Should Your School Website Contain Video?

There’s no doubt that video and moving elements draw your attention on a new website, but creating video content for your school website can be a significant undertaking that can become quite costly and time-consuming depending on the content. So does it just look good, or is it justifiable to have website-specific video content? We’ve put together some strong arguments for why we’re all for video content on your school website.

Video can increase time spent on your website

Short informative videos keep people engaged and entertained with your content significantly more than text or images, it’s easier to digest and overall increases the amount of time the user spends on your website. People spend on average 2.6x more time on web pages with video than without. This is important for SEO as one of Google’s ranking signals is ‘dwell time’, the longer a viewer spends watching and reading through your content, the more likely your website will be ranked higher in Google.

You can easily showcase your school’s USP

Videos not only showcase your school community but they provide an opportunity to feature your school’s personality. A warm inviting message to apply or enquire from your school principal is a much more personal approach than text. Showing your staff in the video is a great way to build trust between prospective families before any interaction with your school. Your unique selling point is your point of difference when guiding your prospective families through your enrollment process. Your USP will allow you to stand out from your competition, so ensure you centre your videos messaging around your USP, this is what prospective families will remember your school by.

Source: Redemeer

It’s simple and easy to consume

Whether you want to show your audience the essence of your school or a unique aspect of your school, video is the quickest and easiest way for a viewer to consume it. We know that parents are time-poor and often don’t have the time or don’t want to read paragraphs upon paragraphs of content. The solution? Video content! We’re definitely not saying that video should replace all your text, but it’s a great way to support the copy that appears on your website or webpage.

It creates a memorable experience

It’s more important than ever that your school website makes a great impression on prospective families. Your website is often the first touchpoint they will have with your school, which is why it’s so important to create a memorable impression. A short auto-playing video can quickly engage the viewer and show the essence of your school. We’ve included some examples below of how schools are using video to take their website to the next level.

Source: Burgmann Anglican School

Source: Redeemer

Source: Emmanuel College

Key considerations to keep in mind

Before uploading your video to your school website, you’ll need to ensure that it is optimized for where it’s going viewed on your website. Here are a few considerations to keep in mind to optimize its performance.

• A short 30-second video on your homepage for desktop can look effective when placed on a loop.
• Autoplay can be great on a desktop, but due to data use on mobile, users should be able to select to watch.
• The length of your video is important as is the level of engagement. Ensure that video content isn’t incredibly long and that it keeps viewers interested – aim for 1 – 4 minutes max.
• Be sure to have a web-optimized video as big file sizes can make your webpages load slow. It’s important to have a quick load time as Google prefers them and ranks them higher.

To wrap up

Creating a video may be a significant investment for your school, but it can work wonders by leaving a lasting impression on prospective families. Images are great too, but there’s no better way to capture the essence of your school’s spirit than with engaging video content. Thinking about upgrading your website design? Take a look at our handy resource: The Ultimate Guide to School Website Design.

Click here to read this article on the Digistorm website.