If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video could be well worth a million. If you are not using YouTube to promote your website, you are missing a big piece of the online marketing puzzle.  YouTube is the third most popular site on the web; topped only by Facebook and Google. YouTube videos are public, so your potential to reach a vast number of viewers is enormous.

If that is not enough to convince you, here are five more reasons you should start using YouTube to promote your website.

Website Content and Promotion

You can also use the videos you create for YouTube as content for your website or blog. Adding video content to your website is also a big plus because many people are inclined to share videos they find interesting with their friends on Facebook, Twitter, etc. The more people share your videos, the more traffic your website will receive.

Search Engine Result Pages (SERPS)

Because the website is so popular, YouTube videos do very well on SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). With the right tags – which Google sees as keywords – it is possible that your YouTube videos could show up higher in Google’s listing than your website. If you are having trouble boosting your website’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization), uploading videos to YouTube can be a tremendous help.

Less Promotional Work and Expense

YouTube videos require less promotional work than other types of social media accounts. It is helpful to post links to your video(s) on Facebook and Twitter, but you don’t need to do it very often. YouTube’s biggest strength is transparent marketing. Millions of users search YouTube for new videos every day. Over time, more and more new viewers will find your video through YouTube’s search engine.

Site Awareness vs. Commercials

Commercials sell products. You don’t need to create a commercial for your website, but a YouTube video that is interesting enough to draw in viewers works like a commercial by building awareness of your website. For businesses, this can lead to better conversions and a boost in sales. Bloggers can earn extra ad revenue from people who like their YouTube videos enough to check out their blog. Quality YouTube videos also strengthen your website’s branding and enhance your credibility.

Video Creation is Fun

Creating YouTube videos is fun. There is an initial learning curve, but free programs like Windows Movie Maker make creating professional looking videos easy. Bringing an idea to life with motion and sound is an exciting creative process that is very rewarding. Many people find creating YouTube videos to be one of the most enjoyable ways to promote their website.

YouTube is a powerful website promotional tool that many people overlook because it does require more initial work than some other social media websites. However, once you create a video, you can reap the long-term SEO benefits and increased website traffic without additional work. Ignoring YouTube as part of your online marketing is the same as not taking advantage of free advertising.

Author Byline:

Angela Quint is a full-time ultrasound tech by day and an avid writer, blogger, and internet marketing student by night. She loves helping site owners further develop their brands through effective writing and marketing.