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Video marketing campaigns have long been used by many companies to great effect. Videos are more often than not entertaining, informative, and direct to the point. By making use of video, there’s no need for users to read walls of text just to understand what the company is marketing, or the services they provide. The downside to this, though, is that videos take a bit more time, effort, and resources to create. And any keywords that are spoken in the video won’t be scanned by a search engine’s software, so unless it has a transcription of what is said on the page, it won’t really increase ranking in that sense.
However, there are platforms companies use in order to promote their videos, and these websites also have their own technology and tools available that they could even scan and calculate the rank of the video based on its content. That is why it is imperative for companies to leverage the same (or similar), tools before uploading the video, so they can optimize the content to ensure it gets a good rank. For this year alone, video has seen a steady rise in relevance and preference by the users, and this trend shows no signs of stopping in the near future. All the more reason to make sure what you post gets attention.
Companies should be able to discern which platforms they should host their content on.
Video hosting sites that you should consider utilizing
Contrary to what a lot of people seem to think, YouTube isn’t the only video-hosting website users frequent. There’s a reason why it is the go-to video website for most users, and aside from video-hosting, it is also acknowledged as one of the most well-known websites in the world. However, it is not infallible as there have been times when users didn’t find what they looked for there. So, aside from YouTube, here are some other video-hosting sites where you should consider posting your content on.
- Metacafe
This website has been around for 15 years, and it is also known for its short-form videos. It has a wide library of videos that show anything from sports to software reviews. Because people know it only shows content that are less than eight minutes, they go to this site to get short, concise answers to their questions. This is also a great place for a lot of companies to post their videos, as the website is also very simplistic in its design and use, which makes it easier for users to find what they want.
- Vidyard
Vidyard is one of those video-hosting platforms that focus and market business videos. They specifically cater to companies who wish to have their videos be posted somewhere other than their landing page. The website actually provides analytics for companies as well, and they help maximize video performance and efficiency. They analyze videos in real time and offer full customization, security options, testing for thumbnails, and pop-out calls to action. Companies who go for Vidyard are also able to export their content automatically to other social networks like Twitter and YouTube itself.
- Vimeo
Amongst all the other websites on this list, Vimeo is possibly the most well-known. Though it definitely falls short when compared to YouTube regarding viewer traffic, it is considered as the platform of choice for many creative professionals. It features a lot of high-quality videos, and having a Pro account allows users to monetize their videos through a “tipping” feature. Many businesses also post their content on Vimeo, because the Pro account also has analytics and many customization features. These features allow companies to also embed the Vimeo content on their own page, which can show HD videos and a white labeled video player.
- Wistia
This website is another platform that was specifically designed with video hosting for businesses in mind. It also has Twitter integration, so any video that is embedded using this platform is viewable when added to a tweet. They feature interactive text which boosts accessibility for users, and they also have robust analytics. They also offer embedding on a company’s website, which is also fully white labeled.
- Vzaar
This website has always been known as a YouTube alternative. However, it also offers its own set of features that are nothing to scoff at. The website allows monetization, and users are given full control on which domains can and cannot play or embed their uploaded videos. Companies are also able to upload their content by using desktop, web, or mobile, which makes it easier for them to post a scheduled video. The website is also integrated with Google Analytics so that companies are able to check the performance of their output.
SEO tools to maximize video performance
Now that you know where to possibly post your content, the next thing you need to know is which tools to use in order to make sure your video is ready for uploading. We won’t be able to list out everything, as there are lots of tools out there that help you make sure your video is as effective as possible. But the ones we list out will most definitely help you not only optimize the video, but also monitor the performance of your output after it has been uploaded.
- UberSuggest
This particular tool is best leveraged when you haven’t shot the video yet. It is a robust tool that helps you choose the most efficient keywords to use for your video. This should be done after you know the basic theme or overall topic of the video. All you would need to do to is to enter the keyword into the search field and then the tool will run the word through the database and check if the keyword is popular. UberSuggest will tell you how often the word is searched, and will show you if the keyword is relevant. If it is, it will mean that your content has high chances of being viewed when you use the keyword. It will also assess the difficulty rating of the said keyword, as it will analyze how many others are using the same word. This free tool is only compatible with YouTube, but the data it brings to the table is still valuable, and it will help you to find the right keywords to target.
- Canva
Another important aspect of the video is the thumbnail. If you don’t choose a thumbnail that will make users want to click on your video, no matter how high on the SERPs it is, very few will choose to watch it. Canva is a free-to-use graphic design tool which enables you to create customized, high resolution pictures for your thumbnail. When creating thumbnails, you should keep in mind to use the JPG or PNG format, as well as keep it under 2MB, while setting the resolution at 1280×720. This will ensure that your thumbnail is compatible with most devices, and that no matter how large or small the screen, the thumbnail will not appear warped or pixelated.
- Cyfe
Once the video is uploaded, you might think that all you have to do is relax and wait to see if it did its job. However, to make sure that the video really is effective, you need to keep monitoring it, even after uploading. Some websites already offer their own analytics, but for in-depth data about the video you posted on YouTube, Cyfe is the tool to use. It allows users to check and see how the video is performing, and will provide information about audience retention, traffic sources, engagement, and of course, views. Assessing the progress of your content is always essential in SEO, as this will let you know what you did well, and what needs improvement.
- SerpStats
SerpStats is another keyword tool that works similar to Google Suggest. The tool allows users to know suggested keywords for them to use. However, there is also a different algorithm in this tool that allows it to find out popular answers to questions that people have regarding a base word. For example, if you were to type in the word “blogging” in the search bar, it would then suggest titles like “how blogging works” or “how blogging can help your business.” This is very useful for users to know what kind of questions their video can answer, and it can also be a good source of inspiration for brainstorming.
- VidIQ
On many video-hosting platforms, tags can be just as important as keywords, especially on YouTube. In order to choose the correct tags for your video, VidIQ will definitely come in handy. It can find the most searched categories, so that you can also match it to your video. This tool is a free-to-use chrome extension, and after creating your free account, you can then start researching your competitors. The tool lets you see the data of a video’s SEO on YouTube, and it can also let you know how well a video ranks for a certain tag.
