Video is not always the answer. Use topic modeling to decide which video topics will best support content marketing efforts and improve organic performance.
There are a million reasons why marketers create videos – to drive engagement, better showcase a product, add a human element, and more. All of these reasons are valid and can support overarching business goals. But how do you pick video topics for optimal organic search success?
Marketing teams often create a video inspired by a brainstorming session, but then retroactively have to figure out where the video should live. This process has its place, but it isn’t always the best process for organic success. If the goal is to drive organic traffic, or improve organic engagement rates, there’s a better process to determine which topics could perform best on organic search.
video is not necessarily a magic bullet
It’s easy to think video will solve all organic traffic and engagement problems. But the truth is that not every topic is suited for video content. In the era of content quality and relevance, search intent matters more than ever. Ask yourself the following questions before diving into video production to make sure the topic suits video:
- Is video the best format to answer questions around the topic?
- Does the topic warrant long-form content?
(Ex: A printable article with the specifics for a Medicare plan would better meet search intent than a video.)
- Do you see video on page 1 of Google search results?
- Finally, does video make sense for this topic?
Use Topic Modeling for SEO to find video-friendly topics
As with all content creation, everything you produce should ladder back to the overarching business goals. If you have specific goals for this quarter or year, focus your content efforts on achieving that goal before tackling other topics. Once you have a list of topics that align with business objectives, consider using topic modeling to understand which of those topics are ripe for video creation.
Topic modeling uncovers the kinds of content Google thinks are important for a topic. This process also identifies what questions the content needs to address and what asset types you need to rank on page 1 for each topic. When performing topic modeling, simply search for the topic in mind and answer the following questions:
- What kinds of sites rank on page 1?
- What kind of content ranks on page 1?
- Does video rank?
- Is there a chance for you to rank?
If you answered yes to the last two questions, congratulations! This topic is ideal for video creation. The answers to the other two questions will guide what questions your video should answer for the searcher. Topic modeling is an excellent process to use when launching a new topic, service, or product and when looking to improve organic visibility for a specific topic.
conclusion
Simply creating a host of videos and adding them to landing pages will not necessarily result in improved organic performance. However, with a little topic modeling during ideation and video optimization during publication, you can be comfortable knowing your videos are suited to the search intent and will improve site organic performance.
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