By Maverick Steffen | Daily Marketing Advice

Video SEO is the process of optimizing your videos for search engines, such as Google and YouTube. Video SEO can help you increase your visibility, traffic, and conversions from your videos. Video SEO can also help you build your brand, authority, and reputation in your niche. However, video SEO is not easy. It requires a lot of planning, research, and execution to succeed. How can you rank your videos with video SEO and create videos that are relevant, engaging, and persuasive for your audience and the search engines? In this article, I will share with you some tips and strategies to help you rank your videos with video SEO, based on the concept of the flywheel.

What is the flywheel?

The flywheel is a concept developed by Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon. The flywheel is a circular diagram that illustrates how a business can create a virtuous cycle of growth and success, by focusing on the key drivers and factors that influence its performance. The flywheel is a concept that emphasizes the importance of customer satisfaction, innovation, and efficiency, as the main sources of competitive advantage and value creation.

How to apply the flywheel to video SEO?

The flywheel can be a useful tool to help you rank your videos with video SEO, as it can help you create videos that are relevant, engaging, and persuasive for your audience and the search engines. Here are some steps to apply the flywheel to video SEO:

Step 1: Identify your audience

The first step is to identify your audience, which is the group of people who are interested in your niche, topic, and message. You need to ask yourself: who is your target market? What are their demographics, psychographics, behaviors, and preferences? What are their pain points, goals, and expectations?

To identify your audience, you need to:

• Conduct market research. You need to conduct market research, which is the process of collecting and analyzing data and information about your target market, such as their size, location, age, gender, income, education, etc. You can use tools such as Google Trends, Google Analytics, and Google Keyword Planner to conduct market research.
• Create buyer personas. You need to create buyer personas, which are fictional representations of your ideal customers, based on your market research. You can use tools such as HubSpot’s Make My Persona or Xtensio’s User Persona Creator to create buyer personas.
• Segment your audience. You need to segment your audience, which is the process of dividing your target market into smaller and more specific groups, based on their needs, interests, and goals. You can use tools such as Facebook Audience Insights or YouTube Analytics to segment your audience.

Step 2: Create your content

The second step is to create your content, which is the video that you want to rank with video SEO. You need to ask yourself: what is your content? What is your message, story, and value proposition? What is your format, structure, and style?

To create your content, you need to:

• Conduct keyword research. You need to conduct keyword research, which is the process of finding and selecting the words and phrases that your audience uses to search for your niche, topic, and message. You can use tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Moz Keyword Explorer, or Ahrefs Keywords Explorer to conduct keyword research.
• Craft your title and description. You need to craft your title and description, which are the words and phrases that summarize your content and your value proposition. You need to use your main keyword and related keywords in your title and description. You need to make your title and description catchy, descriptive, and informative.
• Produce your video. You need to produce your video, which is the process of recording, editing, and uploading your video. You need to use high-quality equipment, software, and tools to produce your video. You need to use clear, concise, and conversational language to deliver your message. You need to use emotional, visual, and auditory elements to enhance your story.

Step 3: Optimize your content

The third step is to optimize your content, which is the process of improving and enhancing your content for the search engines and the audience. You need to ask yourself: how can you make your content more relevant, engaging, and persuasive for the search engines and the audience?

To optimize your content, you need to:

• Optimize your video file. You need to optimize your video file, which is the file that contains your video content. You need to use a descriptive and keyword-rich file name for your video file. You need to use a suitable and compatible file format for your video file, such as MP4, MOV, or AVI. You need to use a reasonable and optimal file size for your video file, such as less than 50 MB.
• Optimize your video thumbnail. You need to optimize your video thumbnail, which is the image that represents your video content. You need to use a custom and high-quality image for your video thumbnail. You need to use a relevant and appealing image for your video thumbnail. You need to use text and graphics to highlight your value proposition and create curiosity for your video thumbnail.
• Optimize your video tags and hashtags. You need to optimize your video tags and hashtags, which are the words and phrases that describe your video content and your niche. You need to use relevant and popular tags and hashtags for your video. You need to use specific and long-tail tags and hashtags for your video. You need to use a limited and appropriate number of tags and hashtags for your video, such as 5 to 10.

Step 4: Promote your content

The fourth step is to promote your content, which is the process of spreading and sharing your content with your audience and others. You need to ask yourself: how can you increase your visibility, traffic, and conversions from your content?

To promote your content, you need to:

• Share your content on social media. You need to share your content on social media, which are the online platforms and networks that allow you to connect and communicate with your audience and others. You need to choose the right social media channels for your content, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. You need to use catchy and compelling captions, images, and videos to share your content on social media. You need to use relevant and popular hashtags, tags, and mentions to share your content on social media.
• Embed your content on your website or blog. You need to embed your content on your website or blog, which are the online pages and sites that showcase your brand and your value proposition. You need to use a responsive and user-friendly design for your website or blog. You need to use relevant and valuable content, such as articles, infographics, or podcasts, to complement your video content on your website or blog. You need to use clear and compelling calls to action, such as buttons, links, or forms, to guide your audience to the next step on your website or blog.
• Collaborate with influencers and partners. You need to collaborate with influencers and partners, who are the people who have expertise, experience, or influence in your niche or industry. You need to identify and partner with influencers and partners who have a large and loyal following in your niche or industry. You need to create authentic and relevant content that showcases your brand and your influencer’s or partner’s expertise. You need to offer value and incentives to your influencer or partner and their audience.

Step 5: Analyze and improve your content

The final step is to analyze and improve your content, which is the process of measuring and enhancing the performance and results of your content. You need to ask yourself: how can you use data and analytics to measure and improve your content performance and results?

To analyze and improve your content, you need to:

• Use key performance indicators. You need to use key performance indicators, which are the metrics and measures that indicate the success and progress of your content. You need to use key performance indicators that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. You need to use key performance indicators such as views, watch time, retention rate, engagement rate, conversion rate, etc., to measure and evaluate your content.
• Use tools and platforms. You need to use tools and platforms, which are the software and applications that help you collect and analyze data and information about your content. You need to use tools and platforms such as YouTube Studio, Google Analytics, Google Search Console, etc., to collect and analyze data and information about your content.
• Use best practices and trends. You need to use best practices and trends, which are the proven and popular methods and techniques that help you optimize and enhance your content. You need to use best practices and trends such as creating playlists, adding end screens and cards, using subtitles and captions, etc., to optimize and enhance your content.

Conclusion

Video SEO is a great way to rank your videos and create videos that are relevant, engaging, and persuasive for your audience and the search engines. By applying the flywheel to video SEO, you can create a virtuous cycle of growth and success for your videos. You can also focus on the key drivers and factors that influence your video performance and results.

I hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below. I would love to hear from you and help you out. Thanks for reading and happy video SEO!