Optimize your site’s search engine ranking with video
By Mikal Belicove   |   Entrepreneur Magazine - February 2010

Because video has become the new darling of search engines, many startups are rushing to create and post video on their websites. Just run a Google or Bing search on any topic, and links to video clips pop up right on page one. The reason for this is that search engines are tripping over themselves to provide blended search results­–links to news, blog posts, photos, video and other specialized content all mixed together. To ensure video is included in the results, search engines give them preferential treatment.

This trend presents startups that are able to produce quality video content with tremendous search engine optimization (SEO) opportunities. In fact, Forrester Research reports that compared with standard SEO techniques, a properly submitted video is 50 times more likely to achieve a first-page Google ranking. And because video is in such short supply, relative to other web-based content, the competition for search engine attention is less fierce.

Many startups and entrepreneurs are not yet taking full advantage of this opportunity. They are not using web-based video, are disregarding video SEO, or are trying but doing it all wrong.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Mark Hayward. You can follow him on Twitter @mark_hayward.

Do you ever feel like you want to pull your hair out over the lack of return (you feel like) you’re getting from your small business blogging and social media efforts?

Man, sometimes using social media for small business promotion can be frustrating!

In my two most recent ProBlogger guest posts I discussed, How to Go Beyond Your Small Business Blog and Create a Social Media Footprint and 10 Tips for Blogging Your Way to Small Business Success.

But you should know, I was not always a proponent of blogging or social media.

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Budget-friendly pocket camcorders like Kodak’s Zi8 can turn you into a globally-renowned business expert.

Viral videos represent one way for small businesses to level the advertising playing field.
By Justin Petruccelli | January 26, 2009

When it comes to viral video marketing, the big boys are using it as a cheap way to reach younger and more web-savvy audiences. But when you’re a small business owner, sometimes 30 seconds, a camcorder and a twisted mind are all you have. In our February magazine, we told you how to take your video viral. Here are a few of our favorite examples. Read article…

Potential viewers: millions. Potential cost: next to nothing. Online videos are worth a look.
By David Carnoy | Entrepreneur Magazine - February 2009

In 2004, New Jersey native Gary Brolsma became an internet legend when he lip-synched the Romanian pop song “Dragostea Din Tei” into a cheap webcam, and the resulting video, “Numa Numa Dance,” went viral. Brolsma wasn’t promoting anything; he wasn’t even trying to make a viral video. So imagine if he had swapped out that nondescript shirt for one with your company logo or website plastered across it. Millions would have seen it. Cost to you: Almost nothing.

Sound enticing? Unfortunately, creating a low-cost video is harder than it looks. Here are tips for producing a video that spreads at supersonic speed:

1. DIY is dicey, so equip yourself well. Using an inexpensive camcorder, you can easily shoot a video. Editing can be a little trickier, though consumer-friendly video-editing packages–like Apple’s iMovie–are getting simpler to use and often feature plug-ins so you can upload your video directly to YouTube and other video-sharing sites. True technophobes can shoot with a Flip Video mini camcorder, which has built-in editing software and one-button uploading to YouTube. But most experts discourage guerrilla marketers from going totally DIY. Read article…