Videos And Web Design Video killed the radio star, and now it’s taking aim at text as well. The age-old fear that movies and TV could kill the reading experience may be exaggerated, but it is true that less and less people want to read on the internet. Instead, they want to see it move.
With YouTube being one of the most visited site in the world, it has become necessary for creators to include videos on their sites. Less text, more videos are the prevalent rule, as people tend to get bored quickly. Most people can’t hold back when they see the familiar YouTube play button on a site. As web designers there is no reason to hold back on supporting that urge. People want to watch videos, so lets give them videos. As long as they are short.
Micro-Video
With sites like Vine on the rise, social media is also turning to video. Vine offers seven second videos per post and while many may find this at first ridiculous, it is already possible to create movie trailers running only seven seconds – in stark contrast to the two to three minute trailers that seem to give away entire plots. Vine videos can also be posted on blogs and sites and while it is still a developing technology, there is no doubt it will increase in use and importance. In due time it and other micro-video sites will take their place among social media buttons.
Facebook is also adapting to the rise in video demand. Since smart phones are capable of playing, filming and uploading HD video footage, we can expect more videos on your friend’s Facebook pages instead of pictures — including embarrassing ones.
With the launch of Google Glass video steps even closer. Don’t listen to the personal privacy violation hype — Google Glass is not capable of filming all the time. The truth is filming drains the batteries quickly, as does the uploading. Google Glass is therefore less of a privacy concern than most might believe. When it comes to possibly invading your privacy, smart phones and tablets are still a lot more dangerous.
Making a site or blog video capable is a cinch. YouTube and Vimeo and other web video sites allow for embedding. Simply create the video and place it in the desired spot. Many have had success in putting a video right on the first page to give the client a visual welcome message. More videos throughout the site can increase the time visitors spend on a page, and that in turn is good for search engine ranking.
While text and images are still indispensable for a site to be ranked by Google, it shouldn’t be long before there is a way for videos to be individually searched and indexed. Eventually they will become an integral part of search engine results and people will rely more and more on just watching instead of reading.
We have seen the future, and it has a play button.