Distilled's Phil Nottingham explains how you can do to effectively and cheaply integrate video into your content strategy - covering the creative and technical aspects of link building with video ...
Distilled's Phil Nottingham explains how you can do to effectively and cheaply integrate video into your content strategy - covering the creative and technical aspects of link building with video content.
Charlie RowlandWhere and how should I host the videos so that a link is established to my website? Forgive me if that has already been addressed. Thanks.6 months ago
Are you sure you want to
Phil Nottingham, SEO at Distilled@hamzerger. Yes. Don't use an iframe if you want the content to be indexed on your own site, but do use an iframe in the embed code you give to others to embed on their site. It'll then be user friendly and simple for those that embed the content, but you somewhat avoid the risk of being outranked for your own videos.8 months ago
Are you sure you want to
hamzergerOn page 45 you suggest to avoid iFrames. On page 46 you advocate using iFrames as part of the embed code. Can you clarify why? Is this a matter of making the video clear to search bots that visit your page for crawling purposes but unimportant for users that embed your content on their pages?8 months ago
Are you sure you want to
Phil Nottingham, SEO at DistilledThanks for all the kind comments. I am both delighted and astonished that this slidedeck has had over 41000 views, given that it was originally performed to 100 people in a room above a pub - my first public speaking gig.8 months ago
Vista Stores at Vista Stores@Phil Nottingham I come to know about this by latest SEOmoz blog post. This will help me to define content + inbound links on product pages! Great presentation and thanks for sharing.1 year ago
I joined Distillled 10 months and specialise in video
Work out what you can scale.Old spice personal videos – low production values – went viral.
General site links as this site is a resource of good contentDon’t embed video files – as it provides a distraction from their site contentTypically, if trying to buidllinnks, have the accesibility of all the videos on a single page?
Casey from SEOmoz looks at the form/media types. – what got linskDefine media types
Links from the BBC, Telegraph, Guardian. Some big names – Not necessarily linking to the videos, but the videos show care, attentiuon and value.3379,648 links from 337 domainsNot hard to scale that stuff – they already have the content. They just need to scale the photography and the production. Produictionaspects can be scaled
Becoming a hub for the storage of the contentProviding additional content and information EXPAND – linkbait guide, Companies making crap that people unbox. Techrader – do unboxing videos. ASOS & netaporter. Tarting about in clothes – can see it being worn totally fucking makes it better to bytir
Video is a format, not a type of contentLink-worthy video is to video what infographic is to imageMedium for content deliverySo many people saying “I have video content” That is meaningless. The same as saying I have text content or image content Its‘s not enough to simply build video content – must have a purpose and focus. Integratioin
We should do videoLets do a screencast video on this topicIt needs to explain the following points and ideasMake video
We should do something on this topicIt needs to explain the following points and ideasThat would work well as a videoMake videoEXAMPLE – DONE THIS WELL. Blendtech?
Video isn’t for everyone. It’s not always gonna be the best bet. If you
Some performative elements here too – If you aren’t a good public speaker, don’t turn great blog posts into videos for the sake of it. Play to your strengthsWhen the concept/aesthetic underpinning the content willbenefit from an integrated form factor
Site becomes a central resource for the content, with supporting information
Too text heavy – Way too much.Anything people need to refer back to constantly, auto to be text content
Must aesthetically marry the desires of the visiting user – within the first few seconds.
Blended Results – (Click through Rate)Good Algorithmic SignalsBrand TrustImproved User EngagementOn-page conversionsSocial EngagementBrand AwarenessReputation
will make sure anyone who embeds your video doesn’t get attribution.
VNR, videos News Releases hold a new focus in todays news world where publications are trying to do everything they can to make their news dance more online. The realms of static text predefined my the nature of print publication no longer exist in an online world. In bygone times the most exciting thing an editor could do to jazz up a story was place a cracking image with it. Equally PR's looking to get their clients placed in the public eye would often go to great lengths to secure a good image to go with their story, knowing that a good image would give there story a competitive edge, providing video clips to the media to use online can provide similar leverage.News publications are fighting to make themselves profitable, resources and tighter than ever before, if you can provide good video content to go with your story and sell it in with your story (via VNR) you are better helping them do their jobs.
But – they actually didn’t restrict the content to their site.Links from Forbes – all sorts
Provide alternative embed codesExplain that there is more supporting information on your site?Make sure your version is the HD one – the one that will be better for your users.
Whilst video is new – still new opportunities
Upload/update the sitemap as soon as you launch the videoEnsure you include the date and time correctlyLink “uploader” information to profile with rel=“author” or G+
http://followerwonk.com/lkjhlkjhFind those who can influence the influencersBe willing to pay
Youtube used to give followed links – this is the alternative
Incorporating Video into your Link Building StrategyPresentation Transcript
Incorporating video intoyour link building strategy PHIL NOTTINGHAM
PHIL NOTTINGHAMPhil NottinghamSEO Analyst– Distilledphil.nottingham@distilled.net@philnottinghamCentral School of Speech and DramaFreelance Film & Theatre PractitionerNDSDistilled
PHIL NOTTINGHAM We’d love to do video. The problem is budget. We don’t have the time, money or skills to do it properly. It’s just not something we’re able to do at the moment. A Number of Clients.
PHIL NOTTINGHAM Bullshit. Phil Nottingham, 2012
PHIL NOTTINGHAMSo.. Maybe you can’t be Evian It doesn’t need to be technologically revolutionary to get links
PHIL NOTTINGHAM57 Unique videos in a day Camera £600 Tripod £30 Software £300 All In £930 http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDCBEEAFF5571810B
PHIL NOTTINGHAMSourcing freelancers with limited budget http://www.castingcallpro.com/uk/ http://www.fivesquids.co.uk/ http://www.lfs.org.uk/ http://www.cssd.ac.uk/ http://www.mandy.com/ http://www.spotlight.com/
PHIL NOTTINGHAM So…how can you build links with Video?
PHIL NOTTINGHAMHow and when do people link to video?• Embed Content • Rarely • Only when it’s directly relevant and valuable• Link to video files • Specific and targeted content • Creatively interesting• General site links • When there is a wealth of good content Make no mistake, getting links to videos is tough. In and of itself – not a tactic.
PHIL NOTTINGHAMPeople link to content with videos http://www.seomoz.org/blog/what-makes-a-link-worthy-post-part-1
PHIL NOTTINGHAM Having a video compared to just text will almost triple the average number of linking domains Casey Henry, SEOmoz
PHIL NOTTINGHAMZappos – Product videos done right
PHIL NOTTINGHAM50000 Product Videos Pages with high quality videos get natural links
7830 Links from 1497 Domains
PHIL NOTTINGHAMDistilled Linkbait guide 3rd most linked to page on Distilled.net (after the homepage and blog ) 826 linking root domains http://www.distilled.net/linkbait-guide/
PHIL NOTTINGHAMDentsu London – Making Future Magic 892 Links from 253 Root domains Wired Huffington post Gizmodo File on Vimeo.com 2108 from 704 domains http://www.dentsulondon.com/blog/2010/09/14/light-painting/
PHIL NOTTINGHAMThe same is true across the boardhttp://www.homestarrunner.com/ 87,531 from 4275http://www.zefrank.com/theshow/ 77,060 from 2445http://www.collegehumor.com/ 758,000 from 9728http://www.starwarsuncut.com/ 3,323 from 789http://jibjab.com/ 53,732 from 2961 Video aggregation sites do particularly well
PHIL NOTTINGHAMIntegration within wider content strategy
PHIL NOTTINGHAM We should be doing video. Our competitors are doing really well with video and it’s something that we need in order to compete. Lets create some viral videos. CEO of client X
PHIL NOTTINGHAM Video = Content Video = Form
PHIL NOTTINGHAMCommon Practice (this sucks) Form Gap Analysis – “we need to do video” Form Idea Development – “what can we do a video about?” Content Creation – “make video”
PHIL NOTTINGHAMGood Practice Content Gap Analysis – “we need more tutorial content” Form Idea Development – “what’s the best format for that?” Content Creation – “make tutorial video”
PHIL NOTTINGHAM The content should define the form
PHIL NOTTINGHAMWhen is Video the Appropriate form? Would this content lose something if it were just text and image? Use video, but know what to use it for.
PHIL NOTTINGHAMGood – Will it Blend? 8364 Links 2230 Domains Filming & Studio £1000 costs Production £300 iPad £400 Blender £100 All In £1800 Can you imagine this content working as just text and images?
PHIL NOTTINGHAMShit – GAIQ videos (Sorry Google) This content feels cumbersome and difficult to digest as a video
PHIL NOTTINGHAM How do people experience video?
Text Video1 second Perception Perception5 seconds Appraisal of Meaning Emotional ResponseBuy in Point10 seconds Evaluation of Meaning Appraisal of Meaning15 seconds Emotional Response Evaluation of Meaning
PHIL NOTTINGHAMWhy do I need to know this? Good Content Shit ContentIntegration of form elements Form elements are towards specific goal mismatched or disintegrated Audience Become Active Audience Remain Passive You must actively engage an audience on both a perceptual and a conceptual level
PHIL NOTTINGHAM What can video do for you?
PHIL NOTTINGHAMThree Distinct Focusses1. Notoriety2. Traffic and Conversions3. Links
PHIL NOTTINGHAMProvide Value – Aesthetic, Creative, Educational
PHIL NOTTINGHAMContent that won’t get links.• Promotional Trailers• Company Testimonials• Salesy Content Don’t try to sell your product and get links with the same content.
PHIL NOTTINGHAMTypes of Video Content• Promotional Trailer• Screencast tutorial• Product Demonstration• Informational Tip• Aesthetic Imagery• Interviews• Creative viral focussed content• Live event Recording• Infographic• Advert
PHIL NOTTINGHAMTypes of Video Form• Animated Content• Performed Content• Recorded events
PHIL NOTTINGHAM Production
PHIL NOTTINGHAMFilming • Always film in 1080p25 or 1080p30 PAL • Film in a well lit environment • High quality audio is more important than high quality video
PHIL NOTTINGHAMEditingDoesn’t actually need to be flashy – keep it simple, but high qualityBest Editing Apps:• Final Cut Pro – with Motion and Compressor (Mac only)• Avid Media Studio (PC and Mac)• Adobe Premier (PC and Mac)• Adobe Aftereffects (PC and Mac)
PHIL NOTTINGHAMExport settings for YouTube Setting Value Codec h.264 Frame Size 1920x1080 Key Frames Automatic Pixel Aspect Square Bit Rate Unrestricted Audio ACC/MP3 at 256kbps You can lower the bitrate if you want for YouTube, but it’s normally not necessary
PHIL NOTTINGHAMExport Settings for Vimeo Setting Value Codec h.264 Frame Size 1280x 720 Key Frames Automatic Pixel Aspect Square Bit Rate 5000kbps Audio ACC/MP3 at 320kbps Always upload in HD for Vimeo, even if you have a free account
PHIL NOTTINGHAMExport settings for self hosted Setting Value Codec h.264 Frame Size 1280x 720 Key Frames Automatic Pixel Aspect Square Bit Rate 2014kbps Audio ACC/MP3 at 320kbps If you’re self hosting, be wary of file size!
PHIL NOTTINGHAM Technical Implementation
PHIL NOTTINGHAMHosting – For Blended Results & Links Third Party Self Hosted To build links effectively, the content needs to be exclusive to your site.
PHIL NOTTINGHAMHosting – For Social Shares Never seed promotional or non-creative content on these sites
PHIL NOTTINGHAMHosting – For Links & Social SharesMonth 1:Month 2: (Enable Community Pass) Once the links dry up, put the content everywhere. Keep the version on your site secure and you should still rank 1st for your own video.
PHIL NOTTINGHAMEmbedding on Your Domain• HTML5 video player with flash fallback• Don’t use iFrames – Google probably wont crawl them• Include social buttons• Set playback to auto HD• Don’t set to Autoplay – It annoys everybody• YouTube embed parameters• Indexable transcripts! – *cough*keyword stuffed*cough* http://code.google.com/apis/youtube/player_parameters.html
PHIL NOTTINGHAMEmbed codes for link building• Don’t use standard embed codes within third party players – no links• Place custom codes underneath video embed codes• Use iFrames• Partial Anchor Text<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/VIDEOID?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0"frameborder="0" width="640" height="360"></iframe><br><span style="font-size:12px;">Linkbuilding protips from <a href="http://www.yourdomain.net/">Brand andpartial anchor text</a> Ensure your embed code will build links back to your site, not the video hosting company
PHIL NOTTINGHAMWistia Superembeds – completelycustomisable display options http://wistia.com/product/superembeds
PHIL NOTTINGHAMVimeo Pro Settings for Link Building Privacy Embedding
PHIL NOTTINGHAMVideo Schema Markup – get ahead of the game• Help get the stuff indexed• provide rich metadata to the engines• Rel=“Actor”? – Who knows.• Appropriate attribution http://schema.org/Movie
PHIL NOTTINGHAM Many high authority news sites are creating video only sections, and are crying out for content. Lexi Mills, PR Consultant, Distilled
PHIL NOTTINGHAMVideo News Releases• Big media sites love accompanying video content• It’s easier for an editor to watch a short video than read through a load of text• There is less direct competition• Doesn’t need to be “BBC quality”• Ensure you send an MP4 – Not WMV or Quicktime.• Don’t put any branding, effects or lower thirds on the file ”Communicate your key messages in such a way that its newsworthy, the points are made quickly, and there is a slight punch to it” http://www.media-attention.co.uk/VNR.htm
PHIL NOTTINGHAMVideo as Infographic 9494 links From 248 Domains Content on Vimeo.com 4,879 links from 515 domains http://hungrybeast.abc.net.au/stories/stuxnet-anatomy-computer-virus
PHIL NOTTINGHAM “Phil...I think I’ve also made that mistake. Ive done loads of videos on YouTube & people have embedded them, but I have no links as they all link back to YouTube….”
PHIL NOTTINGHAMIf you have done this… Find people who linked to you on Vimeo/YouTube and get them to add a link to the relevant page on your site Same works for anyone who has embedded the video
PHIL NOTTINGHAMMozilla Popcorn = EPIC http://mozillapopcorn.org/
PHIL NOTTINGHAM Video XML sitemaps• Allow Google to read your video metadata http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=80472
PHIL NOTTINGHAMVideo Sitemap Template - Vimeo<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9” xmlns:video="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-video/1.1"> <url> <loc>http://www.yourdomain.com/page-containing-video</loc> <video:video> <video:thumbnail_loc>http://www.yourdomain.com/thumbnail-image</video:thumbnail_loc> <video:title>Video Title</video:title> <video:description>Video Meta Description</video:description> <video:player_loc allow_embed="yes"autoplay="ap=1">http://player.vimeo.com/video/videoidnumber</video:player_loc> <video:duration>Length of video in seconds</video:duration> <video:publication_date>2012-02-29T18:30:15+00:00</video:publication_date> <video:family_friendly>yes</video:family_friendly> <video:tag>Target Keyword 1</video:tag> <video:uploader info="https://plus.google.com/userid">Name</video:uploader> <video:live>no</video:live> </video:video> </url></urlset>
PHIL NOTTINGHAMVideo Sitemap Template - YouTube<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9” xmlns:video="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-video/1.1"> <url> <loc>http://www.yourdomain.com/page-containing-video</loc> <video:video> <video:thumbnail_loc>http://www.yourdomain.com/thumbnail-image</video:thumbnail_loc> <video:title>Video Title</video:title> <video:description>Video Meta Description</video:description> <video:content_loc>http://www.youtube.com/v/VIDEOID</video:content_loc> <video:duration>Length of video in seconds</video:duration> <video:publication_date>2012-02-29T18:30:15+00:00</video:publication_date> <video:family_friendly>yes</video:family_friendly> <video:tag>Target Keyword 1</video:tag> <video:uploader info="https://plus.google.com/userid">Name</video:uploader> <video:live>no</video:live> </video:video> </url></urlset>
PHIL NOTTINGHAMVideo Sitemap Template – Self Hosted<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9” xmlns:video="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-video/1.1"> <url> <loc>http://www.yourdomain.com/page-containing-video</loc> <video:video> <video:thumbnail_loc>http://www.yourdomain.com/thumbnail-image</video:thumbnail_loc> <video:title>Video Title</video:title> <video:description>Video Meta Description</video:description> <video:content_loc>http://yourdomainc.com/videofile.mp4</video:content_loc> <video:duration>Length of video in seconds</video:duration> <video:publication_date>2012-02-29T18:30:15+00:00</video:publication_date> <video:family_friendly>yes</video:family_friendly> <video:tag>Target Keyword 1</video:tag> <video:uploader info="https://plus.google.com/userid">Name</video:uploader> <video:live>no</video:live> </video:video> </url></urlset>
PHIL NOTTINGHAM Outreach
PHIL NOTTINGHAMVideo directories & Resource Sites• They are out there.• followed links, but you need good, creative contenthttp://blip.tv/http://www.videojug.com/http://www.wonderhowto.com/http://www.imbroadcast.com/http://bizuns.com/videoshttp://www.dailymotion.com/en Simple screencast tutorials can get tons of links if solving a problem
PHIL NOTTINGHAMViral Videos – influence the influencers Videos go viral when key influencers provide a context for engagement Friday, Friday…A AARRRRG GHHHHH http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_allocca_why_videos_go_viral.html http://www.slideshare.net/katemorris/brainstorming-and-designing-viral-content
PHIL NOTTINGHAM Using YouTube to build links
PHIL NOTTINGHAM WARNING – A LITTLE BIT GREY HAT
PHIL NOTTINGHAMHijack videos without “as seen on” attribution• Find highly viewed videos without “as seen on”• Embed on your HQ Blog – with surrounding text content• Get tons of referring links through a 303 redirect http://www.youtube.com/social/blog/distilled
PHIL NOTTINGHAMEmbedding custom YouTube Playlists• Curate the playlist on your site, rather than on YouTube• Have accompanying text and resource content<iframe width="560" height="315"src=http://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO1ID?playlist=VIDEO2ID,VIDEO3ID,VIDEO4ID,VIDEO5ID" frameborder="0"allowfullscreen></iframe> http://code.google.com/apis/youtube/player_parameters.html
PHIL NOTTINGHAMYouTube 3d The content isn’t even that good. Over a million views http://support.google.com/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=157640
PHIL NOTTINGHAMChecklist – Content Creation1. Content should define form2. Integration of Audio, Visual and Concept – do they all complement each other?3. Unique Ideas – scale the production elements4. Do the videos grab attention in the first few seconds?5. Correct export settings (see appendices)6. Submit Video XML sitemap7. Use Schema.org movie mark-up Questions? Send them to @philnottingham
PHIL NOTTINGHAMChecklist – Getting Links1. Choose third party hosting solution2. Ensure it’s embedded in HTML5 player with flash fallback3. Add social buttons to your player4. Custom Embed Code for link building with partial anchor text5. Ensure the content has supporting text and images6. Video Press release7. Outreach to key influencers8. Seed on YouTube and Vimeo after the links dry up9. Resource Directories10. YouTube “as seen on” attribution Questions? Send them to @philnottingham
George Cohta
1–10 of 15 previous next Post a comment
1–10 of 15 previous next