Google's video indexing update poses challenges for independent publishers

Google last year updated its guidelines for video indexing, introducing new criteria that have raised concerns among independent publishers. The changes have sparked discussions about the potential advantages given to YouTube content over videos hosted on other platforms.

According to John Shehata, a prominent figure in the digital publishing industry, the most challenging aspect of the updated guidelines is the requirement that "The indexed watch page must be performing well in Search before its video can be considered for indexing." This new criterion has created what some perceive as a catch-22 situation for publishers trying to get their video content indexed by Google.

The updated guidelines, available on Google's official developers' website, outline several key requirements for video indexing eligibility. These include:

1. The watch page must be indexed.
2. The indexed watch page must perform well in Search before its video can be considered for indexing.
3. The video must be embedded on a watch page.
4. The video cannot be hidden behind other elements.
5. The video must have a valid thumbnail available at a stable URL.

Google defines a "watch page" as a dedicated page whose main purpose is to show users a single video. Examples include video landing pages, TV episode player pages, news video watch pages, sports highlight pages, and event clip pages.

The new guidelines have created a paradoxical situation for publishers. To have their videos indexed, the watch pages must first perform well in search results. However, without video indexing, it becomes challenging for these pages to rank well in the first place.

This situation is particularly problematic for independent publishers who may not have the same resources or established search presence as larger platforms like YouTube, which is owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc.

Richard Hearne, another industry expert, commented on the situation, suggesting that these guidelines might be "Google's indirect way of saying YT [YouTube], Facebook, Vimeo or nothing." He expressed disappointment that Google couldn't be more direct in their communication.

The impact of these changes has been felt by publishers who have already attempted to adapt to previous indexing requirements. Shehata noted that a few months ago, many publishers lost video traffic due to their pages not being considered "video pages" by Google's algorithms. In response, some publishers removed long-form text from their video pages, hoping to regain their video traffic.

However, this strategy appears to have been ineffective. Luc Wiesman, another industry professional, confirmed that "moving videos to separate pages did nothing for traffic." He added that while the videos were indexed, they "couldn't compete with YouTube hosted videos."

The challenges faced by independent publishers extend beyond just meeting the new criteria. Florian S. Kluge, a digital marketing expert, pointed out that "It's almost impossible to rank in video SERPs [Search Engine Results Pages] even if you do serve video content." He suggested that including "/video/" in the URL might be one way to potentially improve visibility.

Google's guidelines also specify technical requirements for video indexing. These include:

1. Using supported video file types such as MP4, WebM, and MOV.
2. Ensuring that video files and thumbnails are available at stable URLs.
3. Creating dedicated watch pages for each video when appropriate.
4. Writing unique page titles and descriptions for each watch page.

While these technical requirements are clear, the performance criterion remains a significant hurdle. The guidelines state, "Just because the watch page is indexed doesn't mean that the video will also be indexed." This statement underscores the additional layer of difficulty publishers face in getting their video content recognized and featured in Google's search results.

For publishers using paywalls or subscription models, Google recommends adding paywall structured data to allow indexing while maintaining content restrictions.

The updated guidelines also emphasize the importance of stable URLs for both video files and thumbnails. This requirement aims to help Google "discover and process the videos consistently, confirm they are still available, and collect signals on the videos."

To protect against potential misuse, Google suggests that publishers can verify Googlebot before displaying stable versions of media URLs. This allows publishers to serve content URLs only to trusted clients like Googlebot while restricting access for other clients.

These challenges for independent publishers come against a backdrop of increasing legal and regulatory scrutiny of Google's market dominance. This year, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google illegally maintained a monopoly over online search and search advertising. This landmark decision in the antitrust case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice concluded that "Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly." The ruling marks the first major antitrust decision against a Big Tech company in recent years. Furthermore, in the European Union, Google has been designated as one of six "gatekeepers" under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This designation, which also includes companies like Amazon, Apple, and Meta, subjects Google to additional regulatory scrutiny and obligations in the EU market. These legal and regulatory developments underscore the significant market power Google wields in the digital ecosystem, potentially amplifying concerns about the impact of its video indexing policies on independent publishers.

Key facts

• Google updated its video indexing requirements last year.
• The new guidelines require watch pages to perform well in search before videos can be considered for indexing.
• Many publishers lost video traffic in recent months due to pages not being considered "video pages."
• Removing long-form text from video pages did not improve traffic for some publishers.
• Independent publishers face difficulties competing with YouTube-hosted videos in search results.
• Google recommends creating dedicated watch pages for each video when appropriate.
• Stable URLs for video files and thumbnails are essential for successful indexing.
• Paywall structured data can be used for content behind subscription models.
• The new guidelines may inadvertently favor larger platforms like YouTube over independent publishers.