How to Properly Use Video on Websites

Taken from: https://unsplash.com/photos/hGV2TfOh0ns 

Video is one of the most powerful types of web content that features high engagement rates, helps improve the site’s ranking, and greatly enhances the visitor experience. Today, the role of videos has changed a lot: apart from the commonly known as entertaining, it’s now used to promote, educate or support an audience in a variety of aspects. 

In this article, we’ll discover the key secrets that will help you to produce professional-like video content and make the most of it once it’s live. 

 

Best Practices of Implementing Video Content into a Website

#1 Keep Your Video Short and Straight to the Main Point 

The video should be placed on the front page, ideally above the fold so that new viewers don’t have to put a lot of effort into finding your video. Make your video stand out from the rest of the content, not just randomly placed on a page. 

Once the location is selected, ensure it comes with an exciting, bold headline that captures attention and a strong CTA, so that users know what to do after they watch your video. Finally, don’t forget to set up a custom thumbnail to make it more engaging and professional and let your customers know it’s really worth reviewing. 

#2 Add Captions or Subtitles

Add subtitles to video if you want to drastically improve the website engagement. According to recent surveys, 69% of users view videos with the sound off in public places, and 25% watch with the sound off in private places. 

To make your videos accessible regardless of the user’s environment, adding captions will be a thing. It also benefits people with special needs that cannot percept sounds in the usual way, therefore site owners can maximize the target audience pool.  

#3 Adjust for Mobile Users

Usually, when business owners create websites, they prioritize web users rather than mobile users. However, the majority of Internet users are landing on a website from their smartphones. In 2021, the number of unique mobile internet users stood at 4.32 billion, which means that over 90% of the global Internet population uses a mobile device to go online. 

Prioritizing your video to smartphones can surely enhance engagement rates and make your videos more convenient for smartphone reviews. 

#4 Avoid Background Videos

If combined with the actual video content on a page, background videos can take away the whole purpose of video content on a page. As a rule, it looks extremely overwhelming and distracting for the end-users, so they are less likely to hit the “Play” button. 

To prevent this, make sure the page contains a plain, transparent background that will bring emphasis to your video.

#5 Pay Attention to SEO Recommendations

Whether you’re taking your video to live on YouTube, Vimeo, or your own website, it’s always great to consider adjusting it to the SEO best practices. This way, the content you’ve posted will not solely be engaging, but also findable in search. These adjustments don’t affect the content of your video, but can instead drive more high-quality leads and reduce the bounce rates. 

Where Can You Use Video on a Website?

There are a variety of options where you can insert video content to enhance the website’s performance. And, depending on the page type, you’ll need to create specific content that uncovers a certain intention. Here are some common recommendations on what type of video content can be a good fit:

• Homepage – Explainer videos
• Product/Service page – Demo videos
• Landing page – Promo videos
• About page – Culture & Behind-the-Scenes videos
• Blog pages – Thought Leadership & How-To videos
• Customer story pages – Case Study videos
• Support portal pages – How-to videos
• Careers page videos – Culture videos

Summary

With these easy and simple video hacks, you’re more than sure to make the most of your video content! Still uncertain about that? 

Then, it’s time to get started with the practice!