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How to ensure that videos on your website are being indexed by Google.
Video content is an indispensable tool in the modern marketer's arsenal. However, creating an exceptional video is only part of the equation. Ensuring that Google properly indexes your video is crucial for maximizing reach and engagement. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore common issues Google might encounter while indexing videos on your website, and how you can rectify these problems.
Issue: Google couldn't find a video prominent enough to index on your page.
Solution: This issue has been deprecated as of June 12 and replaced by more specific issues. While it may still appear on your Video Indexing report, it no longer affects your pages.
Issue: The video is outside the viewport upon page load.
Solution: Ensure the entire video is visible in the viewport when the page loads. You can use Google's live URL test to see the page as Google does.
Issue: Video dimensions are too small to be indexed.
Solution: Resize the video so it's larger than 140px in height and width, and takes up at least one-third of the page width.
Issue: The video's vertical size is too large for indexing.
Solution: Decrease the video height so it's smaller than 1080px.
Issue: The video player is not loaded when the page is loaded.
Solution: Ensure the video player loads at its actual size and position when the page is loaded, without requiring user interaction.
Issue: Google had a problem processing the video description in MRSS format.
Solution: Use schema.org markup instead to describe your video.
Issue: The video URL contains illegal characters or an invalid protocol.
Solution: Validate the URL format to ensure it complies with standard protocols.
Issue: The video is in an unsupported encoding.
Solution: Use a supported video format and ensure the URL accurately indicates the video format. Good examples are .mp4 and .mpeg.
Issue: The file extension does not match any supported format by Google.
Solution: Ensure the video is in a supported format and the URL includes the proper file extension.
Issue: Google can't index inline Base64-encoded videos.
Solution: Use a standard video URL instead of a data: URL.
Issue: No thumbnail image was specified.
Solution: Provide a link to a thumbnail using structured data, a sitemap, or an mRSS file.
Issue: The thumbnail is in an unsupported format.
Solution: Use only supported image formats for your thumbnail.
Issue: The thumbnail size is invalid.
Solution: Provide a thumbnail of a supported size. - Supported sizes an be found here - (https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/guidelines/video#provide-a-high-quality-thumbnail)
Issue: The thumbnail is blocked by a robots.txt rule.
Solution: Unblock the thumbnail in your robots.txt or provide a new, accessible thumbnail.
Issue: The thumbnail is too transparent to be indexed.
Solution: Ensure that at least 80% of the image has an alpha level above 250.
Issue: Your site has reached its crawl budget.
Solution: Read Google's crawl budget documentation and make necessary adjustments.
Issue: Google couldn't access the thumbnail.
Solution: Make sure the thumbnail URL is accessible and not password-protected.
Issue: Google detected a video but chose not to index it.
Solution: There's no direct action to take, but revisiting other parameters may improve the odds of indexing.
Issue: The video is being processed.
Solution: Check back in a few days to see if processing is complete.
Issue: The video is missing from the hosting service.
Solution: Update the page with the correct ID or URL for your video hosting service.
Issue: The thumbnail was not provided or is invalid.
Solution: Make sure a valid thumbnail URL is provided in a supported format.
Issue: The thumbnail is invalid for unspecified reasons.
Solution: Validate that your thumbnail follows all guidelines and is accessible to Google.
Facing indexing issues with your video content is a common hurdle in
the digital marketing world. Understanding these issues and their solutions can save you from potential pitfalls, ensuring that your video content reaches its intended audience. Armed with this guide, you're now equipped to navigate the complexities of video indexing with Google.
For further reading:
- Google Crawl Budget Documentation
Feel free to share your thoughts or questions in the comments section below!