Multimedia makes for better online business
Posted by Catherine on 16 Mar 2010 | Tagged as: Multimedia SEO
Websites which integrate multimedia content into their presentation tend to have a higher conversion rate than those that do not. Multimedia such as video, podcasts, or interactive animation, graphics and other features add different dynamics to a website. Visitors are able to engage with more content in different ways, keeping them interested in your site for longer.
Experts have found that a video sales pitch or explanation of a product is much more effective than wordy written content. Multimedia is more time consuming and expensive to produce than traditional copy, and it is because of this that not many companies make the extra effort to include it. This means that those businesses that do dabble in multimedia are a minority with a significant competitive advantage.
Like all content on your business website, multimedia needs to be optimised for SEO. Though you should consult your SEO specialist on how best to integrate extra dynamic content into your online marketing strategy, there are a number of fundamental steps you can take to increase hits on your multimedia and gain traffic for your site.
Before starting the production process for any multimedia develop a thorough plan about what the piece should communicate, and which medium would be most suitable for the message. Multimedia content should give the viewers something extra that copy cannot. A talking head giving a sales pitch will bore viewers, but a video demonstration of a product in use is more likely to pique their interest.
The title of your multimedia content is all-important in terms of SEO.
Titles must be short and catchy or intriguing, but should also incorporate search phrases relevant to your business. Carefully considered tags are also important as these help define the category of your content. People searching for specific content will often run a search through YouTube, Flikr or other content aggregators, and a good title and solid tags, as well as the file name of the upload, will make your material more visible.
SEO still primarily centres on text, so make sure to include a short written description with your multimedia. The text should supplement rather than repeat the content, and should also contain your key search phrases.
The primary upload destination for your content will obviously be your own website, but you should also maintain active channels for your business on distribution platforms like YouTube and Flikr to gain further exposure for your media. Multimedia content is well suited to social media networks, so be sure to use your accounts for extra promotion.
Exploring multimedia is a worthwhile endeavour for any business with a website. Spend some time thinking about how to make a new approach work for your company and start experimenting to find the best way to tap into the benefits of multimedia.
