What is the best way to host a video on my site from a SEO perspective?

[daan.loening]

Hi,

we are in the process of creating a video about a topic that is highly relevant for our customers.

Once it is completed we want to offer the video to our customers so that they can embed it into their own websites for free.

What is the best way to do this and still receive maximum SEO juice?

If we use a a video service like youtube or vimeo, then the link will go to vimeo or youtube and not our site.

One thing we are thinking about is asking our customers to link to our site in return for embedding the video, but if there is an automatic solution then this would be a lot better.

Any tips will be highly appreciated! If you have anyother  tips regarding video content then the same of course!

Many thanks!

Daan

[EGOL]

Here is what I do... I don't know if it is the "best way"... and I am willing to bet that "best way" for you might be different from "best way" for me.

I operate on the fact that YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world... and I also know that YouTube will promote my video as "related" when many other videos are viewed.

So, I upload my videos to YT and write a big, detailed description that contains links to related pages on my website and tell visitors there is LOTS MORE HERE.   (I know that they are nofollow links but you never know what google does with those links

My videos also have EGOLsDomain.com obviously visible in the video window.  So people know where to find my site.

I am not doing this for the links. There is more valuable fruit here.

I also place the video on a page of my website that has what I believe is best-on-the-web content for that topic.  So anybody who lands on my site will see the video plus more.

So, now I have a really rich page of content on my site to pull traffic.  Maybe search engines will rank my page better because it has a video and a big caption under the video and a substantive article below it.  My videos get viewed a lot on youtube by searchers. They also get viewed a lot from related video links.  My videos appear in the Google SERPs.  Some people click the links in my description... some people see the URL in the video window and arrive at my site as "type-in traffic".

If you have read the posts that I make here you know that I am a preacher on "do not give your content away"... however, I think that giving content to youtube is the exception.  And if another webmaster posts my video on his site then his viewers will see my URL in the video window, hear me mention it, have opportunity to click to my channel... decide if my video has good information and maybe that inspires them to visit my site.

Bottom line... if you have good information in a video give it to youtube... if your video sucks then you better not show it to anybody.

[RobertFisher]

Daan,

EGOL says it well here.

A few months ago, Phil Nottingham with Distilled posted a response to a question and contained some of what EGOL has here and additional information. I suggest you look at this too, as it was excellent. Phil Nottingham - Best Way to Host Video 

Good Luck

[daan.loening]

Thank you EGOL!

[daan.loening]

Thanks for your help Robert!

I just read Phil's post and it complements EGOL's answer really well. Thanks for pointing me into the right direction!

Best,

Daan