Video content has changed from a marketing luxury into a necessity for e-commerce businesses. Today’s consumers are watching more online video than ever, in fact, online videos now account for over 82% of global internet traffic. Search engines, like Google, have noticed this shift. Google increasingly features video results prominently (often with eye-catching thumbnails and “key moments” timelines) on results pages. This means that using video isn’t just about engaging your audience, it’s also about earning real estate in search results.
In this post, we’ll explore why and how video should be part of your e-commerce SEO strategy. From improving dwell time and snippets to influencing buying behaviour, we’ll cover practical tips, like where to place videos on your site and video SEO best practices, and common pitfalls to avoid.
How Video Content Improves E-commerce SEO Performance
One of the biggest benefits of video is its impact on user engagement metrics that search engines care about. For example, adding relevant videos to your pages can dramatically increase the time visitors spend on your site. Studies show that users spend 88% more time on websites with video content. This longer dwell time signals to Google that people find your page valuable, which can help improve your search rankings. Similarly, video content often reduces bounce rates by immediately capturing attention. Another SEO boost from video comes in the form of enhanced visibility in search results.
Google’s algorithm actively favours multimedia content, including video, because many searchers are looking for video answers. As a result, Google frequently displays rich video snippets or video carousels on the results page, sometimes even above the top traditional result.
Importantly for e-commerce, video content also improves mobile visibility and user experience. Mobile users love video, 90% of consumers watch videos on their mobile devices. A page that integrates mobile-friendly videos keeps smartphone shoppers engaged longer and signals to search engines that your content is satisfying users on all devices.
Where and How to Place Videos on Your E-commerce Site
To get the most value from video, it’s important to place content where it will have the greatest impact on the customer journey. Here’s how to do that across key areas of your e-commerce site.
Product Pages
Product detail pages are the most effective place to showcase video content. Whether it’s a product demo, a 360° view, or a model try-on, the video should be placed near the top of the page, ideally within or next to the image gallery. ASOS, for example, embeds catwalk videos directly into the product carousel, ensuring they’re seen above the fold. For the most impact, pair your video content with optimised design and positioning.
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Homepage and Landing Pages
Your homepage is a great place for emotionally engaging, brand-led video. A muted autoplay hero video or a prominent play button can instantly grab attention without being intrusive. Seasonal campaigns or landing pages can also benefit from video lookbooks or product previews that align with user intent and boost time-on-page.
Category Pages
Video content on category pages can act as inspiration or guidance. For example, a furniture brand might include a short video tour of a styled living room on the “Living Room” collection page. A clothing retailer could feature a “Winter Jackets” video showing real-life product testing in cold conditions. These videos help customers visualise products in use and can increase engagement and relevance, especially for high-traffic categories.
Blogs and Educational Content
Blog posts, guides, and FAQs are perfect for embedding how-to videos, tutorials, and product explainers. For example, an electronics retailer might include a setup video within a troubleshooting blog post. These additions not only improve the user experience but also help with SEO by increasing dwell time and adding keyword-rich transcripts.
Testimonials & About Us Pages
Video is a powerful way to build trust and authenticity. Including short customer testimonial videos on your homepage or a dedicated reviews page allows potential buyers to hear real feedback in a relatable way. On your “About Us” page, a founder message or behind-the-scenes look at your business can humanise your brand and deepen customer connection.
Best Practices for Placement and Performance
Wherever you place your videos, make sure they’re easy to find and watch. Use a clean thumbnail with a visible play button, ensure mobile responsiveness, and avoid anything that slows down the page. Videos should load efficiently and be embedded in visible areas, never hidden at the bottom or behind tabs.
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Video SEO Best Practices
- Add Schema Markup: Use VideoObject schema to help search engines understand your video and unlock rich snippets in Google.
- Create a Video Sitemap: Submit a dedicated video sitemap, so Google can efficiently discover and index your videos.
- Optimise Titles & Descriptions: Write keyword-rich titles and descriptions that describe the video clearly and include a CTA where relevant.
- Use Keyword-Rich File Names: Name your video files descriptively (e.g. red-jacket-demo.mp4) to support relevance and indexing.
- Provide Transcripts or Captions: Add transcripts or closed captions to improve accessibility and give Google indexable content.
- Design Custom Thumbnails: Use high-quality, relevant thumbnails to increase click-through rates and help indexing.
- Compress & Lazy Load Videos: Optimise file sizes and loading behaviour to prevent slow site speed and poor user experience.
- Place Videos Prominently: Embed your video near the top of the page (above the fold) and avoid hiding it behind tabs.
Common Video SEO Mistakes to Avoid
- Unoptimised Metadata: Failing to add titles, schema, or descriptions means search engines may ignore your video.
- Burying the Video on the Page: Hidden or low-placed videos are often missed by both users and search engines.
- Missing Thumbnails or Alt Text: No thumbnail = no rich snippet; always upload and optimise a thumbnail image.
- Slowing Down Page Speed: Uncompressed or autoplay videos can hurt load times and Core Web Vitals performance.
- YouTube with No On-Site Link: Uploading to YouTube but not embedding on your site sends traffic away from you.
- Duplicate Use Across Pages: Using the same video everywhere can cause SEO cannibalisation or confusion.
- No Transcript or Captions: Without text, Google can’t understand your video, and users watching muted will miss key info.
- No Call to Action: Videos with no next step miss the chance to convert, always include a clear CTA or link nearby.
How to Start Integrating Video into Your SEO Strategy: Step-by-Step
Ready to let video be part of your ecommerce SEO plan? It might seem overwhelming at first, but by following a clear structure, you can begin seeing the benefits without needing a massive production budget. Here’s how to get started:
Identify Opportunities and Set Goals
Start by auditing your website and content to identify where video can add the most value. This could be high-impact product pages, FAQs that are better explained visually, or blogs with high bounce rates. From there, define clear objectives. Are you aiming to boost conversions, increase organic traffic, improve dwell time, or build trust in your brand? Your goals will shape the type of videos you create and how you measure success.
Research your Audience & Keywords for Video Content
Just like with traditional SEO, keyword research is essential for video. Use tools like Google’s search suggestions, YouTube autocomplete, or platforms like AnswerThePublic to find common questions your customers are asking. If certain queries are triggering video-rich snippets in search results, that’s your signal to create content that competes in those spaces. Prioritise topics that solve real problems or showcase your products in action.
Plan Your Video Content
Once you’ve identified your content gaps and keyword targets, decide which type of video best suits each goal. You might need product demos, how-to tutorials, explainer videos, testimonials, or behind-the-scenes brand content. Focus on creating videos that are relevant, unique, and genuinely useful. Script or storyboard each video to ensure it delivers value and includes naturally integrated keywords without feeling forced.
Produce the Videos
You don’t need a film crew to create impactful video content. A decent smartphone, clean lighting, clear audio, and a steady hand can go a long way. Keep your videos concise and focused; under five minutes is a good rule of thumb for SEO, and even shorter for product demos. Edit in text overlays or subtitles for viewers watching without sound, and include a clear call to action at the end, like “Shop the collection now” or “Find out more on our website.”
Optimise the Video Files and Metadata
Video SEO depends heavily on the surrounding data. Name your video file using descriptive keywords (e.g., reclaimed-wood-table-demo.mp4) before uploading. Once live, craft a compelling title and description, aim for at least 200 words. Add relevant tags if using YouTube, and always upload a custom thumbnail to encourage clicks. Include subtitles or a transcript, and implement VideoObject schema markup on the page to help search engines understand and index the video correctly.
Embed Videos on Your Site Strategically
Placement matters. Embed videos in prominent, relevant locations, such as next to product images, above the fold on landing pages, or near key content in blog posts. Don’t hide them in tabs or make users scroll endlessly to find them. Ensure the surrounding page includes supportive text, so the video isn’t the only thing Google can crawl. Avoid cramming multiple videos on a single page if each serves a unique purpose, instead, give them dedicated pages to maximise SEO value.
Implement Technical SEO Aids
To ensure your videos are discoverable, implement supporting technical elements. Generate a video XML sitemap or update your existing sitemap with video entries. Use tools like Google Search Console to inspect and submit the pages for indexing, and check that your robots.txt file isn’t blocking key video resources. If you’re self-hosting, make sure videos play smoothly on all devices. For YouTube embeds, consider using the no cookie version and lazy-loading scripts to help maintain page speed.
Promote Your Videos Externally
Video SEO benefits from off-page signals too. Share your videos on social media platforms, in newsletters, and through partnerships. You might even upload adapted versions to Instagram or TikTok with links in your bio. If the video is hosted on YouTube, make sure to include links back to your site in the description. The goal is to generate views, engagement, and ideally backlinks, all of which feed into your wider SEO strategy.
Monitor Performance and Iterate
Use tools like Google Analytics, Search Console, and YouTube Studio to track performance. Monitor metrics such as time on page, bounce rate, video watch time, and click-through rates. If certain videos underperform, experiment with improving thumbnails, changing titles, or repositioning them on the page. Let the data guide your content decisions and refine your strategy as you learn what resonates best with your audience.
Keep Up with Video SEO Trends
Search algorithms and user habits evolve. Stay informed about new schema types, changes to video indexing, and emerging formats like vertical video or AI-generated clips. Regularly follow trusted sources like Wistia, Orbit Media, or Google’s own Search Central Blog to stay ahead of the curve. Video SEO is not static, staying current ensures your content remains competitive.
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