So what is it, why does it matter, and (more importantly) how do you optimize for learning video rich results?
Here is what you need to know to implement this feature.
Learning video markup is structured data that displays key moments in educational videos, along with a short description and a time stamp, right in the search results. This allows users to see what topics a video covers and quickly skip to the most relevant part of a video.
According to Google, it is designed to provide more search visibility for educational video content.
A few notes about this new type of markup: learning video rich results only display in English, though they’re available anywhere Google Search is available.
They can show up on both mobile and desktop search results, but remember, this feature is only available for learning-related content.
Here’s an example of the code used for learning video rich results:
Why is this new markup significant? There are a few reasons why digital marketers should be paying attention.
Learning video rich results also take up more space in the search results, helping to increase visibility and click-through rates.
Here’s a look at the space a normal video takes up in the search results and another with rich results:
The rich result is bigger and far more useful than the standard video search result.
According to Google, publishers can add this markup to educational videos at any stage, from preschool to professional training.
To use this new feature, Google requires a few technical adjustments. First, your video must be educational content. Then, take these steps:
You can optimize for the feature, but you can’t make Google choose your website.
These include:
These parts of the coding are crucial to helping Google understand what concepts the video covers.
There are, however, a few steps you can take to improve the chances of Google displaying rich results for your educational content.
This is the most important, and arguably the most difficult step. Head to Google or Schema.org to find the coding you need to add structured data to your website.
Structured data helps Google understand your content by sharing details in pre-outlined formats.
Structured data would be like the teacher providing an outline for the essay and asking students to type their responses in Arial,11-point font and print it on 11 x 7 paper—they’d have a much easier time reading and grading those papers!
Structured data is similar—it’s a set of guidelines that helps Google understand content better by ensuring it fits into a format they understand.
Learning video rich results is another way for digital marketers to help Google understand content—however, it’s not a silver bullet. This markup won’t make mediocre content go viral.
Rather, this will help users find really great video content that is already out there. You’ll still need to follow video SEO best practices and create useful video.
Aim to answer users’ questions thoroughly, ensure your video and audio are clear and easy to understand, and include keywords in your descriptions.
Structured data is coding that helps sites snag those rich results. Because it’s structured in a specific way, Google (and other search engines) can easily understand your content.
However, because it’s coding, things can go wrong.
To access this report, look for “Enhancements” in the menu pane. The report includes a summary chart of valid and invalid items, a list of issues, and a link to get more information about problems found on your site.
Check this report regularly so you can fix any issues with rich results fast.
SEO tools, like Semrush, may also provide information about rich snippets on your site.
Rich results are expanded search results that include additional information. Rich results have a higher click-through rate, but require site owners to add coding to their website. Note that Google chooses which sites appear with rich results.
Getting rich results on Google is a 2-part process. First, you need to set up the appropriate schema on your page to give Google the technical capability to recognize your content in a schema format. After that, you need to build up the SEO presence of that content so Google decides your content is worth getting a rich result.
Videoobject schema is schema that describes a singular video, generally as part of an embedded object.
Like all structured data, video structured data is a set format to provide info about a page and create a set category for its data. In this case, it’s classifying the content as a video, but also elements about the video, like highlighting essential parts through the Key Moments feature.
Adding markup to your educational video increases click-through rate by making it easier for users to tell if your video is relevant and by taking up more physical space in the search results.
Rich results are expanded search results that include additional information. Rich results have a higher click-through rate, but require site owners to add coding to their website. Note that Google chooses which sites appear with rich results.
Getting rich results on Google is a 2-part process. First, you need to set up the appropriate schema on your page to give Google the technical capability to recognize your content in a schema format. After that, you need to build up the SEO presence of that content so Google decides your content is worth getting a rich result.
The rich results test is a free tool that Google offers that allows you to test any publicly accessible page to see potential rich results that it can have based on its schema.
Videoobject schema is schema that describes a singular video, generally as part of an embedded object.
Like all structured data, video structured data is a set format to provide info about a page and create a set category for its data. In this case, it’s classifying the content as a video, but also elements about the video, like highlighting essential parts through the Key Moments feature.
Adding markup to your educational video increases click-through rate by making it easier for users to tell if your video is relevant and by taking up more physical space in the search results.
Use a rich snippet validation tool to ensure your markup is implemented correctly, and check the Rich Snippets Report in Google Search Console.
Have you added learning video rich results to your website? I’d love to hear about the results.
