Google launches YouTube captioning feature—what does this mean for SEO?

Google has launched an automatic video captioning service for YouTube videos to make the content more accessible to deaf people or anybody search for videos online. However, experts say that it the new feature also has advantages for search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns.

While the captioning feature is still in its raw stages, experts say that it can optimize people searching for videos in search engines. Theoretically, video scripts will give YouTube content stronger online presence.

“Having a transcript in the video is huge for SEO,” explained Andrew Shotland, an owner of a local SEO Guide in California. “Having targeted text on a page helps the video rank in search engines for specific searches.”

Currently, very few videos are being captioned on the web. YouTube captions will be indexed in search engines for keywords placed in the captions.

Shotland cited: “If we’re talking about a plumber video, that page will have words like leaky pipe, city name, change your toilet and many others the publisher may not have added to the written description on YouTube. The videos will attract search engines even more. I wouldn’t be surprised if YouTube’s traffic goes through the roof. The video pages will have so much more text they can rank on.”

And if the transcripts will work like embed codes, users can tag YouTube videos, which will also improve its search engine rankings.

Source: MediaPostPublications