7 Best Reasons to Include Video on Your Website

Have you ever opened a website and been blasted with loud music and a splashy video that immediately starts playing? Yeah, me too – and I hate it. That’s most definitely NOT the kind of video I’m talking about here.

Video can be a huge plus when used properly. But, as with any other digital tool, you need to know why you’re using it. Are you trying to educate viewers? Entertain them? Better communicate a complicated concept? Whatever the reason, keep that clearly in mind as you produce your video and decide where/how to use it.

As you think through whether or not to develop a video for your blog or website, consider these seven reasons why it might be right for you.

1. Different Strokes for Different Folks

People respond differently to different media. Some prefer to read their content, others to hear it, and still others to watch it. By including videos on your website, you’re broadening your reader base by providing content in a format that will appeal to more people than just the written word.

2. Video Lets Your Personality Shine

Video gives your viewers an opportunity to get to know you on a more personal level. There’s only so much personality you can convey through the written word. But with video, the “real you” can come across loud and clear, creating a more powerful connection with your viewers. More connection = more engagement = more subscribers, leads, customers, revenue, etc.

3. Video Increases Search Engine Rankings

The major search engines (like Google, Bing, and Yahoo) are increasingly including online videos in their search algorithms. If your video is tagged with the right keywords (you are using keyword tags, right??), it’ll show up in the search engine results. So not only can your website move up the rankings, so can the individual videos on your site.

4. YouTube is the #2 Search Engine

Surprising, but true – more people are searching for information on YouTube than on any other search engine but Google. But if you’re not on YouTube, they won’t find you.

How many of your competitors have videos on YouTube? I’ll bet it’s far fewer than have websites. So if you put out a couple of YouTube videos (linked to your website, of course), you’ll immediately have a leg up on the competition when it comes to being found online. And, don’t forget, YouTube is also a great video sharing site – if viewers like your video, they’ll share it with friends. So always include a link to your website on at least one page of your video.

5. Repurpose Great Content with Videos

You’ve already written tons of great content. You have how-to articles, product reviews, interviews, and more. And it’s probably taken you a lot of time and effort to create all of that content. Want an easier way to do it? Create a video.

Videos are one of the easiest types of content to repurpose. Here are some ideas that might work for you:

• Turn the audio into a podcast.
• Upload the presentation to SlideShare (and don’t forget to embed the slides on your LinkedIn and Facebook pages).
• Produce a transcript and offer it as an eBook.
• Write a blog post about the video content.
• Do a follow-up Q&A (written or video) from the comments or questions you get.
• Use snippets in a presentation.

Whatever you do, don’t just let your content sit there – repurpose it!

6. Be Different, Be Memorable

Video lets you stand out from the crowd. Think about it – how many of your competitors are using video? I’ll be you can’t even think of one!

So do something different, be special, stand out. Put a video on your website.

7. It’s Easy and Affordable

You may be rolling your eyes right now and thinking “Sure, I’ll add video to my website – right after I spend a fortune on video equipment and editing software!” Well, stop rolling your eyes. You probably have everything you need already in your hand and/or on your computer. Most smartphones come with video capability and, believe it or not, they generally produce video that’s high enough quality to put online. (TIP: shoot with a tripod or rest the phone on a stable surface to eliminate jiggle) Most computers have simple-to-use video editing software (like iMovie on a Mac or Movie Maker on a PC). And that’s all you need to get started. Yes, really.

So, what video content are you going to put on your website this week?