Website video 101: how to use video content on your site.

If you’ve been anywhere near the internet lately, you’ll have seen that video is big news. Whether it’s short, snappy TikTok videos or polished product explainers, video is everywhere. Why? Because it works.

Video grabs audience attention. It helps you communicate information clearly. And it creates an emotional connection between your brand and potential customers. So it makes sense that website video is proving more popular year on year.

We know that video content is effective. But what kinds of videos should you make? Where should you put them? And how do you add videos to your website without slowing it down?

In this guide, we provide all the answers to your website video questions. We’ll be exploring the following:

• The value of a website video
• Types of website videos (and where to put them)
• Balancing video quality and site speed: choosing the right formats and codecs
• How to add a video to a website
• Final tips for using video on websites

The value of a website video

Before we dive into the practicalities of getting videos on websites, let’s look at why creating and embedding a video is a good use of your time. Here’s why website video is a must-have feature for your site.

1. It grabs and holds audience attention

In 2025, attention spans are shorter than ever. Visitors decide in seconds whether to stay on your site or click away. A website video helps you grab and hold their attention. 84% of video marketers say video has helped keep visitors on their website longer.

2. It builds your brand

A great website video doesn’t just share information. It brings your brand to life. It tells users — in seconds — who you are and what you stand for. Video content is also memorable. So your brand is more likely to stick in the memory of website visitors.

3. It’s shareable

Once you have a video on your website, it’s really easy to repurpose it. You can reuse your video as part of your content marketing campaigns, sharing it in emails and across social media. Users also find it easy to share your video content, increasing its reach and driving traffic from multiple channels.

4. It explains complex stuff clearly

A well-placed video simplifies website information. It gives users brand and product details in a quick and digestible format. So whether you need to demonstrate how your product works or explain a complex process, video is an excellent way to give customers the information they need to make a purchasing decision.

5. It drives conversions

Video content on e-commerce websites increases conversions. The average conversion rate for websites that feature video content is 4.8%, compared to 2.9% for sites that don’t feature video. Whether you include explainer videos, customer testimonials or product demos, videos are a handy selling tool.

Types of website videos (and where to put them)

Now that we’ve covered all the reasons website videos are a useful addition to your site, let’s talk about the kinds of videos you might like to create.

You can choose between live-action and animated videos.

• Live-action videos create a sense of relatability and authenticity. By including actors, real customers or team members, you foster an emotional connection with website visitors, too.
• Animated videos don’t require actors, film equipment or a location so they’re much cheaper to create. They’re also easy to update as your brand and offering evolve.

If you’re unsure which type of website video is right for you and your audience, speak to your web design and development company. They’ll be able to advise on costs and which type of video content best suits your needs.

Whether you choose live-action or animation, here are six website videos that will work wonders for your site.

Explainer videos

When users land on your homepage they see a lot of information — about your brand, products and services, case studies and company backstory. It can be hard for users to process everything you’re telling them.

A sleek 30-second explainer video offers website visitors a simpler alternative. It also gives you greater control over the user experience.

Instead of leaving users to scan and skim their way through your website content, you get to decide the order in which they hear essential information. This can make your web page more effective and persuasive.

Where to put explainer videos:

• your home page
• product or service pages (when there’s lots of technical detail to share)

Product videos

On an e-commerce website, product videos can make a real difference to your conversion rate. In fact, it’s one of the product page best practices we recommend to our clients.

There are two approaches to product videos.

You can create product videos that present product features and functionality. This type of video shows your product from all angles and complements the images and product descriptions you already have in place.

Alternatively, you can create a lifestyle product video that shows your product in use in a real-life situation. This type of product video helps shoppers visualise what life might look like if they go ahead and buy your product.

Where to put product videos:

• product pages
• relevant landing pages

Video case studies and testimonials

Case studies and testimonials are powerful website trust signals. They show site visitors that your product or service is rated highly by others. This makes them more likely to buy from or do business with you.

Create a video case study or testimonial and you make your reviews more human and believable. Users get to hear what customers think of your brand and products in their own words.

Some of the best video case studies we’ve seen also include soundbites from the team members involved in the project. So the viewer gets to hear from your experts and your customers at the same time.

Where to put video case studies and testimonials:

• a dedicated “Testimonials” or “Customer success stories” page
• embedded within relevant product or service pages
• a landing page

Video FAQs

Video FAQs answer the most common questions your customers ask. They’re a form of self-serve customer service that users can access at the point of need.

These short videos make customer support feel more personal and engaging. They’re helpful for users who prefer visual instructions over text. They can also reduce the number of support tickets your team receives, freeing them up for other tasks.

Where to put video FAQs:

• on a “Help centre” or “Contact” page
• as embedded pop-ups near relevant sections of your website

Behind-the-scenes videos

Behind-the-scenes videos let users see the inner workings of your business. They’re a way to showcase your company culture, values and team — and to humanise your brand, telling your story in a relatable way.

This type of website video can be useful for employer branding and recruitment. It’s also handy for customers interested in your ethical and environmental performance. Rather than sharing reams of text, you can add a website video that explains how your business supports people and the planet.

Where to put behind-the-scenes videos:

• “About Us” or “Our Story” page
• your recruitment page
• your homepage if your values are a major selling point

Hero section video

Hero section videos are large, eye-catching videos that play as soon as a user lands on your homepage. These videos appear above the fold (the part of your website that users can see without scrolling). And they can be used as a background or as the primary focus.

These videos create a strong first impression. They provide an immersive and emotional experience for users, taking them on a journey and introducing them to your brand.

Where to put a hero section video:

• your home page
• a landing page

The value of a website video

We recommend putting website videos on any site. But there’s just one drawback to bear in mind.

Video files can be hefty, which means — without careful formatting — they risk slowing down your website. That’s where choosing the right video formats and compression tools (codecs) is essential.

The best file formats to use

The best video file formats in 2025 are WebM and MP4.

WebM has the edge when it comes to high video quality and small file sizes. But it doesn’t work across as many browsers and devices as MP4. For many developers, MP4 is the preferred option because of its adaptability.

The best codecs to use

The size and quality of your video file are also determined by the compression technology you use. Popular codecs include H.264 and H.265, which you can use with MP4 video files — and VP9 and AVI1, which you can use with WebM video files.

H.265 and AVI1 are the more modern options. They offer superior compression, which means tiny file sizes and sharp visuals. However, you may find that they don’t work (without workarounds of file conversion) on older browsers and devices.

Your web developer can advise you on the video file formats and codecs best suited to your website and audience.

How to add a video to a website

Adding a video to your website is a less technical task than you might imagine. The first step? Deciding where to host your video.

Hosting your video

You can choose to self-host your video, storing it on your own server. This approach gives you total control over the look and functionality of your website videos. But it puts a lot of strain on your server and can lead to slow site speeds or higher server costs.

The alternative is third-party hosting. This means uploading your video to a video host platform like YouTube or Vimeo. This approach helps you achieve fast site speeds. But you may have to put up with third-party branding on your website.

Embedding your video

To add a self-hosted video to your website, you need a bit of HTML knowledge. You embed the video by specifying its resource URL in your code and setting attributes — like height, width and controls — to define how the video will appear and behave on the page.

Embedding a third-party-hosted video is a little easier. You upload your video to the third-party video hosting platform and copy the embed code provided.

From there, head to your website content management system (CMS) — whether that’s WordPress, Squarespace, Wix or something else — and paste the embed code in the right place on your page.

3 ways to embed a video on your website

So now you know how to add a video to a website. But how do you want your video to look on your web page? Here are a few options to choose from:

• Inline embed. The video lives on your web page. Users can scroll down, click play and view your content.
• Lightbox embed. When users click play, your video expands to fit the screen. This gives your audience a more immersive video experience than they get with an inline imbed.
• Full page embed. A full page video takes up the whole width of the website and plays without a user having to click play. This is the best option for a hero section video.

Final tips for using videos on websites

Keep it short

Videos that are under 60 seconds get the highest levels of engagement. Around the minute mark, 75% of website viewers watch your video to the end. This figure drops steadily the longer your video gets.

We recommend keeping homepage videos to 60 seconds in length. In-depth product videos and testimonial videos may need to be a little longer. But try to make them as short and snappy as possible to ensure website users watch your video in full, absorbing your message without losing interest.

Use appealing thumbnails

Thumbnails have an important job to do. They should convince website visitors to click on your video and prevent them from scrolling past it. So make your thumbnail enticing by picking a high-quality image. This image should grab user attention and show users what they can expect from your video.

Optimise for SEO

You can use a video to support website SEO. So don’t let this opportunity slip you by. To get your video noticed by search engines:

• Use keywords in the video file name
• If you’re hosting on a third-party site, use keywords in your video title and description
• Write video transcripts that search engines can crawl
• Add schema markup to any pages with embedded videos

Make it accessible

Your website and all its content should be accessible to all website users. So add captions to your videos and provide a transcript. Use descriptive audio to describe visual content and ensure users can use their keyboards to play and pause.

Never sacrifice site speed

A slow website makes for a frustrating user experience. Your site is also much less likely to sit at the top of search engine result pages (SERPs), which means less organic traffic.

So when adding videos to your website, think carefully about compression options — and the size-to-quality ratio of your files. The ideal is a high-quality video that doesn’t harm site speeds.

Test everything

Before launching your video, make sure it looks great and functions perfectly across all browsers and devices.

This includes testing on older browsers or devices your audience might still use. You don’t want a situation where someone’s first experience with your site is a video that doesn’t load or plays poorly.

Beyond the basics, track key performance metrics like video views, watch time and engagement. Are viewers sticking around to watch the whole video or leaving part way through? Are they taking the actions you’d hoped for after watching?

Using these metrics as guidance, you can play around with positioning, thumbnails and calls to action to refine your approach and improve the effectiveness of your website videos.

Keep up to date with website trends

Web design trends are constantly evolving. To ensure your website videos meet user expectations and continue to provide the best possible experience, keep an eye on what’s happening elsewhere on the web. You may get some new ideas for how to wow website visitors with your video content.

Want to put a video on your website? Radical can help!

Website videos are excellent at engaging site visitors. You can use them to showcase your brand, explain your offering and convert customers.

Another big selling point of video is its versatility. You can share a well-made video on social media and send it via email to support your content marketing efforts. And when you host on a site like YouTube, you put your brand in front of people on that platform too.

Here at Radical, we can create, optimise and embed animated website videos. We can also help you get live action videos on websites, ensuring sharp visuals and fast site speeds.

If you’d like to add video content to your website, contact our team today.