Deep Dive Into Video/YouTube and Why It's "Must-Know IMPORTANT" for YOU - Page 3

I just finished reading this entire thread and very impressed with all the information. The fact that other SBIers are doing video for their site makes my enthusiasm grow. But first, I'm going to answer Ken's questions.

1) Does your niche "work" for video? If not, challenge yourself and either explain why it won't work or include a clever twist in your reply.

Most definitely. Both of my main sites are about dogs and there are a lot of people that love to look at cute puppies. My other site is for my brick and mortar child care center and that too would lend itself to video.

2) Have you embedded 1 or more video onto your site?

Yes, about 15, I think. Most were made years ago when I was just getting started with SBI and the majority of them were done with the help of my daughter. They were done with the hope of establishing an internet presence and there was no strategies or plans, just spur of the moment brainstorms. I would say they were mostly silly (or cute) which doesn't fit into any of Ken's categories. I set up a YouTube channel at the time https://www.youtube.com/user/tinymiracleshihtzu/videos?sort=dd&shelf_id=1&view=0

3. How video-savvy are you? What equipment do you have (both hardware and software)? Can you shoot a good-looking vid? How good an editor are you?

This is the questionable area. With dogs running in all directions, it helps to have someone help with shooting, if for nothing more than for safety and keeping them all corralled. I am not very video-savvy. I have used Nikon J1, tried to use my DSR camera with little success and my phone. The old camera was the easiest but it is now broken. The earliest videos were edited by my daughter using iMovie, but I only have a PC. They must teach these skills in school these days as it took my daughter who was 14 at the time less than an hour to find and piece together, add the effects and then build the video. It takes me hours, if not days to do it.

So the ones I made were done with the windows movie maker that is free and already on my PC. As far as my skills as an editor is concerned, I think there is a learning curve. The software is easy to use and figure out but as far as the art of editing, I think I have a ways to go. I have always transferred any video from my phone to my pc as I couldn't do a good job of editing directly on the phone.

4) Do you have doubts about the benefits of adding videos to your site? If so, what are they?

No doubts at all. People respond to videos better than pictures but there is quite a lot of competition in my dog niche.

OR -- Do you love the idea? If so, what about video excites you so much?

I do love the idea. I have recently gotten a bit more active on Facebook and found out that most other dog breeders advertise their litters with video on FB because they don't have a website. Having an SBI website has made me very successful as far as getting most of the puppies sold even before they are born as opposed to breeders who are trying to sell their 16 to 20-week old pups on FB alone. All of my buyers are screaming for videos so having them put on YouTube or one of the other platforms may actually make it easier for me. I direct my buyers who do not live near me to view some of the videos so they can get a sense of where the puppies are born and raised.

As far as the other dog site is concerned, that will need to take a bit more of my imagination and creativity. My audience for that site is mainly Millenials or slightly older, savvier and demand and are accustomed to professionally made YouTube videos, but I may be able to figure something out.

5) If you think you'd succeed, what do you need from us to help you get there? What problems worry you? Any "stoppers" that you can foresee?

I think an Action Guide of some sort would be very helpful, written after a challenge such as the Pinterest challenge/action guide. I absolutely love the step by step approach of the action guides as sometimes I get ahead of myself and then must go back and put the pieces together again. If not, I would love to have help with recommendations for cameras and editing software, lighting, background ideas, what to wear, etc -- the technical part of the video.

It would also be helpful to learn and understand the storytelling background of the video I'm about to make, like making a storyboard. All of this is available out there, but I trust SBI more than some other blogger I've never met.

I just looked at the channel for [Domain Private] . Here's a video I found:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT1KP8lR1Ms

Wow, I am so not the person to hold up as an example of how to do YouTube , and that video looks terrible on my pc (I think I shot it with my iphone5), but it was super easy to create. In case anyone's interested I used an app called Pearl and it took 5-10 minutes. You can post to YouTube and Facebook - which FB loves of course. It's definitely a quick and easy way to put a video together, however I'm not sure if the poor quality is due to my phone or the app.

I'm definitely excited to get into making more videos and will be eagerly following this thread any YouTube Action Guide that comes along. I'd also be keen to join a YT challenge.

Everyone I look at is so creative... no idea how to get creative with migraine material!!! I'm just so informative and lecture like. Any ideas welcome!!!

Why didn't I start a travel site.... SO much more fun...

no idea how to get creative with migraine material!

Holly I just popped over to YouTube and did a search for "migraine". Ignore the ones that relate to music and there are TONS of videos out there about migraine headaches! I say watch them, and think about how YOU could do it - better! Good luck!

Elyssa

1) Does your niche "work" for video? If not, challenge yourself and either explain why it won't work or include a clever twist in your reply.

[i][b][i]My site is geared towards the serious soccer player who hopes to play professionally. Towards that end, I would like to create a page that allows individual players to upload a short bio and video.

I have actually been reaching out to various resources trying to learn how to add the ability to meld a form (with the ability to upload a video) to a Content 2 page.

I would LOVE for SBI to offer more support with its video posting capabilities.

2) Have you embedded 1 or more video onto your site?

Yes, I currently have two uploaded.

- If so, how many do you use and have you had any feedback? Any indication whether they help or not?

I started in January of this year. Looking at the tracking, it does not appear that anyone has opened the link to a video (both of mine are youtube links) My preference would be for SBI to allow us to upload the video so that it played automatically, as opposed to requiring that one click on a link in order to open it.

3) How video-savvy are you? What equipment do you have (both hardware and software)? Can you shoot a good-looking vid? How good an editor are you?

I am not that tech saavy. That being said, many phones can create videos of high enough quality that they can be uploaded.

My concern is not creating the content. It is having the capability of putting someone else’s content on my site.

4) Do you have doubts about the benefits of adding videos to your site? If so, what are they?

OR -- Do you love the idea? If so, what about video excites you so much?

I LOVE the idea.

For my site, I believe it would be invaluable. Seeing players in action would draw more viewers in.

Permitting players to actually upload clips of them selves would help my growth. The players will want to share their “page” with their friends.

5) If you think you'd succeed, what do you need from us to help you get there?What problems worry you? Any "stoppers" that you can foresee?

I would like to have the capability to post a “button” that allowed one to submit a video to the site. I would need to review its content first. My hope is that it would be a relatively smooth process.

I created a content 2 invite to upload a video, but have not posted it because it requires one to upload a youtube video. I know many young players who post on instagram and snapchat, but do not have youtube accounts.

Thank you

Hi to all,

We'll start with this excellent post by "video guy" Paul B...

https://forums.sitesell.com/viewtopic.php?p=1394674#p1394674

I found the story of your son's "standalone" experience interesting, Paul. Too bad he stopped a couple of years ago. He was likely not far away from an inflection point and taking off.

The classic curve is one that grows slowly to a decent number (like your son's 7500) and then, suddenly (assuming the vids are excellent), many accounts take off.

But yes, this is an example of what I refer to as "standalone" (as opposed to doing vids that supplement the content on websites, which is more do-able and should yield a strong boost to many sites).

And another "yes" - we're thinking about doing an AG for YouTube. This one would be different from the social media AG's that we are working on (taking quite a bit of the Content Team's time lately).

That's because becoming a standalone YouTuber follows the C T P M approach of the SBI! AG. You proceed similarly, DAY by DAY, with us merely pointing out what has to be applied differently. Actually, one big discovery of my research so far...

Folks fail at YT for exactly the same reason as bloggers/web site creators do. Info-overload. Their questions or statements (both in some "pro" articles in the user comments) are often so off-base, indicating no clear process, no inherent understanding of the framework within which you work to create a successful business.

Or they may focus on the leaves of the forest. Not only do they not look up to see the trees, they don't even see the forest. For example, some spend too much time lining up a perfect set of equipment, researching endlessly. Others choose really poor topics. Many can work for years with no results (and with the personality of a wet rag).

Clearly, "standalone" attempts have a super-high fail rate. It's not as easy to measure since there's no way to know how many try. Heck, it's tricky to define "try."

Anyway...

You have to nail the big things down, like SBIers do in DAYS 2 to 5 of SBI!, before you get into the how-to and what-to-use nitty-gritty. Those DAYs are the same, with some differences (ex., the tools change, the core funnel principles are the same-but-different, etc.)

So yes, this is a major problem for beginners, as Paul noted...

There are a lot of folks who will provide you with lots of tips and tricks to raise your profile but gee you have to trawl through a lot to find accurate material - and you have to know enough about how things have changed in YT to know which videos are no longer accurate.

"Luckily," that's what we do well...

Pull it all together, in order, step-by-step, leaving out bad or outdated info, updating only as needed (i.e, adjusting for what makes a significant difference and not chasing the tons of "tips" that, if they are any good at all, are really too small to matter much).

--

Paul also gives some good examples of SBIers using YT to good effect already. We need more of their voices here.

An example, and a core issue, is who do you address if you want to embed the video (which is what most SBIers do now)? Also, can we adapt a video to ALSO address what non-web-site visitors seek? If so, how do we make such a "hybrid" vid?

Is it necessary to re-cut the rough video for that second type of viewer? Nori, for example...

Most of her vids' impressions come from being embedded on her site. But that water park video exploded out of nowhere because it nailed "standalone" elements, too. How much of a "one-of" is that, though?

To get some idea of how different the videos are, take a look at...

Nori's YouTube info-videos for embedding in [Domain Private]...
https://youtube.com/anguillabeaches

Experimenting with a "Nori and Yuki" account (standalone)...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4HUYI ... Rnv4PaA6aQ

Dramatic difference. If embedded, it's more of an info-supplement, less of an exciting piece of entertainment.

--

To answer your question re "bump" in traffic, Paul, I was speaking about the right column. That's when Nori's viral vid (800K and growing) took off. It has little search presence, but gets a lot of exposure in that right hand column after viewers go to major accounts in the "water play" category.

Both of course, can help, though. And there are strategies for beginners to help you get found by search or discovery (i.e., right column).

Just to be clear, I'm speaking of "traffic" within YouTube here. Those who embed would, of course, use cards to direct visitors to whatever their MWR may be. "Standalone," though, would send folks to related videos of theirs or to their "merch."

Thanks for the excellent article on how to think about metrics, Paul...

https://www.distilled.net/blog/metrics- ... marketing/

Again, I suspect the key point is understanding what "standalone" viewers seek, as opposed to "info-vid" viewers (who are usually on the website), as well as where they are in the funnel. Once you have that, your "steering" changes accordingly, at many different spots (from description to closing card).

--

And yes, I agree with this...

It's really important to highlight that just hosting a few videos on YT (whether or not they rank well in the Google SERP) is certainly not enough to drive meaningful traffic to your site. Even having a lot of videos on there and a pretty consistent production schedule isn't necessarily enough to drive significant traffic to the site, compared to the work required to create the content. You need a consistent structured plan.

If you are embedding supplementary information, you can do that on your page-building schedule - those vids are part of THAT process. You're not trying to build subscribers and views, not as a primary objective.

If you ARE creating a standalone account, it's all about "time viewed," which means that creating vids daily is a best-practice starting strategy (in terms of frequency). Major accounts often start slowly, unsure and testing, not really committing. Once they see the potential and some growth, they accelerate to a daily schedule for a year or 3, and then, once established, they can drop down to, say, weekly (or less often).

They focus more of their time on the business opportunities, knowing that their large and faithful following will not drop off if they let frequency slow. If anything, many will continue to grow on its own for quite a while.

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I don't agree with all your "YouTube characteristics," Paul, but we can explore those at a later date. A quick example...

The embed on your page is an iframe and is not adding significant organic juice to your page.

I assume you mean Google search results by "organic juice?" If so...

Video presence is going to be a growing part of the ranking algo. That said, remember, it's always just one out of hundreds of factors. But if an embedded video substantially helps a visitor to a hotel review page really GET that hotel, compared to just text and imagery, it's a better page. And Google ranks better -> higher.

And, in this case, it's not hard for Google to tell since it owns YouTube, which knows everything there is to know about how well the embedded video performs.

And that brings us to one of THE most important considerations that an SBIer should weigh before adding YouTube...

If you CAN see the extra added value of a vid (especially vs. competitors such as TripAdvisor for example), a well-done video is going to help your organic search.

While Google might have a tough time re how much an engaged FB presence means (since its knowledge is incomplete), it has access to all the data it needs when it comes to YT-embedded video. So, using the classic "Google test" that has never let me down...

"IF I was Google, what would I do?"

I'd improve the algo to take into account how much video content is pleasing visitors who have searched on a given keyword.

--

On another point, I'm not clear on how visitors are "lost" from the site to YT. Clicks generally open new windows (ex., expanding to full screen - when reduced back down, the visitor is still on the page). Even clicking on the "YouTube" logo opens a new page with that video. When it's closed, the visitor is back on the site.

--

But we're getting lost in the leaves instead of sticking to the forest for now.

The biggest point in my mind that has been evolving, and it's reinforced by your comments, is that the "info" vid is really different from "standalone." The entertainment of the latter may trigger a desire for more info about the video, but we're talking about two different beasts, whose visitors (and the creators) have different hungers.

For example, there's not a great deal of value in monetizing info-videos with ads. You won't grow your account into a major (million-view videos) account. The goals of "what's next" are different.

I haven't seen this "info vs fun" dichotomy discussed among the YTers at all, probably because they are all standalone YTers who assume that their viewers want to be the same. But "INFO-SUPPLEMENT" (of web pages) can be a strong second purpose of getting into YouTube.

And THAT is a mindset that most folks HERE already understand. Porting the "how to" and the "to do" is considerably easier for SBIers.

That said, we WILL borrow from the "standalone." I'm now much more conscious of imbuing your info-vids with a strong personality, for example. Don't treat it like a documentary.

--

Your own particular monetization model, Paul, selling video services to clients, is a very particular one. Strategies and choices such as vimeo or wistia may only apply to this circular "using video to sell video services."

If anything your experience with your son is a better example of the "standalone" YTer. Still, you have a really good understanding of the dynamics. For example...

Everyone I have spoken to and worked with (as I covered earlier) has no or little traffic to the site from YT.

And yes, for info-vids, that's not the point.

The real point is to improve search results by OVERdelivering info by using a medium that does a better job than works and images alone. If you OVERdeliver great info to your visitor, that ultimately ends in improved search results.

It's the core axiom that SBI! has always been built upon.

Way back when, I was originally successful with black hat tricks before I wrote MYSS!. But they never lasted. And, as I've written before, SEO gurus only wrote about some great tricks when they started to fail - they saved them for themselves until the engines started to catch on.

So, when I wrote MYSS!, I could have included next-generation tricks that worked. But that would put me and our readers on the treadmill of staying ahead (i.e., fooling the engines with more and more sophisticated tricks).

But that becomes a treadmill that would be going faster and faster, more and more uphill. The ONLY "trick" that has always worked is this...

OVERdeliver superb content to targeted visitors. THAT'S WHAT GOOGLE WANTS.

And that's why Google rewards it, and it will only get better and better at doing so.

That's why info-vids are not about generating traffic from YouTube. Still...

We may be able to figure out a "hybrid" that can develop some EXTRA traffic from YouTube search. But the big payoff of creating info-vids will actually come from Google and delighted visitors to your site.

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This thread is becoming a useful preliminary conversation. Each TYPE of vid has a particular purpose. Is it possible to create a hybrid?

Should most SBIers focus on info-vids (assuming a niche for which video really helps)...

OR

Is there "standalone" potential for a different edit, which puts pressure on filming extra material? There'll be some overlap, but substantial differences, too.

A topic to be figured out, the answer is going to depend on individual circumstances. More understanding needed to figure this out.

--

Thanks very much, Paul for some excellent commentary. And to those who have added to this thread...

Many of the answers indicate that we can improve how folks think about YT and the info-video, how it fits with the existing text and imagery, etc.

I didn't have a chance to dissect various YT accounts, don't have the source of exposure data, etc - so I can't see why YT is not delivering much traffic to Paul's site.

But if Paul is looking for YT clients to hire him for videos, his visitors may already be in the right spot (i.e., is there a need to send them to the site)?

--

I wrote the above just before I read Cath's reply right after Paul's, which comes to a similar conclusion for herself...

I have links from my descriptions to the relevant page on my site. But when I think about it, the YT people don't need to click over to my site because I've included everything they need to know on the videos in YT. Whereas of course with FB and Pinterest, there's an image and brief description but then people have to click over if they want to know more.

B-B-B-Bingo. That's what I meant with Paul, too. Paul's viewers not only know what they need to know, they can see the quality of vid that Paul delivers. In both of these cases, the site becomes redundant.

So it's really important to understand how vids fit into each site and its particular circumstances...

Having a solid plan with goals will not only bring some gains, it will avoid disappointment of not reaching goals that should not exist (i.e., info-vids will be seen mostly on your site, not so much YT-generated).

It's your videos that can make the sale or MWR directly. OR, if info-vids stick to the subject of the page, that shouldn't happen for most niches. They are supplements whose function is site-centered, not YT-centered.

For most, therefore, I suspect that vids about Panama or Anguilla will "tease" with good vibes and a few stimulating basic facts. They'd WANT more info IF it created interest.

So, as mentioned above, fully understand all the interesting dynamics and motivations of visitors, the nature of the video and the SBIer's monetization model is going to impact pretty much every aspect of what you create, from concept to "next-stop steering."

--

A quick note about the categories on the Feedly page of successful TY accounts that I've set up for you to study...

Janice said her dog vids were "silly (or cute) which doesn't fit into any of Ken's categories."

Janice, I'd include those in the "TY ENTERTAINMENT" category. If they got too silly (although I can't imagine pets going too far! ), I put them into "Nonsense."

But please note that these merely reflect my own editorial judgment. "Nonsense" would be "entertainment" for their target market (um, "idiot teens"). So I'm just being cruel by denigrating the particularly, um, silly (to be kind).

On a serious note, it was really tough deciding on where some of these belong. And I'm sure that I was brain-dead enough at times, that some belong in another category. And some of the larger categories could be divided into sub-categories.

I wanted to keep this as simple as possible. The range of videos covers a wide gamut of types of STANDALONE videos from "real" YouTubers. Here's what is important...

Even in vids that are in niches much different from yours, there are techniques that can be borrowed to improve your info-vids, which alone is something that is important and previously unexplored.

Or they can stimulate a great idea.

Finally, they can be powerful extensions that demonstrate WHO you are and that reinforce your voice, augmenting your connection with your visitors, in YOUR own way.

--

And a final note...

As Holly points out, not every niche will work well. It's pretty hard to make a migraine sufferer look exciting while s/he lies down in a darkened room.

There may be particular topics that can impart info better through video. What to do?

First, search for migraine on YouTube - anyone doing anything clever with this? Also, check out your best known competitors' sites Are they using video for any subjects?

If you find nothing after a sweep like that, and you can't out-of-the-box-figure out how to do it, then let it be. You can at least know that competitors don't have this as a tactic to gain an edge.

--

Sheesh, I've got to read everything, it seems, before commenting. Because Elyssa later suggests that same YouTube search...

https://forums.sitesell.com/viewtopic.php?p=1394990#p1394990

Be careful, though. If you are looking at standalone YouTubers, what they cover may ore may not work well on your website as an info-vid. Still, it's a great place to start!

Good one, Elyssa!

--

Quick answer to Teesta re football (aka "soccer" in America ⚽️)...

If you want to use YouTube to demonstrate various plays, for example, you can clip snippets from actual pro games and "glue them together," adding your own commentary.

I'll use basketball as an example (sine I know that 🏀 ). If I wanted to demo the "pick and roll," I'd find vids that show all the major variations, download short clips of various pro games where it's really well demo'd. I'd eliminate the audio and add my own commentary.

This, I believe, is "fair use," since you don't depend on any one video, you create a new work by combing through many videos to demonstrate the different ways this can play out, and by adding your own audio commentary.

We'll get into YouTube's definition of "fair use" later...

https://www.youtube.com/intl/en-GB/yt/a ... /fair-use/

The important thing to understand is that this would be an "info-vid," an excellent and unique way to impart info that mere words and pix cannot achieve. Bottom line...

You may or may not get found for this at YouTube, depending on what you cover and how, because "how-to" vids are by nature, informational. But...

You definitely DO improve your page!

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OK, I love reading all the replies. Patterns are forming, and it helps push my thinking on this. I believe we can help many SBIers improve their sites by building info-vids that INFORM, better than you could do with just words and images.

Whether you can also develop your own traffic through YT is an interesting 2nd topic. Originally, I thought this would be a red herring that we'd probably discuss and omit as irrelevant.

I don't think that's so true anymore. It's a much bigger learning curve, harder to teach in a success-reproducing way, but worth considering for some.

Onwards and upwards!! Please keep those thoughts coming - thanks a million!

All the best,
Ken

P.S. I'll be on to other matters for SBI! this week. I've let a few projects pile up (this YouTube topic is huge and fascinating), slowing down Content, Marketing and Dev (triple whammy) for an important blog post, and significant improvement to Brainstorm It! (exciting advance).

I have to careful with my health, too - I lost Thursday and Friday to a relapse of pain and 100db tinnitus, something that is just going to happen from time to time, it seems.

Meanwhile, there's not a lot that is "new" AND "important" in "Noise Land" that matters to growing your business. It's "stay the course" and expect to grow even more. That said...

We are tracking a couple of bigger issues, one of which we will be bringing into SBI!, keeping it nice and easy for you. More on that later.

But this period of relative calm is great. It lets us really dig into a major topic like YouTube at a time when the use and consumption of video is at a significant inflection point.

And it's fascinating. I can easily start this in the morning and then, suddenly, it's 8PM. Where'd the day go. I'm loving this and expect good stuff to come out of this for you. Heck...

We've covered more ground that I expected to by now. My plan was to learn-learn-learn and then put it all together. Instead, several posts have imparted "where I am" information, introduced new concepts, and received some valuable feedback and information from you.

And THAT, dear SBIer, is not only more effective It's fun.

Thanks again! Much appreciated!!

Hi!

1) Does your niche "work" for video? If not, challenge yourself and either explain why it won't work or include a clever twist in your reply.

Video totally works in my niche!! I do balloon animals and face painting. YouTube was meant for this type of "how to" content. I just need to figure out how I can stand out from the noise.

2) Have you embedded 1 or more video onto your site?

Yes, I have 6 uploaded.

- If so, how many do you use and have you had any feedback? Any indication whether they help or not?

Playback locations are 93% from YouTube watch page and 6.9% from "embedded in external websites". So, no. I don't get feedback on my videos embedded on my website. Feedback I have received has been on YouTube.

3) How video-savvy are you? What equipment do you have (both hardware and software)? Can you shoot a good-looking vid? How good an editor are you?

I'm new to video so not video-savvy.

I use my iPhone 6 and iMovie for all of my editing. I think my videos look okay and need more lighting. I just got a mic I clip to my shirt so my audience has a better audio experience. I do use YouTube's editing features to brighten my video overall because sometimes it seems to dark for me.


4) Do you have doubts about the benefits of adding videos to your site? If so, what are they?

OR -- Do you love the idea? If so, what about video excites you so much?

I also love the idea of adding videos to my site. Since I am a local business I also want my visitors to get a sense of who I am as a children's entertainer. I find this to be important because I do not believe my competition is using video the same right now.

I do a combination of 10-15 second video clips for my Facebook page and then longer tutorial videos on my YouTube channel. I have also embedded clips on my blog to increase engagement.


5) If you think you'd succeed, what do you need from us to help you get there?What problems worry you? Any "stoppers" that you can foresee?

This is all still quite new for me so it is difficult to identify exactly how SBI! can help. I do believe I can succeed with this idea of video uploads to my site. I would like to sell "how to" balloon animal videos from my site so video is definitely the way forward for me.

Thank you!!

Hi Ken,

Thanks for that and apologies for being tardy in response, but prompted by your latest update.

In answer:

1. My niche does work for video.

2. I have embedded video on this site. Just beginning really. But this site replaces another one I had through another host for my business. I embedded a number of videos through that site, using YouTube and found response from that. In fact just from that I had a comment copy emailed by YouTube to me today causing me to go to the channel and check it out. They had been seen quite a few times, maximum one at 2,500 views.

3. In early days as above not so video savvy. Got a GoPro to do the ones mentioned above. That has its own video processing software and seemed to work quite well, although YouTube would comment about the processing detail saying it could be better.

More recently I have been using an iPhone 5 for my videos, processing them on my MacBook Air using Screenflow. With that I can choose the degree of processing once it is all edited. With the fastest processing choice it uploads quickly (in minutes) to YouTube and they have not commented on my need to have a better configured file.

Videos getting better and better. I had been encouraged by Jeff Walker who urges everyone to just start rather than waiting for super equipment or better knowledge. As he says initially few will be watching. The more you do, the better you will get. Plus you get feedback.

I also have a background of interest in photography which helps with framing etc, as most SBIers who use any photographs will rapidly learn.

4. No doubts about the benefit of video. I love it. I have seen over the years the comments of increasing use of video, the increasing numbers using and uploading. Effectively all social channels are competing for it.

Plus I know myself I consume helpful video. Even podcast type messaging I prefer as having the option of video format. And sometimes it's just a head shot. That connections seems to help.

5. From SBI help, just your continued useful information about the field is helpful as will be forum comments from the many users on SBI. Ideally just the trends and best practice are helpful. I found reading the SBI Tips great to go through especially finding the swing to Facebook video that has occurred and best practice for that. I have been doing Facebook Live for another Facebook page regularly for about three months and notice the steady traction that occurs over time.

Thanks again!

Hi there Ken and thanks for the info. Really useful ..... plus setting me up for more exploring ...

In answer to your questions, relating to this SBI site of mine:

1. Does it work for me? Yes my site does work for video. Some areas not so much. But overall it does.

2. Have I used embedded video? From the early days (2010) of building my site I had embedded other people's videos from YouTube that covered or expanded on the content I had created. I had one flash video (swf - that works no more) as part of a sales page. That was obviously viewed quite a bit and would auto-play. I had it created by a third party for that page.

With other people's video content I uploaded at times these could disappear from the link and need replacing with an equivalent. With these I am not sure, as I don't have figures on views, etc, how effective they were or how they helped. They were just for extra content.

3. Video savviness? In 2010, apart from a camcorder for family videos and a history of pursuing an amateur interest in photography as a field, I had little experience.

In the last two to three years I purchased a GoPro for YouTube videos with another, non-SBI site, and related interests. It came with its own video-processing software.

More recently I have been using my iPhone 5, initially directly sharing videos to YouTube.

But now with ScreenFlow on my MacBook Air I have been doing a lot more processing and editing and finding my feet. Using its option for the fastest processing allows rapid upload to YouTube and no adverse YouTube suggestions about streaming type processing.

My editing skills are increasing with time and practice. I have joined a video production course that I have used a bit, but not extensively, to give me some extra confidence... or competence.

4. Doubts about using video ...? Not really. See it as a natural progression and change with increasing bandwidth and off TV type video use by on-line people.

I tend to watch, love, enjoy, find really helpful, content and ongoing progress from a number of sources in video format.... even those with effective podcast type publishing. In these I prefer a moving image to a static picture with audio behind.

5. As far as help from SBI goes, I see comments about how more and more people are using video. That they prefer it to reading pages. ...

I therefore have wondered about supplementing the content of each page with a video form of it....

Not sure it would need to be word for word... although that would be a reverse on the idea of transcripts....

Also if I did it whether having a skinny version as well as fuller one for each page might be helpful ...

After all we have created the content, done the research, etc....

Why not create content that can live on your page that is in a format people are increasingly consuming?....

That's all for now ... But interested in where this leads ...

Thanks again !

I can't wait for the challenge or action guide... or whatever you have planned Ken. I know and trust what I learn from you will be the very best.

Hey Ken just wanted to say thanks for all your continued work and that your perspectives and deep-dives are always helpful. This thread is real interesting as I'm planning my own first-time foray into video for one of my sites so I'll keep on eye on this.

I am developing a new site and video will be a strong part of how I build it. I have been a professional speaker for more than 20 years and, for me, using video is one of the best ways for visitors to get a real sense of who I am. I also plan to do many YouTube videos (each one KW focused) and to offer various freebies in order to direct viewers to my site and to opt-in to my list.

1) Does your niche "work" for video? If not, challenge yourself and either explain why it won't work or include a clever twist in your reply.

My niche is spiritually oriented women entrepreneurs. There is so much information that I can share with them -- spiritual practices, mental mastery and success tools - which lends itself to bite sized bits of information that my niche can use. I am a much better speaker than I am a writer so video is a natural for me.

I am planning to sell online training programs and a membership program so it is very important for potential clients to be able to trust me. Video will definitely make it easier for me to accomplish this because the person I am will come through in my videos.

2) Have you embedded 1 or more video onto your site?

I haven't done it yet, but I plan to use video on my home page, my opt-in page, and my freebie download page to invite women to sign up for a complimentary strategy session.


3) How video-savvy are you? What equipment do you have (both hardware and software)? Can you shoot a good-looking vid? How good an editor are you?

I am currently taking James Wedmore's Video ROI course which teaches how to use YouTube to market your business. I use the MoviePro app to shoot videos on my iPhone, I have a tripod, a lavalier mic and a light kit. I have also created a 'stage' in my office which supports my brand. I am decent at doing basic video edits.

4) Do you have doubts about the benefits of adding videos to your site? If so, what are they?

OR -- Do you love the idea? If so, what about video excites you so much?

I am absolutely positive that using video will be a big plus for me in my business. The numbers of people who consume content through video is rising dramatically. Also, I follow very successful online marketers and they all talk about the need to add video to your business model if you want to be be successful in the future. Since most people hate to speak in front of others, doing videos will give me an edge over others in my field.

5) If you think you'd succeed, what do you need from us to help you get there? What problems worry you? Any "stoppers" that you can foresee?

I am learning about video from experts who have demonstrated that they know what it takes to use it to create major financial success in their businesses. I think it would be valuable to have some training videos for SBIers who are not involved in specific video training programs so they can get some guidance about how to get started.

Della Menechella

(edited to add some extra bits; April 15; 1800 EST)

Hi Ken,

We'll start with this excellent post by "video guy" Paul B...
https://forums.sitesell.com/viewtopic.php?p=1394674#p1394674

First, thanks for the call out on my post and your extensive, quality reply. I have wanted to reply since the minute you wrote but life and my other SBI! related activities just took over. I presume you are still pondering the YT subject so, as my small contribution, here is my Round 2. I'm really hoping that these collective conversations raise SBI! awareness - both internally and with clients about video generally, how to think about it and, most importantly, strategy.

I found the story of your son's "standalone" experience interesting, Paul. Too bad he stopped a couple of years ago. He was likely not far away from an inflection point and taking off.

The classic curve is one that grows slowly to a decent number (like your son's 7500) and then, suddenly (assuming the vids are excellent), many accounts take off.

But yes, this is an example of what I refer to as "standalone" (as opposed to doing vids that supplement the content on websites, which is more do-able and should yield a strong boost to many sites).

Yes – my godson – had lost momentum, mostly because of his leaving school exams and also starting university etc. But (according to him) there had also been a lot of changes to the financial deal which made it a lot less appealing. (Machinima who had the rights to Minecraft on YT had recently been bought by Microsoft.)

Whatever the primary influence was that specifically changed the motivation for him, I think it is always important to remember that relying on YT as a sole source of income (eg similar to Adsense - or any social platform where you are the product) is a bit like riding a wild tiger. Sometimes it can turn, leaving you exposed and vulnerable.

Despite this caveat, your important point is well made about the accounts taking off once they reach a critical mass. You have probably also seen it with SBI! sites, that reach a critical mass.

And another "yes" - we're thinking about doing an AG for YouTube. This one would be different from the social media AG's that we are working on (taking quite a bit of the Content Team's time lately).

Pull it all together, in order, step-by-step, leaving out bad or outdated info, updating only as needed (i.e, adjusting for what makes a significant difference and not chasing the tons of "tips" that, if they are any good at all, are really too small to matter much).

An AG of any format is good news and anything that provides the equivalent of the first days of the AG will be invaluable. The specific challenge I really see is conveying the journey of developing your “voice”. It comes naturally for some and is much harder for others and with video, lacking a congruent “voice” can really shine through a prism with a whole new intensity.

What is a congruent video? Well – how it looks of course it’s totally subjective. Logan Paul is obviously creating congruent material for plenty of people, but not me! I'm not the audience. But, at the core will be enough relevant material that meets the viewer’s expectations, whether its cats or a “how to” channel or myopic self-aggrandising.

My other “congruent ingredient” is that the video has a purpose which brings me to this…

An example, and a core issue, is who do you address if you want to embed the video (which is what most SBIers do now)? Also, can we adapt a video to ALSO address what non-web-site visitors seek? If so, how do we make such a "hybrid" vid?

Is it necessary to re-cut the rough video for that second type of viewer?

I would say that it all comes down to where your focus lies. The core to the answer has to be your intent and MWR.

If you are focusing on a building a solo YT strategy, then you will quite likely not be bothered about re-cutting because you are growing a YT “business”. In fact, you may even encourage a page visitor to go to YT! If this was your focus, I could see a scenario whereby any embedded video is really driving the page, not the other way around because your focus is not specifically on-page interaction. You may also choose to leave the recommended videos on as well, for the embed.

If you do want some valuable responses from the YT embed on your page – i.e. a click through to a purchase, then you could certainly include that in a card or end screen if you are a YT partner. That way, whether the viewer is on YT or the page they will go where you want assuming you have PREsold well.

But – if you are not a YT partner, how do you best benefit from the YT embed to achieve your MWR (assuming it’s a sale)?

Well, you could simply make the one video and really tailor your CTA in your presentation, pointing to the fact that you are displaying a link at the bottom of the screen and also a URL directly under the video. It’s not ideal but you could put the URL in the description in YT and directly under the video on your page. Use Tracker Links to make it more memorable and help your tracking and remember to turn off recommended videos!!

Alternatively, you could recut with a specific call to action tailored to the page. The above principles would still apply.

The other option is that you just treat the non-partner limitation as part of your investment period, using your pre-partnership card or end screen functionality to grow subscribers and recommendations to other videos that are on YT.

So, while those are some “How To” answers, in the end it all comes back to what is your strategy. And I think this needs to be a core part of any AG because it sets up your expectation and the ultimate quality of your results.

Search Expectations
Further, there does appear to be a clear difference between the type of information that the SERP and YT searchers are looking for so, in an ideal world, the video on your page talks to the visitor to your page rather than a video that has (ideally) been tailored for a different search engine and platform. Whether this has any meaningful impact on page results is another question given that Google will often deliver results it thinks the viewer wants, though it's pretty good at it!

(I've found this related article to be pretty interesting although I haven't been able to update or correlate it; https://www.stonetemple.com/youtube-goo ... eo-ranking).

However, I did a little bit of hunting with limited time and Cath has kindly given me access to her YT stats.

Her top YT search term for all her YT videos is “clipping chicken wings” and close variations. That video is by far and away the top ranking video on the channel and in fact the top YT result (logging in as another user). The video is also at the top in SERP (incognito) for the keyword. (Google seem to delivering a new display in their top results and you can also see this interesting mix here...).

Screen Shot 2018-04-14 at 2.07.32 PM (2).png (332.98 KiB) Viewed 209 times

The video is also at the top of the SERP for best way clip chook (Australian term for chicken) with the page also ranking well. What particularly intrigues me is that the entry shows a suggested location to start watching (see image). She only recently added (edited - not the automated) captions recently so I am wondering if this is a by-product. Something to explore further because its the only way that YT would know the specific content is the text from the captions.

As a side note, this video (“how to make apple pie”) also popped up in the same spot and it's only using auto-generated captions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kNE4XNIQH4

Has the YT policy on the use of auto-gen changed? Who knows! YT used to not take auto-gen into account. Although they have certainly improved, I'd definitely still follow the process for editing and using them here; http://sbitips.sitesell.com/video-trans ... tions.html

Screen Shot 2018-04-15 at 9.41.48 AM.png (363.12 KiB) Viewed 163 times

Anyway, what's intriguing for me is that, on her site, clipping chicken wings doesn’t even come close to the top for video search terms. The GSC Performance Report shows the top video search query to be “silkie chicken” and close variations. There is a shared silkie video on the page, not her own and it is positioned low on the page. However, the number of searchers probably indicate there is a demand for one.

So - popular YT video on a page compared with shared video on a page that performs better. Hard to be conclusive and it probably only reinforces that there are LOTS of factors that determine a page appearing in the SERP. I'd certainly be interested in your view.

I don't agree with all your "YouTube characteristics," Paul, but we can explore those at a later date. A quick example...

The embed on your page is an iframe and is not adding significant organic juice to your page

.

I assume you mean Google search results by "organic juice?" If so...

Video presence is going to be a growing part of the ranking algo. That said, remember, it's always just one out of hundreds of factors. But if an embedded video substantially helps a visitor to a hotel review page really GET that hotel, compared to just text and imagery, it's a better page. And Google ranks better -> higher.

And, in this case, it's not hard for Google to tell since it owns YouTube, which knows everything there is to know about how well the embedded video performs.

No argument from me on this and, as you say I don’t want to get pernickety either.

I may not have been clear in my intended meaning which was, by itself just adding a video - any video doesn't specifically help (except with time on page, adding value, PREselling, sales and so on)

This kind of sums up my point in a nutshell:
https://www.seroundtable.com/youtube-vi ... 24109.html

“John Mueller of Google had to say in a Google Webmaster Help thread that adding a YouTube video to your page will not make the page high quality by itself. Videos from YouTube on your pages won't give you a ranking boost or show Google that the page is higher quality.
“
This kind of ignores that YT get prime spot in the SERPS but he is talking about pages. To advance the conversation a little more, this article may provide some pretty useful insights into video rankings in the SERP; https://www.stonetemple.com/how-youtube ... -in-google.

The article suggests that there is no advantage to YT hosting on the page which raises the question of choosing the host that best supports your strategy for on-page activity the best. Depending on your strategy, it MAY be YT but not necessarily and especially, if you are not trying to create a YT focussed business.

I actually did a really quick check on clipping chicken wings and how to make apple pie to see how they played out and generated these results. (NV means no embedded video). If nothing else there is a lot of scope for video!! but otherwise I may regard it as inconclusive. I would be concerned about assuming that the YT embed actually contributes to the page ranking as its imposing presence may just be the reason it pops up so often. Hard to define perhaps without more data.

clipping chicken wings:

1. YT (Cath) Goes to YT
2. NV
3. NV
4. NV
5. YT Cath's page
6. YT (Cath video shared by someone in comments)
7. NV
8. NV
9. NV



how to make apple pie

Video 1: Private video host
2. YT (on page)
3. NV
4. YT on page)
5. Brightcove
6. NV
7. NV (only related videos, poorly positioned)
8. NV
9. NV
10. YT on page)


Moving on...
And, completing on a couple of minor points…

Just to be clear, I'm speaking of "traffic" within YouTube here. Those who embed would, of course, use cards to direct visitors to whatever their MWR may be. "Standalone," though, would send folks to related videos of theirs or to their "merch."

This is limited option for this if they are not partners.

And:

Most of her (Nori’s) vids' impressions come from being embedded on her site.

I realize you were making a point about types of videos for on-page but I wanted to bring this up….

This isn’t actually a great thing if someone is wanting to build a stand alone YT profile. It’s an important benefit for someone starting out but, if her YT account was to have been her primary focus (I realise it wasn’t) then you would have expected her primary traffic to have come from internal recommendations within YT subs or Google SERP.

As I write, this may not be released everywhere but the new YT Beta Dashboard actually now displays impressions and CTR which is a pretty useful insight. If only we could get a sense of the industry standard as per the Moz chart you have included here!; http://sbitips.sitesell.com/page-performance-gwt.html

(this screenshot is not from Cath's YT channel but another unnamed one)

Screen Shot 2018-04-14 at 2.25.31 PM (2).png (93.15 KiB) Viewed 209 times

I totally agree with this...

If you CAN see the extra added value of a vid (especially vs. competitors such as TripAdvisor for example), a well-done video is going to help your organic search.

And that brings us to one of THE most important considerations that an SBIer should weigh before adding YouTube...

While Google might have a tough time re how much an engaged FB presence means (since its knowledge is incomplete), it has access to all the data it needs when it comes to YT-embedded video. So, using the classic "Google test" that has never let me down...

"IF I was Google, what would I do?"

I'd improve the algo to take into account how much video content is pleasing visitors who have searched on a given keyword.

You could be right. Beyond the fundamental metadata we can add, it would mean there would need to be a mechanism that Google would need to have to tell if a video was played and for how long etc. Maybe they can do that, I don’t know, Or - YT is (or will) be feeding play stats back to Google to assist in its ranking. I can only go back to the article I referenced above as my current knowledge. If there is more in that details this position more it would be really great to know. This is typically a hidden obscure area of specific knowledge.

I'l let Gary Illyes from Google have his say (unless he is messing with us which he sometimes seems to do!)
YouTube is like a different company. The fact that you see YouTube results in video search is because they do good SEO, or their pages are structured in such a way that it’s easy for us to understand them and to rank.

And, as a final point - We both agree on this, I don't think it can be over-emphasised, and there is another dimension to add...

It's really important to highlight that just hosting a few videos on YT (whether or not they rank well in the Google SERP) is certainly not enough to drive meaningful traffic to your site. Even having a lot of videos on there and a pretty consistent production schedule isn't necessarily enough to drive significant traffic to the site, compared to the work required to create the content. You need a consistent structured plan.

So often looking at the use of video, I find myself continually thinking about the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland…

“Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cheshire Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.
Alice: I don't much care where.
The Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.
Alice: ...So long as I get somewhere.
The Cheshire Cat: Oh, you're sure to do that, if only you walk long enough.”

Video is not just a medium. It is a tool that can be used over and over. Some owners may feel their sites do not lend themselves to YT but you can bet they still lend themselves to video, one way or another.

You’ve got to know your end game/MWR before you start. True, it can evolve but at least you want to have an initial plan in place. My concern about only focusing on video only as a traffic source, or even as a YT only focus, is that a creator is only taking a one dimension view. In other words, you are doing all the headline work of getting the traffic and the audience but not necessarily maximizing them.

I won’t get into the detail too much (this has been long enough!) but email collection and viewer tracking, shared material back to your page, customer (private) communications, training products, products for sale, the list is pretty long.

Here’s just one stat from Wistia; https://wistia.com/library/video-and-ma ... automation
Across 250,000+ Wistia accounts, we found that videos with (email address collection) forms in them convert at 16%. That means for every 100 video plays, the video generates 16 new leads. Then, we took a closer look and noticed that videos with a form within the first 20% of the video received a 43% conversion rate.

For me, the biggest advantage of YT is that YT is a great source of a new audience. The only problem is getting them to your site. As I said in my last post, the general stats are <1% of your traffic although, those that DO come are pretty engaged which is important.

To highlight this point I spoke to someone yesterday whose watchtime between Jan and March 2018 was 9.4million minutes. Her % of traffic from YT compared to other sources was .76%.

What you can potentially do with that traffic and the on-page embed is another conversation alllll together......

And to finish, here's a last minute, thought provoking video to watch... https://wistia.com/wistiafest/2017/brea ... nottingham

Thanks!
Paul

Wow! So much information to take in and digest. Thanks to you both, Paul and Ken, for making this such an interesting thread.

So clearly, I need to get some Silkie chickens then...

Cath.

Hello all,

Thank you Ken, Paul, and Cath for these wonderful posts! There's just so much "out there"! And you're bringing it to my attention in digested bits. Thank you.

Hayley made a post:

https://forums.sitesell.com/viewtopic.php?f=132&t=225657&p=1396493#p1396493

I read a blog with a link to this page https://blog.ezoic.com/4-structured-dat ... n-traffic/

What can I do to implement this? Is it important? Is there something for snippets that SiteSell offers?

That makes me wonder if this part:

4.) Video content that lives on your site

video structured data markup examples

While YouTube dominates video search results, publishers with structured data markup on their self-hosted videos are well-positioned to clean-up on a number of potential search queries. This is low-hanging fruit for any publishers that host video content on their site already.

Video markup enables a badge on the image in mobile image search results. You can also provide details such as the description, thumbnail URL, upload date, and duration. Google may use your markup to power carousels as well.

Example of the HTML markup:

video markup data

See all types of power carousels as well.

Affects this discussion? I remember Paul saying something whether I needed code around my own YT videos that I have embedded in my own web pages, and am hoping that it was in this post. Is this the sort of code I might be remembering? Is it useful, even though mine are YT videos?

Simply, should I add schema code to my html blocks that have the YT embed code?

Thank you so much,

Mary