In our recent article Five key SEO trends for 2025 we explored several key trends in SEO that are going to be increasingly important in 2025. One trend we mentioned is VSEO – Video SEO.
In this article we explain why VSEO is so important, and share some tips about how to make a success of VSEO in 2025.
Why is VSEO so important?
Over the last few years, there has been rapid growth in the number of people using search engines and social media search to find videos. The growing popularity of video platforms such as YouTube and TikTok has also led to an increasingly large proportion of search results including at least some video content. Video snippets now appear in over 26% of search queries on Google.
This has also resulted in video platforms being used as search engines themselves, particularly with younger demographics such as Gen Z using them to find information and trends. An estimated 74% of Gen Z users prefer TikTok’s search capabilities over Google’s, and when looking for products are increasingly turning to Instagram and TikTok to find influencers and brands they can trust.
So, how can you ensure that your video content performs well on both Google and video platforms? The answer is VSEO.
How does VSEO differ from normal SEO?
There are some aspects of VSEO that are the same as normal SEO. For example, a starting point is the importance of carrying out effective keyword research, and then include these keywords in the title transcript of your video, as well as any additional content related to the video.
However, VSEO keywords need to focus more on providing simple answers to the kinds of questions that viewers are likely to be asking, rather than drifting into transactional detail. They also need to be shorter, punchier, and more appealing visually and aurally.
But the other main difference between VSEO and SEO is that as well as incorporating keywords into aspects such as video thumbnails, title, description and tags – all of which we will cover later – you also need to be aware of engagement metrics. Engagement metrics demonstrate how well users are reacting to your videos and include aspects such as watch time, likes, shares, and comments. Engagement metrics are used by search engines to help determine the relevance and quality of a video, which in turn can impact its rankings.
Five tips for successful VSEO
Much has already been written about the art of successful VSEO. But we want to condense this into five simple tips that will help get your VSEO off to the best possible start.
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Be clear about the purpose and length of the video
Even though videos are growing in popularity, there is no point making a video just for the sake of having a video. It has to have a purpose.
For example, it could be:
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- An introductory video on a landing page, aimed at getting the visitor’s attention and making an immediate impact on them;
- A product video, aimed at increasing the conversion rate of your website;
- An explainer/introductory “elevator pitch” video about what your business does.
The purpose and type of video will determine its length. It needs to be long enough to deliver the information it promises, but short enough to maintain viewer interest. As a general guide, shorter videos – under two minutes – are best suited for high impact content such as introductions, elevator pitches etc, whereas if you are focussing on more in-depth content they will need to be longer. On video-hosting platforms such as YouTube, videos between 7-15 minutes in length often achieve higher engagement rates.
The length of your video should also be influenced by where you hope it will be shared. For example on Instagram and TikTok, shorter videos under one minute tend to be more popular, whereas Facebook and LinkedIn audiences will often engage with videos that are 1-2 minutes long.
Whatever the length of your video, ensure it is the best quality that it can be. Start off with a strong impact that will capture the attention of the viewer, and boost this with other visual and aural hooks throughout the video to maintain their interest.
Always remember, the longer they watch, the more they share, and the level of likes and comments will all boost your video in rankings and are all important aspects of VSEO.
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Decide the best platform to host your video
The next major decision you need to make is where to host your video. The main choice is between hosting it on your own website, or choosing a video hosting platform such as YouTube or Vimeo.
The main advantage of hosting it yourself is that you are in complete control. You can determine how your video looks and plays, and can be confident that there will be no distractions such as ads or continuation videos, some of which could even be from your competitors.
However, self-hosting also has disadvantages such as slowing down your website loading speed, and potential compatibility issues with some browsers, including mobile browsers.
Hosting your video on a third party platform removes some of these issues, as it has the best settings for both streaming and compatibility. You also have the advantages of the platform’s own search engine capability, making your video easier for viewers to find.
A compromise solution could be to host your video on YouTube or Vimeo but also embed it into your website. This should ensure that viewers see the specific video you want them to and remain on your website whilst viewing, but still enjoy the viewing and compatibility advantages of your third party host.
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Create a powerful VSEO thumbnail
A video thumbnail is a small image that is displayed in the search results. The image should represent your video accurately but also needs to be eye-catching and stand out from the crowd.
The importance of a thumbnail cannot be overestimated. Evidence shows that videos with engaging thumbnails that capture attention will get more clicks than other videos. And getting more clicks on your video makes it more authoritative in the eyes of Google.
When creating your thumbnail, bear in mind that it needs to look good on a range of browsers, including mobile. So it’s best to avoid any element that is either too small to distinguish or is too low resolution to have impact. It could also be a good idea to start off by doing A/B testing on two versions of your thumbnail, to see which starts to pick up the most clicks.
And if it is possible to add your main keyword to the thumbnail, so much the better. But if this is not an option, ensure that you use it in your title, description and tags, which we shall look at next.
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Use VSEO in your titles, descriptions and tags
Video titles, descriptions and tags will feel like more familiar ground in terms of SEO. They are all essential words related to your video, and they need to include your main keywords.
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Video title
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A title can seem relatively insignificant but it’s not. It’s likely to be the first thing that will influence a viewer’s decision as to whether they want to watch your video. So you need to make sure that your title reflects the main points of your video, and that it includes the most relevant keywords that viewers are likely to be searching for. Just be aware that your title should be less than 60 characters or it may get truncated by Google.
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Video description
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A video description provides more context to your video. It should provide a summary of the contents and, ideally, include a question that the video answers. Make sure you feature your main keyword in the video description as it will also be used by Google to understand your video’s topic and determine whether it should appear in search results. And keep your description below 120 characters to avoid the risk of it being truncated in search results.
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Video tags
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Tags are descriptive keywords that you can add to your video to help viewers find your content. They can usually be added as an extra option when uploading your video to your video hosting platform. Whilst tags are not as significant as titles and descriptions, they do provide another opportunity to give Google, YouTube and other search engines information about your video such as topic and category, and to use your primary keyword(s) again.
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Prepare good quality VSEO transcripts
A video transcript is a written text version of your video content that can be uploaded to appear alongside your video.
A video transcript is important for two main reasons. The first is improved SEO. Including a transcript of your video gives you plentiful opportunities to insert your keyword(s) of choice. And be aware that every word in your transcript will be used by search engine bots to ensure that your video content is categorised correctly. So a well-written transcript is vital for VSEO.
The second reason a transcript is essential is that it makes your video content accessible to a more diverse range of people. For example anyone who is hard of hearing or is only able to watch videos with the sound turned down.
So it pays to put time and effort into preparing a good quality video transcript. This should include contextual information such as changes of speaker, and sound effects (for example clapping or laughter) to ensure that anyone following the video via transcript can enjoy the full experience.
Initial transcripts can be created either by using speech recognition software on your content, or by using a transcriptionist ( a professional who converts audio and video content into text). But, either way, it is worth editing the final version of the transcript to ensure that it is fully optimised for VSEO and also that it reflects the desired feel and personality of your video.
We hope that the above information is a helpful guide as to how to get started with VSEO and make a success of it.
And remember to check back here with us soon at Xcite Digital so we can navigate the digital marketing and SEO landscapes together during 2025.