Video Website Design - How Videos Can Improve Your UX/UI

The latest study by Sandvine suggests that videos constitute a whopping 65% of internet traffic. A vast majority (94%) will watch an explainer video to understand how a product works, and 84% of them decide on making a purchase after watching. In addition, 70% of marketers agree that video ads perform better than other types of ads, and 54% say it’s the most valuable type of social media content. 

But what about video website design? 

Not that long ago, all it took for a website to rank well in search results was stuffing it with relevant keywords. These days, you need both amazing content and excellent web design if you hope to get organic traffic.

Videos can be a great way to improve on both of these points. Here are three reasons why you should invest in video content when looking to improve your site design:

‍1. Video boosts trust and credibility 

79% of surveyed buyers say they were convinced to buy a product after watching a video

2. Videos rank better in search results

Posts with video have a 53x higher chance of ranking top in Google. 

3. Videos encourage social shares

Video content generates 1200% more shares than text and image content combine

But it’s not as simple as embedding any old YouTube video on your site. If you’re going to do it, you should do it right. Here are our best video website design tips that will help you make the most out of your video marketing efforts.

Make sure videos don’t affect loading speed

Page load time is the time it takes for your page to appear after the user clicks on it.

Users today need 3 seconds to decide whether they will stay on your webpage or not. If you don’t provide them with fast-loading pages and video content they will not stick around long enough to hear your value proposition. 

Speed is crucial in attracting and retaining customers. When you’re building or updating your website, keep it simple and minimalistic. 

Additional features that don’t deliver value will weigh your website down. So will bad hosting and content delivery networks (proxy servers, data centers). Before you upload your video to your website, make sure it’s properly formatted.

Add a clear call to action

Information about your brand and value proposition should be clearly available on your website, but so should clear calls to action. To encourage visitors to spend more time on your website, you need to be direct with what they need to do next. 

Whether it’s a CTA button at the end of the video, or a verbal invitation to take action at the end of it - make sure you’re using your web video to prompt action.

Make videos shareable

Entertaining and relatable content that has managed to make users stick to your website is a win already. 

But what will help your brand awareness, even more, is social media platforms integration and social share buttons, strategically placed on each page of your website. 

If users see how easy it is to share content, and they find it useful or funny, they won’t hesitate to let others know about your brand. If you’re not sure how to host videos on a website, embedding YouTube or Vimeo video content is a great option. Not only is it easy and has a positive effect on your SEO, but it also allows users to share the videos with one click.

Optimize videos for mobile

With half of the world’s internet traffic coming from mobile devices, there’s no way you can make do without a mobile responsive site. Moreover, 60% of video content is watched on mobile , so one of the best video website design tips we can give you is to optimize videos. 

Here are some things to consider to ensure videos on websites are mobile-optimized:

1. Choose the right format: Select a video format that is widely supported across different mobile devices and browsers. H.264 is a commonly used format that offers good quality and compatibility.
2. Resolution and aspect ratio: Consider the screen sizes of various mobile devices. Opt for a resolution and aspect ratio that fits well on most mobile screens. Common resolutions include 720p (1280x720) and 1080p (1920x1080).
3. File size and bitrate: Balancing video file size and quality is important for mobile optimization. Use an appropriate bitrate to maintain good quality without making the file too large. Bitrate around 1-2 Mbps is often suitable for mobile devices.
4. Compression: Use video compression techniques to reduce file size while maintaining quality. Video editing software and online tools often provide options for compression. Be careful not to compress too much, as it can lead to visible quality loss.
5. Adaptive bitrate streaming: Implement adaptive bitrate streaming (like HLS or DASH) to serve different quality levels of the video based on the viewer's internet connection. This ensures smooth playback even in varying network conditions.
6. Mobile-friendly player: Choosing how to host videos on your website is an important decision. Use a video player that is responsive and mobile-friendly. HTML5 video players are generally well-suited for this purpose. 
7. Optimize thumbnails: Mobile users often see smaller versions of thumbnails. Ensure that your video's thumbnail is clear and conveys the content effectively even at smaller sizes.
8. Transcoding: If your video platform or website allows, consider creating multiple versions of the video in different formats and resolutions, so viewers can get the best experience based on their device and network conditions.‍
9. Test on real devices: Always test the optimized video on various real mobile devices and different browsers to ensure compatibility and smooth playback.

Types of video to use on your website

Now that you know how to create a good video, here are some types of videos that can greatly improve your UX design.

Web animations & animated videos

Web animations are ideal to grab the attention of users from the instant they get on your home page.

Consider implementing a welcoming animation that will entertain your audience in a non-intrusive way that will lead them to the information they’re looking for. 

For example, you can use a loading motion graphics animation to ensure users don’t bounce off pages that need long to load.

Longer animated videos will also do wonders when you’re trying to explain complicated and text-heavy ideas. This can be an awesome type of UX design video to help visitors understand your content more easily.

For example, here’s a great whiteboard video explaining Coca-Cola’s content strategy. It’s a common animation style which helps to visualize complex concepts and retain viewers’ attention.

On the other hand, we’re all familiar with RedBull’s whimsical animated ads/cartoons, that tell stories with surprising plot twists. This goes to show just how versatile motion graphics videos are.

Background video

Of course, if you design a video website you want your videos to be eye-catching. But sometimes you don’t actually need people to pause and watch your video from start to finish.

Background videos are a great way to make your homepage look unique, and create a powerful first impression. Simply use a video in the place of a traditional hero image.  

Sometimes, you can create your videos quite easily. For example, many architecture websites use footage of buildings that these architects have worked on. Alternatively, a basic stock video can also do the trick. 

Just look at how a simple video of a fire can ignite your appetite for wood-oven pizza (pun intended).

Case studies & testimonials

Case studies and testimonials are perfect for supporting your marketing efforts and delivering easy-to-digest content that helps your website visitors learn more about you. 

They are an effective way to build trust as they feature real people sharing their opinions on buying from or working with your brand. Testimonials are persuasive videos that showcase how others have already benefited from your services. 

Plus a testimonial video is much more effective in keeping your audience engaged and happy with the information they’re received visiting your website.

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Explainer & product demo videos

Studies show that 68% of people prefer to learn about a business, product, or brand through video. So, a tutorial or a video showing your product in action can really increase your conversion rates. 

Whether you sell everyday physical products or services, you ought to consider including a video like this one on your homepage.

Although an increasing number of people know what unlimited design services are, this video on our homepage still helps potential customers get to grips with the benefits of this flexible and affordable model of graphic design services.

How to create a professional video for websites? You can always get someone from your team to record it, or it’s pretty easy to find a skilled freelance video creator to do it. 

Blog video

Last, but not least: how can a website with videos can boost your content marketing efforts? It’s no secret that YouTube is one of the most popular search engines, even if it wasn’t conceived as one. Online videos also have one of the highest engagement and share rates of all other types of content.

What this tells us is that while a great blog post can help your website rank, videos make your audiences engage. Embedding or sharing someone else’s video in your blog is always a simple and effective route.

However, if you have the resources, creating custom and informative videos to accompany your blog posts is definitely a level up. 

For example, in this blog post about using AI for customer service, Hubspot added one of their videos about AI in general, as a nice way to introduce the topic. 

To Wrap Up

A pleasant user interface and exciting user experience are essential for an engaging website. But when you design a video website, you’ll be able to take your user experience to the next level.

Videos create immersive journeys that grab the visitor’s attention and they are easy to implement in various website designs. They focus on the users and guide them through unforgettable brand stories.

Our tips on improving your website’s UI and UX designs will give you a stepping stone on being effective in your video content strategy. marke

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