![\"\"](\"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/youtube-videos-seo-01.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIn this article, we\ndiscuss where YouTube videos can appear in the SERP, strategies for improving\nsite visibility in organic search, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where Can YouTube Videos Appear in\nthe SERP?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nYouTube videos are starting to appear in more areas of the SERP. YouTube videos can appear in video carousels (Figure 1), alongside rich result listings (Figure 2), and even in featured snippets (Figure 3). Additionally, YouTube videos were recently spotted in knowledge panels on the right-hand side of the SERP (Figure 4). They, of course, appear in the video tab (Figure 5) but also in the image results tab (Figure 6). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/youtube-videos-seo-02.jpg\")
Figure 1 – YouTube videos appearing in video carousel<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/youtube-videos-seo-03.jpg\")
Figure 2 – Embedded YouTube video appearing in Google \u2018How to\u2019 rich result<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/youtube-videos-seo-03-1.jpg\")
Figure 3 – YouTube video ranking in featured snippet position<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/youtube-videos-seo-05-1024x764.jpg\")
Figure 4 – YouTube video ranking in knowledge panel position<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/youtube-videos-seo-06.jpg\")
Figure 5 – YouTube videos appearing in Videos tab in Google search results<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/youtube-videos-seo-07.jpg\")
Figure 6 – YouTube videos appearing in image results <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s important to note that the examples\nabove are only the most common areas for YouTube videos to appear. We\u2019ve even\nnoticed YouTube videos appearing in Related Searches results in the mobile SERP\n(Figure 7).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/youtube-videos-seo-08-782x1024.jpg\")
Figure 7 \u2013 YouTube videos appearing in related searches<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIn addition, many SEOs have noticed that the\nSEMrush organic search report is reporting an uptick in YouTube videos\nappearing in featured snippets on Google (figure 8).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/youtube-videos-seo-08-1.jpg\")
Figure 8 \u2013 YouTube domain is appearing more often in featured snippet position according to SEMrush<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nComparing July 2019 to July 2020 \u2013 that\u2019s a 654% increase in YouTube videos ranking in the featured snippet position<\/strong>. Even though the trend has flattened in the last few months, it tells us video content is unlikely to go away.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSeeing more YouTube video results in the SERP,\nas SEOs, we naturally question what can trigger or promote the appearance of\nvideos in these locations. While YouTube videos often naturally find their way\ninto the SERP, there may be some optimizations you can make to your site to\nimprove your chances of ranking a YouTube video in search results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leveraging Structured Data and YouTube Videos to Improve Organic Traffic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Some video SERP features may benefit organic traffic more than others. What separates this result from most of the others above is the fact that when the video is selected, it takes users to the site the YouTube video is embedded on, and not YouTube itself (Figure 8). This functionality is important because the other YouTube SERP examples listed above lead users to YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/youtube-videos-seo-10.jpg\")
Figure 9 – YouTube video rich result leads to site it\u2019s embedded on, not YouTube<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhile it’s great to drive traffic to your YouTube videos and\nchannel, this use case allows you to increase traffic to your site, and the\nYouTube video at the same time as the video rich result can entice users to\nclick on the organic result. It\u2019s also important to note that adding structured\ndata can in no way guarantee these types of results, though it does seem to\nplay in an important role in Google\u2019s understanding of the video content, and\nwhen to serve it. Embedding the YouTube video also seems to be key here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Standard video structured data can also help videos appear in video search results, Google Images, and the Google Discover feed according to Google documentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Google, video structured data can trigger a variety\nof other rich results in the SERP like LIVE badges, clips, and video host\ncarousels (depending on the video intent, and markup). All examples can be\nfound in Google\u2019s\ndocumentation on video structured data. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nBut why is this all important? Do YouTube\nvideos really provide organic search benefits?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Improved Video Results Presence in\nGoogle Search<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAs previously\nmentioned, while video content can often be expensive to produce, it\u2019s clear\nthe benefits of incorporating your YouTube videos with your site’s content can\nprovide enhanced visibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But how much extra visibility will YouTube\nvideos provide? It\u2019s hard to say, and every site is in a unique situation. Here\u2019s\nan example of a Merkle client that has seen a steady increase in video result\nvisibility in recent months, which as you\u2019ll see, follows the trend of an\noverall organic performance increase (Figure 10):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/youtube-videos-seo-10-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhen comparing the month of July 2019 to July\n2020 , video result impressions increased 436%, and video result clicks\nimproved +353%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/youtube-videos-seo-12.jpg\")
Figure 11 – YoY video result improvements seen in GSC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThis site has seen increased visibility not only from new features in the SERP, but also from ensuring its videos are embedded on the right pages, and with the right structured data and content on the page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We also see that clicks and impressions for pages which included videos in the all results tab of Google improved dramatically since early January 2020: <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Videos](\"https:\/\/technicalseo.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/image.png\")
Figure 12 – Video appearance improvements over the last 12 months in the all results tab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThese improvements were not because new video content was added to the site<\/strong>, but rather because Google was able to recognize it better and serve it to more users. It\u2019s also possible that there were recent algorithm updates that placed more value on results that contained videos. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThis data further suggests that YouTube videos and videos in the SERP aren\u2019t likely going away any time soon. In fact, on April 28, 2020, Google released the following YouTube feature test<\/a> information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201c \u2018Products in this Video\u2019 experiment: to help\nviewers discover products, we\u2019re running a small experiment that will show to\nsome viewers which products are mentioned in the video with new visual elements\n(overlaid on the video and below the video). For example, in a \u2018top 10\nsmartphones in 2020\u2019 video, some viewers will see an icon on the video, along\nwith more information below, listing the phone models included in the video.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While this is currently just a test, if YouTube were to roll out the \u2018Products in this Video\u2019 feature, it could change the eCommerce video space significantly. This test is just another example of why integrating video content into your SEO strategy is becoming more and more important. Videos are appearing everywhere in organic search. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYouTube videos are becoming more prevalent in the SERP as Google continues to add features that serve these videos to users. While quality video content can be expensive to produce, video content is becoming more important for those hoping to improve their presence in the SERP and improve organic traffic. Including video content on the right pages of your site can be worth the effort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s important to note that the examples\nabove are only the most common areas for YouTube videos to appear. We\u2019ve even\nnoticed YouTube videos appearing in Related Searches results in the mobile SERP\n(Figure 7).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, many SEOs have noticed that the\nSEMrush organic search report is reporting an uptick in YouTube videos\nappearing in featured snippets on Google (figure 8).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comparing July 2019 to July 2020 \u2013 that\u2019s a 654% increase in YouTube videos ranking in the featured snippet position<\/strong>. Even though the trend has flattened in the last few months, it tells us video content is unlikely to go away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeing more YouTube video results in the SERP,\nas SEOs, we naturally question what can trigger or promote the appearance of\nvideos in these locations. While YouTube videos often naturally find their way\ninto the SERP, there may be some optimizations you can make to your site to\nimprove your chances of ranking a YouTube video in search results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some video SERP features may benefit organic traffic more than others. What separates this result from most of the others above is the fact that when the video is selected, it takes users to the site the YouTube video is embedded on, and not YouTube itself (Figure 8). This functionality is important because the other YouTube SERP examples listed above lead users to YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While it’s great to drive traffic to your YouTube videos and\nchannel, this use case allows you to increase traffic to your site, and the\nYouTube video at the same time as the video rich result can entice users to\nclick on the organic result. It\u2019s also important to note that adding structured\ndata can in no way guarantee these types of results, though it does seem to\nplay in an important role in Google\u2019s understanding of the video content, and\nwhen to serve it. Embedding the YouTube video also seems to be key here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Standard video structured data can also help videos appear in video search results, Google Images, and the Google Discover feed according to Google documentation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Google, video structured data can trigger a variety\nof other rich results in the SERP like LIVE badges, clips, and video host\ncarousels (depending on the video intent, and markup). All examples can be\nfound in Google\u2019s\ndocumentation on video structured data. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n But why is this all important? Do YouTube\nvideos really provide organic search benefits?<\/p>\n\n\n\n As previously\nmentioned, while video content can often be expensive to produce, it\u2019s clear\nthe benefits of incorporating your YouTube videos with your site’s content can\nprovide enhanced visibility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But how much extra visibility will YouTube\nvideos provide? It\u2019s hard to say, and every site is in a unique situation. Here\u2019s\nan example of a Merkle client that has seen a steady increase in video result\nvisibility in recent months, which as you\u2019ll see, follows the trend of an\noverall organic performance increase (Figure 10):<\/p>\n\n\n\n When comparing the month of July 2019 to July\n2020 , video result impressions increased 436%, and video result clicks\nimproved +353%<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This site has seen increased visibility not only from new features in the SERP, but also from ensuring its videos are embedded on the right pages, and with the right structured data and content on the page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We also see that clicks and impressions for pages which included videos in the all results tab of Google improved dramatically since early January 2020: <\/p>\n\n\n\n These improvements were not because new video content was added to the site<\/strong>, but rather because Google was able to recognize it better and serve it to more users. It\u2019s also possible that there were recent algorithm updates that placed more value on results that contained videos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This data further suggests that YouTube videos and videos in the SERP aren\u2019t likely going away any time soon. In fact, on April 28, 2020, Google released the following YouTube feature test<\/a> information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c \u2018Products in this Video\u2019 experiment: to help\nviewers discover products, we\u2019re running a small experiment that will show to\nsome viewers which products are mentioned in the video with new visual elements\n(overlaid on the video and below the video). For example, in a \u2018top 10\nsmartphones in 2020\u2019 video, some viewers will see an icon on the video, along\nwith more information below, listing the phone models included in the video.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While this is currently just a test, if YouTube were to roll out the \u2018Products in this Video\u2019 feature, it could change the eCommerce video space significantly. This test is just another example of why integrating video content into your SEO strategy is becoming more and more important. Videos are appearing everywhere in organic search. <\/p>\n\n\n\n YouTube videos are becoming more prevalent in the SERP as Google continues to add features that serve these videos to users. While quality video content can be expensive to produce, video content is becoming more important for those hoping to improve their presence in the SERP and improve organic traffic. Including video content on the right pages of your site can be worth the effort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Leveraging Structured Data and YouTube Videos to Improve Organic Traffic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Improved Video Results Presence in\nGoogle Search<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nConclusion <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n