YouTube is Growing
YouTube is still smashing the rest of the Web video industry, at least when it comes to how many videos people watch every month.
The latest data from comScore says YouTube served 12 billion video views during November, up 137% year over year. Unique visitors to the site are strong as well, up 32%.
Google purchased Youtube back in 2006 and it is growing rapidly not only in size but also daily use. You tube moves inexorably toward becoming part of the fabric of our lives. My two youngsters Jami and Shane use it for entertainment, education and music on a regular basis. I am sure if you have an internet connection thats better than dial up something similar is happening in your house.
As online video becomes more prevalent on the Web – on individual websites, social media sites and, perhaps most important, search results – business & website owners need to know that video is not just a shoot-it-and-upload-it solution. This is content and it needs to be optimized.
Have a look at YouTube’s Keyword Tool. It’s pretty simple – just add your keyword or phrase into the box and click “Get keyword ideas.” You will get a list of related keywords and their monthly search volume on YouTube. This is significant, in that these keyword suggestions will differ than those from a standard search. On YouTube, the content is different, so people search using different terms. These are the keywords you will want to target and use in your video titles, descriptions and tags. Like Google’s External Keyword Tool, you can select between Broad Match, Phrase, Exact and Negative.
Another interesting feature of this tool is the ability to search for keywords and phrases by using an individual video’s URL. Just copy the URL of the video in question, paste it in the box and you will see a list of keywords and phrases related to that video. This is a nice option to use when optimizing video to make sure your video in the same space as competing videos.
Also, demographic keyword targeting is available. You can select to target males of females within certain age groups and regions, and even according to their interests.
Video is becoming a major part of every Web property’s marketing mix. As such, this content should be optimized like any other. Take advantage of this tool, straight from the largest repository of online video in the world.
The opportunity to use this tool is driven by the almighty dollar. There is currently a video targeting tool which allows you to select specific videos, channels and categories as placements for your advertising in Google Adwords.
