The Ultimate Video SEO Guide for Small Businesses: Rank Higher, Reach More Customers (No Fancy Equipment Needed!)

Did you know that websites with video content are 50 times more likely to drive organic traffic? (source: Insivia). And videos are 53 times more likely to appear on the first page of Google search results than traditional text-based content? (source:Moovly)

Since 2021, video has become an integral part of content marketing, with 87% of marketers saying that video has increased traffic to their websites (HubSpot, 2022). And it is not slowing down. 

Why Video SEO Matters for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs)

Video marketing levels the playing field for SMBs. 

You don’t need a Hollywood budget or a professional production team.

With a smartphone and a little creativity, you can create videos that drive traffic, build trust, and grow your business. And with Video SEO, you can ensure your videos rank higher, reach more viewers, and deliver sales and profit.

If your business is not using video yet, you are missing out on one of the most powerful tools for growth. The best part? You don’t need a fancy camera or a big budget to start. 

In this post, I’ll show you how to optimize your videos for SEO on YouTube and Google. Plus, I’ll share my top Video SEO Optimization tips to help your website rank higher and reach more customers with embedded YouTube videos. Ready to stop missing out and start growing? Let’s dive in!

The Rise of Video Content in Digital Marketing

Video content has exploded in popularity over the past few years, and the numbers don’t lie. According to Wyzowl’s 2024 Video Marketing Statistics, 93% of marketers say video gives them a positive ROI, and 99% say it helps increase user understanding of their products or services. 

These examples show how video can simplify complex ideas, showcase your expertise, and build trust with your audience—all while driving engagement and sales.

Take a look at this chart in Google Trends, which shows content marketing and video content. Since 2011, Content Marketing has steadily grown (blue line). In comparison, since 2021, Video Content has been trending up significantly (red line). 

But it’s not just marketers who love video—consumers do, too. 

People are 50 times more likely to visit a website with video content than one without (Insivia, 2023). For small businesses, video isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have for staying competitive.

How Video Now Dominates Google Search Results Now

The SEO game has changed.

If you want to be found online, video is your secret weapon. Just textual content is not enough anymore. Google is prioritizing video content like never before, especially with the rise of AI overviews in search results.

Here’s how it works: When you search for something on Google, videos often appear in the AI overview section at the top of the page, pushing traditional organic listings further down. 

For example, take a look at the search results page below. A single query showing a YouTube video in the AI overview and takes up a large amount of pixels on the screen.

Then, if you keep scrolling down the page, that same video listed in the AI Overview above is embedded in the search results lower down on the same page.

Then, if you click on the video tab at the top, you will see more videos. In this case, Google features our same evergreen video at the top, and then three more videos of our Shorts videos that we cut up from the same long-form evergreen video - that’s 5 out of 6 spots that are either an evergreen video or a Shorts video from YouTube that shows in Google search results! 

That’s multiple spots on the first page of Google with video content—prime real estate that your business can’t afford to miss out on with Google’s changes to its search results pages. And with video SEO, you can rank more videos, capture more views, clicks, and impressions on YouTube, and rank more pages in Google’s search results pages to win the click. 

Mobile Video SEO Opportunities

Now, the above results were all on desktops. But on mobile, in addition to the Videos tab featured in desktop search results, Google also shows a Shorts video tab. An essential element of a video SEO strategy is breaking up long-form evergreen content into shorter video chunks for YouTube Shorts. In the example below, our YouTube shorts video series was produced from the same evergreen video and takes up three of the four spots above the fold!

So, it’s clear Google is putting more emphasis on video content, which is because consumers want video content, but also because ad revenue for the company goes up with every increase in video views, so we have to play their game.

And don’t forget that Google sees 8.5 billion searches daily, and with video, you can capture your fair share of that traffic. 

If you optimize your video for SEO, you can dominate the search results in your niche. Our videos took up more space in all these examples than any other brand. 

But it’s not just Google search results where video is taking off

YouTube, the second-largest search engine, sees 3 billion searches per day. By creating video content and hosting it on YouTube, you’re not just optimizing for Google; you’re tapping into YouTube’s massive audience. 

[produce infographic that shows one video in center pointing out to all the other channels for distribution)

YouTube provides two channels for video content - evergreen or long-form, and its newest content type, YouTube Shorts. Shorts were created to compete with other social channels like TikTok and Instagram Reels. Shorts videos are 3 minutes or under in length, but most are under a minute long. 

This chart from Google Trends shows how quickly Shorts have taken off:

YouTube - Two Channels, Two Different Algorithms

The algorithm for long-form evergreen videos differs from the Shorts algorithm, which means you have SEO opportunities to rank in both of these (more on that later).

The Role of Video in Building Brand Presence and Engagement

Video isn’t just about rankings and traffic. It’s also about building a stronger connection with your audience in a way that textual content or images cannot. Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes look at your business, a how-to tutorial, or a customer testimonial, video lets you tell your story in a way that text and images simply can’t match. 

And the engagement from video speaks for itself:
Websites with video content see users spend 88% more time on their site (Forbes, 2023). That’s more time for your audience to learn about your products, services, and brand. And our own case study from a couple of years ago found significant increases in average time on pages that had videos embedded, along with double the number of keywords ranking on the first page of Google (YouTube Video Embeds Skyrocket SEO). 

Plus, video content is incredibly versatile. 

Repurposing Your Video Content Extends Your Reach Exponentially

A single long-form video can be repurposed and broken up into YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok videos, maximizing your reach across multiple platforms without requiring extra effort. This multi-channel approach and repurposing content boosts your visibility and reinforces your brand presence everywhere your audience spends time. 

What is Video SEO Optimization?

Video SEO optimization is refining your video content and its surrounding information to improve its ranking on search engines like Google and YouTube. Think of it as traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) specifically tailored for video. It involves understanding how search engines crawl and index video content and implementing best practices to make your videos more discoverable.

Why Video SEO Matters:

In today's digital landscape, where video dominates search results and user engagement, Video SEO is no longer optional—it's essential to give every opportunity for your content to rank. If you are a content producer and have been producing video, but have ignored SEO, it’s an easy step to layer on Video SEO in your workflow. If not, you’re leaving a lot of views and clicks to your competition. (related post here on Why SEO is important)

A well-optimized video can significantly boost your business in several ways:

The Connection Between Video SEO and Traditional SEO:

While Video SEO has unique elements, it's deeply intertwined with traditional SEO. Many of the core principles of SEO, like keyword research, content optimization, and link building, also apply to video.

For example:

However, Video SEO also has specific optimization techniques, such as optimizing video thumbnails, embedding videos on particular pages on your website, leveraging video schema markup, and creating transcripts and closed captions. We'll delve into these specifics in the next section.

How To Implement Video SEO

Let's break down the essential elements of Video SEO, turning what might seem complex into manageable steps for your small business. Think of it as giving your videos the best chance to be discovered by potential customers.

How to find keywords

Imagine you're a bakery. Instead of just "bakery," think about what people search for: "best chocolate cake recipe," "birthday cake decorating ideas," "gluten-free cupcakes near me." These are more specific and likely have less competition and higher intent - what we refer to as longtail search phrases, typically three or more keywords.

Free Tools You Can Use to Find Video Keywords

YouTube Search Suggest:

Start typing a topic into the YouTube search bar and see what suggestions pop up. These are actual searches people are typing in. This is live data Google is feeding you, so make a note of it.

Google Trends:

This free tool shows how popular a search term is over time, helping you identify trending topics. Here’s an example where Google Trends is showing us Breakout queries. These are all good ideas to help generate video topics. Remember, Google loves showing videos in its search results

Regular Google Searches:

Go to Google and do regular searches and look for the following - 

People Also Ask Section

Then, if you click open one of the questions, Google will show even more questions that you can use:

Related Searches 

Keep scrolling on the Google search results page and at the bottom most queries will have the "Related Searches" section

Paid Tools for Video Keyword Research

Ahrefs (paid tool) or SEM Rush (paid tool): A more advanced option that provides in-depth keyword data but may be an investment you make later on as they can be expensive.

With chapters added to the video description:

The Role of Tags:

Use a mix of broad and specific tags. For our bakery example, tags might include "chocolate cake," "baking," "dessert," "birthday cake," and "easy recipe." Search on YouTube for similar videos and look at what tags the top-ranking videos are using for more ideas.

Choosing Categories:

Select the category that best fits your video's content.

I recommend using Canva to help you create great thumbnails - they have templates for many themes.

Here’s a sample of that looks like on my channel as an example:

Why playlists are beneficial:

How Do You Optimize Playlists for SEO?

In short: Playlists are a valuable tool for improving your Video SEO. They can increase watch time, improve discoverability, and enhance the overall user experience on your channel. By optimizing your playlists with relevant keywords and organizing your content effectively, you can maximize their benefits and get your videos seen by a wider audience.

Therefore, repurpose your existing long-form videos to create a series of engaging YouTube Shorts. This process saves you time and effort from creating new content from scratch, and helps the SEO of the video by occupying more screen real estate in Google search results.

And, Shorts are so important to Google that it has created a specific tab in Google search results on mobile devices where Shorts videos will show. 

As I showed earlier, here’s an example where our YouTube Shorts take up three out of four spots on mobile from one evergreen long-form YouTube video that we cut up. I would not show up here for this if I did not have Shorts.

The Power of YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok

These platforms offer several advantages for small businesses:

How Do Repurpose Long-Form Videos into Short-Form Content?

Don't have time to create entirely new short videos? No problem! Repurposing your long-form content is a smart strategy. Here's how:

Tips for SEO Optimizing Short-Form Videos for YouTube:

By strategically repurposing your long-form content and optimizing it for each platform, you can maximize your reach and get your message in front of a much larger audience without creating entirely new videos from scratch every time.

But does embedding YouTube videos help my website's SEO? The answer is, Yes! 

In an anecdotal case study, we found that pages with embedded videos had two times as many keywords ranking on the first page compared to pages with no YouTube video embedded. 

But make sure to embed videos on pages that discuss the same topic.

Below is a table that lists the top traffic sources for a YouTube channel. The third highest traffic source for views is External.

External video views are from website embeds. So, embeds can contribute significantly to your views, never mind the added benefit of increasing conversions on your website, too.

What Video Schema Markup Looks Like:

Schema markup is code that you add to the web page. You add this code in the <head> section of the page where the video is embedded. It's not something your visitors will see, but it's something search engines like Google can read. For video, it provides details like the video's title, description, thumbnail URL, duration, and upload date.

Below a simplified example of what video schema markup might look like (don't worry, you don't have to write this yourself! There are tools to help - just Google schema generator and you’ll find a list of sites that will generate this code for free):

Key Video Metrics (KPIs) to Track:

These are the vital signs of your video's health. Keep a close eye on them to understand what's working and what's not.

Tools for Analyzing Video Performance:

You don't need to guess how your videos are doing. These tools provide valuable insights:

How to Use Data to Refine Your Video SEO Strategy:

Data is only useful if you act on it. Here's how to use the information from YouTube Analytics and Google Search Console to improve your Video SEO:

By regularly monitoring your video performance and using the insights you gain to make informed decisions, you can continuously improve your Video SEO strategy and get the most out of your video content.

Pro Tip:

Make Podcasts of Your Videos and embed the podcast episodes (m4a or mp3 files) on your web pages. Giving people as many options to consume your content as possible is always good for SEO.

Practical Tips for Getting Started with Video Content

Feeling overwhelmed by the thought of creating video content? Don't be! You don't need a fancy studio or a film crew to get started. Here are some practical tips for creating high-quality videos with minimal equipment and effort.

How to Create High-Quality Videos with Minimal Equipment:

You likely already have everything you need to start creating videos: your smartphone!

What Are Some Video Content Ideas for Small Businesses?

Stuck for ideas? Here are some video content examples tailored for small businesses:

The Importance of Consistency and Experimentation:

Following these practical tips, you can create high-quality video content that engages your audience, builds your brand, and drives business growth, even if you're just starting out.

Conclusion: Start Your Video Marketing Journey Today

Let's recap. We've covered a lot about why video content and Video SEO are no longer optional for small businesses—they're essential. In today's digital world, video dominates search results, captures attention, and builds stronger connections with your audience. It's not just a trend; it's how people consume information.

We've explored how video can simplify complex ideas, showcase your expertise, and build trust. We've also delved into the key elements of Video SEO, from keyword research and optimization to the power of short-form content and the importance of tracking your results. And we've shown you that you don't need expensive equipment or a film degree to get started—your smartphone and a little creativity are enough!

Now it's time to take action. Don't let your competitors steal the spotlight. Start your video marketing journey today!

Here's your call to action:

Ready to dive deeper into the world of Video SEO? For more tips, tricks, and in-depth tutorials, subscribe to our YouTube channel ►Subscribe to my channel: https://bit.ly/48VaOre

We're here to help you every step of the way. Don't wait—start creating and optimizing your videos today and unlock the power of video marketing for your small business!