The whole point of having a website is to keep your readers engaged. Though not always necessary for the initial creation of display ads, it is no secret to anyone that video content opens the door to a certain level of active engagement that still imagery simply cannot compare to. We are, of course, creatures of observation. And when visually-abled consumers see a video on their digital feed, they are far more likely to remember how they felt while watching your video than anything else they may come across. There is no question here. The use of video on your website can leave your users with an incredible impression… but it is just as important to note that without optimizing your video prior to publication, you can risk alienating your audience just as quickly as you could have won them over.
If you already added video to your website, you may be wondering if there is any way to improve your conversion rates. The answer to this is simple: You need to optimize everything. Not just your website, but the videos as well! Videos are shared more than any other kind of digital content to date, and if mobile users have to wait for that content to load, there is a good chance you could be robbing your own customers of the ability to view your content. These next steps will help you prepare for that very eventuality.
With that in mind, you may be wondering… where do we begin?
As your team works together to ensure a smooth and efficient user experience, it is important to take every step possible to optimize your website – which often requires the implementation of an annual SEO audit. If you are not sure how to do this, read our in-depth guide on how to begin the process of optimizing your website. Your website will not be able to effectively support any high-resolution content without it.
No matter what your video looks like in the end, most quality files are simply way too big once they have finished being rendered. This is an issue with mobile-users in particular, as poor internet and limited bandwidth can quickly cause video content to pause and look unnecessarily “glitchy.” This is the most common problem when new web designers add video content to their websites. If this sounds like something you are dealing with, we would recommend the use of data compression tools to keep your customers from running away.
One data compression tool we recommend would be HandBrake, one of the most popular free conversion tools designed for Mac-users specifically. HandBrake is designed to compress your video, while still maintaining its original quality. There are a variety of other data compression tools you might consider as well, so feel free to browse around for one that works for you. Once you’ve converted your files into a smaller format, your page will immediately show improvement in its loading speeds. In addition to that, it will help visitors to use less data while they choose to visit your site; which will be kinder to those viewers of yours who do not have access to unlimited data on their mobile devices.
As you will probably have guessed, this all depends on the purpose and placement of your content. Are you showcasing an intro video designed to be a minute or longer in duration? Than it would fine to simply showcase that video. Are you hoping to play this content continuously so as to spice up the graphic design of your website? Then we would recommend a short video that will be able to loop seamlessly. As engaging as video can be, you do not want to overwhelm your mobile-users as they scroll through your website for more accessible content. Keep it simple, and your users will thank you for it.
When the internet first took the world by storm, the possibility of “streaming” was quite literally inconceivable. Before, consumers everywhere had to wait for full video files to download completely before they could view them. Now, with streaming technology so readily available, your video files can be delivered in bite-sized pieces. With this in mind, we would highly recommend the incorporation of streaming services if you wish for your content to load quickly and easily.
If you do not care for quick streaming services, the use of a Content Delivery Network (CDN) may be precisely what you are looking for. If you wish instead to house larger files for exclusive download on your website, this is the way around this. CDNs are an established collection of servers that store cached copies of your website’s assets; and in this case: all your larger video files. CDN’s allow your content to come from the nearest on your network server so as to ensure faster content delivery. This can be perfect for larger videos so your audience does not have to wait for your web content to download and buffer before viewing, and will inevitably improve your website’s performance as a rule.
Imagine you are shopping at the grocery store. If you walk up to the cashier and neither of you speak the same language, your mutual inability to communicate will inevitably put a roadblock in your shared shopping experience. This is how it feels when our multimedia content is not converted to HTML5 supported formats.
It is absolutely essential that your video files, once converted, do not cause further problems when they are opened up via browser. Check your video settings before uploading to ensure that this all too common oversight has been remedied.
Featuring video content will absolutely help to keep your users engaged, but it all depends on how you use it. As long as you remember to optimize your video files, your new content should have minimal impact on loading speeds and site performance. If you wish, you may choose to experiment with your newly compressed and HTML5-formatted content, placing different videos in different places all over your website. You do not want it looking too cluttered, of course, but once you have opened this door, we encourage you to put these tools to good use.
The goal is to encourage your audience to interact with your website. To explore every part of your work with ease as they familiarize themselves with what you have to offer. Video optimization is absolutely key to this process. And if you have any other questions on how to put these steps into action, we would be happy to help you do so.
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