Homepage Videos: A Guide to Captivating Your Audience

As consumers are getting more comfortable with online shopping and purchases, it won’t be wrong to say websites are now brand representatives. So having an attractive website can do wonders for your business.

And as websites often describe the tone and the quality of a brand, the home page is an element that defines the tone and quality of the website. Therefore it is important to have a homepage that not only attracts visitors but also creates an everlasting impression. After all, often - “First impression is the last impression.” And hence you might have brands often use various elements to make their homepage more attractive - like, some use the brand logo, and product images, or display testimonials using Google review widget, or showcase brand-related announcements, and more.

But we all can agree that visual-based content has more power to engage audiences and attract traffic. And when we talk about visual-based content - videos have supremacy. Even the studies from Hubspot show that 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support.

Brands are highly emphasizing having a video on their homepage and even consider it as the latest must-have in marketing. Many studies even confirm this claim, as studies show that the average conversion rate for websites using video is 65% more than websites that aren’t using it.

A study from Forbes shows that average users spend 88% more time on a website with video. The same studies reveal that 90% of consumers state that video helped them make purchasing decisions. So, videos are not only an attractive tool but are an effective source for getting desired results.

Considering videos are the perfect solution for your home page, here is a guide that helps you understand this strategy better and more broadly. In this blog, you will learn how you can add videos to your website homepage, types of videos, how they are helpful, and what to consider while uploading videos on the homepage. So read it until the end because this blog offers a lot.

How Can You Add Videos To Your Website Homepage?

There are several different ways that you can upload your videos on your homepage, but for your convenience and ease, here are some simplified ways to do it.

While adding videos to your homepage, you can either use the self-hosted video on the website or your third-party video hosting platform to showcase your videos.

#1. Adding self-hosted video

To add a self-hosted video on your website, the process may differ depending on the service you have used to design and host your website, but the basics remain the same.

To add a self-hosted video to your website homepage, you upload it to your website server. The steps to upload the video remain the same as you would follow to upload an image file.

One of the major benefits of using this technique is that you have full control over your content; hence, you don’t have to worry about third-party organizations’ terms and services. Also, it ensures that your video is ad-free.

However, this method has certain disadvantages, like video tends to be large, which can be a massive strain on your server and storage limits. And it might happen that your videos might load slowly or might freeze, which can create a negative effect.

#2. Adding videos third party hosted videos

The most common way to showcase videos on your website is by using third-party hosted videos. There are ample platforms that provide the option to their users and even provide the facility where they can embed videos wherever they want.

Popular platforms that allow users to upload videos are YouTube, Vimeo, StoryXpress, Facebook, and Instagram. There are various other social media platforms as well that provide the same facility. And hence you might have noticed many brands are opting to embed social media feeds on their respective websites.

Types Of Videos You Should Add To Your Homepage

Videos on your homepage should set the tone for the visitor experience. And you can set the tone by using videos that have different roles and possibilities. And here are some popular categories of videos.

#1. Explainer videos

This can be considered the most popular option for the video to showcase on the homepage. A recent study shows that 62% of businesses say their homepage explainer video is effective.

Explainer videos are basically types of videos that help consumers to understand your products and brand. And while having explainer videos keep two major tactics in your head.

Firstly, address the pain point. That means your product or service might be new to your visitors, and they might have no or less knowledge about your brand. So, it is your job to tell them about your product or service and explain all about it. So make sure your video suggests the solution to viewers and also shares how your product can change their lives.

Secondly, explain why your brand is different from others. Consumers are spoilt for choices; they have ample options for any particular product or service. So when they land up on your website, make sure that your video helps them to differentiate your product from your competitors. You can use this opportunity to win customers and make them differentiate your brand from others.

#2. Demonstration

It is kind of an extension of the explainer video. On the one hand, you can have an explainer video where you try to explain about your product and services to your customers.

It works as an introduction to your brand; while on the other hand, demonstration videos help viewers to know how they use the product. In simple terms, demonstration videos can be categorized under “how-to” videos.

You can showcase the steps to your product or even display the different use cases of the same. While making demonstration videos, make sure that you flaunt your unique features. You know your biggest selling and hook point to showcase them and win customers.

#3. Brand videos

Brand videos work great with potential customers or customers who are well aware of the brand. Here you can showcase your creativity and make a video that makes the customers understand why your brand can be their reliable partner.

You can also run advertisements and commercials that attract the attention of your audience and help them to know about your brand. It helps you to connect with your audience and also makes them relate to your brand.

#4. Social media videos

Social media is now an important part of the lives of many. People often scroll through various social media platforms as part of their routine. Many often discover any particular brand with the help of social media.

While social media can help your brand increase the reach of your brand, you can even use feeds from these platforms for your website.

Videos from social media platforms not only help to improve the overall look and feel of your website, but also help you to introduce your brand’s social media presence to your audience.

We all can agree that many consumers often determine the quality and reputation of a brand based on their social media presence. And as your website visitors will know about your presence on these platforms, you can expect to get more followers.

And talking about your homepage, social media videos often work as social proofs or even help to convert your visitors. You can showcase videos from your customers to prove your brand's authenticity or even videos from your own profile.

How Videos On Homepage Can Be A Helpful Tool For Your Brand?

The play button is your most powerful call-to-action move. It is more likely that people would like to see a video rather than read tons of text on your website. It opens a whole new world of opportunity for you, allowing your brand to grow. It also helps in the following ways:

#1. Improves ranking and has a positive impact on SEO

Google and further search engines value websites with videos. What made us say that? - Because Google pays close attention to the “time on page” metric. And when you will have videos on your home page, it is more likely that viewers might stay hooked on the page, hence reducing the bounce rate of the page. It eventually helps in improving the search engine ranking of your website.

#2. Videos build trust

Trust is an essential part of any business to sustain. A business without trust is like a ticking bomb that might explode anytime and collapse anything. Videos can help you in building that trust.

Just like the Google reviews widget helps consumers to know about the user experience and can help them in decision making. Similarly, videos help them know about the product's usage and problem-solving element. With videos, they can understand the product and even know how it can change their lives.

#3. Stands out from competitors

Videos are a great way to humanize your product and brand and connect your website with your visitors. With videos on the homepage, you can even stand out from the crowd.

A lot of businesses are still in a loop or in a dilemma to use video for their website or not. Hence providing you with a head start to stand out from the crowd. Also, today or tomorrow, brands would understand the importance of videos for their website; this is where you get an edge over them.

#4. Videos provide better browsing experience

Consumers are more likely to remember videos than the content they read. As we are all aware of the universal fact that visual-based content stays fresh in the minds of the viewer’s more compared to the content.

It also provides your viewers with a better understanding and browsing experience.

#5. Makes website more engaging

Videos tend to engage more viewers compared to written content. People would prefer watching videos and hence are more likely to stay hooked to the video content.

Moreover, if your videos are explanatory or demonstration videos, people are likely to watch the content to understand the product better and eventually make their buying decision.

#6. Improves overall look and feel of website

There is no denying that visual-based content has more potential to attract audiences and even hold them for a long time. Visuals also help in improving the overall look and feel of the website.

It improves the charm of the website and makes it look more appealing to the audience. And we all know that a good-looking website can do wonders for your business. It creates a positive impact and eventually helps in building a brand reputation.

What To Consider When Uploading Videos For Website Homepage?

While adding videos to your website keep the following points in your mind. As it helps to capture maximum attention and gather utmost benefits from the strategy.

The length of the video should be short - The video should be short and to the point. People would like to invest less time in the video, hence make sure that your video is brief and provide much-needed information. Also, people have less attention span hence bite sized videos might also work, but make sure the video explains your brand and product.

Make your point clear - Be precise and specific on what purpose you are serving and what features can be beneficial for your consumers. It provides a clear mindset to the customer success and even helps you in converting them

Position of the video - the video should be either on the top or in the center of the page. As these are the most visible sections for any page. You can also use different tools to track user activity and understand the behavior of your visitors and understand where they spend their time on the page. And you can position the video accordingly.

There you have it - a simple and brief guide on using video for the homepage. Homepage videos have great potential for the brand as they might help your brand to reach business goals.