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22 July 2013
Categories
Content, Search

How Can I Use Videos and Images to Boost My Organic Results?

In “How Does Google Work?” we explained that Google recognizes text best. But that’s only partially true. The search engine also values text coupled with images in producing results for searchers.

How does this apply to you?

It means that you’ve got to think about how you can incorporate quality photos and short videos into your website’s content to maximize your SEO and entice searchers to click on your links. This is just another thing you can do to improve your online presence and capture more clicks and sales leads.

Biznology’s Tim Peter says the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” applies to digital marketing for both still images and videos.

Consider Google’s launch of Local Carousel, which displays a stream of images at the top of a local search page, even above the first paid listing. And that Google AdWords announced an Images Extension beta, which adds images to a business’ paid listing.

Just like we talked about in “What Are Organic Search Results?” the more content you have on the web, the better off you are. Don’t just write –- add good-quality images and videos attached to your URL so that potential customers have a better chance of finding you organically. If they’re good images, they will generate clicks, and Google’s Local Carousel categorizes them based on who’s getting the most clicks.

In the words of digital marketing expert Tim Peter, “Ensure Google selected images you want displayed by filling your website, Facebook brand pages, LinkedIn business pages, and other elements of your web presence with the highest-quality images you can afford to produce.”

People are more likely to share images with their friends and to social media sites. You can also encourage your customers to share photos and videos shorter than 15 seconds (research shows that anything longer has a lower chance of being watched and shared) to their online communities.

Quality content leads to clicks, which leads to better organic search results. Good organic search results and SEO result in sales leads and customers. So don’t wait to add visual content to your online presence!

Sarah Griffith is Executive Editor of BubbleLife.com, an Advice Interactive Group product. She’s worked with BubbleLife since 2011, transitioning to Advice during BubbleLife’s acquisition in 2017. Sarah has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism-Public Relations from Baylor University and has a passion for all things related to content. She has formerly served in multiple roles at BubbleLife, including Digital Marketing Consultant, Account Executive, Business Editor, and Neighborhood Editor, helping expand the company from eight community websites in Dallas-Fort Worth to more than 250 nationwide. When out of the office, Sarah can typically be found listening to live music and engaging in a never-ending hunt for the best queso in Dallas.