We’re ready to open registrations for the first ever Search Central Live Deep Dive, a 3-day event
that will be held in Bangkok, Thailand this year on July 23-25!
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If you optimize your articles for similar terms, your rankings might suffer from keyword or content cannibalization: you’ll be ‘devouring’ your chances to rank in Google! Especially when your site is growing, your content could start competing with itself. Here, we’ll explain why keyword and content cannibalism can harm SEO, how to recognize it, and what to do about it.
Keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on your website target the same or very similar keywords. This often occurs unintentionally, especially as your site grows and more content accumulates. Pages that are too similar in focus might confuse search engines, which may struggle to decide which to rank higher. As a result, your pages compete with one another, and all of them can rank lower.
For example, if you publish two posts — one optimized for “does readability rank” and another for “readability ranking factor” — Google may see them competing for the same query. Instead of one strong result, both might hover around lower positions, weakening your site’s overall performance.
Content cannibalization is closely related but centers on the issue of multiple articles covering the same topic, regardless of whether they’re optimized for the same keyword. It’s a broader issue that affects thematic overlap more than exact keyword matching.
Where keyword cannibalization focuses on duplicating keywords, content cannibalization involves too many pages delivering overlapping value. This undermines user experience, spreads authority thin, and can make your content performance uneven.
Both keyword and content cannibalization can hurt SEO.
In short, cannibalization limits your content’s potential by weakening each page’s authority and clarity.
As your site grows, you’ll have more and more content. Some of these articles are going to be about a similar topic. Even when you’ve always categorized it well, your content might compete with itself. You’re suffering from keyword or content cannibalization. Finding and fixing keyword cannibalization issues should be part of your content maintenance work to prevent all this.
Start with a site search. Use site:yourdomain.com “keyword” in Google to surface all pages relevant to a particular term. If you see two or more of your URLs targeting the same term, they may be in conflict.
Next, use tools like Google Search Console. Look under the Performance tab. Filter by query to view keywords that bring in impressions and clicks, then see which pages receive traffic from those terms. Then, use SEO tools such as Ahrefs or Semrush to track keyword rankings and expose overlapping URLs targeting the same terms.
Look especially for pages that rank beyond the top five positions for the same term. When two of your URLs rank closely together outside the top spots, it’s often a sign that neither is performing optimally.
Content cannibalization is subtler. You might not see overlapping keywords, but you may notice thematic overlap.
Start by scanning your site’s URLs and content categories to catch pages covering the same topic in different formats. Look for similar slugs, repeated folder structures, or articles under the same tag or category. This quick check often reveals duplicate coverage, especially on larger sites or those with multiple writers.
Trace what each page is targeting. Create a list of your key pages and their target keywords or main topics. This helps you spot when multiple pages aim for the same term or cover the same subject. It doesn’t matter whether you use a tool or a spreadsheet, but keyword mapping helps explain the purpose of content. It also helps avoid overlap and ensures that all pages on your site have a place in your strategy.
In Google Search Console, use the Page filter to see how each URL performs. The data gives insights into impressions, clicks, and average position. Look for pages that are getting traffic from similar queries. Multiple pages appearing for the same or closely related terms could signal content cannibalization. You can also use the Query filter to search by keyword and review which pages compete for it.
You should know your content, its performance, and where overlaps exist. Fixing keyword or content cannibalization means auditing, evaluating, and restructuring your pages. It doesn’t mean you should delete content blindly. Every page on your site should have a purpose and support your site’s overall SEO strategy. Below are practical ways to resolve both types of cannibalization.
In many cases, solving keyword cannibalization means deleting and merging content. We will run you through some of that maintenance work as we did it at Yoast to show you how to do this. In particular, we’ll show you some thinking around a cluster of keywords related to keyword research.
The first step is finding all the content on the keyword research topic. Most of that was simple: we have a keyword research tag, and most of the content was nicely tagged. This was also confronting, as we had many posts about the topic.
We searched for site:yoast.com "keyword research" and Google showed all the posts and pages on the site that mentioned the topic. We had dozens of articles devoted to keyword research or large sections mentioning it. Dozens or so mentioned it in passing and linked to other articles.
We started auditing the content for this particular group of keywords to improve our rankings around the cluster of keywords related to keyword research. So we needed to analyze which pages were ranking and which weren’t. This content maintenance turned out to be badly needed. It was surely time to find and fix possible cannibalization issues!
Go to Google Search Console and find the Performance section. In that section, click the filter bar. Click Query and type “keyword research” into the box like this:
This makes Google Search Console match all queries containing keyword and research. This gives you two very important pieces of data. A list of the keywords your site has been shown in the search results for, and the clicks and click-through rate (CTR) for those keywords. A list of the pages that were receiving all that traffic, and how much traffic each of those pages received.
Start with the total number of clicks the content received for all those queries, then look at the individual pages. Something was clear: just a few posts were getting most of the traffic. But we knew we had loads of articles covering this topic. It was time to clean up. Of course, we didn’t want to throw away any posts that were getting traffic not included in this bucket of traffic, so we had to check each post individually.
We removed the Query filter and used another option: the Page filter. This allows you to filter by a group of URLs or a specific URL. On larger sites, you might be able to filter by groups of URLs. In this case, we looked at the data for each post individually, which is best if you truly want to find and fix keyword cannibalization on your website.
After reviewing each post in this content maintenance process, we decided whether to keep it or delete it. If we deleted a post (which we did for most of them), we decided which post we should redirect it to.
For each of those posts, we evaluated whether they had sections to merge into another article. Some posts had paragraphs or sections that could be merged into another post. When merging posts entails more work (and time) than adding one paragraph or a few sentences, we recommend working in a new draft by cloning one of the original posts with Yoast Duplicate Post plugin. This way, you can work on your merged post without making live changes to one of your original posts.
We had a list of action items: content to add to specific articles, after which each piece of content could be deleted from the articles it came from. Using Yoast SEO Premium, it’s easy to 301 redirect a post or page when you delete it, so that process was fairly painless.
With that, we’d removed the excess articles about the topic and retained only the most important ones. We still had a list of articles that mentioned the topic and linked to one of the other. We reviewed them and ensured each was linked to one or more of the remaining articles in the appropriate section.
Another example: We once had three separate articles covering how to do an SEO audit, split into parts 1, 2, and 3. Each post focused on a different section of the audit process, but none of them ranked well or brought in meaningful traffic. On their own, the articles felt incomplete, and splitting the topic likely made it harder for users (and search engines) to find everything they needed in one place. We decided to take a step back.
After reviewing performance data and gathering insights on what users were actually searching for, we merged the three posts into a single, more useful SEO audit guide. We rewrote outdated sections, expanded key points, added a practical checklist, included tool recommendations, and tightened up the structure. Since updating and combining the content, that article now ranks for more keywords than the separate posts ever did, draws more consistent traffic, and performs better overall. It’s a good example of how merging overlapping content, when done thoughtfully, can give users more value and improve SEO at the same time.
Ever wanted to quickly make a copy of a post in WordPress to work on some changes without the risk of ruining the published post?
Even if keywords differ slightly, topics may still overlap, and there are things you can do to improve that.
Create a main page — a cornerstone article — that covers the broad topic in depth, then link to more specific articles that explore subtopics. This helps define a content hierarchy, improves internal linking, and signals which page should rank for the core topic to search engines. Supporting content can still rank independently, but will pass relevance and authority back to the pillar.
If you have several pages covering similar ideas, but none are ranking well, combine them into one stronger, more complete resource. Prioritize the page with the most traffic or links, and bring valuable sections from the others. This helps reduce redundancy, improve content quality, and give search engines a clear page to index for that topic.
Redirects are an important tool for your cannibalization actions. After deleting content, remember to use 301 redirects to send visitors from the old URLs to the updated one. Of course, you can also send them to the most relevant page as an alternative. This keeps existing rankings, backlinks, and traffic from the original pages intact. Plus, it also helps to avoid broken links or indexing issues.
Another way to avoid future keyword or content cannibalization issues is to prevent them, of course.
Analyze the content for your most important topics regularly. Look for overlapping pages, outdated posts, or content that doesn’t fit your keyword strategy. Regular audits will help you find issues early, which can help keep your site focused and maintain search visibility.
Before creating new content, please ensure no existing page targets the same keyword. Giving each page a clear, unique focus prevents internal competition and helps search engines understand which page to rank for a given query.
Start every piece with a brief that outlines the target keyword, search intent, key points to cover, and how it supports your existing content. Such a strategy helps your articles stay focused and avoids topic overlap. In addition, it ensures that the new content you add is truly unique to your site.
Maintain a simple record of which topics and keywords are already covered on your site. This makes it easier to spot gaps, avoid duplication, and plan new content that fits your overall strategy. A keyword map also helps when updating or pruning existing pages.
Also, if you’re running an e-commerce site with many similar product pages, make sure category pages are well-optimized and that your products clearly support them through internal linking.
Cannibalization happens, and many site owners have tried to address it in one way or another. Of course, there are right and wrong ways to do this.
Don’t delete content because you think it no longer serves a goal. Before you do that, look at traffic data, backlinks, and search performance before taking drastic measures. For instance, a page may look outdated, while in reality, it still drives traffic or has solid external links. Simply deleting it could lead to unwanted ranking losses.
Adding a canonical tag isn’t always the right fix. If two pages are too similar, merging or redirecting them may be better. Canonicals help when content overlap is minimal and both pages still serve a purpose, not as a quick workaround for duplication without analysis.
Just because two pages cover a similar topic doesn’t mean they should be combined. If each one is aimed at a very specific audience or answers a different question, merging them could hurt relevance and rankings. Always consider the intent behind each page before deciding to consolidate.
Internal links help search engines understand which pages are most important. If you skip this step, you may weaken page authority and miss chances to guide crawlers — and users — to your key content. Linking related pages strategically can reduce confusion and support stronger rankings.
A growing website means a growing risk of content overlapping. This could be a risk to the visibility of all that content. To prevent this, perform regular content audits and carefully plan and structure your content.
Whether you’re fixing overlapping blog posts or aligning product pages under a clear hierarchy, regularly addressing cannibalization helps search engines — and users — find the most relevant, valuable pages on your site.
The post Keyword and content cannibalization: how to identify and fix it appeared first on Yoast.
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Google search ad spending grew 9% year over year in Q1 2025, according to new data from digital marketing agency Tinuiti. Increasing costs, rather than click volume, drove most of that growth.
Google Search overall:
Google Shopping Ads:
Competitive landscape.
Performance Max:
Microsoft Search:
Brand: Brand keywords saw particularly aggressive CPC increases, with costs for text ads containing an advertiser’s own brand name rising 19% compared to just 3% for non-brand keywords.
Why we care. The latest trends show search platforms continue to extract more revenue per click, putting pressure on advertisers’ margins even as competition ramps up between Google and Microsoft. With Microsoft growth rate (+17% YoY) being higher than Google’s growth (+9% YoY), suggesting Microsoft continues to be a strong contender for marketing strategy.
Political factors have also made a big impact, with Temu dropping out of shopping ads, therefore it’s likely there will be further shifts in Shopping traffic and costs in Q2 of 2025.
What we’re watching: Performance Max adoption remained high at 93% of retailers running Google shopping ads, though its share of spending fell from 69% in Q4 2024 to 53% in Q1 2025 as some advertisers shifted budget back to standard shopping campaigns for greater control.
Key takeaways.
The report. Tinuiti’s Q1 2025 Digital Ads Benchmark Report.
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OpenAI’s ChatGPT search had 41.3 million average monthly users across the EU between October and March. That’s nearly 4x growth from the prior six-month stretch, when it reported having 11.2 million users.
Why we care. Brands and businesses need to understand how (or whether) their content is being surfaced in AI-generated responses. ChatGPT search is nowhere near replacing Google Search, but it is an emerging channel for visibility and discoverability.
What ChatGPT reported. According to OpenAI’s EU Digital Services Act (DSA) page:
What is a recipient. The EU counts a “monthly active recipient” as the number of unique users who engage with an online platform at least once.
Yes, but. Google still dominates search. According to Google’s DSA Disclosure report, Google Search had:
That means, in the EU, Google Search (signed in and out) is nearly 20x bigger than ChatGPT search.
Dig deeper. Google Search is 373x bigger than ChatGPT search
What’s next for OpenAI. ChatGPT search is approaching the EU’s threshold for a “very large online platform” under the Digital Services Act (DSA). That milestone — 45 million monthly active users — would put ChatGPT search under increased scrutiny in the EU.
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ChatGPT can now personalize searches using your memories.
Memory with Search is a new addition to ChatGPT search, and was quietly added as an update in its changelog.
What is Memory with Search. ChatGPT said it can “use memories to inform search queries when ChatGPT searches the web using their-party search providers.”
Not a lot of detail there. But OpenAI’s ChatGPT search page offers more information:
‘If you have ‘Memory’ enabled, when ChatGPT search rewrites your prompt into a search query it may also leverage relevant information from memories to make the query better and more useful. For example, if the user has ‘Memory’ turned on and asks ChatGPT ‘what are some restaurants near me that I’d like,’ and has memories is that the user is vegan and lives in San Francisco, then ChatGPT may rewrite the user’s prompt to ‘good vegan restaurants San Francisco.’ You can learn more here about Memory, including how to disable it or control individual memories.
ChatGPT Memory. OpenAI announced the official launch of Memory on April 11. ChatGPT Memory consists of saved memories (memories users ask ChatGPT to remember) and chat history (insights gathered from past chats to improve future ones). Access to ChatGPT Memory is still rolling out now.
Why we care. ChatGPT’s use of memories and rewriting prompts into search queries (to be more nuanced, contextual, and user-specific) means AI search is shifting toward being more deeply personalized. This could impact how and when your brand or business appears in AI-generated answers.
Opt out. Users who don’t want to use Memory can head to Settings > Personalization > Memory and turn off the slider for Reference saved memories.
The announcement. ChatGPT – Release Notes (April 16)
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Google has rolled out a new feature for Google Business Profile verifications. When you verify using video verification, you can now preview that video before you submit the video for review.
Google is calling this “Video Previews.”
Video Previews. Video Previews give you the option to review the video you are about to submit to the Google Business Profile team. This will allow you to ensure that video includes all the necessary elements before you submit it to Google.
Here is what it looks like:
What Google said. Google’s Lisa Landsman wrote on LinkedIn, “Now, you can review your recordings before submitting, ensuring clarity and accuracy – saving you valuable time and reducing the need for resubmissions.”
Why we care. All too often, a business will submit a verification requirement but leave out some important detail. With video previews, you can now preview the video before you submit it, to give you one more chance to ensure that the video you are submitting meets all the requirments you need to verify your business in Google Business Profiles.
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Educational videos are among the top 10 most-consumed video content formats globally, according to Statista.
And it makes sense. Video is one of the fastest, most engaging ways to teach, demonstrate, and connect.
But for creators and businesses alike, making a video that actually works (as in: educates, retains, or converts) requires more than hitting “record.”
I’ve been creating online content for years, so I know what works and what doesn’t.
Whether you’re creating onboarding tutorials, educational content for your audience, or a course you plan to sell, below are tips I’ve seen succeed across every stage of the video creation process, from concept to camera to clicks.
Every great educational video starts with a clear strategy.
Before you pick up the camera or open your editing software, you must know who you’re creating for and what you’re trying to achieve.
Just like SEO, intent is everything in video production, so clarify the purpose upfront.
Are you aiming to solely educate or train, or will your video have an element of conversion? Maybe your education video is meant to retain your existing audience instead.
Whatever the purpose, the objective shapes the video’s content, tone, and structure.
For instance, an SEO training module will differ significantly from an educational demo intended to convert prospects.
Understanding your audience is equally important. Consider their goals, challenges, skill levels, and preferred learning styles.
Are they beginners looking for foundational knowledge or advanced users looking for in-depth insights?
Tailoring your content to meet their needs will make your video more effective.
Consider whether your content will be free or paid.
Free videos can build brand awareness and provide value to a broad audience, while paid content often offers in-depth training or exclusive insights.
Knowing the role of videos within your broader content strategy, SEO initiatives, and customer journey will help you incorporate free and paid content where it makes the most sense.
Whether you’re creating a one-off tutorial or a full training series, the key is to start with a clear plan of attack for the content.
Your videos should align with either audience intent (what they’re searching for) or a structured curriculum (what they need to learn over time).
Here are some ways to generate topic ideas:
Choosing the video format dictates the rest of the video creation process.
For example, how-to videos are great educational formats that provide step-by-step guidance.
Plus, you can increase your chances of showing up in the search results for target “how to” queries with YouTube videos.
In 2023, more than 30% of Google desktop SERPs in the U.S. featured a video carousel, video result or featured video, according to Semrush.
People watch more of a how-to video than any other type of video, per Wistia’s “2025 State of Video Report.”
Another thing to consider is how you’ll deliver the content in the video.
Some companies prefer talking head videos, which add a personal touch and are a great way to build a brand when internal folks serve as educators on camera.
Others prefer animations, which can help simplify abstract concepts.
Webinars are another great way to help educate your audience.
The majority of businesses (60%) use webinars for training or coaching sessions, followed by thought leadership events (50%), per Wistia.
We’ve seen great success with a monthly live Q&A webinar on my SEO training membership site.
In fact, many of our students become our clients after spending time with our training videos.
Most high-performing videos follow a similar structure:
This is true whether you’re publishing on YouTube or delivering a paid course. You’ll need to adjust the pacing for training modules versus a marketing video.
The hook is especially important. We’ve found the most success when you can capture interest within the first five seconds of the video.
This could be done through a surprising fact, a visual teaser, or a question the viewer wants answered.
From there, keep the pacing tight. Avoid over-explaining and cut the fluff where possible.
Even long-form training videos should feel intentional and well-paced.
Not all videos perform equally – and much of it comes down to how long they are.
Based on Wistia’s analysis of over 100 million videos (linked earlier), viewer engagement varies significantly by duration.
Under one minute
Short videos work – especially on social or as top-of-funnel content – but they need to get to the point fast.
Wistia found that videos under one minute had the highest average engagement rate at 50%. Short videos can be ideal for quick social snippets or teasers for longer video content. .
One to five minutes
Videos in this range also held attention fairly well.
Wistia notes that how-to videos under five minutes were especially strong performers, with viewers watching more than two-thirds of the way through, on average.
Five to 30 minutes
Once videos pass the five-minute mark, engagement starts to dip.
Wistia’s data shows:
That doesn’t mean you should avoid longer videos entirely – just be intentional.
We have found that shorter videos (like reels) tend to get more views because they’re something somebody can watch quickly.
But long-form videos tend to have higher conversion rates because they demonstrate more knowledge and authority on a topic.
The most profitable online courses are typically between 10 to 25 hours in total length, per Thinkific’s data from 40,000 course creators.
The data suggests that five- to 10-hour courses are about 75% as profitable, and longer courses – 25 to 100 hours – are slightly less profitable than those.
Regardless, the advice is that the ideal course length is the shortest time required to achieve the learning objectives.
If you’re creating educational content, sequencing matters.
Build with progression in mind, with lessons getting slightly more advanced over time.
Use reinforcement techniques like callbacks, visual repetition, or simple recap slides to help learners retain key points.
The flow should feel intuitive and purposeful.
Scripting and storyboarding help you organize your message and plan how it will appear on screen.
Whether you’re creating a tutorial or building an online course, scripting keeps your message focused and easy to follow.
If the video is structured – like a course module or product walkthrough – a full script is ideal. It helps you stay on track and hit all the key points without rambling.
But not every video needs a word-for-word script.
If you’re podcasting, recording a founder Q&A, or filming a talking-head update, a loose outline with bullet points works better.
You still need to know where the conversation is going, but it should feel natural, not rehearsed.
Once you have your script or outline, translate it into a visual plan. This is where storyboarding comes in.
A storyboard helps you map out what will appear on screen and when.
It’s helpful if your video includes product walkthroughs, charts, or training steps that build on one another.
This part doesn’t have to be complicated. You’re simply matching the visuals with your message to make the content easier to understand.
Visual cues matter more than most people realize.
On-screen text, callouts, arrows, annotations, and simple scene transitions help guide the viewer’s attention and reinforce key points.
For most educational videos (excluding longer formats like podcasts or webinars), aim to change the visual every five to 10 seconds.
That could mean:
It might feel like a lot, but those subtle shifts keep viewers engaged.
Also, this may be obvious, but if you’re including a screen recording with a voice-over, make sure what’s happening on-screen matches what’s being said.
There are plenty of tools out there to help you organize and visualize your ideas before you record.
Tools like Boords and Storyboarder are great for visualizing a scene-by-scene breakdown.
Even Canva can work well for rough storyboarding if you’re already using it for design.
You don’t need anything fancy, just something that lets you sketch things out before you press record.
And when you’re ready to record, you can use teleprompter apps to help you deliver your message smoothly.
Whether you’re recording a quick tutorial or producing a full online course, choosing the right gear, software, and hosting platform will save time, improve quality, and keep your process sustainable.
You don’t need the most expensive gear to make great video content.
What matters most is choosing tools that match the type of content you’re creating and the audience you’re serving.
Regardless of the setup, don’t skip a test shoot.
Check your resolution, depth of field, and lighting to ensure the final result looks the way you intend.
If you’re doing tutorials or walkthroughs, screen recording software is a must.
Editing doesn’t have to be intimidating. Some tools are built to make this part easier, especially for solo creators.
YouTube is the most widely used video platform globally, making it ideal for reach and search visibility on educational content.
It’s also the second-most popular social network worldwide, which means a lot of exposure for your brand.
YouTube videos can be an essential part of an SEO program when targeting certain keywords (like educational and how-to searches).
But remember, only verified accounts can upload videos longer than 15 minutes.
Then there are LMS platforms like Thinkific, Teachable, and Kajabi, which are built for structured learning.
If you’re building a course, these platforms offer features like chaptering, progress tracking, and quizzes to support the full student experience.
Finally, Vimeo and Wistia give you more control over branding, privacy, and analytics.
They’re especially useful for customer training, B2B product onboarding, or gated video content.
AI is quickly changing the video production space.
About 41% of companies are already using it for video, per Wistia’s most recent data (linked earlier), and another 19% will start using it soon.
Using AI can be particularly beneficial for short-form content, where speed and efficiency are key.
Tools like OpusClip use AI to automatically generate short clips from longer videos, optimizing them for platforms such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels.
But AI is also expanding creative possibilities.
For instance, we’ve successfully used AI to modify our SEO training course online.
Because SEO is a rapidly changing industry, SEO training can quickly become stale.
Instead of reshooting whole sections of our training course, we used an AI avatar of me to deliver updated talking points – and it looks surprisingly like me.
However, it’s important to use AI cautiously.
Love it or hate it, AI is a controversial tool, and some people may be turned off by it.
That said, overreliance on AI-generated content can lead to videos that feel impersonal or lack authenticity.
While AI can assist in scripting, editing, and even avatars and visuals, the human touch remains essential to ensure content resonates with viewers.
Stay on top of your video performance with analytics and use your intuition to decide whether AI-generated videos resonate.
The right balance ensures your videos remain trustworthy.
You don’t need a full production crew to make professional-looking videos, but you do need to get the fundamentals right.
If you’re going to invest in one part of your production setup, start with sound.
Viewers are much more likely to tolerate a slightly grainy video than audio that’s hard to hear.
Multiple studies have found that poor audio quality influences whether people trust what they hear and how they perceive you overall.
A lav mic or USB condenser mic is an easy and worthwhile upgrade.
You don’t need a studio setup to get a clear shot.
Just focus on even lighting (natural light works great), a camera angle that’s eye level or slightly above and a clutter-free background.
If you’re doing a screen recording, make sure the visuals are crisp and readable.
Zoom in on sections when needed, and don’t clutter the screen with too much at once.
The more videos you make, the more it pays to streamline.
Batching – filming multiple videos in one sitting – helps you stay in flow and save time.
Templating your intros, outros, transitions and even lower-thirds (the graphic overlays that typically appear in the lower third of the screen) can make your content consistent and reduce the decisions you have to make for every single video.
This isn’t just a “nice to have.”
Captions help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, support people watching in a sound-off environment, and can even boost comprehension for non-native speakers.
Most video tools now make it easier to autogenerate and edit captions.
These are key in formal learning environments or when you’re serving global audiences.
Pacing, tone, and delivery matter.
What works for an internal training video isn’t the same as a how-to on YouTube.
For instance, in training content, give your viewers time to absorb the information – use pauses, reinforce key points, and keep instructions easy to follow.
Sure, you can technically do everything yourself, but that doesn’t mean you should.
Even the most experienced video producers hire out when it makes sense.
Whether you need a motion designer for intro graphics, a video editor to clean up pacing and polish transitions, or a script consultant to help shape the story, know your weaknesses (or resource constraints) and make the call.
Up to 82% of marketers say video has helped them increase web traffic.
Not every video needs to be optimized for search – but when visibility is the goal, it’s worth the effort.
If you’re publishing on YouTube or embedding tutorials on your site, optimization can help your content get discovered.
Moz data once showed that YouTube videos make up over 94% of all video results in Google.
If your audience is searching for answers, YouTube is a strong place to meet them.
If your content lives behind a login or paywall – like course modules or internal training – SEO doesn’t need to be part of your workflow.
In those cases, focus instead on the learning experience and making the video content clear, helpful and well-paced.
Google’s Gary Illyes has stated that if you see video results for a keyword, that’s your cue to consider making a video for it.
Start by targeting topics that already bring up video results in Google or YouTube.
Tools like YouTube’s search predictions, AnswerThePublic, and other keyword tools on the market can help surface what people are actually searching for.
When in doubt, do a search.
If there’s already a cluster of how-to videos, you’ve got a green light.
SEO for videos doesn’t have to be complicated.
However, the approach varies depending on where your video is hosted. Here’s where to focus.
For YouTube-hosted videos
Metadata: Google states that the title, thumbnail, and description are the more important pieces of metadata for video discovery.
Dig deeper: The DESCRIBE framework for effective YouTube descriptions
User engagement signals: While metadata is foundational for YouTube SEO, the platform’s algorithm places a lot of emphasis on user engagement and satisfaction.
YouTube values the following:
More optimization tips: Here are additional tips that help optimize videos for YouTube:
For videos hosted on your website
When hosting videos on your own platform, the SEO focus shifts a bit.
First, understand that self-hosted videos can appear in several key areas on search engines like Google and Bing:
Key optimization strategies include:
Dig deeper: 7 video optimization tips to boost your organic reach in 2025
Creating the video is only half the job.
To get the most out of it, you need to publish, promote, and pay attention to what happens next.
Whether you are promoting free or paid educational content, don’t just post it and hope for the best.
Publishing with a strategy makes a big difference in who sees your content and how it performs.
Start with your owned channels
Start by embedding videos on your website where it makes sense – on a course landing page, a sales page, or a relevant blog post.
If you have an email list, use it. Email is still one of the most effective ways to get in front of warm leads.
You can build a short email sequence around a course launch, for instance, or simply drop the video into a newsletter with a clear call to action.
Share where your audience is
Social media can help your video gain traction, especially if your audience already follows you there.
Don’t just post once – share the video in different formats over time: full video, short clips or even just a quote or takeaway.
Each platform has its own rhythm and opportunities:
Paid promotion
Sometimes organic reach isn’t enough.
Paid promotion can help you get in front of more of the right people, faster.
YouTube ads, social media boosts, and even Google Ads can support your educational videos.
Just make sure your landing page is clear, relevant, and compelling when someone clicks.
Tap into your network
If you have relationships with influencers, industry experts, or others in your space, see if they’d be open to collaborating or promoting your educational content in exchange for a commission or cross-promotion.
Look for partnerships that make sense; not just anyone with a following, but people your ideal audience already trusts.
Host live events to build momentum
Webinars, live Q&A sessions, or even a quick Instagram Live can help build buzz around your content.
These live formats give people a taste of your teaching style and give you a chance to answer objections or highlight what’s inside your paid video content in a more personal way.
For example, we regularly post video content from inside our SEO training membership site to our YouTube channel to give viewers a sneak peek.
Repurposing lets you extend the life of your content without starting from scratch.
Turn long-form videos into short clips for social or YouTube.
YouTube Shorts has the highest engagement rate across all short video platforms at 5.91% while TikTok was second in line, Statista reports.
You can also pull out quotes or visuals for blog posts or emails to promote your educational videos.
Before you hit publish, know what you’re aiming for.
Is it views? Engagement? Course completions? Conversions?
And if the video performs well in one area – even if it’s not the metric you were focused on – that’s still a win.
For example, maybe conversions were low, but views were through the roof.
That tells you something’s working, and it might be worth doubling down on similar content.
There’s no shortage of video content online. If something you create breaks through in any way, take that as a signal.
Analytics will tell you what’s resonating and what’s not.
You should be checking your analytics regularly – ideally, every day.
Make sure to use:
Watch for drop-off points. If people keep bailing at the same timestamp, something’s off.
And check your comments. If people are asking for a follow-up or mentioning another topic they want covered, that’s a content idea handed to you on a silver platter.
If your “How to Make Pizza” video gets many requests for spaghetti, it might be time to make a spaghetti video.
Educational videos work best when they’re built with intention.
You don’t need a perfect setup or a massive production team, but you need to:
Whether you’re launching a full course or building out one helpful video at a time, the strategies outlined here are meant to give you a process to start.
Because when your videos are thoughtful, useful, and well-executed, people notice – and that’s where the real traction starts.
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With YouTube Shorts now reaching 2 billion monthly users and generating approximately 70 billion daily views, this rapidly growing format represents an untapped opportunity for many brands.
When used effectively, Shorts unlock multiple benefits that other platforms can’t match:
Plus, YouTube’s established reputation provides a level of stability that newer platforms like TikTok can’t guarantee.
But despite all this potential, many marketers fail with YouTube Shorts.
Why?
Because they struggle to adapt their budgets and strategies to YouTube’s evolving ad products – especially when it comes to:
This article will explain why you need to implement Shorts ASAP and the tangible strategies you can use to get started today.
Take this for example:
One organic Short generated 2 million views, 90,000 likes, and 2,900 comments – with a 4.5% like rate, delivering an earned media value of around $6,000.
This is the kind of growth YouTube Shorts can drive for your brand.
Why does this matter?
Because Shorts isn’t just another video format.
It’s an accelerator for rapid channel growth, offering benefits traditional video can’t match.
Creators are seeing massive reach through Shorts content, and brands are already seeing results.
Here are five key reasons why you need to jump on the Shorts bandwagon now.
Shorts tap into YouTube’s 122 million daily user base, reaching beyond TikTok’s primarily Gen Z audience.
YouTube’s established reputation means less regulatory risk than TikTok.
Shorts drives rapid channel growth, with reach volume taking off via Shorts.
Shorts are easily shareable and often earn higher engagement, feeding viewers into full-length videos.
YouTube Select Shorts ads are viewed 90% longer than ads on other platforms.
Influencer-led Shorts ads have seen view-through rates as high as 15.9%.
New monetization (YouTube Partner Program for Shorts, Super Thanks) encourages creators.
For brands, Shorts now integrates into ad products like Demand Gen and YouTube Select lineups.
Shorts can funnel viewers to a brand’s long-form videos or other channels, creating multi-platform touchpoints.
One platform houses both short and long content, boosting subscriber growth and retention.
Take a look at Mr. Beast.
He has mastered the art of repackaging long-form content into 60-second Shorts that generate millions of views, creating a seamless funnel from short to long content.
Even the Voice produces Shorts featuring judges in playful Q&As to promote season premieres, driving measurable increases in fan engagement and viewership.
A few more big names who are jumping on shorts:
Big brands are embracing Shorts because they deliver results.
YouTube itself has stated:
But here’s the big mistake I see a lot of brands making.
Dig deeper: 3 YouTube Ad formats you need to reach and engage viewers in 2025
They go wrong by treating all short-form video platforms identically.
They miss the fundamental differences in content purpose and audience behavior across platforms. To fix this, you need to understand how these platforms work:
TikTok and Instagram
YouTube
YouTube subscribers are incredibly valuable.
Any new video (short or long) reaches 100% of subscribers’ feeds, whereas TikTok/IG only shows content to a fraction of followers.
This means repeat engagement (and remarketing) is stronger on YouTube.
Product feeds can now be integrated into Shorts for dynamic product ads.
While Shorts Select reservation buys are primarily for major budgets, most advertisers should focus on auction-based campaigns with targeted audience parameters.
YouTube’s 2024-25 multi-format ad system now enables simultaneous deployment across Skippable In-Stream, In-Feed, and Shorts formats to align with specific marketing objectives (massive win for media buyers).
Dig deeper: YouTube’s triple threat: Mastering Feed, Shorts and Skippable ads
Now that you understand the why behind YouTube Shorts and the fundamental differences between similar social platforms, let’s dive into short strategies you can start using right away.
High-level overview: Use shorts for entertainment.
This continues to prove itself as one of the highest performing categories when it comes to the Shorts placement.
I like to focus on these six creative aspects when building Shorts to entertain audiences.
Use lots of motion, a bold statement, or an intriguing question. Short-form viewers love to scroll fast.
Avoid high-polish “TV commercial” looks, and use styles common to UGC.
Selfie camera monologues, everyday people in real settings.
Sound is a huge part of the Shorts experience.
Using trending music or audio clips can boost engagement. Just ensure you have rights via YouTube’s library or licensed tracks.
Short-form content skews toward humor and entertainment.
Ads that are positive, high-energy, or witty tend to perform better.
Even if you have a serious message, find a creative angle to deliver it in an engaging, light way.
Quick cuts, visual effects, or text overlays help maintain a dynamic feel.
Stick to one key message or product per Short ad.
Too many points can overwhelm the user.
While Shorts ads themselves may have limited click options, you can prompt viewers to visit your channel or search your brand.
Use YouTube Analytics to see completion rate, likes, shares, and click-through.
If one Short ad outperforms, ask why. Was it the hook, music, or topic?
Produce more variants around that formula. Then repurpose a winning creative across formats (Stories, Reels, TikTok) to refine its performance.
Track how your Shorts support subscriber growth and discover their long-tail discovery potential via YouTube search.
Unlike TikTok or Reels content that may generate quick virality but lack staying power, YouTube Shorts benefit from the platform’s built-in advantages for continued discovery and engagement.
It’s a more sustainable investment in your brand’s digital presence.
Dig deeper: Short-form, big impact: What creators can teach performance marketers
YouTube Shorts offers unique advantages over other short-form video platforms, including:
For success, focus on entertaining content with strong hooks, authentic style, trending audio, and clear CTAs.
Implement promotion strategies including optimized metadata, cross-platform sharing, audience engagement, creator collaborations, and consistent posting.
Unlike TikTok or Instagram trends that quickly fade, YouTube Shorts benefit from long-term discoverability through YouTube’s search functionality, making your ads and audience stay for the long run.
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Google will now allow relevant Search ads from advertisers who showed amongst top ads to also participate in the bottom ads auction. As a reminder, the definition of top ads changed about a year ago, as Google began mixing ads in various organic positions throughout the search results.
With this change, Google also reminded us that it updated its unfair ads policy (i.e. double serving) to say this is not double serving. Google added the words, “in a single ad location,” as an exception to the policy last March after Google was caught double serving ads under its old definition.
What Google said. Google wrote:
Today, we’re sharing more about a recent change we made to deliver more relevant Search ads at the bottom of the search results page. When someone searches on Google, we run different auctions for each ad location where we show Search ads—for example top ads are selected by a different Search ad auction from ads that show in other ad locations. Until now, Search ads from a given advertiser were generally restricted to a single ad location on a given page.
Recently, we started looking deeply at the user experience with ads lower down the page and observed something interesting. Often, users would scroll past the top results to review content lower down the page, but then scroll back up if they found top results more relevant relative to content further below.
To help reduce this friction and improve ad relevance lower down the page, we will now allow relevant Search ads from advertisers who showed amongst top ads to also participate in the bottom ads auction. This means a user scrolling lower down the page might see a highly relevant ad from the same advertiser, but not necessarily the exact same content they saw earlier.
We tested this for several months and found that allowing advertisers who showed amongst top ads to also compete in the bottom auction increased rates of highly relevant ads by about 10%1 and increased bottom ad conversions by about 14%2, improving both the user experience and advertiser value lower down the page.
Google’s FAQ. Google also posted a Q&A on these changes:
1. Is Google Ads changing its policy around double serving for Search Ads?
No. The unfair advantage policy for Search ads applies to ads that compete with each other to show in a single ad location and we recently updated our language to make this clearer. With this change, we are allowing advertisers who show up in the top ad location to also be eligible for ad locations further down the page. However, within a single ad location (either top or bottom), we will continue to apply and enforce the existing policy.
2. How will this change affect the Search ads auction?
With this change, we will now allow relevant Search ads from advertisers who showed amongst top ads to also participate in the bottom ads auction. There are no changes to the auction that we run for top ads. Advertisers will continue to never bid against themselves with this change either in the top or bottom auction.
3. Will the same ad always appear at both the top and bottom of the search results?
No. We show the most relevant Search ad for each specific placement on the Search results page, whether it’s at the top or the bottom. The specific ad content shown to the user may be similar or different from the top to best suit the context of the bottom placement.
4. Does this change loosen query matching or ad load constraints?
No, our query matching systems and controls remain the same, as do our guidelines around the number of top ads we show on the page. This change is solely focused on the bottom of the page.
5. How can I understand the impact of this change?
This change, which will provide more opportunities for relevant Search ads at the bottom of the page, may impact your overall metrics. To understand the impact on your campaigns, we recommend that you segment your metrics by “Top vs. other” if you’re interested in understanding performance for different ad locations. The search terms report will continue to show query-level clicks, whether your ads are clicked on in top or bottom locations.
6. How do I best prepare for this change?
Since this update provides more opportunities for relevant Search ads to be seen, ensure your keywords, ad copy, and landing pages are well-themed with what users are searching for. As more opportunities become available at the bottom of the page, you will likely see higher conversion volume at your current targets. We recommend using bid simulator tools to explore potential performance changes and adjust your bids or targets strategically.
Why we care. Google has been testing various changes to ad positions within its search results for the past couple of years. Google has been happy with the results of those tests and thus continues to allow the same or similar ad, from the same advertiser, in multiple ad locations throughout the search results.
I believe many advertisers are happy about this new policy but some may not be. Either way, you need to be aware of these newish Google Ads rules.
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The U.S. Department of Justice and a coalition of states unveiled their proposed remedies today aimed at dismantling Google’s illegal monopoly in search and search advertising. These include breaking off Chrome and banning default search payments.
The remedies. They break down into five categories meant to enable and increase competition:
Why we care. If these remedies move forward, it could profoundly reshape how people access Google, how advertisers spend, and how competitors evolve in the search and generative AI markets.
Catch up quick. U.S. vs. Google antitrust trial: Everything you need to know
The opening slides. United States & Co-Plaintiff States v. Google LLC (redacted public version) (PDF).
What Google is saying. As you’d expect, Google called the DOJ’s proposed remedies “unnecessary and harmful” in a blog post.
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