What Web Designers Can Learn From YouTube Video Editing?

What We Have Covered in This Article

Last Updated on December 16, 2022 by Editor Futurescope

A web designer’s objectives are not only the creation of user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing visuals. The job is also about the competent placement of content that promotes a service or product or represents a brand. Using videos is an important part of it. 

It’s no secret that many web users today are more interested in imagery, especially videos, than text. Many things are easier to show than explain. 

Many YouTubers have been using their video editing skills to tell engaging stories for years now. It’s past time web designers learned their tricks.

Why Do You Need Video Content on Your Website?

Videos, or rather the creative combination of images and sounds, remain more imprinted in the recipient’s mind than text. The latter is often difficult to read on the web, especially if it’s very long. Our society has been accustomed for decades to television images, to stories that are created to fascinate viewers, but also to disseminate socially important messages.

Stories told with images and sounds are nothing new, not even those concentrated in a few seconds. 

There are several main reasons why video content might be beneficial for web design.

  • It engages users and makes them spend more time on the website. This will work even if website visitors don’t particularly like its design in general. The thing is video is easy to understand and if a product is interesting, they’ll view it. 
  • It saves space. A short video can easily replace a wordy and long-winded text description. You can use just a few words to concisely summarize or emphasize what it’s about.
  • It gets your website on the top of search results. Video content automatically makes websites more viewable. 
  • It increases credibility. Is it an original video made by a brand’s professionals? Does it contain information on the brand, the team behind it, or some behind-the-scenes information? All this turns a faceless business into something more human and understandable. It creates an illusion of close acquaintance.
  • It appeals to emotions. Even the simplest product can be presented in the coolest way possible. All you need is some attention-grabbing video imagery that evokes website viewers’ feelings.
  • It improves the mood and hence the loyalty. The more users like the video, the more popular and viral it is, and that’s basically free advertising and increased website traffic.

Any of these things can be boiled down to the core: increasing the effectiveness of the site. But this magic works under certain conditions. Simply adding a random video to a web page is not the solution.

How to Use Video Content for Web Design?

A single piece of video content can be equivalent to 2 million words. However, to ensure that it makes the right impression, there are certain factors to consider.

Corporate Identity

It’s important to use corporate colors, logos, and the overall mood associated with the brand. If there are captions, use fonts from the brand book. Even if you make the video specifically for your website, you should make sure your brand will still be recognizable in case this video gets posted on other platforms.

Video Length

Sure, if it’s a masterclass video or a detailed tutorial, it will last as long as necessary. However, even in this case, more than 60-80 minutes will be tedious. Short-form videos are preferable. If it’s introductions/information/advertising, 1-3 minutes is optimal. As for reviews and tips, up to 10 minutes would be enough. There’s no general rule of thumb because there can’t be one.

Adaptability

One of your tasks as a web designer is to make sure that video content looks good on all screens. Its size and loading speed matter too. Any website user must be able to play it easily on any device, at any time. It’s a good idea to post videos on YouTube and then embed them on your website: the platform makes videos highly adaptable. However, it might not always be suitable in terms of style and functionality.

Autoplay

Allow users to play videos when they see fit. Autoplay is not only annoying but can also be the reason why people might want to leave your website. 

It might make sense to use this feature if the sound is turned off by default. Obviously, this is appropriate when there’s a beautiful video they can watch without any sound and in any place. As a small improvement, you can add subtitles to video online so that users can understand what it’s about without audio.

Information Value

Don’t place any direct advertising in the video. If it’s just a video commercial, why watch it? This information will be in the actual ads and there are enough calls to action and offers on websites as it is. Your video content should either contain useful information or explain the benefits.

Original Content

It’s always better than stock videos. Original, authentic video content builds credibility.

But there is one important thing to consider: the video has to be of high quality. If necessary, hire a professional who knows how to make impressive videos, edit them competently, and at the same time comply with the style requirements and current trends.

Summing Up

There are many ways a web designer can use video content to enhance their projects and make the user journey and experience better. Just like you do with various images (whether it’s photography, icons, or animations), you should strive to use video in your projects to improve them. 

No matter what the video content in question is, it’s important that you think clearly about the message you want to deliver. While this may depend entirely on the brand, product, or service, use video just as carefully as any other element of your design.

Video is a great format for web design – in case you use it in a meaningful way and not just for the sake of it. You can always find inspiration by having a look at your competitors’ websites or YouTube videos. 

Editor Futurescope
Editor Futurescope

Founding writer of Futurescope. Nascent futures, foresight, future emerging technology, high-tech and amazing visions of the future change our world. The Future is closer than you think!

Articles: 857