There's a really handy feature built into YouTube now that is very valuable for search engine optimization.
YouTube is owned by Google, and like all Google properties they add little features all the time to make things better. When the ability for subtitles was added a while ago, there wasn't a big celebration, no ticket tape parade, no fireworks... but there should have been!
The YouTube subtitles feature went unnoticed by many and it's been slowly catching on.
If you have a video on YouTube, you should go back to your account and take a close look at the editing options. Look for the subtitles feature. It will open in an easy-to-use interface that allows you to select a spot on the time line of your video and enter text within the video. They also allow you to enter hyperlinks.
YouTube generates a considerable amount of attention to your message. If you put a link in the description of your video, you might even get people to click it and visit your website. If you create an interesting enough video, some people will share it to their Facebook accounts and their blogs.
When a video is shared, the description you put in YouTube is never copied along with the video. That means any hyperlink in your description is lost.
On the other hand, if you create a subtitle with a hyperlink within the video, you can have that link to your website travel wherever the video goes.
An especially fantastic technique is if you talk about your website in the video. Perhaps you can create a quick video presentation on a beautiful collection of Valentine's Day jewelry. As you present each item, you could say "...and this pendant is available on our website right now, just click the link in this video to see a close-up photo of it..."
What's even better about subtitles is that you can add them to existing videos, so log into your account today and think about how you could reasonably add them. Don't be spammy about it, though. Only add links and supporting subtitles where it makes sense to complement what you see in the videos.
