If you run a website and are engaged in any kind of online commercial or economic activity, then you probably already know that the bare-bones content of the site is not quite enough to ensure traffic and engagement. Everything needs to be both aesthetically and SEO optimized. Or, in other words, your website needs to look great, be easy to use, and be simple to find on search engines.
One type of website content that can aid with all of this is video content. Across all types of websites and eCommerce endeavors, video content is common. There is a good reason for this.
If the website you run specializes in video content, then obviously incorporating that content properly is essential. Videos are often hosted on specialized video platforms and then embedded onto the website. This needs to be done properly in a way that looks good, allows the video to be viewed in the proper dimensions, and doesn’t dominate the overall aesthetic of the website.
However, as mentioned, video content is, more often than not, incorporated into all sorts of different websites. For example, it is not entirely uncommon for an eCommerce site to supplement its products with videos explaining how they work, or a video blog about other topics that shows the products in use or simply promotes the company brand.
Even though they are not text, videos can very certainly be optimized for SEO. Sacramento website design company Peak Design also notes that web design for videos is a whole subdiscipline. Videos look a certain way, and you want them to complement your website’s overall aesthetic, not detract from it.
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Benefits of Including Video on Ecommerce Sites
Before getting on to some website design tips specific to videos, it is worth saying a bit more about why videos are such a good idea for eCommerce sites.
For one thing, a video can boost a site’s SEO reach. There are all sorts of attendant text that goes along with a video, such as a video’s title and description. Furthermore, if you include a video transcript of some sort, then the video becomes more searchable by SEO bots, something that can have it found easier on search engines.
Furthermore, videos are perfect for customer education, specifically about your brand or products. A good tip here, however, is not to create videos devoted specifically to the products or services that you offer, but videos that are interesting in their own right yet include your products or brand in some way.
Tips for Incorporating Videos
Here follows some web design tips for videos:
Position Videos Prominently (Above the Fold)
Any page on your site that incorporates a video should position it right at the top, underneath the title. The description can go below. Quite simply, the video needs to be one of the first things visitors see.
Pad the Video with a Block Color Space
Usually white or black, the background of the video should not be busy with any other type of content. If there are other things on the website, you can pad the video with blank spaces of block color to make it stand out.
Optimize for Mobile Viewing
One of the best things you can do for your video content is to ensure it will be viewed well on a mobile device (without going full screen). A great many marketing videos today are shot in the smartphone portrait orientation for precisely this reason.
Video content is nearly always a boost for a website, and is sometimes essential. When you incorporate videos, therefore, it is important to consider them as just another part of website design.