When the user wants to optimize videos for Google Search, video sitemap, VideoObject schema, or video SEO on websites. Also use when the user mentions "video SEO," "video sitemap," "VideoObject," "video thumbnail," "video indexing," "video preview," "key moments," "Clip schema," or "embedded video optimization."
Guides video optimization for Google Search (main results, video mode, Google Images, Discover), video sitemap, VideoObject schema, and indexing. Note: Google now prioritizes YouTube video results in search; YouTube + Reddit comprise ~78% of social media citations in AI Overviews. For YouTube-specific optimization, see youtube-seo; for GEO distribution via YouTube, see generative-engine-optimization. References: Google Video SEO, Semrush YouTube SEO.
When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
Google prioritizes YouTube video results across search. YouTube receives 48.6B monthly visits (second to Google.com) and is treated as core search infrastructure for AI-driven discovery. Search Engine Land
| Context | Implication |
|---|---|
| AI Overviews | YouTube citations surged 25.21% since Jan 2025; instructional (+35.6%), visual demos (+32.5%); long-form dominates (94%) |
| GEO | YouTube + Reddit = ~78% of social media citations; Perplexity (38.7%) and Google AI Overviews (36.6%) drive most YouTube citations |
| Strategy | Embed YouTube on site pages for dual indexing; or host on YouTube for GEO citation. See youtube-seo, generative-engine-optimization |
Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read it for brand and page context.
Identify:
Google finds videos in <video>, <embed>, <iframe>, or <object>. Do not use fragment identifiers to load video; avoid requiring user interaction (click, swipe) to load.
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
<video><source src="...mp4"/></video> | Fragment-only load; JS-injected without fallback |
<iframe src="https://youtube.com/embed/..."> | Hide video behind paywall without paywall structured data |
JavaScript injection: If video is injected via JS, ensure it appears in rendered HTML; use URL Inspection in Search Console. If using Media Source API, inject HTML video container even when API fails so Google can find metadata.
Submit a video sitemap to help Google discover videos. Use <video:video> extension; <loc> = watch page URL.
Structure (from Google):
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"
xmlns:video="http://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-video/1.1">
<url>
<loc>https://example.com/videos/watch-page.html</loc>
<video:video>
<video:thumbnail_loc>https://example.com/thumbs/123.jpg</video:thumbnail_loc>
<video:title>Grilling steaks for summer</video:title>
<video:description>Bob shows you how to grill steaks perfectly.</video:description>
<video:player_loc>https://example.com/player?video=123</video:player_loc>
</video:video>
</url>
</urlset>
See xml-sitemap for sitemap index. Video sitemap is an extension; can be standalone or combined.
For video features (main results, video mode, key moments, LIVE badge), create a dedicated watch page per video—page whose primary purpose is to display that video. Examples: video landing page, episode player page, news video page. Not watch pages: blog with embedded video, product page with 360° video, category page with multiple videos.
contentUrl in VideoObjectembedUrl / player_loc| Source | How |
|---|---|
<video> poster | poster attribute |
| Video sitemap | <video:thumbnail_loc> |
| VideoObject | thumbnailUrl |
| OGP | og:video:image |
Use same thumbnail URL across all metadata sources.
| Spec | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Formats | BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WebP, SVG, AVIF |
| Size | Min 60×30 px; larger preferred |
| Transparency | ≥80% of pixels with alpha >250 |
| Access | Must be crawlable (no robots.txt block, no login) |
Provide unique thumbnailUrl, name, and description for each video in structured data and sitemap. Consistency with visible content is required.
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "VideoObject",
"name": "Grilling steaks for summer",
"description": "Bob shows you how to grill steaks perfectly every time.",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/thumbs/123.jpg",
"uploadDate": "2025-01-15T08:00:00Z",
"contentUrl": "https://example.com/video/123.mp4",
"embedUrl": "https://example.com/player?video=123"
}
Required for rich results: thumbnailUrl, name, description. Add contentUrl for video preview and key moments. See schema-markup for full VideoObject; serp-features for Video SERP feature.
Google selects short clips as dynamic previews. Allow Google to fetch video file; use max-video-preview robots meta to limit duration.
| Method | Use |
|---|---|
| Clip | Exact start/end + label per segment; all languages |
| SeekToAction | Tell Google where timestamps live in URL; auto-detect; supported languages: en, es, pt, it, zh, fr, ja, de, tr, ko, nl, ru |
| YouTube | Timestamps in description; see youtube-seo |
Disable key moments: nosnippet meta.
Use BroadcastEvent schema for live streams to show "LIVE" in results.
For video preview and key moments, Google must fetch the actual video bytes. Do not block contentUrl with noindex or robots.txt. Use stable URLs; ensure both watch page host and video/CDN host have sufficient capacity for crawling.
Google may index both your page and the platform's page. For your watch page: still add VideoObject and optionally video sitemap. For more features (preview, key moments), confirm the platform allows Google to fetch video files.
noindex; or set expires in schema / <video:expiration_date> in sitemapregionsAllowed or ineligibleRegion in VideoObject; <video:restriction> in sitemap| Context | Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Website video | VideoObject, sitemap, thumbnail | This skill |
| YouTube | Title, description, chapters, thumbnail | See youtube-seo |
| GEO / AI citation | YouTube distribution; long-form | See generative-engine-optimization |
| Featured Snippet (video) | Video schema; timestamps | See featured-snippet |