In 2020, according to the World Advertising and Research Center, spending on internet advertising will reach more than 50 percent of total global ad spend, an all-time record. And as SEO “gets bigger, it gets tougher,” said SEO expert Tony Rockliff, founder and CEO of Tony Rockliff Productions, in a news release. “SEO is now the major battleground in marketing today.”
For an increasing number of companies, especially SMBs, the smart move is to consider YouTube as an additional SEO powerhouse instead of the conventional reliance on Google, he advises. By using YouTube, business owners can combat the stiff competition for consumer attention and variating Google search algorithms.
Text vs. video content
According to a research study from Common Sense Media, more than twice as many young people watch videos every day as did four years ago, while the average time spent watching videos—primarily on YouTube—has roughly doubled, to an hour a day.
Video’s popularity has exploded, while text takes a back seat. It is increasingly obvious in the industry that text-based content is saturated, and that if a company isn’t willing to give it at least one year and invest considerable amounts, they shouldn’t spend much time on traditional Google-based SEO.
The combination of the video-centricity of today’s consumers coupled with the increasing expense and difficulty of attracting attention via text-based Google listings, Rockliff suggests, is what identifies YouTube an increasingly robust platform for video-savvy marketers.
How businesses can adapt to YouTube
To capitalize on this opportunity, Rockliff urges marketers to research YouTube to qualify exactly what video content is needed, and which of this content will get the most responses from its viewers, or potential clients. He organizes the four major stages of YouTube optimization:
- Find out what is being searched for on YouTube in your area or niche that you can compete for.
- Create video content that answers what is being searched for, and also provides what YouTube is searching for, i.e. views per video, average time spent watching, engagement per video, and number of subscribers gained per video.
- Publish your videos properly and in an optimized manner.
- Promote your videos according to how and when YouTube wants to see them promoted.
Over the years, Rockliff has seen profound changes in both opportunity and approach of YouTube as a marketing strategy, and right now, YouTube represents a great prospect to get noticed and build a brand loyal following. This is especially useful for organizations that do not have an extensive marketing budget. “The key is to understand what you’re selling and optimize all four major stages,” Rockliff said.
