As a Showit website designer and SEO with over ten years of experience, I’ve witnessed plenty of video banners on websites — both the good and the bad. Video banners are great for adding an engaging element to your webpage and potentially even increasing conversions, but that doesn’t mean they’re always the best option for your website’s visibility (mainly, its SEO).

Are video banners bad for SEO? Not inherently. Like any other image or element on your website, adding one does not hurt SEO, but it could hurt it by being done improperly. 

What Are Video Banners?

Video banners, specifically video banners on your website and in your web design, are a dynamic form of imagery that can capture your visitor’s attention. Video banners typically cover the width of your web page, for example, your hero or the first section of your home page, as featured in the image above.

Video banners can be used on any page of your website, even your blog posts, but should be done in moderation, and here’s why:

How Video Banners Impact Your SEO

Personally, I love movement on a website as it has a higher conversion rate. In fact, a survey by Brightcove found that people spend 2.6x more time on pages with video than without. A survey by Unbounce found that videos on landing pages can increase conversion rates by up to 80%.

They are also a favorite for client websites. Video banners can improve user experience and increase user engagement, leading to more time spent on the page and lower bounce rates.

You’ll need to pay close attention to how your video contrasts (or doesn’t) with your branding, such as your typography and color palette, to ensure that your text is still readable even when used in a video overlay. 

Talk about the positive (like increased user engagement and more time spent on a page, lower bounce rates) and the negative (potentially detrimental effects on page load time, hard to optimize for mobile, absence of text for search engines, accessibility issues for persons with disabilities) Are not ideal for conversions (can distract from CTA)

Are Video Banners Bad for SEO?

As I mentioned, video banners are not necessarily bad for SEO when used properly. However, if you don’t place them strategically or optimize your video file and design, they can negatively impact your SEO.

For example, it could make your text hard to read (bad for accessibility), slow down your page speed, or make it difficult to transfer to your mobile design. Ultimately, it can hurt your user experience and lead to less time spent on your website, which tells Google that you’re not the best website for them to send traffic to, leading to a decrease in your Google rankings (or determining if Google even shows your webpage in search).

If you think your website design, elements, or pages negatively impact your SEO, contact Âme Creatives today to book your SEO Audit.

About Âme Creatives

I’m Kelli, an SEO Strategist & Showit Web Designer. I’m on a mission to help female entrepreneurs (like you) have a purpose-driven, strategically optimized website that allows them be SEEN, HEARD, and PAID. It’s about more than pretty websites, keywords, and first-page status; it’s about giving your brand the spotlight it deserves by bringing in your ideal audience organically. Ready to take the next step? Send me a message!