We’ve already discussed how having a video on your website is great for SEO because it increases average time spent on your website and lowers your bounce rate. And studies have found that videos can increase conversions by as much as a mind blowing 80%.

So, you know having a video is good for your business, but there’s more to it than just getting one made. You also have to present it well to get people to click on it. Positioning, page design and calls to action all matter. Of course you should do your A/B split testing to find out what works best, but here are five best practices for using a video on a landing page that will give you a headstart when designing a page to host your video.

Find the Balance Between Standing Out & Fitting In

Some companies go the route of just having their video above the fold taking up the most of the page, while others prefer to have it along the side or even below the fold in a less conspicuous way. And others don’t even bother having it on the page, instead opting to have a player pop up when a button is clicked.

Either route is fine and which one you choose will depend on how important watching the video is. If the video is the main component of the page and the visitor will get everything they need to know from watching it, you’ll obviously want to make it a featured part of the page.

On the other hand, if the video just complements other information on the page — like if it explains a single product or service of your business — you will likely want to opt for a more subtle approach. If you don’t have your video as the main feature on your page, you’ll want to make sure people know it’s there, but also have it fit in with the design of the page.

Wilburn Medical opted for the first approach, as the video provides all the information a visitor would need about its corporate wellness and biometric testing equipment and supplies.

Diffeo, which prefers a clean, simple design, has opted to feature a “How does it work?” button that causes a player to pop up and play their video. This allows the company to keep the slick design of their page intact while also giving people a clear indication of where to find more information.

Banyan has decided to feature the video on their landing page (but it still pops up in a player) while still maintaining a cleaning looking design. With a good amount of whitespace surrounding the video, it easily stands out without looking out-of-place on the page.

CTA and Page Info Should Match

The surrounding page information should match the call to action. If your video is a general overview of something, the surrounding page information should also be a general overview of the company. And if your video is explaining a specific promotion, the surrounding page should also be talking about that specific promotion. It would be jarring for the viewer if the page was describing one thing and the video was talking about something else.   

SportUnleash organizes its landing page well. The company has a couple of different videos. One explains the overall concept and is matched on the page with an accompanying paragraph while the other specifically explains the physical tests conducted and is paired with content on the page that addresses that subject.

Provide Incentive to Watch the Video

Many companies simply post their video on their landing page and hope the play button will give people enough of a push to watch it and often it does. A lot of people will instinctively click the play button when they see one.

However, it doesn’t hurt to give people a little nudge, a pre-CTA, if you will. A “Watch our video” or “Click for more information” is a clear and simple call to action that can help get people viewing your video, which may lead to them following the CTA in the video itself.

Drobo uses a number of videos on its homepage as a way of introducing visitors to its various products. The entire page is to give visitors a general overview of what Drobo is and the products it offers and each video has its own “Watch the Video” CTA.

Start Simple

Designing a landing page isn’t super complicated, but sometimes people can get caught up in the details like where to place all the elements, what fonts to use, how everything should align and where the content should be showcased.  

As a general rule for any landing page, you should keep things simple and use your white space intelligently. If you want your video to stand out, it’s best to give it room on the page so it’s not crowded and lost within a bunch of content. Start with a lot of space around your video and add elements in a way that keeps the video in its own space so it stands out nicely.

Food Enforcer went ultra simple with their design, only putting seven words, their logo and the video (with a unique call to action in the form of a ring emanating outward from the play button, enticing visitors to click on it) over a background photo.  

Encourage Sharing

As long as you’re nudging people with CTAs, you might as well also give them a nudge in the form of a CTS (call to share). Making the video easy to share by including social sharing buttons will ensure that it is shared more than if the buttons were absent. Visitors might know a friend or acquaintance who would appreciate your product or service and giving them a quick and convenient way to share the video will make sure that friend or acquaintance gets to see your video, too.

Even if you follow every bit of advice, it’s a good idea to have two or three versions of your landing page that you can test against each other to see which one gives you the best conversions. Click here to schedule an appointment with WizMotions to see how we can help you make the perfect business video to feature on your website. (The landing page is up to you, though.)