About a year ago, I asked my 22-year-old nephew for an explanation of some technological mystery. To my surprise, he didn’t know and suggested, “Let’s YouTube it.”
Being proud of how well I knew my way around Google (traditional text search, that is), I suddenly realized that my researching skills were becoming outmoded. That was the first time I’d heard YouTube used as a verb, and that was a foreshadowing of things to come.
In November of last year, 146 million Americans watched a total of 12.6 billion video clips online, double the number streamed just 20 months before. Forrester Research predicts online video views will increase by 24% during 2009.
Sure, many of these views are for entertainment, but online video as a reference tool is rising dramatically. A quote in a recent New York Times article on the subject summed it up well. They cited a 9-year-old saying, “When they don’t have really good results on YouTube, I use Google.”
Search engine optimization may drive the bulk of your traffic now, but don’t get too comfortable. The times they are a-changin’ yet again. If you haven’t started using online video, maybe it’s time.
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2 Comments
I would put it differently.
Actually, YouTube is the third largest “search engine” after Google and Yahoo.
http://techpulse360.com/2008/11/21/youtube-is-not-just-videos-site-is-third-largest-search-engine-advertisers-could-benefit/
It won’t mean the demise of SEO. It will mean more SEO devoted to ranking well on YouTube, too.
If you don’t have solid video content these days, you’re in trouble!
Well said, Lars.
And I agree, just like TV didn’t spell the demise of radio, online video isn’t going to spell the demise of traditional SEO – but it will change, and its importance will shift.
I fear there are lots of companies out there that risk being left in the dust because they’re not keeping up with the tools and skills necessary to survive in the changing marketplace.