The line between what determines a successful marketing strategy and one that falls behind is often very thin. Cultural and generational trends fuel digital marketing designs, and both of them are consistently evolving. One of the defining narratives of SEO and online growth marketing for the next-generation of the web is poised to embrace video content.
“We are seeing a major shift in video consumption and believe it is a sound move for online brands and businesses to work on increasing their visibility on Youtube and other video content platforms,” details George Konidis, an SEO marketing expert and the Founder/CEO of Growing Search.
Videos on landing pages are capable of increasing conversions by nearly 80 percent, and more than 50 percent of consumers cite a predisposition towards video content from brands.
Add in the historical precedent that the delivery medium for content has fundamentally defined generational information consumption with Gen Z preferring video over reading, and it is clear that the next major content marketing trend is in the video realm. But how does SEO apply to video content?
“Most SEO strategies do not account for the fact that a platform based on streaming video content, YouTube, is the second largest search engine behind Google, and it is catching up quickly,” says Konidis.
Evolving Generational Preferences
At the core of most major shifts in marketing paradigms is generational preferences that are often driven by the technology of their time. Early advertising for companies originated on AM radio, transitioned to television, and now the web is the ultimate medium for businesses striving for brand growth to reach broader audiences.
Generation Z grew up with smartphones in their hands, and as such, are influenced heavily by the rise of platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. On average, Gen Z members consume more than 68 videos per day, with roughly 71 percent of the entire generation watching at least 3 hours every day.
Videos are easier to make than ever, and according to HubSpot, 2018 entirely transformed the video marketing model with everything from event videos to explainer videos. Most videos have become ‘byte-sized’ or just long enough before people start turning them off. The process of making videos has become a popular science in itself for a visual tool once strictly relegated to film and television professionals.
“SEO strategies that can adapt to video marketing are poised for success,” says Konidis. “Videos have higher engagement and conversion rates than any other content medium on the web.”
Konidis’ position reflects the conclusions expressed by multiple studies citing that websites with video content have a higher chance of appearing on the first page of a Google search.
For Konidis and his SEO firm, Growing Search, shifting their model to place a larger emphasis on video SEO and marketing is not only compelling but necessary. “Having worked in some aggressive industries, I was always driven, and expected, to show exemplary results very quickly,” details Konidis. “I learned that you can never be satisfied with the status quo and that the SEO and content field persist with their evolution in step with cultural demands.”
Content is king, and in the age of the Internet where information has never been more abundant, it is not surprising that SEO growth strategies can launch online businesses into the stratosphere.
However, the Internet is changing.
Parallel with generational preferences — the Internet is turning a corner in how information is disseminated. Mainstream media outlets are not as dominant as their former selves, and competition is emerging in the form of independent content outlets, freelance journalists, and educational/demo videos from leading social media platforms.
YouTube even reaches more adults in the prime age range (18 – 49) than any cable news network.
In the end, the decreasing attention spans of younger generations who are bombarded with information and content will naturally give an edge to video as the content medium of choice.
Konidis and Growing Search are planning for a dynamic shift in content consumption, and view the change as critical to the future online growth model of any modern business — a dynamic that is continually transforming.
“Twenty years ago Google was just founded, smartphones are slightly more than ten years old, and people born in the U.S. now never knew what life was like without high-speed Internet — where do you think digital content consumption and SEO strategy will be in another ten years?” Opinions expressed here are the opinions of the author. Influencive does not endrose or review brands mentioned.
Published May 20, 2019