API Call
As internet speeds have increased so has the ability to watch video online. For most of us in the US, gone are the days of pausing a YouTube video to wait for it to load. With this increase in internet speed, and improvements in technology, we now have the ability to watch live events via the internet. As livestream content is becoming increasingly popular Google have created an indexing API allowing companies to better advertise their live content.
Going Live in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Making any kind of video content is hard work, and getting people to watch your videos is just as difficult. But when you throw into the mix that the video content is time sensitive and that you’re showing something live you get a whole other layer of complexity. So Google have tried to solve this issue by creating an indexing API which allows you to tell Google that you are about to livestream something. Then, if Google thinks the video is interesting, it will potentially display your video on the SERP when the topic your video is on is searched for.
This will be presumably most used by news companies, or around sporting events, where ‘live’ coverage is more important, but it could also be interesting for companies involved in some of the bigger trade shows events like Salesforce’s Dreamforce event.
Swimming up the Livestream
Adding the API structured data will not be a guarantee that your live video will make it to the front page, but for some less competitive search terms it may lead to some abuse. Time will tell how effective Google are at managing which streams are chosen, and if there are any interesting results.
More Structured Data
This post follows on from yesterday’s post about Q&A structured data and does seem to point clearly to Google pushing various different forms of schema for 2019. We think that schema is going to become an even bigger part of SEO in the coming year, so if you have time, you should start researching it now!
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Photo credit – Top: Master SGT Michael Sauret
Photo credit – Bottom: Joe the Goat Farmer
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