Website annotation is an annotation system used all over the internet to add, modify, and remove information, text, or link from web content. For instance, web content such as videos, webpage, text without a change in the resource or content itself.
Web Annotation is a set of layers created on top of an existing layer of the resource content which can be seen by users who share the modified content or annotation itself. Thus, web annotation is a tool used as social software on social media platforms and video sharing sites like YouTube. That brings me to YouTube Annotation and how to use it to add a link to your video. But, before we go into that let us see why web annotation is important and what it can be used for. Permit me to indulge you a bit on what Annotation is.
What is Annotation?
Annotation is the added layer generated after content is published. This layer generated in most cases can be referred to as comments. User’s annotations – comments can be published by the resource content itself and on some occasions integrated into the original resource or content itself.
Uses of Web Annotation
Website annotation is used for various things on the web especially as regards content. In this post, I will share a few things you can do with Web annotation.
- Firstly, Web annotation is used to rate the value, impact, and performance of content such as content usefulness, user-friendliness, etc.
- Next, Web annotation is used to describe the short-term relationship between two parted information.
- It used for participation and social activism and criticism, in that, users can use web annotation to share their common opinion, reinterpret, protest against any piece of information on the internet.
- Also, Web annotation can be used to add, modify, improve, and remove resource content.
- Finally, to drive traffic to a web page or website.
Website Annotations
It’s no new news that a link to a web page or call to action can be used or added to a YouTube video description. More so, a clickable link can also be added to a website using an annotation within a video player. Therefore, For more on how you can add clickable links to a website refer to associated website annotations.
How to Add a Clickable Link to a YouTube Video
Quickly I will share simple steps that when carefully followed you will be able to integrate clickable links to your video even within the YouTube video player itself.
Here we go:
1. Firstly, You will have to verify your YouTube account ownership following this link http://www.youtube.com/verify.
2. To confirm your domain ownership you will have to visit Google Webmaster Tools and pass the verification stage two, to add your website as an associate website.
3. After you have confirmed your domain ownership you can now link to it.
4. Next, log in to your YouTube account.
5. Go to the advanced section located at the channel settings menu on the Video Manager page.
6. Add your website URL to the box next to the “Associate Website”
7. Lastly, If you see a green success mark then it means it was done successfully if not reread all the steps and start afresh.
NOTE: if a watermark is added or placed on your videos it makes sense to add a transparent associated website annotation on top of it for the time your content will play. (for the content play duration).
In other words, let’s say the annotation is visible already on the video. You can audibly inform viewers to hit on it. That way they will drive traffic to your site.
To this end, Hope this helped you.