Options for Adding Video to Your Homepage

Adding a video to the homepage of a practice’s website can be a great way to attract prospective patient attention and increase engagement.  

The two primary options for adding a homepage video are stock videos and custom videos.  I will cover the pros and cons of each option below.

 

Option #1 – Stock Video

If you don’t have a video theme already created for your homepage a stock video may be the right choice. It’s a great option for practices who don’t have the time and/or resources to shoot a completely custom video but still want the benefits a video opening can achieve. For example, Sesame partners with an external video platform to offer a large library of stock video content to choose from. 

It is considered a best practice to remove any sound from your video, as studies have shown that users can get annoyed by websites automatically playing sound when they are loaded, and this can decrease the amount of time a user spends on your site.

Themes 

A stock video can help establish the theme of your website, and picking the right video will help keep visitors on your website.  Stock videos typically do not have cuts and different angles, rather they function more like a moving photograph.  They are usually 10-15 seconds in length, and loop to the beginning automatically.  

Skyline or Landmark

If you live in an urban area, and have a modern, cutting edge design, then a video of your city skyline or significant landmark can establish an immediate sense of place for your users.  These videos typically have 1 slow, steady panning shot or drone footage. Here is a great example of a stock video that adds motion and establishes place without distracting from the content the user is there for. This is another good example of the “moving photograph” style of video.  

Stock videos such as these are typically only available for large urban areas and culturally significant landmarks. People who create and upload videos to shared online platforms often pick cities that are heavily populated to maximize the number of downloads they get.

If you are located in a more rural or suburban area and are unable to find a video of your town, or if the area you are in is not as important to emphasise for you, there are plenty of other options available.

Patients

People-focused stock videos are a good option for websites that want more smiling faces on their homepage. This approach provides a good opportunity to emphasize the patient-focused approach of the practice.  The following is an excellent example of a people-focused stock video that could be suitable for any location. Here is a good example of putting smiling faces with braces on your homepage as well.

For people-focused videos, finding a diverse group of people can sometimes be a challenge, especially if you are hoping to showcase multiple different demographics. Finding 2-3 different videos, or using pictures to represent the diversity you are looking for can often be easier than finding that one perfect video that hits all of your target audiences perfectly.

Nature

The final popular stock video option is a nature-focused video.  These types of videos lend a calm, relaxed, spa-like feel to a website and can put visitors at ease while researching something they potentially have anxiety about.  

Practices in Florida or Southern California often opt for a beach-themed video, like this one – while practices in a more mountainous area might opt for trees and hills like in this example. 

Option #2 – Custom Video

If you have the time and resources to create a custom video for your website, it can be a great way to introduce your practice to prospective patients right away with no reading required.  

Unless you have previous experience with shooting videos, we recommend hiring a videographer to create a video for you.  Homemade videos filmed on smartphones can work, but will not look as professional as a videographer-produced effort.

Before embarking on the journey of a custom video, you should know that the process can take as long or longer than your new website build, meaning a fair amount of time.  Scheduling time to shoot, getting permission from staff and patients, plus filming and editing can be a time-intensive process.  However, if done effectively the payoff can be worth the effort!

 

In short, the simpler choice for a homepage video on a new or existing website is to opt for a stock or already created option. However, a custom video can be a very effective way to draw prospective patients into your practice so consider that route if time and resources are less of an issue. 

If you’re unsure of which route to take or in need of related support please reach out to Sesame for additional information!

After deciding a homepage video is right for your new or existing website the next decision will be where and how to get that video. 

Also, if you’re interested in suggestions covering the most effective types of video shots + recommended aspect ratio please check out this post!

 

—Brennan Smallwood, Web Producer, Sesame Communications