Videos on websites just make sense. If done right they can be the most effective way to convey a lot of information in a short period of time. That sounds pretty good by itself, right? Well BOOM! It also helps SEO! Bet ya didn’t think of that. So let’s take a look at how video can make you rank higher on Google.

1. Long-Stays.

Google algorithms are putting more and more emphasis on how long people stay on your site. People will tend to spend about 2 more minutes on sites that have videos over those without (this according to Comscore). This makes Google more likely to recommend your site.

2. Video gets Results.

Your chances of appearing on the 1st page increases 53-fold with an informational video. Video on websites is gradually picking up, but hasn’t fully caught on yet. Having a video hosted on YouTube can also increase your chances, as roughly 80% of the videos served up on Google are from YouTube. Of course that brings us to the dilemma of self-hosting or embedded links.

3. YouTube or Self-Hosted.

In hosting your videos you have to make a choice whether you want people to see the video or your site. Self-hosting means that your page will be the only place to see the video, so blogs wishing to share the video will have to link back to your site. However hosting on YouTube can really get your video out there. It will be more likely to show up in Google searches for one thing.

If you got this latter route, it is important to have added value on your site; a reason for people to follow the link in the description that takes them back to your webpage. For instance making reference to other information which can be found on your site, or additional videos on the subject in one easy to find location can entice people to go on to your site. Optimize for users, not search engines.

4. Reading Video.

While a video doesn’t offer much that Google can read and index (yet), there are a variety of ways to adapt the content to become search engine friendly media.

• Screenshots; Can be shared on Flickr or other photo hosting social media.
• Text Transcriptions; Useful if the user cannot use their speakers because they are at work for instance.
• PDF Downloads; Made from the Screenshots and Transcriptions.
• PowerPoint Slideshows; These can be shared for instance on slideshare.net
• Audio Podcasts; Perhaps the audio itself is enough to convey your message.

So there you go, more proof that a website without a video is like a dog without a bone. That little bone not only contains valuable information about your business, but also attracts other dogs looking to steal that bone. Only in the case of information, it doesn’t leave your website when someone watches your video, but rather copies are made inside peoples brains. In this way video is less like a bone and perhaps more like an amoeba or other single-cell organism capable of mitosis.