Media files are files that hold 2 or more forms of multimedia elements, including audio, video & text.

Media files should always be optimized to be the smallest size possible without sacrificing quality, as well as to load only when needed on a page, as they can be detrimental to page load speed.

Media files should always include transcripts for the visually impaired, as well as for search engine bots.

Rich Media Files, Search Engine Optimization & User Experience

Rich media files are an excellent way to improve user experience, as they offer different, sometimes more accessible ways for users to consume your site’s content.

However, they also run the risk of hurting your site in search results, as they are often heavy files that cause page load speed lags.

Always ensure that all rich media content as compressed to the smallest possible size without sacrificing quality, so that it can be loaded quickly.

Sometimes it is beneficial to embed large files such as videos onto your pages, choosing to host them on another platform such as YouTube or Vimeo.

Always be sure that any audio or video content includes transcripts & closed captions.

This enables it to be consumed by a wider audience, while also giving the search engine bots something to crawl & add to their index, improving rankings.

Whenever possible, apply appropriate structured data markups to rich media content as well, in order to get it more direct SERP exposure.