Be Careful With Background Video On Your Website Homepage
When you combine continually decreasing costs to produce video content with more and more marketing agencies and video editors being competent in delivering compelling videos in more sectors, it may seem like a no-brainer to use video as a background in the “hero” (top) section of your website homepage.
Indeed, Abmatic AI’s blog points to these reasons for why your business should seriously consider this tactic:
Increased engagement and visual appeal
Improved user experience
Better storytelling opportunities
Increased dwell time and reduced bounce rate
Ability to convey complex information visually
Better brand recall
Improved SEO ranking
Increased conversion rates
Better mobile experience
Increased social media sharing and referral traffic
All of these benefits are possible. But they hinge on you executing a video background the right way.
In my work, I look at many types of business websites, including increasingly more that use a video background on their homepages. Here are three tips I’ve gleaned from homepages that do it in the most thoughtful, marketing strategy-fueled way:
Avoid video that uses quick cuts for most, if not all, cuts. Many video providers who are more amateur — because they don’t have many years of experience, in-depth technical knowledge, or both — push videos onto their clients that look like football game highlight reels. You know this type of video when you see it. The editor jams action into each shot, and the video is action after action, where after a while, it becomes hard to know what’s even going on. A better approach for most businesses is fewer shots (cuts) where the action moves slowly to moderately — so that a new visitor can easily tell what’s happening all the way through the length of the video.
Clearly show what your business does and, if possible, establish it as a hero in your visitor lead’s story. For example, if you’re a consultant, you’ll be well served by showing you working with clients in all the settings in which you make yourself available — one on one in person or over Zoom, group events, speaking gigs, etc.
Use cinematography that aligns with your brand. The main type of video background that I see is black and white; almost film noir. On the one hand, when the video editor is working with the webmaster, it makes sense to jump to this style, since you can put text and a call to action on top of it, and avoid having all three elements compete with each other. But on the other hand, if your logo and branding consist of bright colors and convey a fun feel, that’s going to go against the grain of a film noir-type background video.
Four website homepages that use background video well
Here are some homepages to inspire you if you’re considering redesigning your own homepage hero section. The first three are companies in the marketing space, and the last one is a financial services provider.
Looking for help redesigning your homepage (or entire website)?
I know some exceptional video editors and web designers. Reach out to me for referrals.
