Are you spending hours manually tagging timestamps to ensure your self-hosted videos are segmented correctly in Google Search? It’s a crucial but time-intensive process that can slow down content deployment. Google has introduced the SeekToAction structured data type, allowing its AI to automatically identify and generate “Key Moments” for your videos, freeing up your time while boosting discoverability. Learn the difference between automated and manual tagging options and start implementing the best structured data for your content today.
Google is continually improving how it processes and displays video content directly in search results, offering publishers a major opportunity to enhance engagement. The introduction and full deployment of the SeekToAction markup offers a streamlined alternative to the manual Clip markup, helping users jump directly to the most relevant segments of your video content—much like chapters in a book.
The Two Paths to Key Moments: Automation vs. Control
For publishers hosting videos on their own sites, Google offers two distinct structured data methods under the VideoObject schema to achieve the “Key Moments” rich result.
SeekToAction: The AI-Driven Approach
The SeekToAction markup is designed for publishers who want Google to handle the heavy lifting. By simply adding this structured data and ensuring your video URLs support deep-linking (e.g., ?t=30 to start at 30 seconds), you instruct Google’s algorithms on how to construct a deep link to any given timestamp. Google then uses machine learning and AI to analyze the video’s content—including audio, text, and visual cues—to automatically determine the most valuable segments for search users.
This removes the need for human input for every key moment, drastically speeding up the optimization process for large video libraries hosted outside of platforms like YouTube.
Clip Markup: Precision Through Manual Control
While automation is helpful, there are times when a publisher needs absolute control over what moments are highlighted. The Clip markup allows you to manually define the exact start time, end time, and corresponding label for each key moment. This is ideal for instructional videos or highly strategic content where the timing of the segments is critical.
When both Clip and SeekToAction are present, Google prioritizes the manually defined segments from the Clip markup. This allows for a hybrid approach—precision on critical videos while letting AI manage the rest of your library.
Technical Implementation: JSON-LD Examples
To implement these features, Google recommends using the JSON-LD format nested within your existing VideoObject schema. This code snippet sits in the <head> or <body> of your video page and is invisible to users but readable by search engines.
Simple SeekToAction Snippet
This example shows how to tell Google the pattern it should use to seek to a specific time in your video:
{
"@context": "[https://schema.org](https://schema.org)",
"@type": "VideoObject",
"name": "How to Optimize Video for Search",
"description": "A comprehensive guide on video structured data.",
"thumbnailUrl": "[https://example.com/thumbnail.jpg](https://example.com/thumbnail.jpg)",
"contentUrl": "[https://example.com/video.mp4](https://example.com/video.mp4)",
"potentialAction": {
"@type": "SeekToAction",
"target": "[https://example.com/video?t=](https://example.com/video?t=){seek_to_second_number}",
"startOffset-input": "required name=seek_to_second_number"
}
}Key takeaways:
- SeekToAction markup can be used on videos like any other schema.org structured data.
- Other third-party platforms do not support this markup.
- Site owners that prefer to manually identify key moments in a video rather than depend on Google can utilize the Clip markup.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the main difference between Clip markup and SeekToAction markup?
Clip markup requires you to manually specify the start time, end time, and title for every segment, offering complete control. SeekToAction markup tells Google your URL structure for skipping to a timestamp, allowing Google’s AI to automatically generate the key moments for you.
Do I need to use this structured data for videos hosted on YouTube?
This structured data is primarily for videos hosted directly on your own website. For YouTube videos, you can typically enable key moments by simply adding timestamps and segment labels in the video’s description text.
If I use both Clip and SeekToAction, which one takes priority?
When both structured data types are present on the same page for the same video, Google will prioritize the manually defined segments from the Clip markup over the automatically generated segments from SeekToAction.
What is the minimum length for a video to be eligible for Key Moments?
The total video duration must be a minimum of 30 seconds for it to be eligible for Key Moments rich results.
Can I opt out of the Key Moments feature entirely?
Yes. You can prevent Google from showing any automatically generated or manually defined key moments for your video by including the nosnippet meta tag on the hosting page.