How to rank higher on Google, with video
When you consider that YouTube is owned by Google, it’s no surprise that video has such a positive impact on Google rankings. In fact, YouTube itself is now the web’s second largest search engine, behind Google! That fact alone demonstrates how significant video is to our online experience now, and why Google favours video content so much.
With web pages containing video being 50 times more likely to appear on page 1 of Google than text-only pages; good quality video is a must for any dental practice looking to rank higher on search engines!
But why and how does video help your dental practice website to rank higher with Google?
The thing to remember about Google is that its algorithms are concerned with ‘user experience’. It is looking for web pages that are relevant and engaging to your audience – in this case, to your dental patients.
Here’s how video can demonstrate to Google that your dental practice website is useful, relevant and engaging to your patients and achieve a higher ranking:
1. Videos make people engage
When people watch videos, such as patient testimonials, they click! They click on the play button, on offers, on links for more info etc. All of this ‘engagement’ shows search engines that your content is useful and relevant.
2. Video is sticky
Video content increases your site’s stickiness, i.e. the amount of time spent on a page. Also known as ‘dwell time’, the longer patients stay on your page (watching your video), the more Google will view that page as relevant and engaging and the higher it will rank that page. On average, a visitor will spend twice as long on a page with video than without.
3. Useful videos attract in-bound links
Web pages such as blog posts with video content will attract 3 times more inbound links than posts without video. The more inbound links you have, the more relevant and authoritative your page will appear to Google and thus be ranked higher.
4. Video increases your click-through rate
In our time-pressured modern lives, web users will often choose a search result with video, over a text-only page as it is quicker and easier to consume the information through video rather than reading reams of text. Pages with video drive over 150% more organic traffic from search engines, so Google naturally ranks these pages higher as they recognise this is what users will respond best to and therefore what will give them the best ‘user experience’.
5. Videos reduce bounce rate
Videos are engaging! Once a visitor arrives on your page, video is a great way to capture their attention and provide useful and engaging content, such as a patient journey or patient testimonial. This dramatically reduces your bounce rate (the rate at which people arrive on your site then ‘bounce’ off / leave the site if they find it’s not relevant)
And finally…
Ensure your video is supported by patient-focused, valuable, written content
Video is such a powerful tool that is not to be missed on your dental practice website, but make sure you also combine it with valuable written content. We’re not saying video is the be-all and end-all and it will not bring you the results you’re looking for alone. You must also make sure that the rest of the site provides valuable content that keeps visitors on the site after the video ends, otherwise they will ‘bounce’ straight off, which will be detrimental…making your ranking plummet! If the rest of your page doesn’t engage and keep people on your site, this tells Google that your site isn’t valuable.
So, if you would like to get the best organic results possible, ensure your dental practice website includes valuable content, both written and video, that answers your visitors’ questions, adds value and engages your audience.
Click here for more information on how video can improve your dental practice website
