There seems to be some confusion out there for dealers who believe that just because they have video content on their Website or because they upload their videos to YouTube, they are engaged in video search engine optimization (VSEO). Since there is so much buzz and hype over video lately, there are a lot of companies claiming they have or do VSEO—unfortunately that is really not the case.

You may be told that a particular company is going to create streaming video content of your inventory and that they are going to upload it to YouTube or another video search engine. Please understand, all that means is that they are creating streaming video content and they are uploading it to a video search engine. That, in itself, is not video search engine optimization.

I am sure you are aware that there are some good and some not so good automotive Website companies out there, but even the ones that might do a good job designing your Website, might not do a good (or even adequate) job on your search engine optimization. I am sure this is not the first time you have read or heard something of this nature. We are car people…think about it. Why do some car dealers sell etch, gap, extended warranties, and life insurance, as well as aftermarket products like window tint, entertainment systems, rims, accessories, Lo-Jack, alarms, remote starters, etc.? The answer is, because they can. They have a captive audience and there is an opportunity for dealerships to increase the gross of the deal if they up-sell additional products. Many Web designers sell basic (sometimes non-working) SEO to dealers because it is an easy product/service they can bundle into the deal. Unfortunately, most dealerships don’t understand or are misled about what they are buying. To help clarify, here is a breakdown of the definition and components of VSEO.

Video Search Engine Optimization is the management and distribution of rich media (i.e. videos) across the Internet. This management includes the creation of the:

•    Subject—Each and every video needs to have a unique subject line, but not just any old subject line—you want to make sure that the keyword effectiveness index (KEI) score is the highest possible. To do that you need to use the proper analytic software. Sometimes you might think you have a great idea for a header or subject, but after you do the KEI research you might be surprised at what you find out. So it is very important to have the proper subject for all of your videos, and you need to make sure they are unique.

•    Descriptions and anchor text—Each video needs to have a unique description. You should not just cut and paste content from somewhere else into your video descriptions and you should not take a description from one video and use it for another video. You need to have separate, relevant and unique descriptions for each and every video. You want to make sure you “sprinkle” the proper keywords that you are trying to emphasize in the body of the descriptions. It is also important that you have at least one to two hyperlinks in the body of your description. You can link to your Website, your inventory, your testimonials, or your specials.

•    Metadata—You want to make sure that you use the proper meta-tags for your videos. Take the time to think of a proper strategy. You might want to focus on the geo-target, your demographics, your competition, or whatever is important to your dealership, however, you want to make sure that you diversify your meta-tag strategy. Don’t use the same exact tags in the same exact order.

•    Category tag—Make sure you are using the right category.

Two more very important details about VSEO:

1) You need to upload to multiple video search engines, not just YouTube. You might be surprised to know that YouTube traditionally does not index as well as some of the other search engines. Here is a list of some of the different video search engines:
•    YouTube
•    MySpace Video
•    Google Video
•    Yahoo Video
•    AOL Video
•    MSN Video
•    Carspace (Edmunds.com video)
•    Truveo

2) To truly be engaged in VSEO, you need to make sure you have a strategy of constant “uploads.” What I mean by that is that you need to make sure that you have supplemental upload campaigns each and every month. In other words, you can’t just upload 10 or 20 videos and think you are done. With VSEO you have to keep uploading. If you use craigslist.com then you know what I mean. You can’t just post something once and expect it to always have the same positioning. You have to keep posting things. That is the same concept with VSEO. You need to create the habit and culture for your dealership to constantly upload.

Another surprising detail when I tell dealers about true VSEO is that the search engines have advanced technology such as “speech recognition,” “facial recognition,” and “pixel recognition” software. What this means to a dealer is that they need to make sure that each and every video is compelling and relevant, and most importantly, your video content needs to match your video’s:

•    Subject (header)
•    Description/anchor text
•    Meta tags
•    Category tags
•    Keywords
•    Links (names)

For a powerful example of VSEO, go to www.google.com and type “Toyota Camry Washington DC.” You are going to be floored at what you see. On the first page of Google, natural (organic) listing. You will see that five out of the TOP 10 listings are of my Honda dealer! That’s right my Honda dealership shows up five times on the first page of Google when you search for “Toyota Camry Washington DC.” That, my friends, is video search engine optimization!

Always remember that you need to be careful of what you are buying, and what people are telling you. If you have any questions about VSEO please feel free to contact me.

Sean V. Bradley is the founder and CEO of Dealer Synergy, a nationally recognized training and consulting company in the automotive industry. For more information call 888-379-6374 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .