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You should embed videos on your content instead of linking to them and here I share some tips and best practices. Besides the practical reasons for embedding, there are some other side benefits too such as the impact on search results and getting around site blockers. Oh, and did I mention it was really easy to embed them too?
When SEO people get together and discuss search, we eventually get around to talking about video because, after Facebook and Google, YouTube is the most visited website worldwide and second most used search engine. (And who own YouTube? Google.) Video is incredibly popular because it entertains and is very effective at communicating ideas. A good video can mean instant stardom for a new artist (Lana Del Rey, for example), raise the profits of a struggling company and be a platform for change (e.g. TEDtalks). .
Content with Embedded Videos Rank Higher
Adding video to your content will help give it a boost in search engine results. This is primarily because more time is spent on pages with video and this increases the level of engagement for that page: more time on page translates to more opportunities for visitors to like, rate, comment and share your content. Higher page times can also send a positive signal to search engines since longer visits are interpreted as the search engine having sent you to a quality link containing what you were looking for.
Another compelling reason to embed the video is that you'll be able to capture feedback on your content instead of on the page on the video sharing service. It's also more likely that you content will be shared rather than the video's URL. :wink:
Embed videos: don't link.
Challenges Leveraging YouTube Videos in B2B Marketing
While less common than it once was, many corporate networks and educational campuses block popular video sharing sites to preserve bandwidth. This creates a real challenge in reaching your audiences because you can't always count on them returning later on. While smartphones provide a good way around this issue, it's still more advantageous to provide the video when and where it's needed.
Embedding videos usually help get around this issue because the most common way to block someone from a site is by a website blocker that stops people from visiting black listed URLs. It's simple but effective. Embedding your video on the page helps bypass the website blocker (or filter) allowing your audience to see it. It may not work for everyone but it's a start.
Doing it Right
One video is usually enough and it shouldn't ever appear alone on a page. Always precede the video with an a description of what it's about and why your including it: videos are still primarily indexed and navigated via text.
You can embed video on SCN from these domains: youtube.com, dailymotion.com, video.google.com & vimeo.com. Visit Inserting Videos on SCN Content for more information and instructions.
Here's an example of what an embedded video looks like. It's one of Matt Cutts' video responses to webmaster question on the use of stock photos:
