Should You Use Videos On Your Website? Maybe Not How You Think

So you’ve built a lovely website for your small business. Maybe you sell handmade candles, fix cars, run a café, or offer accounting services. And now you’re wondering: should I add a video to my homepage?

It seems like a great idea at first, right? Video is all the rage online. Everyone’s watching reels, stories, and YouTube clips. So surely sticking a video on your site will make people love your business even more?

Well, maybe. But also… maybe not.

Let’s talk about the ups, the downs, and especially the risks of autoplay videos (you know, the ones that start playing all by themselves). Spoiler alert: autoplay might not be your friend.

Why People Think Videos Are a Good Idea

Let’s be fair — there are some good reasons to use video on your website:

• They can show off what you do. If you run a gym, a quick video tour could show your space better than any photo.
• They add personality. Seeing you talk to the camera might help people feel like they know you before they even get in touch.
• They can explain tricky stuff. For example, if you offer a service people don’t really understand, a short video can clear things up.
• They can increase the dwell time.  Dwell time is the amount of time that someone spends on your site.

Sounds good, right? So why am I being all cautious about it?

When Video Goes Wrong

Let’s start with the biggest offender: autoplay videos. These are the ones that start playing the second your site loads — often with sound blaring, or silently while chewing up your visitor’s internet data in the background.

Here’s why autoplay might do more harm than good.

1. It Can Annoy People

You click on a website while on a train, in a quiet café, or during a work break. Suddenly — BOOM! Sound from a video you didn’t ask for. Most people don’t like that. In fact, they might close the tab straight away, which means you’ve just lost a potential customer.

Even if the video is silent, the movement can be distracting — especially for people who find it hard to focus. Some visitors might get irritated and leave before even reading what you offer.

2. It Slows Down Your Website

Videos are big files. Even short ones can take ages to load — especially on slow internet connections. And when your site takes more than a few seconds to load, guess what? People click away.

Speed is super important. Google even uses page speed to help decide where your site ranks in search results. So if autoplay video is slowing you down, it could hurt your SEO too.

3. It Eats Data

Not everyone is browsing on unlimited Wi-Fi. Some folks are using mobile data — and every megabyte counts. If your site loads an autoplay video in the background, that might cost them money. It’s not a great look.

People might not blame you directly, but they’ll definitely remember if your site made their phone bill worse.

4. It Can Be Unfriendly to People With Disabilities

Autoplay videos can be a nightmare for some people who use screen readers or other assistive tech. If the video starts playing on its own, it might interrupt the screen reader — making it hard or impossible to browse the site.

That’s not just unhelpful — it can also break accessibility laws, depending on where you live. And if you care about being inclusive (which we hope you do), that’s reason enough to ditch autoplay.

5. Most People Don’t Watch Them Anyway

This might sting, but it’s true. Most people don’t stick around to watch autoplay videos, especially if they’re longer than 30 seconds. If they’re not in the mood, or they don’t trust your site yet, they’ll scroll right past — or leave.  In fact a straw poll of my friends said that 70% of them will leave a site rather than watch a video, 15% said that they might watch the first few seconds if they were interested and will then scroll past leave the site, and 10% said that videos on sites don’t bother them and they will be likely to watch it  (the other 5% said they didn’t care either way – which sums them up I guess).

So you might be wasting effort (and slowing down your site) for something hardly anyone watches.

But What If You Really Want to Use Video?

Alright, maybe you’ve got a video you really love. Maybe it tells your brand story perfectly. Maybe it’s had good feedback. That’s fair enough!

Here’s how to use video on your site without annoying people or hurting your performance:

1. Don’t Autoplay

Seriously. Let people choose to click play. That way, they’re in control — and they’ll be more likely to pay attention. If they don’t click it, that’s okay. It means they weren’t ready yet.

2. Use a Thumbnail or Still Image

Instead of loading the full video straight away, use a still image that looks inviting. When someone clicks it, then load the video. This saves loads of data initially, and speeds up the loading of your site until the video is clicked on.

3. Keep It Short

Under a minute is ideal. Two minutes, tops. If you’ve got more to say, put it on a separate page (like a blog or FAQs section) and keep your homepage punchy.

4. Add Subtitles

Lots of people watch videos without sound — especially on mobile. Subtitles help get your message across without blasting noise at someone. They’re also helpful for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

5. Optimise Your File

If you’re uploading your video directly (instead of using YouTube or Vimeo), make sure the file size is as small as possible without looking awful. There are tools online to compress videos for the web.

Better Alternatives to Video (Sometimes)

You don’t always need a video to tell your story. There are other ways to show personality, explain your services, and keep people engaged:

• Photos. A few good pictures of your product, team, or workspace can go a long way.
• Clear text. Write in a friendly, human voice (hopefully like this article comes across as). Don’t use jargon — just talk like you would to a real customer.
• Icons and graphics. These can break up text and explain things quickly without slowing down your site.
• Testimonials. A quote from a happy customer is often more powerful than a slick video.

What Do You Think?

So, small business owner — do you use videos on your website? Have they helped, or do you think they might be slowing you down?

We’d love to hear what’s worked (or not worked) for you. Drop a comment below or message us. And if you’re thinking about adding a video, give it a proper think before diving in.

Sometimes, keeping it simple is the best way forward.

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)

• Videos can be great — but only if used well.
• Autoplay videos are risky. They can annoy people, slow your site, and even cost your visitors money.
• If you use video, let people choose to play it. Keep it short, use subtitles, and compress the file.
• Don’t forget: good photos, clear writing, and testimonials can be just as powerful.

Your website should help people understand and trust your business — not chase them away with loud surprises or slow load times.