Placing video testimonials on website vs. YouTube
-
We have produced a number of video guest testimonials.
Any SEO considerations or other hosting it on our website (what software to use?) vs. YouTube (and just embedding it on the webpage)?
Are there certain situation or circumstances when YouTube is not the best choice for placing video on a website?
Thanks.
-
My memory is a bit vague here but it should put you in the right direction.
When you choose to embed videos there should be an option for "play related videos" or something similar. Make sure to not select that box. It should add a parameter to the URL along the lines of "&rel=0".
For advertising, if you are a YouTube partner channel, then you can disable ads on any of your videos. Otherwise, as long as you do not include any copyrighted material in your video I believe you are ok. This includes the audio track.
-
Thanks for the thorough response. It's clear that YouTube is the way for us to proceed. Forgot that it's the 3rd largest search engine.
Clearly the advantages are significant.
I'll have to see how to control for competitor links and advertising.. hopefully this is not too technical.
Thanks for your great help.
Alan
-
The best location to host videos would depend upon the content of the videos and your overall goals.
YouTube hosting offers:
-
#3 ranked website in the world. Huge user base
-
Google owns YouTube. When I post a video on youtube I consistently see it listed in Google within 2 hours.
-
YouTube offers the videos in many formats. If you upload in 1080HD, it will be offered in 240, 360, 480, 720HD, 1080HD so users can choose the version they prefer based on their connection quality. Also YouTube uses a Content Delivery Network which significantly improves playback speeds by offering local servers for users.
-
YouTube comments and thumbs up/down is very popular means of engaging users and generating content.
-
your videos may contain unwanted ads or links to other videos from competitors if not set up correctly.
Vimeo and other video hosts:
-
not as popular as YouTube, but each has a dedicated user base and is most likely more popular then your site. Sharing an occasional video on these sites will add exposure for your videos.
-
the other points mentioned for YouTube apply to the many other providers, but to a lesser degree
Local hosting
-
while you could offer the video in many versions and offer a CDN, most websites used by small companies do not so you miss out on those advantages. If videos do not play back smoothly, the user experience is significantly lowered.
-
video content takes a large amount of disk space and bandwidth which can be a cost issue for small sites
Most often small sites can host the video on YouTube or Vimeo then display the video on an embedded player from their website.
-
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Force youtube video to appear in search?
Hi, I haven't done much Youtube optimization yet, and now I have a Youtube project. I was wondering if one can "force" Google to display a video on an organic SERP that originally did not include any videos at all? Thanks for thoughts!
Image & Video Optimization | | Valdo22220 -
Google Places best practise
Hi, just wondering what peoples' thoughts are on linking from a Google Places listing; where multiple locations are present (and multiple Places listings), do people generally link back to the home page or to the individual location pages? I would be interested to hear anybody's thoughts. Thank you
Image & Video Optimization | | jasarrow0 -
Google Places For Display Homes
Hi all, We have a client who is looking to get their Display Homes on Google Places. The main issue is as they are display homes, they do not get post delivered to them yet. So the old 'postcard verification' is not going to work, but its the only option we are getting. I would normally say, this might not be possible. Unfortunately one of their key competitors has somehow got all their Display Homes verified - so I was looking for some insight as to how this is possible? Am I missing something here? Thanks! J
Image & Video Optimization | | Jon_bangonline0 -
YouTube Demographics
Hi Mozzers, Is it possible to do YouTube-specific keyword research? I have a client who sells wine making franchises and wants to produce a video for prospective franchisees. I doubt people are looking for this on YouTube and want some data to support my case so I can push the project in a more meaningful direction.
Image & Video Optimization | | waynekolenchuk0 -
Google Places "Pending" out of options
I used to enjoy the first place position for google places/local, and 30 reviews in the old pre-google local. I am a painting contractor in Seattle. Then in April 2012 I moved my shop six miles to a new location. My reviews were dropped and places moved to "pending" when I changed my address. I am now in my 8th month pending approval for my google places page: Seattle House painting local page I have drilled down and exhausted every resource; including verification, having all my citations exactly in a row. All my review sites like Yelp and angie's list are address/info accurate. I used Yext to check all my local citations. I am set to do not show my address as Google indicates is best practice. There is nothing I have missed...but I am still "pending". Do I need to hire a David Mihm? I am very frustrated seeing one competitor using multiple addresses and having two listings. Any help or insight greatly appreciated. shearer_painting_places_.png
Image & Video Optimization | | johnshearer0 -
Schema vs Hcard
Which one should i do? A little confused here.. This would be for small biz contractors/ hvac, painters, etc. trying to rank for Local SEO.
Image & Video Optimization | | greenhornet770 -
Link from youtube
Does uploading our video to youtube, with link pointing back to our site, is counted as backlink to our site ?
Image & Video Optimization | | seoug_20050 -
How to Track Traffic from Google Places Pages
Hi, Is there anything I need to do in Google Analytics to setup tracking for traffic coming to a site via it's Google Places page? I can see some traffic from maps.google.com in the Traffic Sources > Referring Sites report, but it does not appear to marry up to the data reported in the Google Places dashboard. Thanks
Image & Video Optimization | | WCR0