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SEO & AI Search Optimization ​

Videobot provides powerful SEO and AI search optimization features to help your interactive videos be discovered by both traditional search engines and modern AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google's AI Overview.

Overview ​

When you publish a Videobot, the platform automatically generates:

  • Schema.org VideoObject markup for search engines
  • SEO-friendly HTML fallback content for crawlers without JavaScript
  • AI crawler support through robots.txt configuration
  • Rich metadata for social sharing and discovery

How AI Search Engines Crawl Videobot Content ​

Supported AI Crawlers ​

Videobot explicitly allows the following AI search crawlers via robots.txt:

  • ChatGPT-User - OpenAI's ChatGPT web search
  • GPTBot - OpenAI's general web crawler
  • PerplexityBot - Perplexity AI's search crawler
  • Claude-Web - Anthropic's Claude web search
  • Google-Extended - Google's AI training and features

These crawlers can access all Videobot content to include your videos in AI-powered search results and recommendations.

How Crawlers Access Your Content ​

When AI search engines visit your Videobot pages, they receive:

  1. Structured Data (Schema.org JSON-LD)

    • Video title, description, and thumbnail
    • Duration in ISO 8601 format (e.g., "PT2M30S")
    • Upload date and embed URL
    • Individual slide/clip information with timestamps
    • Transcript data (when available)

  2. HTML Fallback Content

    • For pages embedded directly (iframe/link embeds)
    • Semantic HTML with video information
    • List of video sections/slides
    • Call-to-action links

  3. Widget-Specific Content

    • For widget embeds, Schema.org ItemList markup
    • List of all videos in the widget/slider
    • Each video's full metadata

Robots Meta Tags ​

Videobot respects your indexing preferences:

  • Default behavior: <meta name="robots" content="index, follow">
  • When indexing disabled: <meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">

You can control this setting in the SEO metadata configuration.

Configuring SEO Metadata ​

Accessing SEO Settings ​

SEO metadata can be configured through the Videobot Builder's settings:

  1. Open your Videobot in the Builder
  2. Navigate to Settings → Advanced Settings → SEO Metadata
  3. Configure the following fields:

Available SEO Fields ​

Title ​

  • Purpose: Primary heading for search results and AI summaries
  • Best Practice:
    • Keep under 60 characters for optimal display
    • Include key topics/keywords naturally
    • Make it descriptive and engaging
  • Fallback: If not set, uses the Videobot name
  • Example: "Product Demo: Smart Home Security System"

Description ​

  • Purpose: Summary shown in search results and used by AI for context
  • Best Practice:
    • Write 150-160 characters for search snippets
    • Clearly explain the video's value and content
    • Include relevant keywords naturally
    • Make it compelling to encourage clicks
  • Fallback: If not set, uses thumbnail description or generates default text
  • Example: "Discover how our smart home security system protects your family with AI-powered motion detection, 24/7 monitoring, and instant mobile alerts."

Disable Search Indexing ​

  • Purpose: Prevent search engines and AI crawlers from indexing this Videobot
  • Use Cases:
    • Internal/private videos
    • Draft or test content
    • Time-sensitive content that should expire
    • Content requiring authentication
  • Effect: Sets <meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">

Best Practices for SEO Meta Fields ​

Writing Effective Titles ​

Good Examples:

  • "Customer Onboarding Guide - Getting Started with Acme Software"
  • "Product Demo: Enterprise CRM Features"
  • "CEO Welcome Message - Company Culture at TechCorp"

Avoid:

  • "Video 1" (too generic)
  • "WATCH THIS AMAZING VIDEO NOW!!!" (overly promotional)
  • "The Ultimate Complete Comprehensive Guide to Everything About Our Product Features and Benefits" (too long)

Writing Effective Descriptions ​

Good Examples:

Learn how to set up your account in 3 easy steps. This guide covers
profile creation, team invitations, and initial configuration to get
you started quickly.
See our enterprise CRM in action. Explore lead management, sales
pipeline tracking, automated workflows, and reporting features that
help teams close more deals.

Avoid:

Video about stuff. Click here.
This is a video that shows you some things about our product and how
it works and what features it has and why you should use it and how
awesome it is and...

AI search engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity analyze your content differently than traditional search:

  1. Be Conversational: AI understands natural language, so write as you would explain to a person
  2. Include Context: Mention the topic, audience, and key takeaways
  3. Use Clear Language: Avoid jargon unless your audience expects it
  4. Highlight Value: Explain what viewers will learn or accomplish
  5. Be Specific: Include relevant details like product names, features, or topics covered

Example for AI Optimization:

Title: How to Export Analytics Data in VideoBot
Description: Step-by-step tutorial showing how to export your
VideoBot analytics data to CSV format. Learn how to filter by date
range, select specific metrics, and schedule automated exports for
your team's reporting needs.

This helps AI search engines accurately answer questions like:

  • "How do I export VideoBot analytics?"
  • "Can I download VideoBot data as CSV?"
  • "Show me how to schedule VideoBot reports"

Verifying AI Crawler Access ​

Method 1: Check robots.txt ​

Verify that AI crawlers can access your content:

  1. Visit https://videobot.com/embed/robots.txt
  2. Confirm these entries exist:
    User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Allow: /

User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /

User-agent: Claude-Web
Allow: /

User-agent: GPTBot
Allow: /

User-agent: Google-Extended
Allow: /

Method 2: Inspect Page Metadata ​

Check that your Videobot page includes proper SEO markup:

  1. For Direct Links/iFrame Embeds:

    • Visit your Videobot page: https://videobot.com/embed/[YOUR_BOT_ID]
    • Right-click and select "View Page Source"
    • Look for <script type="application/ld+json"> with Schema.org VideoObject
    • Verify <meta name="robots"> tag matches your preference
    • Check <meta name="description"> contains your SEO description

  2. For Widget Embeds:

    • Visit the page where your widget is embedded
    • Open browser Developer Tools (F12)
    • Look in the <head> section for:
      • <script id="videobot-schema-org-[ID]" type="application/ld+json">
      • Schema.org ItemList containing your videos
    • Check <noscript> tags in <body> for HTML fallback content

Method 3: Test Schema.org Markup ​

Use Google's Rich Results Test to validate your structured data:

  1. Go to Google Rich Results Test
  2. Enter your Videobot URL: https://videobot.com/embed/[YOUR_BOT_ID]
  3. Click "Test URL"
  4. Verify that "VideoObject" is detected
  5. Check for any errors or warnings

Example of valid Schema.org markup generated by Videobot:

json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  "name": "Product Demo: Smart Home Security",
  "description": "Comprehensive overview of our smart home security features",
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://cdn.videobot.com/...",
  "uploadDate": "2025-10-29T12:00:00Z",
  "embedUrl": "https://videobot.com/embed/abc12345",
  "duration": "PT2M30S",
  "hasPart": [
    {
      "@type": "Clip",
      "name": "Introduction",
      "startOffset": 0,
      "endOffset": 15,
      "url": "https://videobot.com/embed/abc12345?lang=en"
    }
  ]
}

Method 4: Monitor Search Presence ​

Track how AI search engines index your content:

  1. ChatGPT: Search for specific phrases from your video content
  2. Perplexity: Query topics related to your Videobot
  3. Google AI Overview: Search for relevant keywords and check if your video appears

Note: Indexing by AI search engines may take several days to weeks after publishing.

Widget and Slider SEO ​

For Videobot widgets and sliders, additional SEO features are automatically generated:

Schema.org ItemList ​

When you embed a widget containing multiple videos, Videobot creates an ItemList structure:

json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "ItemList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 1,
      "item": {
        "@type": "VideoObject",
        "name": "Video 1 Title",
        ...
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 2,
      "item": {
        "@type": "VideoObject",
        "name": "Video 2 Title",
        ...
      }
    }
  ]
}

This helps search engines understand the relationship between videos in your collection.

Noscript Fallback for Widgets ​

Widgets also include HTML fallback showing:

  • Widget title
  • Grid of up to 6 videos with thumbnails
  • Individual video titles and descriptions
  • Direct links to each video

Technical Implementation ​

For Developers ​

If you're implementing Videobot programmatically, here's how SEO features work:

API Response ​

When fetching a bot via the API (e.g., /bot/{id}/embed), the response includes:

json
{
  "id": "abc12345",
  "name": "My Videobot",
  "seoMeta": {
    "title": "Custom SEO Title",
    "description": "Custom SEO Description",
    "isIndexingDisabled": false
  },
  "schemaOrg": { ... },
  "noscriptHtml": "<div>...</div>",
  ...
}

Automatic Injection (Widget Embeds) ​

The Videobot widget JavaScript automatically:

  1. Injects Schema.org JSON-LD into <head>:

    javascript
    <script id="videobot-schema-org-{id}" type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "VideoObject",
  ...
}
</script>

  2. Injects noscript fallback into <body>:

    html
    <noscript id="videobot-noscript-{id}">
  <div class="videobot-fallback">
    ...
  </div>
</noscript>

For direct links and iFrame embeds, SEO markup is rendered server-side in the page HTML at https://videobot.com/embed/{id}.

Troubleshooting ​

My Videobot Isn't Appearing in Search Results ​

Check these items:

  1. Wait for indexing: Search engines may take days/weeks to index new content
  2. Verify robots meta tag: Ensure "Disable Search Indexing" is NOT enabled
  3. Check Schema.org markup: Use Google Rich Results Test
  4. Confirm SEO metadata: Verify title and description are set
  5. Review content quality: Ensure your metadata is descriptive and valuable

AI Search Engines Aren't Finding My Content ​

Verify:

  1. robots.txt allows crawlers: Check that AI bots are allowed
  2. Public accessibility: Ensure your Videobot is published and publicly accessible
  3. Content indexing: Disable any "noindex" settings
  4. Recent publication: AI crawlers may not have visited yet

Schema.org Validation Errors ​

Common issues:

  1. Missing required fields: Ensure title, description, and thumbnail are configured
  2. Invalid duration format: Check that video durations are properly formatted (handled automatically)
  3. Broken image URLs: Verify thumbnail URLs are accessible

Widget SEO Not Working ​

Check:

  1. JavaScript loaded: Ensure Videobot widget script is running
  2. Browser console: Look for any JavaScript errors
  3. Inspect DOM: Verify <script type="application/ld+json"> and <noscript> tags are injected
  4. Widget configuration: Confirm the widget contains published videos

Summary ​

Videobot's SEO and AI search optimization features help your interactive videos:

  • Be discovered by traditional search engines (Google, Bing, etc.)
  • Appear in AI-powered search results (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude)
  • Display rich previews with thumbnails and descriptions
  • Provide accessible content for users with JavaScript disabled
  • Maintain control over indexing and visibility

By configuring proper SEO metadata and following best practices, you maximize your Videobot's discoverability across all search platforms.