Keyword and Keyword phrases are the little things that done correctly will keep the lights on for your business whether you are using them in titles, text or in your videos and video transcripts.
The keyword above was “done correctly” because often times we don’t take the time to select the right keywords or we have a false assumption of the keywords that are right for our business, or we try to awkwardly stuff keyword and keyword phrases into video or webpages that just don’t fit.
I was thinking about that while briefly watching one of Gordon Ramsay’s TV shows last night. What I saw was a segment where a contestant had to select from two baskets of food. In one basket, they were given a few choices and one hour to put something together. In the second basket, they were given more choices, but had only 30 minutes to prepare the dish.
What was awkward and unauthentic (more than a Reality Show already is) was that the segment had to have been sponsored by Wal-Mart. So when the hosts describe the options, they say this basket was filled with prime select rib eye, avocado, yadda yadda yadda all for under $25.
The whole thing seemed like what it was, an over-the-top product placement.
Don’t do that for your keyword placement. Your customers will notice, and so will Google and the other search engines.
For your videos, consider these tips for how to optimize your videos with keywords and phrases:
- Perform keyword research: Begin with a general list of what you think and what you know are your keywords. Refine that list using a keyword tool, such as that offered by Google’s AdWords (search for specific queries). Finally, consider other factors such as stems (How To…, Tips On…) and geographic location (Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro). Once you have your list, select one keyword or phrase to target per video. For example, “How to Get Started in Video Marketing.” You would use that phrase in your video, title, description, tags and file name (how_to_get_started_in_video_marketing.mp4).
- Add plenty of tags to your video, including variations of your keyword phrase, as well as brand specific keywords (Seven G Media, 7G Media).
- Write a script and upload the transcript to YouTube. You can do this by going to the Captions tab in the YouTube video editor and then selecting “add captions.” You will then have the option to upload a file. Doing this gives YouTube and the other search engines another resource for indexing and finding your keywords.