capabilities on your voice-assisted device, which are akin to apps on a smartphone. They allow the user to do something. These capabilities can be developed by Amazon itself, for example, or by third-party developers. For example, Actions on Google might help you with food delivery: “OK Google, order Chinese food.”

Voice assistants work by selecting what they believe is the best answer to a searcher’s voice query through features on the search engine results page, for example.

Or they can help a searcher facilitate a task on a voice assisted-device through a Skill or Action. In both cases, the interaction between the voice assistant and the user is conversational.

It’s also important to understand that different search engines power different voice assistants. For example, Google, of course, powers Google Assistant and all its enabled devices. But Bing powers Amazon Alexa and devices like Echo (when something is not covered by a Skill).

Key Trends and Stats

Back in 2016, Google stated that 20% of searches (one in five) on Google’s mobile app and Android devices were voice queries. Newer data from Adobe shows that 48% of consumers are using voice assistants for general web search.

eMarketer predicts that by 2021, U.S. voice assistant users will reach about 123 million, and the number is growing each year.

Amazon Alexa is a leader. It’s supported by the highest number of devices (an estimated 60,000 according to Statista), including Echo, with a rapidly growing set of Skills.

Internet Trends 2019, Bond Capital

But Google Assistant is also widely used, as outlined here.

Voice Search Benefits & Concerns

So what is the force behind the trend — why do people use voice search?

Voice search is about convenience. People say voice assistants improve their quality of life and save them time (according to Adobe data linked to earlier).

This happens whether they are using voice assistants on their smartphones (85% of the time) or in their car (31% of the time).

Adobe research via Search Engine Land

But privacy concerns could potentially hinder the adoption of voice technology. The Adobe data supports that as well as research from NPR and Microsoft.

  • Eighty-one percent said their issue with voice technology was privacy concerns. (Adobe)
  • Sixty-six percent say they don’t own a smart speaker because it’s always listening. (NPR)
  • Forty-one percent of users reported concerns around trust, privacy and passive listening. (Microsoft)

Even with concerns about privacy, adoption is not expected to slow. Especially as the newer generations use technology on their terms.

Brands can position themselves to be more useful in a voice-search world by optimizing for voice queries.

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