When we talk about content in regards to Inbound Marketing, oftentimes the conversation focuses on written content. While text is great and can convey what you want to say in a substantive way, when the goal is to attract people to your site, video and images can pack SEO power.
How Images and Videos Improve SEO
It used to be that text ruled the search results, but that all started to change in 2007 when Google introduced Universal Search. Universal Search means that results from multiple specialized searches will appear within the main Google Web search results instead of showing up as a separate box at the top of the search results page.
Since then, the number of households with high speed Internet connections has grown dramatically, enabling more people to access videos and view them without the instability that was apparent only a few years ago. Add to this the remarkable growth in smartphone adoption.
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According to a Pew Research Report published in 2013, 64% of Americans now own a smartphone. Take a casual glance in any public place and it’s easy to conclude that this number is now much higher. And if you look more closely, you will see that those people, and most likely yourself, are using their mobile computers in a variety of ways. In fact, at least 63% use their phones to go online. On these smaller screens, images can capture attention more readily than text alone.
Higher Click-Through Rates
What does this mean for your site? A recent study by aimClear found that search results with video have a 41% higher click through rate than plain text.
In a sea of text, a video thumbnail in a search result naturally draws the eye to it. Additionally, as search engines like Google base rankings more on the quality of the content, rather than just keyword placement, SEO is enhanced because these videos are inherently considered more informational in their content. Not to mention, more engaging.
The continually evolving way that search algorithms determine ranking is increasingly taking engagement into account. The longer someone stays on your site translates into better overall ranking.
Visual Content is More Shareable
Higher engagement means that your visitors are more inclined to remember you and seek you out again. This visual content isn’t only reserved for video. Captivating imagery is not only instantly appreciated by the viewer, but increasingly more sharable as well. Instagram, Pinterest, SnapChat are just the more popular examples of how pictures create viral experiences. Even infographics, which utilizes graphics and imagery to convey complex information quickly and clearly, can spread in a way that a text based blog can’t.
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Videos Increase External Backlinks
Videos also give you more opportunity for inbound links on your site and increases external backlinks as well. Both of which improve your SEO. And it’s not just YouTube link backs, but a growing number of video syndication sites that allow you to easily distribute your video content.
Of course, the millennial generation has matured within our increasingly connected society and have a natural affinity for all visual content. They not only seek out this kind of content, but are passionate sharers of it. A good share by your influential promoters can offer exponential opportunities to draw new visitors to your site. Not to mention that these social media shares have become such important pieces of the SEO puzzle.
When we talk about the buyer’s journey, video offers you an effective way to differentiate your content for a particular stage. A content offer can be more appealing if presented as a video download. Creating visual content also allows for more creative and unique ways to reach your buyer personas. And having more tools at your disposal that allow you to engage with your buyers certainly paints a pretty picture.
