Okay. Now that you’ve probably spent most of your time researching video marketing listening to voices shouting, “YOU NEED VIDEO! YOU NEED VIDEO! PUT IT EVERYWHERE!”, we’re going to take a small step back and fine-tune that theory just a little. I know, when will it end?!
But, seriously, video is powerful and it is one of the best ways to represent your brand. Especially on your website. Your website is still most often going to be the first impression you give to prospective customers, so it’s importance is only going to continue growing.
Incorporating video on your website can be tricky, though. Making sure that you’re using it in the right places, that the video is the right size, considering whether you should use an auto play format, is it best used as a background video… Sorry, we’ll stop.
Despite our run-on thoughts, there really are quite a few things to consider when adding video to your website, and knowing you’re doing it correctly is 800% of the battle (roughly.)
Site Speed
Ah, the mothership of good web development. Site speed is everything. A fast-loading site can be the difference between a prospect hanging around to see what you’ve got to say, and bouncing at the first “site” of trouble. So when you’re adding video, consider things like uploading to a video platform like YouTube or Vimeo and then embedding the link. Vimeo makes it easy to edit the settings for your videos so that they embed clean on your site without any access logos or play controls.
Using links versus embedded mp4s on your site can improve your site speed drastically and give the entire site an overall better user experience.
Don’t Overdo It
Much like anything else in life, video isn’t always great if there’s too much of it. Avoid things like stacking videos on top of one another. Too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing, and it can be overwhelming to site visitors. If your site layout demands videos to be used close together (i.e. they may display at the same time on a desktop screen), then make sure you’re disabling any auto play features. This ensures that a visitor won’t have to listen to two blaring videos competing with one another (talk about a turn off.)
Optimize for Mobile
If you’re not super familiar with website design, than the term “UX” might not mean much. But it refers to the user-experience that your site provides for visitors. Over 40% of the average website traffic now comes from mobile devices, meaning that it is 100% imperative that your website looks and operates every bit as well on a mobile device as it does on a desktop.
Work with your web developer to make sure that the videos you’re incorporating on your site are optimal for the mobile design. In some cases, you may want to refrain from multiple videos on a single page, or change up the layout of multiple videos so that they present better on a mobile screen. Pay extra attention to background videos that may need to have their resolution changed to fit on a mobile screen. If you’re wondering how we know that… Don’t ask.
Listen, we love video. Love it. But when it’s not being used right, even we start to hate it. Take the extra step or two and don’t be those guys. If you’re having video professionally done, your production company can work with you on the different resolutions available for your video, and how to make sure it works perfectly for your specific site. A good production company, anyway!
