Did you ever think about a website as a tool of visual communication?

 In its essence, even the simplest website communicates some message. The layout of a web page, images, videos, text, and white space – all these elements are simultaneously tools of visual communication. After all, web design has always incorporated various media to engage visitors and make them spend more time on a website.

Today we will take a close look at the video as a media that’s becoming omnipresent on the world wide web. You can find videos everywhere running from platforms specializing in distributing video content such as YouTube to magazines, news, and personal blog websites.

How exactly is the video popular today? What role does it play in web design? How important is it to use video in web design? These are just some of the questions we’ll answer. You will also be able to find examples of video use in web design. Let’s get right into it, shall we?

Video Takes Over the Online Sphere

The best way to assess the popularity of video content is to dissect the entire consumer internet traffic. The latest projections tell us that online videos are going to dominate the internet by 2022.

The number of digital video viewers in the US 2018-2022. Source: Statista

More precisely, they will make more than 80% of all consumer internet traffic. Compared to the 2017 figure, that’s almost 15 times higher traffic.

Video is by far the most popular media among average internet surfers, with YouTube being the most popular platform. Here are just a couple of stats to paint the picture. There are over 2 billion monthly active users on YouTube. The platform is extremely popular across demographics, especially adults. Over 70% of adults in the US use YouTube. 

The popularity of video content resulted in a brand new digital marketing niche – online video marketing. Using videos to engage website visitors and convert them into prospective buyers is a go-to strategy for 71% of B2B marketers and 66% of B2C marketers. 

Video has become one of the pillars of delivering a great user experience. It resonates with people, delivers results, and it’s easy to add to a website. The customers’ behavior online and their expectations are changing. Today, more than 50% of consumers want to see more video content. 

All these stats tell one story – video takes over the online sphere at a rapid pace. The projections tell us that this trend will continue during the following years. Adding a video to a website is no longer an idea based on a hunch but based on data coming from multiple sources.

Types of Videos Used in Web Design

While rooted in best practices on one side, web design is also rooted in art on the other. Thanks to modern web technologies implementing video in web design today is significantly easier than it was a decade ago. Web designers are quite innovative when it comes to implementing videos in their designs. 

If you take your time to browse some of the most popular websites, you will soon discover that there is a pattern when it comes to types of videos. Here are the most commonly used types of videos in web design:

• Explainer video – explainer video is commonly called a homepage video or a landing page video. As the name suggests, it explains what a company does and offers in a quick and engaging way. Here’s an example of an explainer video created by Vidico:

• Corporate video – corporate videos are designed to communicate a message to a highly specific audience. They usually showcase brand values or a specific service or product.
• Animation – animations are great for telling a story through a character. They are a perfect fit for many web designers as they can be custom-tailored to reflect the look and feel of a website. 
• Motion graphics – motion graphics are as popular as animation due to the same reason. However, their use-case is somewhat different because they are used to efficiently convey data or information in an easy-to-consume way.
• Full-screen-size background video – full-screen-size background videos are becoming increasingly popular among web designers. While they are challenging to implement as they have to fit in with all design elements (colors, buttons, typography, layout) they can enhance the visual experience and delight the visitors.
• Podcast video – starting a podcast is really easy today with all the how-to start podcast guides out there. However, the very concept of podcasts as an exclusive audio experience has changed. Due to the popularity of videos, many podcasters started recording and publishing podcasts in video format on their websites.

The Function and Benefits of Videos

There are a couple of functions that both web design and videos share. However, they do bring unique functions to the table, thus complementing one another perfectly. That’s exactly why video content and web design synergy works so well in terms of user engagement and user experience. Here are some of the most noteworthy functions of the videos that synergize well with web design:

• Introduce – long product and service descriptions can bore visitors, concise and short videos offer an alternative to introductory copy; these videos have the function to introduce visitors to your brand, product, service, and future plans.
• Delight – if you have something interesting to communicate to your visitors, videos can help you delight them in a unique fashion. You can use it to announce big news, share interesting facts, or introduce them to some new service or product feature.
• Spark interest – videos can help add one extra visual element to your mix, thus sparking the interest and capturing the attention of the website visitors.
• Re-invigorate the design – the best example of this function is the previously-mentioned full-screen-size background video. It can breathe fresh air into a minimalistic design where there is a minimal number of elements on the website.
• Build trust – testimonial videos have the power to help companies build trust with first-time buyers; they can be seen across many websites offering a wide range of services and products. Here’s an example of a great testimonial video by Zoom and Slack:

We already shared with you that over 50% of consumers want to see more video content online. While this is an obvious benefit of having a video on a website, here are a couple more:

• Easy to tell a story – everyone loves a good story, and leveraging videos on a website can help you share just the right story with your audience or consumer base
• Reduce bounce rates – videos can attract visitors’ attention and make them want to stay and explore your website, significantly reducing bounce rates.
• Increase average time spent on page – engaging videos can help you interest your visitors and make them watch them until the end, thus affecting a vital SEO factor – average time spent on-page.
• Easy to convey a message – videos are the most efficient way to convey even the most complex messages.

Major Challenges in Implementing Videos

While videos and web design are a great synergy, implementing videos can be challenging. Some of the major challenges are:

• Where to put the video – there are two problems related to video location. The first is choosing a web page to put a video on. And the second one is where on the page to put the video. Many websites introduce videos on either the home or landing page. 
• Layout challenges – if a website is cluttered with elements, it can be really hard to find the right space to place a video, which often calls for a minor website redesign process.
• Color palette – color palette can be a problem if a web designer and video production agency don’t have the means to communicate. Working hand in hand with such an agency can help create stunning videos that perfectly fit the website design.
• Potential hosting issues – video files can be large, and some hosting plans have limited website traffic which can cause potential issues down the line.
• Responsive design – finally, web designers have to consider mobile experience as well. Implementing videos so they don’t negatively impact the experience can be challenging. 

Examples of Video Use

Enough with theory. Let’s see some video use cases and how they fit in the web design. 

Slow Mo

As a perfect example of a full-screen-size background video, we have Slow Mo. The video is perfectly incorporated in a minimalistic website design. It’s used to showcase every service and product the company offers.

Playground Inc

Playgorund Inc is an excellent example of how to leverage animation as a creative digital agency. Every animation on the company’s website clearly communicates the value of the firm’s services and the level of the team’s expertise.

Wave.video

Wave.video is a video maker and video hosting solution. The official website showcases a straightforward way of leveraging video and web design synergy. The video is embedded in the hero slider and complements the look and feel of the website. It’s one of those introductory videos that explain how the service works.

Conclusion

Video has become the most popular media distributed across various online channels. One of the main channels includes websites. As you can see, there are various types of videos that can be added to a website. 

Video content and web design create this powerful synergy capable of mesmerizing the visitors, sparking interest, and building trust. We are looking forward to seeing where the trend of videos being one of the vital web design elements will take us in the years to come.

About the author: Ogi Djuraskovic is the founder of FirstSiteGuide.com. On his website, he is trying to help people build a successful online business with the right mix of skills. Besides his online tutoring, he really enjoys offline activities, such as mount biking and walking his frenchie Jumbo.