Video Optimization
Make on-site embedded video discoverable in Google Search with sitemaps, VideoObject schema, previews, and key moments.
Overview
Video Optimization is an agent skill for the Launch phase that improves embedded website video for Google indexing, video sitemaps, and VideoObject schema.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/kostja94/marketing-skills --skill video-optimizationWhat is this skill?
- Covers discovery and indexing: HTML embeds plus video sitemap workflow
- Metadata guidance: title, description, thumbnail, and stable video URLs
- Structured data: VideoObject schema and Clip schema for key moments
- Features: video preview in SERPs and key-moments markup patterns
- Points to companion skills for YouTube-native SEO and GEO distribution
- Skill documents that YouTube plus Reddit comprise roughly 78% of social media citations in AI Overviews (per bundled mar
Adoption & trust: 706 installs on skills.sh; 586 GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
Your product videos are buried in pages Google does not treat as video results because embeds, metadata, and schema are incomplete or unstable.
Who is it for?
Marketing sites, docs, and landing pages with self-hosted or embedded video that must rank outside YouTube alone.
Skip if: Channel growth, titles, and retention tuning on YouTube itself—use a YouTube-focused SEO skill instead.
When should I use this skill?
User wants video SEO, video sitemap, VideoObject, video thumbnail, video indexing, video preview, key moments, Clip schema, or embedded video optimization on websites.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get an actionable on-page video SEO plan—sitemap entries, VideoObject markup, preview-ready metadata, and key-moment structure—for pages you control.
- Video sitemap and embed checklist aligned to Google video guidelines
- VideoObject and optional Clip or key-moments schema recommendations
- Metadata and URL stability fixes for previews and indexing
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Video on your marketing site is a launch-and-visibility problem—indexing and rich results belong in Launch SEO, not backend build. SEO subphase covers structured data, sitemaps, and on-page signals that help Google surface video in main results, video mode, Images, and Discover.
How it compares
On-page video indexing skill for your domain—not a substitute for youtube-seo or generative-engine-optimization distribution playbooks.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is video-optimization for?
Indie SaaS founders, content sites, and builders who publish demo or tutorial video on their own URLs and need Google Search and Discover visibility.
When should I use video-optimization?
Use it in Launch SEO when you add embedded video to articles or homepages, need a video sitemap, VideoObject JSON-LD, Clip key moments, or troubleshooting video indexing and previews.
Is video-optimization safe to install?
It is advisory SEO and markup guidance; applying it means editing your site and sitemaps. Review the Security Audits panel on this Prism page before installing skills from third-party repos.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Video Optimization
# SEO On-Page: 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](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/video), [Semrush YouTube SEO](https://www.semrush.com/blog/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. ## Scope - **Discovery & indexing**: HTML embed elements, video sitemap - **Metadata**: Title, description, thumbnail; stable URLs - **Structured data**: VideoObject schema - **Features**: Video preview, key moments (Clip, SeekToAction), LIVE badge - **YouTube prioritization**: Google favors YouTube in search; embed or host on YouTube for GEO citation ## YouTube in Google Search (2025+) **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](https://searchengineland.com/youtube-seo-ai-overviews-467253) | 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** | ## Initial Assessment **Check for project context first:** If `.claude/project-context.md` or `.cursor/project-context.md` exists, read it for brand and page context. Identify: 1. **Hosting**: Self-hosted vs YouTube/Vimeo embed 2. **Page type**: Dedicated watch page vs supplementary (e.g. blog with embedded video) 3. **Features needed**: Preview, key moments, LIVE badge --- ## 1. Discovery & Indexing ### Use Standard HTML Embed Elements 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. ### Video Sitemap Submit a [video sitemap](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/video-sitemaps) to help Google discover videos. Use `<video:video>` extension; `<loc>` = watch page URL. **Structure** (from Google): ```xml <?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://e