How Videos Can Help You Build Links to Your Website

Link building has been and still is one of the top Google ranking factors. According to a study by SEMrush, links account for four out of the top ten SEO ranking factors.

That’s why it should come as no surprise that many online businesses are always looking for ways to up their link building endeavors.

When confronted with the challenge of finding the most effective ways to build links, even experts are often indecisive. However, there is a consensus about some of the best types of content for link building. According to a survey by SEO Power Suite, these content types were voted as most effective for link building:

As you can see, experts worldwide consider videos as the second-best content type for driving links. But why is that? What makes videos such potent tools for link building? That’s what we’re here to find out! Let’s dive right in and show you how to use videos for link building.

Why Videos Are Good for Link Building

Let’s begin by taking a look at what content types drive a lot of links in general: 

• User-friendly content
• Shareable content
• Helpful content
• Visual content

Now, which of these criteria do videos meet? Depending on the type of video content in question, most or all of them! But how do these factors relate to the likelihood of generating links? Let’s take a look at some data to best answer that question:

• User experience is a vital SEO ranking factor.
• Over 3.5 billion people use social media, and videos get shared 12 times more than any other type of visual content.
• 65% of users turn to YouTube content when looking for a solution to a problem.
• 78% of people enjoy video content weekly, while 55% do so daily. 

As you can see, video content meets all of the above criteria — it indirectly boosts your page’s SEO by improving user experience, it is shareable, resulting in a lot of traction on social media, it is highly sought-after by users looking for solutions to a problem, and there’s a vast audience for it!

Now that the why is out of the way, let’s take a look at the how.

How to Get Started With Videos for Link Building

We think the best way to approach this would be to give you some concrete step-by-step advice. Here are the four essential steps you should take when creating videos for link building:

1. Do Your Research
2. Create Unique and Engaging Content
3. Embed Your Video on Your Landing Page
4. Promote Your Video

Step 1: Do Your Research

First, before you proceed with anything in marketing, you need to plan out a strategy. When making videos for link building, there are a few things to consider:

• What video content does well on the web?
• Which videos have the potential to go viral?
• What kind of content should you create to make your brand stand out from the crowd?

Since you’re chasing links here, you must make your video appealing to a large user base. If you don’t, they won’t have any incentive to share it, like it, and, eventually, link to it. Unfortunately, there is no way to guarantee that your content will go viral and earn tons of links in the process, but doing thorough research on your competition will maximize your odds.

When we say “competition,” we don’t necessarily mean your competitors’ brands. Researching your rivals on the market is indeed vital to your success, but we’re aiming for the stars here! What we do mean is that you should research the types and topics of video content you’re trying to outclass. 

What are the most searched for terms? — Aim for a less popular one.

Are videos on the topic predominantly professional and information? — Be funny.

You get the point by now. 

Step 2: Create Unique and Engaging Content

After you’ve cleared research from your to-do list, it’s time to start making some content! But what do we mean by unique and engaging? These are incredibly subjective terms, indeed, so there is no single recipe for success. The best way to approach this step is to give you some concrete examples so that you can take it from there yourself.

So what can we consider unique by today’s standards? The chances are that whatever comes to mind, somebody somewhere has already thought of it and done it. So what do you do? The solution to this predicament is to think outside of the box! Here’s an excellent example of such an out-of-the-box video that became an incredibly successful marketing phenomenon:

You likely already know about this ad, and that’s thanks to its pure genius! This kind of unpredictability is what you’re aiming for if you want to give going viral a shot.

But what if you don’t want to put all your cards on such a longshot as going viral? What if you prefer to take a safer route? You have plenty of options too!

There are multiple other types of videos that can help you build links to your site. Let’s take a quick look at a few:

Video Infographics

Do you remember our chart from the beginning? Infographics were just behind videos in their effectiveness for link building. So why not combine the two? You should! Infographics were all the rage back in the 2010s, so by breathing life into them again by combining them with videos, you’re sure to engage and inform your audience in the most appealing way possible. That’s bound to earn you a few links! Before we proceed, here’s a quick example of a video infographic:

How-To, Product, and Explainer Videos

We’ve already mentioned above how users love consulting videos when looking to solve a problem. Let’s further back that up with more data from Wyzowl’s 2020 video marketing survey:

• 96% of consumers have viewed an explainer video to learn more about a product.
• Two-thirds of respondents stated they’d rather watch a short video when learning about a product or service than any other form of content.
• An overwhelming majority (86%) of respondents wished that brands put out more video content. 

The demand for explainer videos is undoubtedly there, so all you have to do is get to making them! And the better your video meets user intent, the more successful it will be at helping your link building efforts. Here’s an example of an explainer video to wrap this section up:

Review and Customer Testimonial Videos

These videos are another surefire way of gradually earning links for your website. How? Because 92% of consumers will look up a testimonial video before making a purchase, while 70% trust online reviews. The more your audience trusts your brand, the more likely they’ll be to buy from you and engage with and share your content! So don’t miss out on this safe opportunity to earn yourself a few links if aiming high isn’t your cup of tea. We’ll leave you with this excellent example of a customer testimonial video:

Step 3: Embed Your Video on Your Landing Page

Do you know what the best part about using videos on your landing page is? It doesn’t only help you build links; it also helps drive conversions, increase site dwell time, and enhance user experience! Why? There are multiple reasons:

• Videos engage your customers and make them stay on your page longer.
• Research found that embedding a video on your landing page can up your conversions by up 86%.
• Videos are one of the most sought-after forms of visual media, so including one on your landing page can improve user experience.

These should be reasons enough to include a video on your landing page. Now, all that’s left to do is promote your content!

Step 4: Promote Your Video

If you expected to have links rain down upon you the moment you’ve finished making your content, you were gravely mistaken! Promotion is essential if you want your content to get noticed and start driving links, so here are a few things you can do to get the ball rolling:

• SEO optimize your video
• Optimize your video for mobile
• Get your content on your company’s social media
• Syndicate your video content
• Start a paid promotion for your content
• Include your latest video in your next newsletter
• Begin a paid video ad campaign

Now that you’ve done everything in your power to get your content out there, all you can do is wait and track your video’s success!

We’re Keeping Our Fingers Crossed for You

Now that you’re equipped with all the knowledge you need to use videos for link building successfully, let us wish you good luck! And keep one thing in mind — don’t get disappointed and quit if you fail. Remember — it’s not about how many times you fall, but how many times you get back up!

Best of luck to you!