YouTube is a powerful tool that can help you dramatically increase traffic to your website. Unfortunately, it is not used for local SEO nearly as often as it should be. Following are some tips on how to use YouTube to boost local SEO so potential customers in your target city can get to know you and what you have to offer.

Create Content with a Local Appeal

Perhaps the most important thing to bear in mind when you use YouTube to boost local SEO is that it is imperative to create content that has a local appeal. Don't simply reuse videos shot in another city and then try to add a few local keywords. Choose a topic that is sure to resonate with your local audience.

Add Your Local Information to the Video

It is a little known fact that Google's search algorithms can actually read text information in your video. Post your business name, address and phone number in written form either at the beginning or end of your video. You may also want to have someone read out this information on the video to make it easy for potential customers to remember.

Provide City-Specific Information in the Description Field

Use the description video to not only add the URL for your business but also the address and phone number of the local outlet the video is being created for. This makes it easy for potential customers to find you if they like what they see in the video.

Depending on the nature of your business, it may also be wise to post your business schedule along with your information. This enables potential customers to make plans to visit your business when you are able to serve them.

Geotag Your Video

Geotagging your video will ensure that it is automatically associated with your business location in a particular city. Geotagging is not difficult; you simply upload your video to YouTube, go to Video Manager and then click on Advanced settings. You will be prompted to provide your business address and then drag a pop-up marker to your exact location on a map.

Use Relevant Tags

Using relevant tags can mean the difference between video content that reaches your exact target audience and content that fails to hit the mark. Here are some tips to bear in mind when choosing tags for your video:

  • Include the name of the city as one of the tags
  • If your business is in a large metropolitan area, include not just the name of the metropolitan area but also the exact city or suburb where your outlet is located
  • Use tags that would appeal to your target audience
  • Use long-tail keywords that competitors would be unlikely to use. Doing so can help you earn a first page Google placement for your promotional video.
  • Make sure your tags accurately describe your video. For instance, a webinar that is tagged as being fun and exciting should actually be fun and exciting. If it is technical, in-depth or for tech gurus only, tag it as such.

Promote Your Video

It may seem odd to use YouTube to boost local SEO and then invest time and effort to promote your video. Even so, cross-promotion is known to be an effective way to not only increase views for your video content but also increase traffic to your website.

Embed your video on the page of your company website that targets the city you want to reach. Encourage employees in that particular business branch to share the video via social media channels. Post the video on your company's social media sites and include the link when sending business emails to customers and potential customers in the city in question.

More Important Information on how to Use YouTube to Boost Local SEO

  • Ensure all videos are high quality. Poorly made videos with bad sound and/or lousy lighting won't appeal to anyone.
  • Keep tabs on videos created for specific areas. See how effective each one is in terms of generating both traffic and sales.
  • Stay up to date on city-specific trends. Information that was current last year or even last month may be outdated.
  • Try out various types of videos in each city where you do business. Video content may include webinars, how-to tips, an introduction to offices and workers in a particular city, a short and fun animation related to your line of work or an introduction to a new product.

If you want to use YouTube to boost local SEO but don't have the time or ability to create the winning content you need, get in touch with us at your convenience. Brandgy offers a variety of online marketing services to help you reach your target audience in the fastest, most efficient manner.