8 ways to optimise your YouTube viudeos

It is widely accepted that YouTube – owned by Google – is effectively the second largest search engine in the world (it is also the third most visited website in the world, behind Google and Facebook).

And for those of you who have read our ‘Seriously Social’ ebook, you will know just how easy it can be to produce high quality videos without needing Hollywood standard production facilities.

But once your content is up on YouTube, the challenge remains getting your target audience to see your video.

Here are eight easy steps to drive more traffic to your YouTube videos.

1. Research keywords

Get ideas for keywords by checking the volume of queries specific searches get each month.

YouTube had its own keyword tool, (but this was disabled on September 1^st), with users being directed to instead use the Google Adwords planning function (for which you will need to sign into Google). Google really wants everyone to have their own Google account, and if you don’t have one already, now could be the time, certainly there is an impressive range of functionality across Google, YouTube and Google Maps that make it worthwhile.

Remember that adding location qualifies a prospect even more. So someone searching for life insurance may be at the very start of the purchase cycle, whereas a search for ‘life insurance Fitzroy’ usually signifies much stronger willingness to purchase.

2. Check out the competition

Do a search using your selected keywords and see the results. This is your competition. The more results come up, the more targeted you may need to be.

3. Make the name of your file SEO friendly

Many people make the mistake of keeping the default name given to their video by their device (eg ‘video67289.avi’). Renaming the file to include one or more keywords will significantly enhance its searchability and get you a higher ranking.

4. Include an enticing thumbnail

Selecting the right thumbnail will improve the likelihood of people choosing your videos from others when it appears in search results. YouTube gives you 3 options for thumbnails, drawn at different points throughout the video. Pick the one that gives the best idea of either the content – or at least the tone – of your video. (Hint, colour and backdrop are important, as are faces).

 5. Title, description and tags

As well as including keyword in the file name, also include it in your title. Titles are limited to 100 characters so be concise.

When it comes to the description, the first 120 characters are the ones that show up in search results, so try and include your keyword in the first and last 120 characters.

Take the time to select tags for your video too, in the box provided.

6. Enable closed captions

YouTube allows you to post the script for the video, and will automatically sync the script to the words been spoken on screen.

Not only is this a useful service to provide (it means your video can be used without sound), it also gives search engines a lot more text it can search.

7. Include a call to action to drive engagement

A video with lots of comments is a sure sign that people have taken an interest in your video and has an opinion of your content (either good or bad). A call to action doesn’t mean ‘call for a free first consultation’, it means give your audience an opportunity to share their views (eg ask them to email their ideas on how to save money, or what they are looking forward to in retirement).

8. Embed the video

In addition to posting your video on YouTube (ideally in your own channel), look to embed the video on as many websites as possible, including your own, and possibly others (e.g. your referral partners). Optimise the text on the page where you embed the video (using many of the same steps described above).

The science of optimising is just that – a science – however the basic steps above will give your content an instant boost and in all likelihood put you well ahead of your peers. And remember, if you still need further help and ideas, the best place to get tips on YouTube is – you guessed it – YouTube itself!

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Creating a visually appealing, easy-to-use website is crucial for site visitors to find key information on your website, but how do you ensure your business is found online in the first place? The answer is SEO. 

What is SEO?
SEO is the process of improving the quality and volume of web traffic to your website when certain keywords and phrases are entered into a search engine. SEO’s aim is to make your website ‘search engine friendly’ – elevating its position in top search results.

The better your SEO, the more likely search engines, like Google, will display your site at the top of the search results list. As a rule of thumb:  the higher the website ranks, the more likely people are to click through to your site.

What words define your business?
How do you want to be found online? Start by looking into your site visitors’ online behaviour – which you can do via Google Analytics, see our Website tips for financial planners – and compile a list of the key search words that people are using to get to your website. Think about what words or phrases visitors use when looking for your website, such as ‘wealth adviser’ or ‘financial planning’.  Try to be as specific as possible and create a list of the most important words/phrases.

The next step is to include these words in your website’s page titles, content and page description. Avoid generic page titles like ‘Page 1: introduction’. Financial Planning Magazine recommends targeting one to three keywords on each page.

Be careful not to overdo this tactic by forcing a keyword into a title, or by resolutely repeating a phrase on the same page. The goal is to make your content clear and reflective of what you do.

Links back to your website
Off-page SEO refers to strategies outside your website’s design. Essential to this is getting other (quality) websites to link back to your site. It’s like gathering votes for your website: the more votes, the higher you rank in the search results.

However, it needs to be done right, as not all links are equally weighted in this ‘voting system’. Quality, not quantity counts. Focus on relevant and diverse sources that link to the right page on your website. A good way to begin is submitting your website to online directories, e.g. Money Management’s Blue Book, True Local, etc.

Always create high-quality content and regularly update your website with fresh new content – it will bring more links over time, particularly via social media.

Local search optimisation
Search engines know where users are located and aim to show results that are specific to each user’s location. If your targeted investors are local rather than global, consider the below tips to increase your website exposure locally:

• add local details such as city, postcode or region to your keywords
• post a local – and relevant – breaking  news or upcoming event on your website
• create geographical tags, eg. set up a Google Maps or Yahoo Directory listing
• list your office address on your ‘Contact us’ page, but also add a location map.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. For further reading on SEO for financial services businesses, the below links provide some useful reading:

www.financialplanningmagazine.com.au/practice-management/growyour-business-through-good-practice-seo
www.financial-planning.com/blogs/4-Tips-to-Better-SEO-for-Financial-Planners-2683474-1.html
www.advisorwebsites.com/blog/seo/seo-strategy-for-financial-advisors-5-must-haves/
www.adviserlounge.co.uk/2013/01/24/google-analytics-and-search-engine-optimisation-for-financial-planners-part-2/

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Late last month Google released its latest algorithm changes which affect the way that websites appear in search results.  Following their last major update by the name of Panda, this latest change is known as Penguin.

Major impact on financial websites
While previous Google updates haven’t had a huge impact on financial websites here in Australia, the Penguin update has made some dramatic changes to the top of the Google search results.

Two of the most competitive search terms in Australia both relate to the financial services industry.  The two terms, unsurprisingly, are life insurance and credit cards.

You could expect that the top positions for these ultra-competitive and highly lucrative terms would be taken by the large corporations, but instead they are both owned by small businesses offering referral and affiliate services.

Well at least they were until the big bad Penguin came along and stole their rankings along with a massive chunk of revenue.  Not only did they lose their position one rankings, but both of them fell into the abyss and are nowhere to be seen in the first few pages.

Whilst the news for these two websites was nothing short of devastating, their loss is someone else’s gain, and these latest Google changes are throwing up more opportunities for financial advisers.

What changed?
The world of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a tricky one, and most financial advisers engaging an SEO firm for their company website will be paying hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per month without really knowing what they’re getting.

Although there are some really great SEO firms out there performing great work for their clients, many of them do little more than spamming links to your website across a range of blogs and link farms in an effort to trick Google into thinking your website is very popular.

Google are quickly catching onto this game, and the Penguin update has been the biggest effort yet by Google to penalise website owners who put more effort into tricking the search engines instead of creating great content for their visitors.

The jury is still out, but most people in the industry agree that the latest changes have benefited those with good content and penalised those who concentrated too much on SEO with little regard to website visitors.

How can you benefit?
For years I have been trying to tell financial advisers and anyone else who will listen that content is king, but unfortunately many advisers seem to think that spending money on SEO and Google advertising is a better investment than quality content.

While I have heard countless other website owners complaining about their lost Google rankings over the last couple of weeks, I have sat quietly smiling in the knowledge that many of the websites owned by my company have actually boosted their rankings over the same period.

Increased rankings lead to increased traffic, increased traffic yields increased leads, and ultimately the increased lead numbers equal more clients and more revenue.

So how can your financial planning firm benefit from the Penguin updates?  In my view the answer is simple, and all it takes is to concentrate on generating good quality content that your ideal client needs.

If you create and distribute content that your potential clients want and need, they will find that content via Google and hopefully your website will then be effective enough to convert their visit into a contact.

While your competitors are still out there pouring more money into SEO and link building to regain their lost rankings, you need to be getting great content onto your site which Google and its penguins will reward you for.

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