How Can YouTube Videos Help To Rank a WordPress Website

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Table of Contents

• Why YouTube is a Powerful SEO Tool
• How to Use YouTube to Rank Your WordPress Site
• How Embedding YouTube Videos Helps Rank Your WordPress Site
• How WPCreative Makes a Difference?
• Conclusion

If you have a WordPress site and want to move up in search rankings, you’re probably focused on keywords, backlinks, and on-page SEO. But what if there was a simple way to give your rankings a real boost? That’s where YouTube comes in.

YouTube isn’t just a place for videos. It’s the second-largest search engine, and it’s owned by Google. That means Google favours video content, and adding YouTube videos to your WordPress website can improve the video SEO on your page.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to use YouTube SEO for WordPress to improve your rankings.

Why YouTube is a Powerful SEO Tool

YouTube isn’t just a place to watch videos. It’s also a major search engine and a powerful tool for boosting SEO. If you want your WordPress site to rank higher, using YouTube can help you stay ahead of the competition.

1. YouTube Ranks Well on Google

Since YouTube is owned by Google, its content often gets priority in search results.

• YouTube is the second most visited website after Google.
• Videos regularly appear at the top of Google searches, sometimes outranking traditional web pages.

2. Videos Keep Visitors on Your Site Longer

Google favours websites where users stay longer. Adding videos helps with this.

• People spend more time on pages that include videos.
• Studies show video content can keep visitors engaged 2.6 times longer than text alone.

3. YouTube Can Drive Extra Traffic

With over 2 billion logged-in users each month, YouTube is a huge source of potential visitors.

• A well-optimised video can bring traffic directly to your WordPress site.
• Links in video descriptions and pinned comments can direct viewers straight to your relevant content.

• YouTube’s algorithm can introduce your videos to audiences who wouldn’t have otherwise discovered your site.

4. Videos Increase Shares & Backlinks

People share videos more than text-based content, which leads to more backlinks and better SEO.

• Social video generates 1200% more shares than posts with just text and images.
• Bloggers and journalists are more likely to embed a quality video rather than just linking to a post.

5. Google Gives Video Content More Visibility

Ever noticed that videos often appear at the top of search results?

• More than 55% of Google searches include video results.

• Video content is featured in Google’s snippets and “Suggested Clips,” helping it rank above regular blog posts.
• Using Video Schema Markup for embedded YouTube videos improves the chances of appearing in rich search results.

How to Use YouTube to Rank Your WordPress Site

Step 1: Choose the Right YouTube Video for Your Content

• Pick a relevant video that adds value to your blog post or page. Make sure that the YouTube channel you choose is relevant to the content on your page.
• If you’re creating your own video, ensure it aligns with your content topic and includes relevant and high search volume keywords in the title and description.
• For example, if your WordPress page is about “Best SEO Plugins for WordPress”, create a YouTube video tutorial demonstrating how to use RankMath for SEO.

• Ensure the video has a strong CTA (Call-To-Action) directing viewers to visit your blog for more details.

Step 2: Embed the YouTube Video into Your WordPress Post

• Open your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the post or page where you want to add the video.
• Click the Gutenberg block editor (or Classic Editor if you’re using the older version). There are several ways to upload videos to your website but WordPress editor makes it very easy for you.
• Copy the YouTube video URL from the address bar or by clicking “Share” under the video.
• In the WordPress editor, add a YouTube block (in Gutenberg) or paste the URL directly into the post (WordPress will automatically embed it).

• Another way to add the video is through the EMBED option. Select EMBED option which lies below the video.
• Copy the iframe/embed shortcode and paste it on your website. If you want to resize the video in your WordPress website, then change the height and width of the video in the embed code.

• Make sure to place the video above the fold (near the top) for better visibility and engagement.

Step 3: Optimise the Video SEO Using RankMath

• Install and activate the RankMath SEO plugin if you haven’t already.
• Open your blog post and find RankMath meta box in the top right-most section of your WordPress editor.
• Click on the “Schema” tab and open the Schema Generator.

• Click Video from the list of options. Note: The schema for video option is not available on the free version of RankMath so you have to upgrade to RankMath Pro.

• Fill in the required details:
  • Video Title: Use an SEO-friendly title with keywords (e.g., “How to Use RankMath to Optimise Your WordPress Site”)

• Description: Add a detailed description with keywords and mention the video’s relevance to the blog post.

• Thumbnail URL: Copy and paste the URL of the thumbnail image of the YouTube video.

• Upload Date & Duration: Fill in the date the video was published and its length.

• Click Save for this Post to ensure the settings are applied.

Step 4: Add Your Video to a Sitemap for Better Indexing

If Google doesn’t find your embedded video easily, it won’t appear in search results as a video snippet. Adding your video to your WordPress sitemap helps search engines discover and index it faster.

• Enable Video Sitemaps in RankMath:
  • Go to RankMath Dashboard > Video Sitemap and enable the feature.

• RankMath will automatically detect videos on your site and add them to the sitemap.
• Submit the Video Sitemap to Google:
  • Open Google Search Console and go to Sitemaps.
  • Enter the video sitemap URL (usually yoursite.com/sitemap_video.xml).

• Click Submit to notify Google of the changes.
• Use Google’s URL Inspection Tool in the Search Console to check if the page with the embedded video is indexed.
• Monitor the post’s performance in Google Analytics and RankMath’s analytics dashboard.

Step 5: Improve User Engagement and Reduce Bounce Rate

• Add a summary or key takeaways below the video to reinforce its importance.
• Use timestamps in the blog post to match key moments in the video (helps with user experience).
• Encourage comments and shares on your posts to boost engagement signals.
• Include a CTA in the video and blog post asking viewers to subscribe, comment, or visit your site for more resources.

Step 6: Promote the Video and Post for More Traffic

• Share your blog post on social media platforms, forums, and relevant Facebook groups.
• Embed the video in your email newsletter and encourage subscribers to watch it.
• Post a YouTube comment with a link to your blog post for additional traffic.
• Track engagement metrics in RankMath and optimise based on user behaviour.

How Embedding YouTube Videos Helps Rank Your WordPress Site

1. Increases Dwell Time

Dwell time refers to how long a visitor stays on your page before heading back to search results. The more time they spend, the better it is for SEO.

Why Does This Matter?

Google monitors user behaviour. If visitors leave your page quickly, it suggests that the content isn’t useful, which can negatively impact rankings. But when users engage with your video and stay longer, Google sees your page as helpful and ranks it higher.

Example:

Let’s say you run a fitness blog and post an article about “Best Home Workouts for Beginners.” If you embed a 3-minute YouTube workout video, visitors are likely to watch it, increasing the time they spend on your page. That extra 3 minutes of engagement signals to Google that your content is valuable, improving your ranking potential.

Added Tips:

• Place videos at the top of your content so visitors see them right away.
• Use timestamps in video descriptions to let users skip to key sections.

• Include a summary or highlights below the video to reinforce key points.

2. Enhances User Experience

User experience (UX) plays a key role in video SEO. When your content is easy to read, interactive, and useful, visitors are more likely to stay longer, share it, and come back for more.

How Videos Improve UX:

They break up large chunks of text, making content easier to absorb.

Visual explanations help clarify complex ideas, making them ideal for tutorials, product reviews, or step-by-step instructions.

Many users prefer watching over reading, especially when learning something new.

Example:

If you run a recipe blog and publish a detailed post on “Homemade Sushi,” some visitors may find the text overwhelming. But if you embed a YouTube video showing the preparation process, they’ll be more likely to watch and follow along, leading to higher engagement.

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Pro Tips:

• Include closed captions (CC) or transcripts to make your videos accessible to all users.
• Use high-quality videos from reliable sources if embedding content from others to maintain credibility.

3. Encourages Social Shares & Backlinks

As more people share your content, your site gains exposure which eventually increases backlinks to your website. Both of these play a big role in SEO rankings.

How It Works:

Pages with videos are more likely to be shared compared to text-heavy content.

Video content naturally attracts backlinks from bloggers, journalists, and websites looking for valuable resources to reference.

Example:

You publish a detailed case study on digital marketing trends and include a YouTube video featuring industry experts discussing their predictions. Marketers share your post on LinkedIn. A journalist cites your article and links back to your site.

These backlinks increase your domain authority and search rankings, bringing in more traffic.

Pro Tips:

• Encourage social sharing with a CTA like: “Found this video helpful? Share it with your network!”
• Use social sharing plugins (e.g., AddThis, Social Snap) for easy one-click sharing.
• Build a YouTube-to-Blog funnel by adding a blog link in your YouTube video description and prompting viewers to visit your site.

How WPCreative Makes a Difference?

As the leading WordPress agency in Australia, WP Creative helps businesses strengthen their online presence through expert web development, WordPress services and SEO.

We focus on creating sites that attract visitors and keep them engaged. Our SEO services improve rankings through keyword strategies, content optimisation, and technical improvements, while our WordPress solutions include theme customisation, site maintenance, and performance enhancements.

Let’s work together to optimise your site for better rankings and engagement. Get in touch today!

Conclusion

Using YouTube to improve your WordPress site’s rankings is a powerful strategy that enhances user engagement, increases dwell time and drives organic traffic.

By embedding SEO-optimised videos, using Video Schema Markup, and adding your videos to a sitemap, you improve your chances of appearing in both Google search and YouTube rankings.

Get Your Free Website Audit

($3,000 Value)

• Uncover performance issues
• Identify SEO opportunities
• Security gaps, and quick wins

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