Video Search Optimization
Eric PapczunSES ChicagoDecember 4th, 2006
2
The Players
• Share of Video Streams*– 20% - My Space– 11% - Yahoo! Sites– 9% - YouTube– 4% - Time Warner Sites (CNN, CNNMoney)– 4% - Viacom Sites (CBSNews, CBS, Sportsline)– 1% - Google Video
• Share of Traffic**– 33% - YouTube– 15% - MySpace Videos– 8% - Google Video– 3% - Yahoo! Video– 3% - MSN Video– 2% - Yahoo! Video Streaming
*Source: IPOS Public Affairs, July 2006
**Source: Hitwise, USA, Market share within “Entertainment – Multimedia” category, December 2006
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The Trend
• 54% of Online Users Consume Video Online*
• 72% Watched News Video Online*
• Video Consumption is Moving from TV to Video Sites
and Eventually to Search
• Now is the Time to Optimize Your Video Assets!
*Source: IPOS Public Affairs
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The Roadblocks
• Lack of a Simple and Consistent Taxonomy for
Producers to Use
• Search is Too Dependant on Text from Video’s
Corresponding Web Page
• Flash Video Players
• Ugly URL’s with Lots of Parameters
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Video Optimizing for News Sites
• Train Editors to Think Like Video Searchers– Target keywords for each video
• Encode for the Right Keywords– Title, description, and keyword fields are key
• Use Keywords in Filename
• Keep video files in one directory
• Surround Video with On-Page Relevant Text
• Crosslink to Videos using Keywords in Anchor Text
• Create a Optimized Video Sitemap
• Upload Videos to Search Engines
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Think Like the Video Searcher
Michael Richards makes headlines on 11/17 with racial tirade
People search for “Michael Richards” and “Kramer” to find news and video
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Optimize Titles and Descriptions:“Michael Richards”
Top Results
for query
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Optimize Titles and Descriptions:“Kramer”
3 instances of “Kramer” in title and description
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Video and Text Should Play Together
CNBC.com’s new site does a nice job of surrounding videos with text content
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Video Directory Off Root
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Video Site Map
H1 Tag “Video Site Map”
Repeat News and Video Keywords
“CBS News Videos” not “CBS News”
Provide Links to RSS Feeds
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Global Footer Link to Video Sitemap
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Optimize Anchor Text in Links
Use Primary Keywords in Text Links
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Increase Distribution
Bulk Video Submission Tools:
• Google: https://upload.video.google.com
• Yahoo!: search.yahoo.com/mrss/submit
• Blinkx: www.blinkx.com/rssupload
• Singing Fish: search.singingfish.com/sfw/submit.html
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Brand Yourself in Video
Target generic video search keywords like “news video” to build online brand
Be an early mover in paid search
-NY Times has lead the way
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Use Paid Search to Capture Story
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For Google Video:Links & Anchor Text are Still King
Top 10 results for “paris hilton”
Appears to be strong correlation between ranking and allinanchor
Title is second most important factor for this query
Freshness helps
allinanchor:paris hilton
Thank You!
Eric PapczunSES ChicagoDecember 4th, 2006