How to create awesome videos for SEO, with minimum budget, time and effort.

This article is written for our clients who want to create their own videos to enable us to add the most effective form of fresh content to their website.

We have used one specific niche for our examples. We have done this to help you understand how the different formats look and are implemented. These concepts do however work for all types of niches, products and services. To date, we have not encounteretd a niche where these same concepts cannot be applied.

Your Clients Are Your Best Sources of Content

Showing pictures, creating videos and generally creating case study like articles of your clients using your product or experiencing your service can become and endless source of extremely effective content. And content is the foundation, the starting point of all forms of effective digital marketing.

Video Types, From Effective to Extremely Effective

On Camera Client Interview, Show and Tell – Extremely Effective

On camera, show and tell style videos where the client is a participant, can be one of the most effective types of videos. Potential new clients are often most convinced by being able to see and hear what some of your other clients have to say. Do not confuse this with testimonial style videos which often look contrived. The difference is that the video should be unstaged and focus on the detail of the client’s experience and not just be a blatant and shallow commercial for your business.

Examples

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mhoeQT9wZw
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=242&v=plv0FWnAFHs
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCfVsN2LmAA

How:

• Use a video camera

Tips:

• Don’t just have the client say how great you are, or something is. Instead have them talk about the detail, the features, why they like it and how they came to want it. The more detail the more they tell a story the better.
• Provide high quality images to back up you video
  • Before and after images, the more the better.
  • Include detailed close up feature pictures not just general pictures.
  • Make sure you have pictures from every angle.
• Sound is important.
  • It does not have to be professional quality, but it does need to be clear and audible.
  • Use throat microphones if there is any background sound.

On Camera Show and Tell – Very Effective

It is not always possible to get your clients’ in front of the camera. In that case consider simply filming yourself or whoever knows the project the best, providing a straight forward tour of the project. Even if your client does participate in the video it is a good idea to do this as well. Try to avoid "selling" in these videos. Instead try to make the tone of the video more educational and informative. Talk about the detail of the design. The more informal and unscripted the video appears the more effective it is likely to be.

Examples

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b42yzlNMnH8
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4yHjdlHY_c
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=80&v=uGJZ_6X-glM

How:

• Use a video camera

Tips:

• Talk about the details, the thought process that went into the project.
  • Describe all the features, their benefits and the story behind the project.
• Provide high quality images to back up you video, before and after, the more the better.
  • Include detailed pictures not just general pictures.
• Sound is important.
  • It does not have to be professional quality, but it does need to be clear and audible.
  • Use throat microphones if there is any background sound.

Screen Recording Videos – Effective

Examples

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfcwThvogS4
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrIZxXgmeQs
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUke6-_f-8o

How:

• Use some screen recording software

Tips:

• Make sure you have a good number of high-quality images, include design drawings, sketches and any other resources to talk though on your video
• Before and after pictures, pictures of your client enjoying your service
• If you provided a service withing a client’s house, consider including pictures of the house and the neighborhood it which it resides.
• Talk about the details, the thought process that went into the design and the project in general.
• Describe all the features, their benefits and the story behind the project.
• Sound is important.
  • It does not however have to be professional quality, but it does need to be clear and audible.
  • Buy yourself a decent microphone, don’t rely on the microphone that comes with your laptop.
• There are lots of different software applications that allow you to record your PCs screen.
  • The one you are most familiar with and comfortable using, is probably the best one.
  • We recommend TechSmith’s Snagit

The Recorded Conference Call – Effective

Examples

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4njrXKUaYo&feature=youtu.be
• https://www.youtube.com/embed/RJ-uj0DBFvE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAI6PxiV9cE

How:

• We set up a screen share conference call with you, ask you questions and have you to show and tell.

Tips:

• This process makes it easy for the less experienced client to get a similar effect as a screen recording video.
• It enables those clients to do so without needing to learn how to:
  • Purchase and use a video camera.
  • Install and use screen recording software.
  • Think too much about what to say.
  • Get the whole thing done with minimal time invested in the process by them.
• They should be prepared with images of their product or service.
• While this process usually works very well the sound quality can become erratic as we are at the mercy of the quality of the internet connection at the time of the call.

How NOT TO DO IT (How to create videos that do very little for SEO & CRO)

We have provided four good ways above to create videos that can be used to dramatically boost your visibility online. This article would not be complete though without also providing at least one example of how not to do it.

Example

• https://vimeo.com/183917360

How:

• Pay someone to create a nice-looking video for you.

Tips:

• Make sure they use lots of slow pans.
• Apply boring music to it with no narration.
• Provide no descriptive detail, explanation or call to action.

General Tips:

When Creating Videos for Ranking and conversion (SCO & CRO)

• Don’t waste time editing and producing your video, trying to make it perfect.
• Don’t worry about making mistakes or repeating yourself.
  • Just send us the raw recording, we will edit and do the rest.
• Send us as many images as possible that relate to your video.
  • To make images effective for SEO it is vital to include detailed descriptions for each image.
• The point is not to try to make a high quality professional polished video.
• The point is to make an interesting video that is detailed and informative.
• The point is not to create the best video and spend a lot of effort to make it perfect.
• The point is to create a regular flow of videos that are interesting and good enough.
• The point is to create a video for every key phrase you want to rank for and every page that is designed to rank for it.

Most important of all is vital to understand that it is the detail, the narrated content that makes the videos effective for SEO and CRO. The more detail the better. The videos become the starting point for content generation. Rich articles, optimized pages, social posts and much more. If your goal is to beat your competition, this is how to do it!