Website. Camera. Action.
Some scientists argue that the human brain can process information from a video around 60,000 times quicker than it can process written text. We’re certainly a species that appreciates visuals, which might be why collectively we watch around 8 billion Facebook videos each day and an estimated 300 million hours of content is uploaded to YouTube each minute. So, if we love videos so much, why do so many websites avoid using them?
Read on to uncover why videos are great for your website and its Google rankings, as well as three video suggestions for education providers. If you want to add a video to your education website, reach out to the WEBPRO Education videographers and web developers soon!
Why videos are great for websites
Adding videos to your site can significantly enhance your website in many ways. By adding just one video to your website, you could:
- Keep website visitors on your website for longer
- Provide information in an easier way that is appreciated by the website visitor
- Provide information more clearly and quicker
- Create movement and animation for your website
- Build trust and loyalty by putting a face to your website
- Attract more students
Below you can find three recommendations for how education establishments can utilise videos on their website.
#1: Virtual tour videos
A virtual tour video is a video that gives the website visitor a behind-the-scenes look at your school, college or university and focuses on the facilities you have to offer. Many parents and potential students will choose a school or college based on the facilities on offer, so this is a great way to show off what you have.
You could create a virtual tour with a host or even a silent video that allows the user to navigate into different places themselves. The latter adds even more interaction for the parent or student.
#2: Meet the staff and students videos
Meet the staff videos and meet current student videos are when staff members or students get interviewed or talk about their experiences at the education establishment. They are fantastic resources for parents wanting to know more about the staff at the school, and they’re great for students to get insights from students who have already been in their position. Student videos of this kind are especially useful to promote certain courses and clubs you have on offer.
#3: Event videos
Event videos could be added to your website to promote an upcoming event or an event that has already taken place. The former could help get more people interested and signed up, while the latter is a great way to show off the successes of your education establishment, especially if the event was used to raise money for charity or a special cause. If the event is an annual occurrence, you could re-use the video each year.
Does Google like website videos?
Google never releases the exact details of how it ranks your website, but there is little doubt that adding videos to your site improves your SERP ranking. Despite no official confirmation that video 100% improves search engine rankings, most leading marketers agree that video significantly boosts website exposure.
As video is likely to keep visitors on your website for longer, this also contributes to better SEO performance. Google punishes websites when it thinks visitors didn’t get the information they were looking for, such as leaving your site quickly and searching the same thing again. Thus, video indirectly benefits search engine ranking in this regard.
Recap: Adding videos to your education website can provide an array of benefits to parents, students and your own website’s search engine ranking. There are different types of videos that are used on education websites, including tour videos, event promotion videos and videos to meet staff and students talking about the courses on offer and experiences. The best school and college websites are already adding videos to their website. Don’t get left behind!
P.S. You’ll need to make sure your new videos aren’t decreasing the speed of your website. Our team can help with this!
