There’ve been several recent announcements from Google on video SEO. The net message: if you want Google to find and index your eCommerce video content, you have to tell Google where to find it. And that means submitting a video sitemap.
Like much of SEO, there’s probably more mystery surrounding this area than there needs to be. Take duplicate content, for example. Google’s stance on duplicate content in all areas is very clear; your rankings will suffer if they determine that you’re placing the same content in multiple locations in order to game the system. Can Google recognize duplicate video content right now? They’re not saying. Will they be able to do so in the near future? Based on what they’ve achieved with text and images, with hashing YouTube videos to recognize copyright-violating content, with speech recognition and transcripts…I think you can bet on it. When that happens, if you have the exact same content on your product pages and on YouTube, you may suffer. That’s one of two reasons we recommend edited, non-duplicate versions of your product videos for YouTube (the other, of course, is the ability to include calls to action to bring the user to your site).
So if you want to keep up with Google and video SEO, and you’re a retailer rather than an SEO junkie, it makes sense to focus on the basics. Do I have unique video content on my product pages? Is that content documented in a video sitemap and submitted to Google?
Key elements of a video sitemap include:
Building one is easy, as Nelson Lee from Google explains below, or as our own Wes Miller explains in Onlinevideo.net. Building them at scale for a few hundred products is hard (unless you use a platform like ours, which automates the process).
We’re early in the video SEO game, and a lot remains unknown. Google is frequently mysterious, but we’ve recently been in contact with their product people about localization versus language (for example, one version of a video for French-speaking Canada and another version for English-speaking Canada) with video SEO. Answer on that one: they don’t know yet themselves. There’s a lot that isn’t known yet. What we do know will change over time, as Google gets ever more sophisticated. But we will keep up with them. So that we can focus on delivering the maximum video SEO impact, while you focus on running your business.
In her eCommerce Know-How blog, Fit for Commerce, CEO Bernardine Wu writes, “Product content, of course, is critical – as much and as descriptive as possible – and little sass can’t hurt. Videos, visuals that are zoomable, multiple product views – all are now must-haves, especially for apparel and accessories.”
It’s great to see validation of eCommerce video as essential to successful online retailing. And it’s exactly what Invodo has been advising its many IR 500 clients for some time. I’m certain we will see many more industry analysts communicating similar views over the next few years.
For the past week news, blogs and Twitter have buzzed about the huge success of the Old Spice guy campaign. Mashable called it ‘the archetype of a successful social media campaign.’ It’s hilarious and successful by many metrics – the original video has over 15 million views on YouTube as of this morning, and I love the way the company has kept the conversation going with video responses to questions.
However, Marketplace reported this morning that sales of the promoted product – Old Spice Red Zone After Hours Body Wash – have fallen 7% during the campaign. The campaign can still be viewed as a success since it has helped Old Spice update its image and gain notoriety within the social media, marketing and advertising worlds. But it serves as a reminder that in doing video, you have to begin with deciding what your goals are.
Working as I do in eCommerce video, I often get asked “So your company does those viral videos, right?” Well…not really. If we can do a music video pointing out how video revolutionizes eCommerce the way MTV revolutionized broadcasting, we will. We might even play the occasional April Fool’s moustache joke. And when we work with clients like Moosejaw known for off-the-wall marketing, you can bet that our videos will be quirky and fun.
But those videos will also be optimized to drive conversion. We’re not looking for an ADDY award. eCommerce video is about driving sales by increasing conversion on retailers’ websites. There’s plenty of data showing that eCommerce video done right drives 30%+ increases in conversion. From Invodo’s perspective, we’re successful when we drive that increase in conversion for our clients. Also, incidentally, when we deploy our full-service eCommerce video solution so that they know hosting and streaming, SEO, and social network syndication are handled for them.
I congratulate Old Spice on the views, buzz and followers. It really is a well-done campaign, and I’m sure it’s wildly exceeded their goals according to those metrics. If you’re reading this and you’re an online retailer…what are your goals? Are increased conversion, SEO and reduced returns among them? Or are buzz and awareness really what you’re after? I’d love to hear your thoughts around goal-setting in the comments.
Early last Thursday morning I returned from the 2010 Shop.org Merchandising Workshop event that was held in Huntington Beach, Ca. This was a fantastic opportunity to learn what 250 of the top executives and experts in eCommerce are talking about and doing to innovate and improve sales, traffic, and customer experience. The diversity of products, clientele and branding made for some very interesting discussion. From high-end fashion, jewelry, sporting goods, toys and infant all the way to security software. There was a dichotomy of eCommerce online stores and traditional brick and mortar change whose clientele are demanding an online experience.
I was left with some very distinct impressions about where this industry is headed, and ultimately who is in control. There were speakers and roundtables to cover lots of topics….Customer engagement, “customercentric” merchandising, optimization and testing, empowering the market, and photography to drive, conversion. My favorite session covered using online video to optimize the customer experience. The foundation that was laid with every discussion was this: To survive you must adapt quickly, you must make the experience for each customer rich and complete, and the customer is in the drivers seat. Consumers are savvy and fickle, and they have a short attention span.
Understanding my personal bias I was very interested in the effect that video is having upon eCommerce. I personally had some great discussions with clients who talked about all of the challenges that video presents. In many of the sessions the challenges were repeatedly outlined. Some were answered and others remain to be addressed:
Consumers today are demanding video to aid their buying decisions, and they are telling us that with their credit cards. Several speakers shared personal case studies citing industry standard increases of 30-35%. Anecdotes in every conversation with existing clients and others that have dipped their toes into the video pool told us that they are seeing dramatic conversion spikes when they offer their customers video content to describe products. eCommerce giants like Zappo’s and HSN.com talked about generating as many as 50,000 product videos this year. Speakers from Northface, Columbia and Ice.com talked about the incremental gains enjoyed with limited initial testing. Ice.com, for example, saw a 50% reduction in returns, along with 25% conversion lift when using video on landing pages. The two questions on everyone’s mind came down to optimization and scale. What kind of video converts most effectively? And how do I produce that video at scale?
As a husband I have learned to “sympathize with dry mouthedness” rather than get a glass of water for my wife. Please understand that Invodo has a cool refreshing glass waiting though.
Are you using eCommerce video to drive traffic, increase sales conversion rates, and reduce product returns? Do you have a video strategy in place for your eCommerce website(s)? Invodo’s full service eCommerce video solution helps online retailers sell more through the power of video.
Invodo will be hosting Interactive Roundtable #3 -Video: Get Seen, Get Traffic, Get Sales at this year’s eTail East Advanced Search Forum where we will be demonstrating with retail client, PurePearls.com, how video drives traffic through SEO, increases conversion rates, and decreases returns.
This interactive discussion will let you hear from a retailer who knows the benefits of eCommerce video and will give you the tools to understand and implement a successful video strategy aimed at increasing search traffic to your eCommerce site(s).
Make sure you register for eTail East and receive 50% the full conference price, courtesy of Invodo.
How are you using Video as a merchandising tool for your eCommerce website(s)?
Stop by Booth 23 at this year’s Shop.org Online Merchandising Workshop to learn tips and tricks to Video Merchandising Success. When done correctly, eCommerce Video is a powerful tool that engages consumers while providing beneficial product information leading to higher conversions, increased sales, and reduced product returns.
At Invodo, we use video to improve the way online retailers sell, brands communicate product value, and consumers shop. As your full-service eCommerce video solution, Invodo delivers the content you need, the platform to drive business results, and the distribution network to get your videos seen.
Show Details:
Shop.org Online Merchandising Workshop
July 12-14, 2010
Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach, CA
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