Whether you’re using video content to explain complex concepts, purely for marketing, or to create a brand identity, it’s important you’re adding it to your website.
There are a lot of specific ways you can use video on a site, and a large portion of your audience is likely to prefer it over written content.
Some of the many ways to use video on a site include:
- You can use it as your masthead. This will tell a story about who you are and what you do right away. The video can be the first thing that a site visitor sees, and you can set the tone for everything else they’ll encounter on your site.
- Explainer videos are a powerful part of a marketing funnel. Where you include an explainer on your site depends on what you’re trying to achieve. For example, maybe you add an explainer video to your homepage that’s encouraging visitors to take another action, like learning more or starting a free trial.
- Video testimonials serve as social proof, working well for the middle of your funnel. You can show how your real customers have found value in your products or services.
- Product pages are a way to communicate big chunks of information in a way that’s convenient and engaging.
So what about the specific benefits of including video on your website? We explore these in-depth below.
Convenience
People often feel busy and like their attention is being pulled in so many different directions. Getting someone to focus on written content is tough, and video is often more convenient. Your video can be short and to the point but get across a lot of information as well.
Search Engine Optimization
Google has been focusing a lot of attention on adding video-rich elements into different parts of their search engine results pages. As a result of these efforts, a lot of Google searches include video carousels.
Along with potentially being included in video carousels, videos can also improve your organic snippets because Google might grab a thumbnail of your video and put it within your organic listing.
Google tends to prioritize long-form content in a lot of searches, and that’s relevant to video too.
Along with helping your organic visibility, videos can also improve your on-page engagement. On-page engagement is a critical ranking factor. Google wants to give users the content that’s going to best meet their needs and answer their questions. One way it decides if that’s happening is by assessing how long people are interacting with your site and pages rather than leaving immediately.
A well-placed video can help people stay on your site for longer, signaling to Google that you have relevant, high-quality content.
Video can less directly have a positive impact on your SEO too. Quality backlinks are one of the top factors prioritized by Google in ranking content. The more quality and relevant links back to your site, the more authority you’re perceived to have. The more authority your site has, the higher it’s likely to rank in search results.
When you publish video content on social media or sites like YouTube, you can boost your rankings by growing the links back to your site.
From an SEO standpoint, when using video content, you want to optimize elements like the title of the video, the stages, and the descriptions.
Google owns YouTube, so if you create a channel on the platform and you host your video content there, then you’re probably also going to increase your search engine presence.
Creating a Personality
When you develop video content as part of your marketing, it makes it easier to infuse your unique personality into it, and this is how you set yourself apart from competition. You’re creating and strengthening the personality of your company and brand.
While you might have similar or even the same products or services as another business, what they can’t replicate is a unique personality that you create.
Video is powerful from this standpoint.
For businesses that operate mostly or entirely online, video content gives them a chance to create some of that connection and personal relationship building that they might not have the opportunity to do in person.
Videos can help with brand association much more easily than relying on blocks of text.
Engagement
Videos are simply one of the most engaging types of content, if not the most engaging. Online audiences love and often prefer videos, and the more time someone is hanging around your site and learning about you, the more likely they are to take the next step toward becoming a customer.
Product Showcase
A video is a good way to showcase your products or, potentially, your services. If you have a lot of product pages, or even if you don’t, it can be tough to communicate how your products work and what their benefits are. Written content isn’t always the best way to convey this type of information, whereas video can be.
You are showing instead of simply telling.
If you have complex products, this is especially critical for you to understand.
Better Website Experience
Videos on your site create a better overall experience. We’ve touched on elements of this throughout this guide
When you have a good website experience, it improves your search engine rankings and leaves people with a positive impression of your brand.
Reduced Sales Cycle
If you use video content on your website, you can reduce your sales cycle. For example, if someone were to land on your site and go through your pages, they might not find what they’re looking for, or they might feel confused.
If someone lands on your page and then immediately finds an informational video, it’s going to help cut down on confusion or the time they spend looking for information, and that can then take out some of the unnecessary steps of the sales cycle.
Finally, a general benefit of video content is that you don’t just have to use it on your website. You can use the same video content on multiple platforms, getting the most value from it.
