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Essential Video Optimization Tips for Faster Loading Times

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Essential Video Optimization Tips for Faster Loading Times

Uploading video content is a great way to increase traffic on your website and have your audience stay longer on it. But, web users love to see high resolution and good quality videos. If your website is not optimized to handle high-resolution videos, it can cause a video content performance problem, consequently driving away your audience. We will provide some valuable tips in this article that can help you optimize your video content and enable you to increase conversions.

Video Optimization: Why is it Important?

Videos have become one of the most essential marketing channels all across the world. Be its global brands, market-leading influencers, or small businesses. Everyone is vying for customers’ attention through video content. More than 85 percent of companies are using video content as their marketing tool. HubSpot, in its research, has disclosed that currently, 99 percent of marketers using video content have planned to use it throughout the year. Moreover, more than 95 percent of these marketers are prepared to invest more and more in video content in the near future.

Above all, the web pages’ average size grew from about 1MB to more than 3 MB between 2011 till now. In over two years, the average length of web video has expanded from 204 KB to 729 KB. Looking at this data, it is clear that it will bring you high conversions if you upload more high-quality video content on your web pages. To achieve that, you will need to follow these best practices to optimize your video content for fast loading.

Which are the Best Video Formats to Use for the Web?

WebM and MP4 can pack vast and high-quality video content despite their small size for files. Both formats are considered the standard ones for video content platforms like Vimeo and YouTube. While all browsers support MP4, WebM is currently supported by Firefox and Chrome only. WebM files are relatively lighter than MP4 files, but when it comes to mobile devices, MP4 videos look better.

Video Optimization for Websites

You need to follow a two-step process to deliver high-quality videos to your users. The two-step process involves:

  • Optimization of the video file so that it has the least effect on your web page’s speed.
  • Optimization of the web page to correctly display and embed video content.

Optimization of Video File for Web Pages

Follow these below-given tips to get the best results.

Using Data Compressions Tools

There are many data compression tools like HandBrake and Blazemp that reduce your video files’ size without compromising with image quality or degrading it. Since small files for media content have a fast loading speed, so you can compress all your videos and save substantial time for your users. Besides, don’t sacrifice the quality of your video during your efforts for compression.

Convert to the Formats Supported By HTML5

HTML5 allows developers to deliver video without using any plugin. You can convert your video files to various formats supported by HTML5 like WebM and MP4 using an online video converter.

Remove the Audio Data

If you have hero videos with muted audio, you can remove the video file’s audio data. You can use FFmpeg or a video editing tool to remove the audio data.

Use Your Server to Stream Directly

The users can use streaming technologies to deliver their videos in small chunks for playback in users’ browsers.

Use a CDN

A CDN or content delivery network can be defined as the servers that store the copies of your website’s static assets. CDNs not only improve redundancy but also ensure faster delivery of content through the nearest server. It is essential for large files and improves the overall performance of your website.

Optimization of Web Page for Video Content

To ensure the most smooth and best user experience, you will need to optimize your website to support high quality and high-resolution videos.

Define the Size of Your Video File

Be sure to define your videos’ height and width in CSS or HTML so the browser can allocate the required bandwidth without any extra effort.

Delay Loading of Videos Until the Page Load is Completed

If you have the videos that automatically start playing when the users arrive on the page, then defer it from playing or loading until the loading of the initial page completes. It ensures a smooth user experience.

Give Priority to Mobile Users

These days, most people access the web from their smartphones or tablets. So, suppose you will not give priority to these users and optimize your website for mobile also. In that case, you can follow the responsive web design principles and make your website adaptable to various display resolutions and screen sizes.

Optimize Your Video Files for SEO

YouTube and other video content platforms are great to gain exposure. If you want to boost your websites’ ranking on Google, then hosting your video content on your domain is a must for you. When the users upload videos to the platforms like YouTube with a description link of their website, search engines will prefer YouTube. It means when someone will search for your company on Google; he may end up on YouTube, a scenario that you never want to occur. Here is how you can optimize your video content for SEO.

  • You can create metadata to make the indexing of your videos easier.
  • Choose an accurate thumbnail and pick the best and most suitable keywords.
  • Keep the titles of your videos short but descriptive. Pack the description details of your videos with keywords.
  • Be careful with your video content’s data compression, and then complete all these steps to avoid your metadata to wipe out.

As long as you will keep optimizing your video content and the design of your web page, it will positively impact viewers. Video optimization is relatively easy compared to making videos that can maintain the interests of the users. Keep experimenting with your video content by uploading different videos in different places.

Source: Essential Video Optimization Tips for Faster Loading Times

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