Crime #007
Making visitors watch a video to get important information.
The explanation
Someone wants to know what your service includes, how it works or what it costs. Your page tells them to watch a video.
Now they have to press play and wait for you to reach the part they need.
They do not know whether the answer comes after thirty seconds or twelve minutes. They cannot easily scan the content, compare details or return to a particular point.
You have chosen how they must receive the information, regardless of where they are or how they prefer to browse.
They might be on a train without headphones, sitting beside a sleeping child or checking your website between meetings. They might simply prefer reading. None of those circumstances should prevent them from understanding your service.
Video can be useful. It lets people hear how you explain things, get a sense of your manner and see your work demonstrated. But it becomes an obstacle when essential information is available only inside it.
Even an interested visitor may decide that watching an unknown amount of content is too much commitment for a basic answer.
Captions help people watch without sound, but they still have to follow the sequence. A transcript provides the words, yet may bury the answer inside several pages of conversation.
The issue is making access to information depend on watching.
Your visitor should be able to understand the service and take the next step from the page itself. The video can add depth, personality or reassurance for people who choose to spend time with it.
How to fix it
Identify every important fact contained in your video. Check whether someone can also find it written clearly on the page.
Include what the service is, who it is for, what customers receive, how the engagement works, what it costs and how to get started.
Give those details descriptive headings so visitors can scan for the answer they need. Avoid replacing the video with an equally demanding wall of text.
Keep the video where it adds something useful. A short explanation of your approach, a demonstration or a client account can strengthen the page without carrying all the essential information.
Label it accurately. “Watch a three-minute walkthrough of the programme” tells someone what they will get and how much time it requires. “Watch this before you do anything else” creates another hurdle.
Provide accurate captions and, where useful, a transcript. For longer videos, add chapters so viewers can move directly to relevant sections. These help people use the video, while the page should still stand on its own.
Let visitors control playback. Do not start speaking at them automatically or make them wait until the video finishes before revealing the booking button.
Finally, review the page without playing anything. Can someone understand the purchase, answer their practical questions and find the next step?
Ask a person unfamiliar with your business to do the same. Notice which questions remain unanswered.
If understanding the service still requires pressing play, move the missing information onto the page. Watching should be a choice the visitor makes.
Are you guilty of Crime #007?
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