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Video SEO with Strimly: Best Practices to Boost Rankings

August 8, 20257 min readSEO

Learn how to optimize your Strimly-hosted videos for search engines using schema markup, video sitemaps, captions, and performance techniques that boost discoverability and engagement. This guide focuses on practical, high-impact steps for WordPress and custom sites alike.

Why Video SEO Matters

Video results dominate SERP features. Optimized videos can unlock rich snippets, increase time-on-page, and improve conversions. With Strimly, you deliver fast HLS streams and control metadata for SEO.

On‑Page Optimization Checklist

  • Title + H1: Include primary keyword and brand context.
  • Intro paragraph: Summarize value; mention target terms naturally.
  • Transcript/Captions: Add full transcript and closed captions (subtitles track).
  • Thumbnail: High-CTR image, 1280×720+, compressed (WebP/AVIF).
  • Internal links: Link to related guides and product pages.
  • Outbound links: Reference authoritative sources sparingly.

Structured Data: VideoObject

Add JSON‑LD to help Google understand your video. Use the Strimly player URL and a publicly accessible thumbnail.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  "name": "Your Video Title",
  "description": "Short, keyword-rich description of the video.",
  "thumbnailUrl": ["https://cdn.strimly.io/thumbnails/YOUR-UUID/cover.jpg"],
  "uploadDate": "2025-08-08",
  "duration": "PT3M12S",
  "embedUrl": "https://strimly.io/player?playlist=https%3A%2F%2Fstrimly.io%2Fapi%2Fproxy%2Frecords%2FYOUR-UUID%2Fplaylist.m3u8",
  "contentUrl": "https://strimly.io/api/proxy/records/YOUR-UUID/playlist.m3u8"
}
</script>

Video Sitemaps

Submit a dedicated video sitemap or augment your existing sitemap with video metadata. Update lastmodwhenever titles, descriptions, or thumbnails change.

<url>
  <loc>https://strimly.io/blog/your-article</loc>
  <lastmod>2025-08-08</lastmod>
  <video:video>
    <video:title>Your Video Title</video:title>
    <video:description>Short, keyword-rich description.</video:description>
    <video:thumbnail_loc>https://cdn.strimly.io/thumbnails/YOUR-UUID/cover.jpg</video:thumbnail_loc>
    <video:content_loc>https://strimly.io/api/proxy/records/YOUR-UUID/playlist.m3u8</video:content_loc>
    <video:player_loc allow_embed="yes">https://strimly.io/player?playlist=...</video:player_loc>
    <video:duration>192</video:duration>
  </video:video>
</url>

Performance (CWV)

  • Lazy‑load embeds: add loading="lazy" to iframes below the fold.
  • Preconnect: <link rel="preconnect" href="https://cdn.strimly.io"/>
  • Defer heavy JS: only load what’s needed on the page.
  • Compress thumbnails: WebP/AVIF with responsive srcset.

WordPress Tips

  • Use the official plugin shortcode for consistent markup.
  • Video schema: enable via your SEO plugin (Yoast/Rank Math) or add JSON‑LD manually.
  • Avoid auto‑embedding inside existing iframes; prefer shortcodes.

Internal Linking Strategy

Link from related posts and product pages to your video articles and vice versa. Add a section with “Related Videos” to improve crawl depth and distribute PageRank.

New to embedding on WordPress? Read the Strimly + WordPress embedding guide.