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SEO Tips and Tricks for Vidyard Videos

I remember the day Lizzy and I, armed with our coffee mugs and slightly unkempt enthusiasm, sat down at a wonky table in our favorite cafe to tackle the world of video SEO. The distant scent of roasted beans and the hum of chatter around us felt like a backdrop to our imminent deep dive into the Vidyard cosmos. We had videos—oodles of them—and a zest to make them seen, found, and adored. But what we didn't have was a clue about how to dance in step with search engines. This adventure? It was going to be interesting. Also: it might involve a complicated relationship with keywords.

The Beginning of Our Video SEO Journey​

Lizzy had this contagious optimism. She insisted that optimizing our Vidyard videos for search engines was like baking cookies for a bake-sale—except instead of cookies, we were serving clickable videos. Okay, maybe that analogy crumbles a bit, but you get my drift. We quickly realized there was a whiff of truth to it. Our journey was soon dotted with epiphanies and those ohhhh moments that we somehow didn't see coming.

Step 1: The Power of Keywords​

Our first step was to dive headlong into the world of keywords—which sounds not unlike jumping headfirst into a vat of spaghetti. It was a curious endeavor. Lizzy had this wild notion that we could use some mystical keyword tools that we'd gathered over time—some paid, some free—and we'd summon relevant search terms for our videos.

  1. Identify Your Keywords: Begin with the tried and true—Google's Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or even Keywords Everywhere. Even a dabble in Vidyard's own suggestions can lead to hidden treasures.
  2. Contextual Understanding: Place yourself in your audience's mind—their peculiar desires and questions. This is where the magic truly unfolded. We ask ourselves: What would our audience pour into that search bar when seeking enlightenment or entertainment that our content offers? Mystery solvers, aren't we?
  3. Keyword Integration: Once our golden keywords list was stacked, we actually woven them strategically into our video titles, descriptions, and yes, those irresistible video thumbnails.

The whole keyword thing felt like weaving—delicate and nuanced. Our own little art project in the vast digital space.

Step 2: Video Descriptions - The Unsung Heroes​

If there’s one thing I’d like a giant billboard to declare, it's this: never underestimate the power of a solid video description. On that afternoon discussion with Lizzy, we cracked this nut by writing our video descriptions more like intriguing short stories than mere "You will really like this video about SEO" summaries.

  1. Be Descriptive, Be Engaging: We wrote with flair, capturing the essence of our video's narrative. We included keywords but wrapped them in sentences that sang or at least hummed.
  2. Detail Overload (Sort of): This meant including timestamps, links to resources, and leaving snippets that enticed viewers more into our universe. Lizzy took the reins here—with her knack for vivid detail, she could describe a journey through our content that made you want to tag along.
  3. CTAs – A Call to Joy: Funny thing about calls to actions—we realized they work best when they feel like gentle nudges rather than screams. We became fans of intriguing CTAs that prompted viewers to subscribe, comment, or generally do fun things like joining our email list.

Lizzy scribbled enthusiasm across all our video descriptions and lo! Engagement began to twinkle like fairy lights on cold dark nights.

Step 3: Optimization Through Titles - The Only Judge Is a Gleeful Click​

The title is our flamboyant first impression. As Lizzy reminded us, "People fall down YouTube rabbit holes with a good title." With this epiphany, we ventured into crafting catchy yet relevant titles.

  1. Irresistible Yet Honest: The balance was key—our titles had to sparkle but not deceive. A sprinkle of keywords, yes, but with a sense of curiosity than compulsion.
  2. Character Restraint: We learned to convey the most tantalizing part of our video within 60 characters, though challenging, was oddly satisfying—much like squeezing into a tricky yoga pose.
  3. Testing and Tinkering: Titles are not chiseled in stone; they are clear skies open to reinterpretation. A/B testing? Underrated but oh-so-revealing.

The right title made our videos shamelessly clickable. It was like opening a storybook to the intriguing first sentence.

Step 4: Thumbs Up for Thumbnails!​

Designing thumbnails became one of those strangely revered art forms. I still recall Lizzy's impromptu design workshop—we got colorful, with unapologetically loud graphics.

  1. High Contrast Vibes: We discovered the beauty that pops out from contrasting colors. More than once, Lizzy likened our thumbnails to her favorite team jerseys—bold and unmistakable.
  2. Faces and Emotions: Adding faces, especially our zestful grins, gave our thumbnails that magnetic pull. There’s something timeless about expressions that capture curiosity or pure joy.
  3. Text Clarity: Easy-to-read text on thumbnails became our steadfast rule. Fonts I'd never heard of found their way into our designs. They were mostly fun, occasionally fresh, and always clear.

Our thumbnails slowly morphed into these beckoning beacons—they stood out. Our carefully crafted visual spectacles were now the sirens luring in the views.

Step 5: The Legwork of Tags​

Ah, tags—not glamourous but oh so essential. Some might call them the worker bees of SEO. We didn't overlook them.

  1. Relevance Over Quantity: A handful of well-chosen tags provided more power than a list as long as Santa's. Lizzy picked tags with the precision of a chef garnishing a much-anticipated dish.
  2. Spy and Imitate: We gained insights from competitors by observing their tags. This strange-but-useful feature of browser tools transformed us into Sherlock and Watson of the tagging world—a title I still carry with pride.
  3. Don’t Be Stingy: More tags cover more ground, we found a sweet spot, not flooding, but generously sprinkling—like cologne, best used with some restraint.

With each video, our tags became sharper and more tuned to our audience's heartbeat.

Step 6: Amplifying with Captions and Transcriptions​

Subtitles and captions were like those pleasant surprises tucked into cereal boxes. They aren't always the star, but they make everything just a touch better.

  1. Written Echoes: We began by auto-generating captions—a helpful Vidyard feature—but went the extra mile with edits to ensure accuracy. Those hiccups in autogenerated captions? Endearing but confusing—so we cleaned them up.
  2. Accessibility Matters: We’d underestimated this aspect. Lizzy passionately argued for inclusivity, and so scored another win with accurate captions. It made our content accessible, our message clear.
  3. SEO Side Hustle: Little known fact: search engines scan text. We encouraged transcription when possible. This word magic kept our videos on the radar of search engines.

Those captions? They turned out to be like breadcrumbs leading audiences right back to us.

Step 7: Engage and Share – Sometimes, You Just Have to Shout a Little​

After sweating over crafting videos and threading the SEO delicate dance, the promotion should be equally spirited. We found that shouting from the digital rooftops breathed life into our efforts.

  1. Social Media Allure: Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook became our showcases. Sharing snippets or behind-the-scenes peeks helped create a warm connection with our audience. Hey, it’s another chance to use that cute thumbnail we’ve crafted.
  2. The Community Love: Comments became conversations, and shares grew organically. Lizzy took community engagement seriously, responding thoughtfully—a little digital high-five always went a long way.
  3. Email Nuggets: While it’s tempting to neglect our email lists, we regularly share our new pearls with subscribers. Like distant relatives, emails keep the kinship alive.

Taking Vidyard SEO beyond its initial form, into the heart of connections, we discovered, was not only rewarding—it was transformative.

Finishing Thoughts and Coffee Long Cold​

That day at the cafe—with our coffee cups now long cold—we unraveled the mysteries of optimizing Vidyard videos in our way, with our distinct style; an adventure that we managed to embark on like elusive hobbyists morphing into skilled artisans. Our conversations drifted and danced between achieving the technicalities of SEO and the fundamental art of reaching hearts and minds. SEO may pose as a science, but we found its soul, tucked beneath algorithms. And as I look back, I realize the true melody of it all was in our shared laughter—with Lizzy and our eyes glued to screens, dreaming of a larger digital symphony that echoed from our modest start.

So here we are, sharing our discovery—a blend of challenges, triumphs, and the delightful surprises that came with our Vidyard SEO journey. In the tapestry of this digital arena, our videos began to find their luminescent place.