Many people ask me, “Does embedding YouTube videos help with SEO or not?”
In this article, we’ll discuss whether embedding YouTube videos on websites truly helps improve SEO rankings.
What is YouTube video embedding?
YouTube Video embedding is a feature that allows you to embed YouTube videos on your website or blog.
This means that you can display YouTube videos on your website without having to upload them to your own server.
To embed a YouTube video, you will need to copy the embed code from YouTube.
This code can be found under the “Share” button on any YouTube video. Once you have the embed code, you can paste it into your website or blog.
Does Embedding YouTube Videos Help SEO?
When you add YouTube videos to your content or website, it doesn’t directly affect SEO (how your website ranks on search engines), but it surely does so indirectly.
Search engines don’t crawl the video content itself. But, it can benefit SEO indirectly in several ways.
- Increase dwell time.
- Reduced Bounce Rates
- Better user experience.
- More shares and links.
- Diverse content with videos.
- Video Thumbnails might appear in SERPs
- Mobile-Friendly Content
- Less strain on your server.
How Does Embedding YouTube Videos Help SEO?
Embedding YouTube videos can help improve the SEO of your website.
Below are possible ways in which embedding YouTube videos can help improve your website’s SEO:
Increased Dwell Time:
High-quality videos that are really good can make people stay longer on your website.
When people stay longer, search engines think your content is valuable and important, so they might show your website higher up in search results.
Reduced Bounce Rate:
Bounce rate is the number of people who leave your website before 10 seconds.
When you embed youtube videos on your website, people are more likely to stay and look around. This can stop them from leaving quickly.
When they stay longer and explore more, it helps to reduce the bounce rate (the number of people who leave your site right away).
Rich Media Content:
Search engines like websites with different types of content, including videos.
When you embed YouTube videos into your website, search engines find more useful things to include in their search results.
This could make your website show up higher in search rankings.
YouTube’s Authority:
YouTube is a highly authoritative domain owned by Google. When you embed YouTube videos on your website, it makes your site look better to search engines because they see it linked to this important website.
It’s like getting a good reputation from Google, which can help your website show up higher in search results.
Social Sharing and Backlinks:
If your videos are really interesting and good, people are likely to share them on social media and other websites.
When this happens, those websites link back to your site, which is like a recommendation.
Getting recommendations from good and trustworthy websites is important for your site to be found easily on search engines.
Enhanced User Experience:
When you include videos in your content, it makes it more interesting, helpful, and attractive to look at.
This makes people enjoy using your website more and visiting your other blog posts as well.
When users have a good time on your site as well, it can indirectly help your website show up higher in search results.
So, videos can make your website better and more likely to be found by others.
Improved Click-Through Rate (CTR):
Sometimes, search engines show small pictures from videos right in the search results. When people see these pictures, they might click on them to watch the video.
This can bring more people to your website and increase the number of visitors. It ultimately improves your Click-Through Rate (CTR) because people are more likely to click on videos than text results.
Mobile-Friendly Content:
YouTube videos work well on different devices, like phones and tablets, so they are good for people who use mobile devices.
Because search engines like websites that work well on mobile, putting YouTube videos on your site can help with search rankings indirectly.
It’s like a small boost to your website’s chances of showing up higher in search results.
Decreased Server Load:
Uploading videos directly on your website uses a lot of the server’s power and makes your site load slower. But when you embed YouTube videos on your site, the work is done by YouTube’s servers instead.
This can make your website load faster, which is something search engines like. Faster-loading sites have a better chance of showing up higher in search results.
So, using YouTube videos on your website can help your website perform better and be more easily found by people searching online.
More Views on YouTube Video
Embedding YouTube videos on your website can increase your video views when people watch them there.
This happens because when people view the videos on your website, it adds to the overall views count on YouTube.
Tips for embedding YouTube videos to help your website’s SEO
Below are the basic tips for embedding YouTube videos to help the SEO of your website.
Use relevant keywords
Use relevant keywords in the video title and description. This helps your video appear in search results when people look for those keywords.
Optimize the thumbnail image for search
Make the thumbnail image of your video suitable for search. It’s the first thing people see when they look for your video, so choose something that looks interesting and related to your video.
Put your website in the video description
Add a link to your website in the video description. This way, people can easily go to your website and find out more about what you offer, like your products or services when they are watching that video on youtube.
Promote the video on social media
Share your video on social media to get more people to watch it. Posting it on your social media accounts will help more people see and enjoy your video.
Keep the video length to a reasonable amount
Make your videos not too long. People prefer shorter videos, so try to keep them around 2-3 minutes. This way, more people are likely to watch and enjoy them.
Use high-quality video and audio
Make your videos look and sound good. When videos have good quality, more people will want to watch them. So, make sure your videos are well-made and look nice.
Does embedding YouTube videos slow down your website?
Embedding YouTube videos can slow down your website, but it depends on a number of factors, including the size of the video, the number of videos you are embedding, and the overall performance of your website.
If you are embedding a large video on a slow website, it is likely to slow down your website even more. However, if you are embedding a small video on a fast website, it is unlikely to have a significant impact on your website’s loading speed.
There are a number of things you can do to minimize the impact of embedding YouTube videos on your website’s loading speed, such as:
- Lazy loading: Lazy loading means that the video will not load until someone clicks on it. This can help to improve your website’s loading speed, especially if you are embedding a large video.
- Optimizing the video: You can optimize the video by reducing its size and resolution. This will make the video smaller and faster to load.
- Using a video hosting service: You can use a video hosting service, such as Vimeo or Wistia, to host your videos. This will take the load off of your website and improve its loading speed.
Frequently Asked Questions on embedding youtube videos
Should I allow embedding on my YouTube videos?
Yes, it’s a good idea to let people embed your YouTube videos on their websites.
This way, more people can share and show your videos on other sites. It helps you reach more people and get them interested in your content.
What is the difference between linking and embedding?
When you link to a YouTube video, you are simply providing a link to the video on YouTube.
This means that when someone clicks on the link, they will be taken to YouTube to watch the video.
When you embed a YouTube video, you are actually displaying the video on your website or blog.
This means that the video will play directly on your website, without having to go to YouTube.
Do embedded YouTube videos get views?
Yes, embedded YouTube videos get views. When someone watches an embedded YouTube video, it counts as a view on YouTube. However, there are a few exceptions.
For example, if someone autoplays an embedded video and then immediately closes the tab, it will not count as a view.
Additionally, if someone embeds a YouTube video on their website and then blocks YouTube from tracking views, the views will not count.
Is video good for SEO?
Yes, video can be good for SEO. Videos can help to improve your website’s ranking in search results by providing more information about your content and making it more engaging for users.
When you embed a YouTube video on your website, it will be indexed by Google and other search engines.
This means that when someone searches for keywords related to your video, your website may appear in the search results.
Also, Videos can help to keep visitors on your website longer, which can help to reduce your bounce rate.
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