Video has become such an essential element to any robust marketing strategy that you would be negligent not to use it. It’s estimated that video will consume 82% of all web traffic by 2022.
Users are increasingly leaning more toward watching video content than reading a lengthy blog post, plus videos can be easily shared across social channels.
Search engines are keeping up with the popularity of video, too, effectively transforming the future of search. With that knowledge SEO agencies and video marketers alike are keeping ahead of these trends by optimising video for search.
Video Content Statistics
Video was important in 2019, and it will only become more so in 2020. More marketers will start using video, as 83% of them believe video will be more significant in 2020. Why do marketing agencies see more importance in video content?
People are expected to spend more minutes each day consuming video content, according to Zenith. The number will go up from 84 minutes daily in 2019 to 100 minutes daily in 2021.
As more and more users expect to see video or visual content – 56% of 25-34 year-olds and 54% of 35-44 year-olds said they wanted to see more – high-quality video content will increasingly become the norm.
And high-quality, authoritative content is key here. 64% of consumers say they pay the most attention to video content than any other form. Video can more easily capture attention, so making interesting, valuable videos is required to hold that attention.
Not only is engaging video content more sought-after by users, but it’s also becoming prioritised by search engines as well.
Google announces core updates to its algorithms each year, and one to look out for in 2020 is E-A-T, or Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
Higher rankings will go to content that meets these categories. So producing high-quality content will be essential for ranking for both video and text content.
It’s also proof that viewers aren’t the only ones interested in valuable content. Search engines will be looking for authoritative videos as well.
Is Youtube A Search Engine?
Ultimately, yes, YouTube is a search engine. But users don’t behave the same way on YouTube as they do on Google when it comes to searching.
Instead of going directly to Youtube and typing a query in its search bar, users are often directed to a YouTube video from a Google search.
Once users are on YouTube’s site, they spend an average of 8 minutes watching video content. If they navigate to a new video, again, they’re not searching for it. Users watch new videos when they’re recommended or via the autoplay service on YouTube.
While users aren’t using YouTube as a search engine, that’s not to say marketers shouldn’t optimize their video content for YouTube.
Remember, Google owns YouTube and typically the top results in either a universal search or in a video search are videos hosted on YouTube.
Additionally, search engines have modified their algorithms to crawl video and audio content as well as text. So marketers who want their video content to rank must account for keyphrases in the metadata, title, and even full-text transcripts. These features are a must for content hosted on YouTube or elsewhere.
Video Trends To Look Out For In 2020
Three big trends to keep an eye on and integrate into your SEO strategy are personalised videos, long-form videos, and a data-driven approach to video content production.
These three trends will have a significant impact on the future of search in 2020.
Personalised Videos
Videos catered to a highly specific audience or individual can have a huge impact on user engagement. 72% of consumers say they will only interact with marketing content if it’s personalised.
By using personalised videos you can build a relationship with your customers and provide targeted solutions to their needs.
Moreover, personalised content is much more likely to stand out to customers. About 33% of viewers admit they stop watching a video after 30 seconds, so those initial moments are essential for grabbing attention.
In addition to holding their attention, you also make customers feel more valued, which leads to more conversions.
With personalised videos, it’s important to keep the content valuable. Simply putting a customer’s name on a video or including too much data about them might backfire; they could feel it’s a cheap sales gimmick or be creeped out if they see that you have too much info on them.
Personalised video has a real future in when it comes to SEO trends, so mastering this skill would be advantageous for marketers.
Long-form Videos
The old approach to online content – that we have short attention spans and prefer content that can be consumed quickly – is proving less effective. Users are increasingly interested in longer videos that tell a brand story.
Long-form videos make you memorable and allow users to spend more time on your website.
How can long-form videos transform search? In much the same way longer text content affects search rankings. Google identifies longer videos with more valuable content and pushes those videos higher on the results page.
Brands that invest in high quality, long-form videos with a storytelling angle will therefore resonate more search engines as well as viewers.
Long-form videos could replace more traditional forms of video advertising because they have the power to build a fan base.
Serialised videos about your products or stories about people who use them can appeal greatly to your niche audience. Long-form videos help build a loyal fanbase that’s much more likely to buy your products.
Data-driven Approach
Video marketing will have to incorporate data in order to reach audiences. Analysing user data and integrating these insights when it comes to video content will be an indispensable tool in 2020, and some companies like PepsiCo are already achieving results with this approach.
The company used a data-driven approach to video marketing for their brand Quaker in the UK and saw a 4.25% sales lift, 2x the amount for a non-data approach.
If you’re interested in doing personalised videos as part of your marketing campaign, then you’ll want to use data to do them well. You can use data to target your audience and optimise your advertising.
While many marketers might be intimidated by taking a data-driven approach, it’s not as complicated as it might seem. It all comes down to seeing what data is available.
As consumption of video continues to increase, more and more marketing campaigns will incorporate video. That means more competition. Better content will win out and better content starts with looking at data.
Final Thoughts On Video And The Future Of Search
SEO and marketing agencies should take heed – video will continue to transform search in 2020. Producing and optimising video for search, while also taking YouTube into account, will become even more essential in 2020 than it was before.
With trends like personalised, long-form, and data-driven videos coming to the fore, marketers will have the resources to significantly impact the future of search.
The importance of video has been growing exponentially in recent years and if the statistics and trends prove anything, it’s that this growth won’t stop anytime soon.
