How can I solve the "Video page indexing issue" on my Webflow site that is caused by a hidden YouTube video?

Published on

September 22, 2023

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To solve the "Video page indexing issue" caused by a hidden YouTube video on your Webflow site, you can follow these steps:

Consider the impact on SEO: Before hiding a video on your Webflow site, it's essential to understand the potential impact on SEO. Search engines may not index hidden content, including hidden videos. Therefore, evaluate your priorities and the trade-off between hiding the video and potential loss of organic search visibility.
Optimize video metadata: To increase the chances of having your video indexed, make sure to optimize the metadata associated with it. This includes the title, description, tags, and thumbnail image. Use relevant keywords that align with the content of the video, as this will help search engines understand what the video is about.
Add video transcript: A valuable technique to make your hidden video more SEO-friendly is to provide a transcript of the video's content. Search engine bots can easily crawl and index text content, so including a transcript will make the information accessible and improve search visibility.
Show the video to users: Even if you choose to hide the YouTube video on your Webflow site, consider providing an alternative way for users to access it. One option is to include a text link that says "Watch video" or "Play video" near the hidden video. This way, users who have JavaScript enabled can click on the link, which triggers the video to display. Keep in mind that this method may not guarantee indexing, but it improves the user experience.
Implement structured data: Use structured data markup, such as schema.org VideoObject, to provide search engines with additional information about your video. This structured data helps search engines understand the context, duration, thumbnail, and other relevant details about the video. Although it does not guarantee indexing, it enhances the chances of having your video properly recognized and indexed.
Use alternative video hosting: If indexing the video is crucial to your SEO strategy, consider hosting the video on your own server or using a video hosting platform that allows you greater control over the visibility of the video. By avoiding embedding YouTube videos, you can have more options to display and optimize the video while still ensuring search engine indexing.
Monitor and analyze: After implementing the above techniques, it's essential to monitor your video page's indexing using tools like Google Search Console. The data provided will help you evaluate the effectiveness of your optimizations and identify any potential issues or improvements that need to be made.

By following these steps, you can increase the visibility of hidden YouTube videos on your Webflow site and improve their chances of being indexed by search engines.

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