Can adding Youtube videos cause a drop in the SERPs?

[superclown2]

So I have this nice website coasting along in position 8 for a couple of good search terms. I create two short and good class videos to give it more respectability then a week later the site drops to no.10 for both terms. Coincidence? Maybe. I'm reluctant to remove the videos now because we know how paranoid G can become if a site is altered too much in an attempt to affect search positioning. So; has anyone had experience of this? I appreciate that the videos will have increased loading time and perhaps this is a factor in the lower positioning.

[roseiday]

No adding youtube videos doesn't effect the website you should check your backlinks might some of your links get expired so renew them.

[nomis5]

I've seen the same effect with some of my pages or so it seems. Add a YouTube video and the page rank drops a week or so later.

It's complicated for me by the fact that the YouTube video occasionally ranks above the page - weird. The videos are mine and I don't hide that fact. The pages are mine and I don't hide that either.

I have stopped showing YouTube videos now on my sites because of this.

Maybe coincidence as SuperClown2 says but after a few drops in the SERPS it doesn't seem so to me.

Roseiday - how do you know that YouTube videos don't affect SERPS? You seem very certain. What have links got to do with it anyway? More links, better SERPS? I think not necessarily.

[tangor]

I have stopped showing YouTube videos now on my sites because of this.

But do the videos still remain on youtube?

(tin foil hat jammed on) That just might be what the g wants! Bwahahahaha! (hat off)

[turbocharged]

Google gives preference to their own properties in the search results. Especially when YouTube videos are embedded into Blogspot blogs, they rank really well. In fact, they rank so good that they are often positioned above the websites that they stole their text/other content from.

[nomis5]

But do the videos still remain on youtube?

(tin foil hat jammed on) That just might be what the g wants! Bwahahahaha! (hat off)

Yes they do and you are probably correct about what G wants.

It seems a loose or loose situation for me and videos. I now don't embed them in my pages any more and at the same time I don't try to monetise them on YouTube because of my personal fear that they are a magnet for manipulation.

If others use YouTube videos on their sites with success it's more than probable that I'm not presenting the videos in the best way as far as SERPS are concerned?

[superclown2]

I've bitten the bullet and deleted them. It seems that hardly any visitors watched them anyway.

I'll report back when/if anything happens.

[rustybrick]

How we doing superclown2?

[nomis5]

Yes, I'm interested in your experiences as well.

[superclown2]

The site has risen to no. 9 for two target search terms. However this could be because the site it has leapfrogged for both terms has fallen rather than mine risen. I think it is far too early to tell, it's only a few days since I made the change.

[tangor]

it's only a few days since I made the change.

Glad to hear there are others out there who recognize that as fast as the web might be, it still moves like molasses in winter when it comes to ranking change. :)