Should You Use Video in Your Site Design?

As web designers, we all set out to design something unique and innovative to separate our clients from the pack. They often ask about the use of video in websites—whether it’s in a player or playing in the background on the home page. While video marketing in itself can be a successful power play, we review several pros and cons with clients so they can make the best decision. If you’re in the website design process, here are some video pros and cons to consider.

Advantages of Video Marketing

Creating a series of videos for your website can be a lucrative investment for your brand. Here are some of the biggest reasons why we encourage a professional implementation of this marketing strategy.

Video Can Help Long-Term Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is usually a big factor in creating a new website. Beautiful, informative websites reel in audiences, keep them there, and eventually lead to purchases. The more positive attention your website gets, the greater it will start to rank on search engines.  Great video marketing can bring in traffic and keep your audience engaged! Continuous engagement means more site sharing, more traffic, and more Google recognition.  With an excellent video on your website, you could easily start out with a big bang!

Mass Audience Appeal

YouTube has shown us all that video content is a powerful way to engage with diverse audiences. Not everyone gets as excited about written content like our writers do. For many in your audience, video marketing may be a more entertaining way to soak in your content.  Adding a video to your website gives it a sense of welcoming that lets guests with different content preferences know your brand sees them!

Video Adds a Personal Level to Your Brand

Strategic video marketing allows you to reach your audience at a personal level and builds trust between your brand and your target customer. Your website may be informative, but your audience will feel an even deeper connection if you have an engaging face or personality that represents your brand. 

Disadvantages of Video Marketing

While videos may sound like a great website feature, there may be another side to the decision. Consider the following disadvantages before you yell “action” on the set of your shoot.

Unprofessional Production Increases Bounce Rates

A low-fi video that is visually unappealing can negatively affect your SEO. Your audience will know that you haven’t put the time and effort into creating your custom video for your website. This will leave them doubting the quality that you put into your products and services. It may not be your fault that the video didn’t turn out the way you envisioned it, but an unprofessional look can quickly increase your bounce rate and decrease the amount of clicks that your site receives as word of your poor video quality gets around.

You Run the Risk of Losing Attention

Keep in mind that it isn’t just the quality of your video that could push an audience away. The average person’s attention span for a business-related video isn’t long. According to a post from Vidyard, many viewers will watch a complete video on websites if it is shorter than 60 seconds. The poll also indicated that the majority of people aren’t interested in long-form videos.  Search engines don’t like to see “bounces”, or site visits that only last a short time. So, regardless of how sleek or informative your video is, if your video causes users to bounce, it may actually hurt your search engine optimization efforts.

Your Content Isn’t Tailored to Your Audience

You may have a vision for your video that is great in your eyes but goes completely over your target audience’s head. In turn, this will hamper the effectiveness of your video. Remember, it’s not about what you think an audience wants; it’s about what they actually want! So, perform your research, meet with your development team, and find out what it is that your audience wants from your brand. From there, create a short, informative, and entertaining video that speaks directly to your consumer.

Create Professional, Attractive Videos for Your Site with Big D Creative

The team at Big D Creative strives to help bring every brand’s vision for their website to life. If you decide that video marketing is the way to go, our creatives are eager to help you create something professional, informative, and entertaining.  Contact us today to learn more about our web development and design services or to schedule your free consultation with a member of our team.