Do Patient Education (Dear Doctor) videos hold the same SEO value as any other type of video?

Stock videos and original videos can serve different purposes and can have different impacts on website SEO and user experience. When considering the value of stock videos versus other types of videos in terms of Google rankings and SEO, there are several factors to consider:

1. Relevance: Google's main goal is to provide users with the most relevant and valuable content. If a stock video is relevant to your content and enhances the user experience, it can be beneficial. However, if it's just added for the sake of having a video and doesn't contribute meaningfully to the content, it might not have a significant positive impact on SEO.
2. Uniqueness: Original content, including videos, can set your website apart from others. If you're producing high-quality original videos that are not found elsewhere, it can enhance your site's value proposition and potentially improve your SEO.
3. Engagement: Videos can increase the amount of time users spend on your site, which is a positive ranking factor. Whether it's a stock video or an original video, if it engages the user and keeps them on the page longer, it can be beneficial for SEO.
4. Load Times: Videos, especially high-resolution ones, can slow down your page load times. Slow load times can negatively impact SEO. Whether using stock videos or original content, it's essential to ensure that they are optimized for web delivery and don't hinder site performance.
5. Metadata and Optimization: Regardless of the type of video, providing appropriate metadata (like video titles, descriptions, and transcripts) can help search engines understand the content of the video, making it more likely to rank.
6. Brand Perception: While this isn't directly an SEO factor, it's worth considering. Stock videos can sometimes come off as generic or inauthentic, which may affect brand perception. Original videos, like testimonials or brand-specific content, can resonate more with viewers and foster trust and authenticity.
7. Embed Source: Videos hosted on popular platforms like YouTube can potentially drive additional traffic and engagement. If you're embedding a video from a platform like YouTube, even if it's stock footage, it can have added benefits due to the platform's popularity and SEO advantages

While stock videos can certainly add visual appeal to a website and may contribute to user engagement, their SEO value compared to original content depends on how they are used. The key is to ensure that any video content, whether stock or original, is relevant, adds value to the user, and is appropriately optimized for web performance and search visibility.