The future of SEO content is video – here’s why

SEO content often drives traffic but not conversions.

The solution?

A video-first approach that nurtures leads, builds trust and aligns with a real funnel.

This article explains why video content outperforms blogs and how to make it work for you.

Why ‘top of funnel’ thinking fails without a real conversion strategy

If you’ve ever done SEO-driven content marketing for a company, you’ve had this conversation: 

“I know we’re getting more traffic and that’s great, but it’s not leading to more conversions.”

Most SEOs and content strategists respond that the traffic they are generating is “top of funnel,” but the truth is that, in actuality, there is no funnel. 

They are simply targeting a query with the hope that the reader will someday remember this domain the next time they perform related to this topic.

The solution is to align this content with an actual funnel – not cross our fingers hoping they will remember us after skimming our article seven months earlier.

This leaves two options: nurture those leads through email or social media.

We opted for the latter.

Through this process, we found a way to streamline content creation, make it more engaging and reconnect with visitors organically – without relying on paid ads. We call this approach “organic social media retargeting.”

Below, I’ll share the quantitative and qualitative evidence that video is the best way to turn your content briefs into engaging blog posts – and how to do it effectively.

Why a video-first SEO-driven content marketing strategy is better

TL;DR: When compared with blog-only content, video is better in several ways. Video:

• Requires less time for the subject matter expert to produce.
• Is more likely to entice the visitor to become a social media follower and can be further nurtured down the funnel.
• Delivers more of your message – the visitor is not “skimming it.”
• Says more about who you are and does a better job of generating trust.
• Is preferred by many over written blogs.
• Can be more easily repurposed through other channels.

Video requires less of your subject matter expert’s time

A one-hour recording session should yield anywhere from 2 to 6 videos that can be transformed into articles.

We specialize in healthcare marketing, where every piece of content requires medical review, whether it’s written by us or by the client’s team. 

To start, it can take 15 to 45 minutes for a doctor to review a blog, which they often will put off for weeks, slowing down our work.

This review process is also mentally taxing, much more so than having them talk to a camera for an hour.

One hour of the doctor’s time to shoot video is much less of an ask than 1-2 hours of their time to review and correct a non-expert’s article on a topic.

Switching to video resulted in improved workflows, less tired subject matter experts and more content.

Dig deeper: Visual content and SEO: How to use images and videos in 2025

Potential to earn subscribers, ‘For you’ page views and recommendations 

When a potential customer finds your article through a Google search, reads it and leaves, there’s little to no chance of reconnecting with them organically.

This klikely happens with over 98% of your blog traffic. But with video, it’s a different story.

When a Google Search brings someone to a blog with an embedded video, and they view that video on YouTube instead of your blog, you have the distinct possibility of turning that person into a subscriber.

It also creates the opportunity to appear on that person’s for you page the next time they visit YouTube.

Essentially, your SEO-driven content marketing efforts have placed them in a funnel where your social media can further nurture them.

Dig deeper: Why video is key to building brand identity and engagement

Visitors are receiving more of your message through videos 

If you have ever viewed Hotjar recordings of visitors to your website, you’ve likely observed that the vast majority skim the headlines and read a few select paragraphs.

They are almost certainly missing out on information that is important to you to deliver to them.

It isn’t nearly as common for someone to skim a YouTube video.

Once you’ve learned how to capture and keep their attention, they will listen to what you have to say.

What does the data have to say about this?

Our team’s first inclination was to compare the on-time engagement of articles before and after we added videos.

(This article is more about generating fresh content from video, not retrofitting existing blogs with video content, but it is usually the first step we take when transitioning to a video-first strategy.)

The problem with this method is that it does not count for visitors who clicked on the video and viewed the content on YouTube.

We want people to do this since it will increase the likelihood of them subscribing or having us show up on their “For you” page, but it will skew your average visit duration in GA4.

Our second inclination was to compare the duration of the visits to traffic that came from YouTube to organic search traffic.

Essentially, we are viewing the behavior of someone who has spent 2 to 20 minutes viewing videos on YouTube and seeing how they interacted with the rest of the content on our website.

This is that report from our company’s GA4:

As you can see, the average visit from YouTube lasts almost twice as long as a visit from organic search.

My conversations with leads confirm this. Prospects who have viewed video content completely differ from those who have simply visited service pages and blogs.

What does our experience with customers have to say about this?

“It’s so weird to be actually talking to you right now, I was just watching you on my screen six hours ago.”

“I already know what you guys do and I love it. How much does it cost and if we do work with you, when can we get started?”

“I’ve always seen SEOs and the crypto bros of marketing, but I could tell you’re a straight-shooting Jersey guy that I can trust.”

I can probably give you two dozen quotes from discovery calls over the last two years. 

This never happened during calls with people who discovered us through our blog.

Essentially, the undercurrent of “Are you a scammer or someone that has no idea what they’re doing?” dissipates after they’ve spent 25 minutes watching your YouTube videos.

I’ve also seen our pipeline lighten during periods when our video output stopped for one reason or another.

Videos can be more easily repurposed than blogs

I’m putting content repurposing last for a reason: while most marketers consider it the top benefit of this strategy, it’s not as straightforward as it seems.

It’s not easy to get engagement on a video posted to LinkedIn or Instagram Reels that is meant to be discovered through organic search on Google or YouTube.

It is possible to find nuggets from your long-form video content that work as standalone short-form content, but the temptation to get lazy and not properly tailor it to the platform is big.

If you will try to repurpose this video for other platforms, great.

But be sure you know what you’re doing. If you do it wrong, you might annoy your audience and hurt the rest of your social media efforts.

Dig deeper: A guide to creating social media videos (for search and beyond)