Google Maps Adds New Video Layer = Local Search + Online Video + Mapping
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In the past, we've often covered news and information about local interactive media and the local search space when it pertains to integration with online video. It is my strong belief that next to mobile, the most logical next step in the evolution of local search platforms is deep integration of local video content. More than a year ago in October of 2007, Google released a feature within Google Earth whereby users could view youtube videos by location. Back in March, Google launched the ability for SMBs and local businesses to add youtube videos to their Google Maps business listing profiles.Today, Google enabled a new video layer within Google Maps. YouTube videos are now showing up as a new layer on Google Maps when clicking on the “more” button in the upper right alongside the Wikipedia and Panoramio photo options. If you select the 'Videos' option, thumbnails of geo-tagged YouTube videos are added to the map and the videos can be viewed on the maps page within an info-window.
Previous to this, videos could onle be found within Google maps when clicking on "photos & more" within a marked location.
To add or associate a video with the maps product you need to make certain that you specify the proper geo-location of the video upon upload to Youtube.
That being said, I have yet to fully determine the criteria beyond geo-tagging that is being used to serve selected videos as I don't believe all geo-identified videos are available. With a quick spot-check of 10 videos, it appears that each video I clicked on also made mention of the city in the video description or tags at Youtube. Additionally, I didn't see masses of videos available in the center of a city so it appears at least that when geo-tagging your video upon upload to Youtube, you may need to me more specific than merely city.
Another interesting observation related to the screenshot above of the video with our ReelSEO "fast-forward" logo - that particular video was removed from youtube some time ago and yet it can still be found here but it will not play. It is not available within the new maps layer or within Youtube itself but they must sync business listing data on a different schedule. I digress....
So, what does this mean for video marketing and video search engine optimization... The answer is clear. Since there is now a new option to discover videos within Google maps, it is important that you leverage this to drive viewers to your content, assuming it is relevant to the audience searching. And, if you're business is local, it is likely that this is something you will want to pay attention to, especially if related to travel.
What do you think? ▼
About the Author - Mark R Robertson
Mark Robertson is the Founder and Publisher of ReelSEO, an online information resource dedicated to the fusion of video, technology, social media, search, and internet marketing. He is a professional online video marketing consultant and video SEO expert, popular speaker, and considered to be a passionate leader within the online video and search marketing industries. Follow Mark on Twitter (@markrrobertson), or Google+. - View All Posts By Mark R Robertson
