The screen capture pictured above shows a top ranking in Google's video search achieved by Stephanie Bellinger Design Group. This video ranks #1 for the keywords/search phrase "landscape designer fort worth texas".

If you were to watch this video you would notice that it is nothing more than a "slide show" video created from photographs. My point is that creating a video is not difficult nor expensive. In fact, you can do it at absolutely no cost if you so choose. If you have photographs of your landscape work and a small amount of time, you can achieve the same search rankings very quickly.

In this article I'm going to walk you through exactly how you can achieve the same top rankings for your own unique keywords--and why it's important.

Notice that the video above appears within Google's "video" search results, not the "universal" search results which is the standard view. This is extremely important to note because a much smaller percentage of people will actually click through to view the video results. That said, I think it is still worthwhile to include this as part of your search engine optimization (SEO) and internet marketing strategy for your landscaping business. Here's why:

• These videos require a very small investment of time and money for immediate and measurable results. This is the "low hanging fruit" of a successful SEO strategy.
• With more people viewing online video today, my guess is that some of these folks will begin to search for it more often and come to rely on the video search results.
• Google recently rolled out a new search interface featuring a left-hand navigation menu full of colorful icons denoting the other search options such as video, images, blogs and updates. My opinion is that Google would like to move searchers beyond the universal results and deeper into categories such as video. Why else would they make the search interface more functional and attractive? They want people to use it!
• Your competition is beginning to appear in Google's video search results. Why not top them?
• If you don't have a website or blog then this is a chance for your company to appear at least somewhere in search results.

The process I'm going to walk you through helped my landscape design firm get a #1 and #2 ranking in Google's video search for the search phrase "landscape designer holland mi" (see the screen capture below).

My videos rank ahead of the two largest and most well-known landscaping companies in my area (Landscape Design Services and Bosch's Landscaping) as well as videos created by YellowBook.com for their clients. My point is that by following these five steps you can top your competition no matter their size and reputation or who is backing them.

Step 1: Identify your keywords

The first thing you need to do is select the keyword phrases, or search phrases, that you are going to target for a #1 ranking. You will want to optimize for "geo-specific" keywords. For example:

"landscape designer holland michigan"
"landscaper holland michigan"
"landscape companies holland mi"
"landscape designer grand rapids michigan"
"landscape company heritage hill grand rapids" (Heritage Hill is an upscale neighborhood in Grand Rapids, MI)

One of my videos ranks #1 for the first three search phrases above. So, oftentimes one video will rank high for multiple search phrases.

I recommend optimizing one video for each geo-specific search phrase. Create a video for each region, city or neighborhood you work in. Better yet, create two or three videos for each.

Step 2: Create your slide show video

I personally use and highly recommend a service called Animoto for creating compelling slide show videos.

Animoto allows you to create 30 second videos for free as well as longer videos for just $3.00 each. You can also upgrade to their All-Access Pass which allows you to create unlimited full length videos for just $30 per year.

I suggest creating videos in the 30 to 60 second range. This requires 8 to 15 photos depending on other elements you add to your video.

Here are some tips for creating great videos with Animoto:

• Feature one landscape project in each short video. This way you can easily create two or three unique and interesting videos for each geo-specific search phrase.
• Add text throughout your video to give context and tell your story.
• Be sure to insert a "Call to Action" at the end of your video by including your phone number and website URL.
• Take the time to re-edit and mix your video multiple times to get it just right.
• Be sure the background music you choose appeals to your target audience. For example, I use classical music in all of my videos instead of Hip-Hop or Indie Rock for obvious reasons:-)

Below is a video I created in about 20 minutes that illustrates the points above:

Step 3: Upload your video to YouTube

Uploading your video to YouTube is painless--Animoto does it for you automatically with the click of a button (you will need a YouTube account).

It's important you host your video with YouTube because it is owned by Google which many believe positively impacts your search rankings. YouTube is also, by far, the most popular video sharing site which means a majority of people are familiar and comfortable viewing video on YouTube as opposed to other more obscure video sharing sites.

The key to this entire process is in how you format your "Title", "Description" and "Tags" after uploading your video to YouTube. Your chosen keywords need to be used in your video's title as well as throughout the video's description--preferably multiple times. Also, use each keyword as a tag for your video.

Here are a few tips:

• In the video's title (which can be 120 characters), try to keep your keywords within the first 40 characters. This is the approximate length of the title that will appear in Google's search results (the remaining characters will be cut off).
• Just as above, be sure to include your keywords at least once in the first 120 to 130 characters of your video's description. Descriptions can be up to 5,000 characters.
• Insert your phone number and your website URL along with a strong "call to action" in your video's description. It is absolutely critical that you move the viewer from your YouTube video to your website or to their phone to contact you.

The screen capture below shows my video from above on YouTube. I've highlighted the keywords and called out the "call to action". You can visit the video's page by clicking here.

Step 4: Share your YouTube video

Sharing your YouTube video online not only exposes it to more eyeballs (who may also share it), but it leads to valuable backlinks to your video which increases your ranking in the search engine results.

Here are three ways to share your video:

• Embed the YouTube video on your website or blog.
• Share the video in your social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
• Submit your YouTube video to popular social bookmarking sites like StumbleUpon, Digg, Delicious, Reddit and Yahoo Buzz (If you are not already using these sites, don't worry about joining just for this).

You probably don't need to spend much time on this step if you have little competition for your keywords. You may rank #1 by just following step #3.

Step 5: Analyze your results

After following steps one through four, your video can rank at the top of Google video search almost immediately. In less than 15 minutes in some cases.

If it doesn't rank at or near the top for your chosen search phrase, then you should re-examine your YouTube title and description (go back to step #3). You can edit these at any time.

You should also monitor the rankings every 30 to 60 days to make sure your videos haven't fallen out of the rankings. SEO takes constant effort.

With video becoming more and more popular online, I believe it's now more important for landscape companies to rank high in Google's video search results. Ranking high in video search is the "low hanging fruit" in a successful SEO strategy, so it's a great place to start.

If you are already creating video as part of your internet marketing strategy then this process will be simple to implement. If you have never created a video, then using Animoto and following this process will be the perfect first step for you.

If you create a video using Animoto feel free to share it in the forum or on my Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!