Silence is golden on the web
At SpinWeb, we often have the fulfilling task of rescuing an organization from a web presence that is so outdated, ugly, and broken that they can barely stand it. When we launch the new website, it's cause for celebration!
One thing I've seen more than once on older websites is the tendency to play video or audio on the home page. Usually, this takes the form of a promotional video on the website that auto-plays as soon as the website is loaded. Though this may seem like a good idea to some, it will actually do a great deal of damage to your brand and your ability to utilize your website for leads.
When website visitors load your home page, the last thing they are expecting is sound. Many visitors will be viewing your website from work, possibly in a cubicle setting that is not completely private. So what happens when they load your website and a video with sound starts playing? You guessed it... they immediately close the site or even shut down their browser in desperation. This effectively places a huge brick wall between your visitors and your website. Most of them will never even see the rest of it because they will be so traumatized by the unexpected sound.
Internet users expect the web to be silent unless they deliberately activate media. If you use video on the web (which is a great idea!) be sure that it doesn't auto-play. Offer the viewer a clear "play" button that gives that person control over what happens. If people are given the choice to play a video, they will often watch it. However, if they are surprised by the very same video because it starts playing without permission, they will often leave and never come back as a result of the jarring experience.
Multimedia on the web is great... just be sure the choice is up to the viewer.
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