4 Types Of Videos That Will Boost Your Brand’s Search Engine Visibility

The fortunate bunch who've earned the top spots in organic Google search rankings often reap the rewards of more website traffic, product sales and lead generation. Getting there is no easy feat, however, and the difficulty of climbing those ranks varies based on the market you're in.

So what plays a factor in better search engine visibility (SEO)? Everything from the website’s age, traffic, speed, UX, bounce rates, mobile-friendliness, backlinks, and a whack load of other technical variables. 

Content marketing is also a massive driving force to improving search engine visibility over time, and the ever-growing medium of video now plays a big part in it. This type of “searchable” video content answers questions that people are often searching for regarding your brand or industry. The good news is that these videos are typically cheaper to make and are relevant year-round.

To help you wrap your head around the type of content that maximizes SEO, I’ve compiled below a few common video types that companies and brands are using today in their quest for better search engine visibility.

Tutorials and How-to

Got a fashion brand? Then it’s videos on “How to dress for ___.” Got a dental practice? Then it’s videos on “How root canal procedures work” or “How to prepare for your root canal procedure,” and so and so forth. When done well, how-to videos can be an effective tactic for not just improving your SEO, but for also letting people outside of your core audience discover your brand and consider purchasing your product or service in the future.

Online retailer Mr. Porter has done well with a series of how-to videos related to men’s fashion. The videos often feature products and items that they sell in their online store.

Product Reviews

People who are in the “consideration phase” of your brand’s buying cycle are likely to scour the web for validation from other people who are happy with your product or service. These videos typically show up when someone searches for reviews about your brand before buying.

Product review videos are made by real customers who’ve used your product, or better yet, an influencer known for reviewing your category of products. To work well, they must be authentic and genuine, as fake product reviews can do more harm than good. The key is to identify content creators or potential customers that are a good fit for being genuine advocates of your brand, and asking them to review your product in exchange for a free copy or trial. 

Mattress Clarity, an online sleep products resource, reviews Casper’s mattress products.

Customer Testimonials

Similar to product reviews, customer testimonial videos are likely to appear in searches for reviews or testimonials about your product or service. The difference is that customer testimonial videos are typically commissioned by you, but they must still show real people who’ve used your product and are genuinely satisfied with it.

In addition to the SEO boost, customer testimonial videos can be effective in boosting your conversion rates when strategically placed within your website.

A customer testimonial video commissioned by Hootsuite that highlights how they’ve helped their client Wiley Publishing.

Product Demos

These videos are an in-depth showcase of your product, highlighting the features and benefits your customers can expect from using it. In addition to being good discoverable content on YouTube, product demo videos can also be placed near your product’s landing page to boost conversion rates.

A great little demo video of Nest that shows up when searching for smart home products, or the Nest brand in general.

The above are among a plethora of video types that you can experiment with to help boost your brand’s search engine ranks. Just remember to use a video hosting tool like Wistia or Vidyard for maximum SEO impact, as those tools make it easy to inject things like metadata descriptions and transcripts to your videos.