You've spent time, effort, and money producing and editing a great video that you can't wait for people to see. But when you hit publish, it just sits there. Hardly any views. Nowhere to be found in Google.

The solution? Improve your video SEO.

Video SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of making your videos easier for search engines to understand, index, and rank. And when we say search engines, we really mean Google. Done well, video SEO helps your content appear higher up in Google search results - where it can reach viewers and get the attention it deserves.

In this guide, we'll walk you through seven simple steps to optimize your videos for search, from writing keyword-rich titles to adding video transcripts, captions, and schema markup. Let's jump straight in!

Jump to:

• Create a keyword-rich title and meta description
• Add a transcript to boost visibility
• Use captions to improve accessibility
• Embed videos on optimized landing pages
• Design an eye-catching video thumbnail
• Add schema markup to stand out in search
• Promote your video to strengthen SEO signals

Search engines rely heavily on your title and meta description to understand what your video is about, so it's important to make them as clear and descriptive as possible.

Carry out some keyword research, then use your target phrase naturally in both places. Keep your title short and engaging to encourage people to click through to your video, and use the description to explain clearly what viewers will learn or discover.

Search engines can't watch or listen to your videos - they need text to work with. A transcript provides Google with that context, helping your video show up for more search queries, and making your content more useful for viewers too.

Here's how transcripts boost your video SEO:

• More indexing opportunities - Transcripts give search engines text to crawl and index, so your video can show up for many more searches.

• Broader keyword coverage - Every phrase in your transcript is a chance to match long-tail queries that don't fit in your title or description.

• Better accessibility - Transcripts make your content more inclusive, which improves user experience (and Google rewards that).

• Extra context for snippets - Google can pull lines from your transcript for featured snippets or "key moments" in search results.

• Future-proof for AI search - As search engines move toward AI and LLM-driven results, having accurate text alongside your videos makes them easier to surface.

While Google can't crawl captions in the same way it can transcripts, they're still incredibly valuable for SEO. Captions improve accessibility for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, which enhances user experience - something Google consistently rewards.

They also keep viewers engaged for longer, especially on mobile where many people watch without sound. And longer watch times are one of the key signals search engines look for when ranking videos.

Where you choose to host your video makes a big difference to SEO. Uploading to YouTube or Vimeo helps your video get discovered, and videos uploaded to these platforms do rank in Google search results. But if you want your website to benefit, the video needs to live on your own site too.

The best approach is to embed each video on its own dedicated landing page. Aim for one video per page so Google knows exactly which video to associate with that URL, and place the video near the top of the page so it's one of the first things visitors (and search engines) see.

Then optimize the page with keyword-rich copy and a transcript to give search engines the context they need to rank both the page and the video.

A strong thumbnail does two things for your video SEO. Firstly, Google requires a valid thumbnail for your video to appear in rich features like video carousels in search results, so adding a thumbnail boosts your chances of appearing in these coveted spots.

Secondly, it can dramatically improve your click-through rate (CTR). Your thumbnail is the first thing people see, and it has a big impact on whether or not they click to watch your video. A strong click-through rate is a key ranking signal, so make sure your thumbnail is clear, eye-catching and relevant. Simple touches like adding text or showing a human face can make a big difference to engagement and, in turn, your video's SEO.

Schema markup is a bit of behind-the-scenes code you add to your page that gives Google extra details about your video, like the title, length, upload date, and thumbnail. This helps your video show up in rich search results, including carousels and "key moments".

At a minimum, your video schema should include:

• Title and description (clear and keyword-rich)

• Thumbnail URL (a valid image)

• Upload date

• Duration of video

• Embed URL or content URL (where the video lives)

You don't need to be a developer to do this - SEO plugins for platforms like WordPress can generate schema automatically, or you can copy and paste a basic template. Once it's added, run your page through Google's Rich Results Test to make sure everything works.

With the rise of "search everywhere optimization" (the process of optimizing your organic presence on multiple platforms so that people can discover you on Google, YouTube, social media, and beyond), it's important to promote and share your video across different channels.

A few smart ways to boost SEO signals include sharing your video on social media, encouraging embeds and backlinks, and repurposing video content into blog posts that link back to the full video. You can also increase reach through newsletters or paid promotion.

The more places your video appears, the more authority it builds, and the more likely Google is to rank it.

I hope this guide has given you some useful pointers to take your video SEO to the next level. From transcripts and captions to schema and promotion, these small steps can make a big difference in how easily your videos get found and watched.

And the good news? You don't have to do it all manually. With Transcribe, you can generate accurate transcripts and captions in minutes, giving your videos the SEO boost they deserve.

Check out our guide to transcribing video for step-by-step instructions.

Alternatively, download the Transcribe app or launch the online editor to get started today.