Organic video search is still in the nascent stage, but applying these traditional SEO tactics can help your video ads climb the search rankings.

Online video shows so much promise that we are asked almost daily how video search engine optimization (VSEO) fits in and how much it has matured. The answers are decidedly mixed, though early evidence shows that many of the same principles that drive solid "traditional" SEO can reward companies who take a disciplined approach to online video advertising.

One company we work with here at Mixpo that has recently benefited with VSEO tactics is an agency specializing in marketing large-scale condominium developments. For the past few months, we've tested video ads on that agency’s website, in ad networks and in ways that involved both search engine marketing and organic video search.

Some videos on the agency’s website had views-to-impressions ratios as high as 70 percent, with conversions (actions-to-views ratios) of almost 40 percent. These incredible numbers showcase the value in keeping video relevant and giving viewers what they expect when they watch -- oftentimes, the result of a very targeted search.

On Google’s video search, the agency's videos actually garnered six of the top 10 search returns for some pretty broad search terms related to condos in their market. We were very impressed, but there was a catch: When we typed the same broad terms in Google's universal search, the agency’s videos appeared on the seventh results page -- as the 75th result. Results on universal search, of course, vary based on a number of factors, including the tags, keyword competitiveness and when it comes to paid search, the bid.

So what does this all mean? It shows both the potential of online video and the still-nascent stage of video used in organic search. Here are a few video SEO tips to help your campaign:

Relevance really matters.
Like its cousins in print, the higher the relevance of the video to the information that surrounds it, in search results or elsewhere, the better the results at all levels.
 
Focused keywords can be effective.
The more specific and focused, the better. For the condominium marketing client, we tracked the keywords people typed to actually locate the video ads. We saw long tail terms like "old historic Seattle buildings with condos for sale" return video ad landing pages toward the top of universal search results.

Create useful content and don't be afraid to use text in your video.
Search engines don’t really care how long a video is, provided that its content and keywords are relevant to the topic at-hand.  We have deployed video ads for numerous clients and have consistently found that viewers routinely watch more than 60 percent of an ad once they click on it, regardless of length. If content is useful, people will watch it -- and will stand a better chance of finding it. Just because you are using the video medium, remember that it’s OK to deploy relevant text, too. As search engines continue to improve and deepen, having relevant text can be a good boost to your video ad. 

Avoid redundant multiple postings.
Despite what some assume, posting to every video sharing site does not necessarily result in higher placement in search results. This "carpet bombing" approach actually hurts you, as video search sites don't want duplicate results in their returns. Several months ago, we would see our client's videos stacked on search results pages because of all the sites we'd submitted to. We’re seeing less of that today, which is ultimately a good sign for consumers.

Beware of irrelevant content.
Plain and simple, the more targeted the keywords, the more focused the video must be. Less relevant video advertisements tend to lose viewers in the early part of the video, often with high abandonment after less than 10 percent of the video.

Don’t limit yourself to pre- and post-roll.
It is flat-out wrong to assume that online video advertising units have to be pre- and post-roll ads or overlays. It is way too early to define the optimal ad unit, let alone set an ideal length for video ads. Effective online video advertising is not limited to 15 or 30 second re-purposed commercials, but can include other forms of marketing, like testimonials, video profiles and product demonstrations.

In past experiences with clients, we've launched three- to four-minute video ads of real estate brokers talking about their areas of expertise and then showing a home. Consumers viewed these videos to the end countless times. In comparison, repurposed 30-second commercials are rarely viewed to the end.

Online video is still very new, and its power in search is still based on the promise of both the discoverability of the video and what happens when someone sees the video. At this early stage, it's most important to test, learn and optimize as much as possible. The search algorithms, along with everything else, are constantly changing and, consequently, so is the game. But advertisers who stay true to consumers will ultimately win.

Glenn Pingul is VP of marketing for Mixpo.