We hand clients a beautiful film. A month later we open their website and the video takes six seconds to start, the page jumps around while it loads, and on mobile data it doesn't play at all. The film is fine. The way it's been put on the site isn't.
This one is for whoever looks after your website. It's not hard to fix, and it matters more than most people think.
Why it hurts more than just looks
Google measures how fast your page shows its main content and how much it shifts around while loading. They call it Core Web Vitals, and it feeds into how your site ranks. A 40 MB video dropped straight into the page is usually the single biggest thing dragging those numbers down.
And people leave. If the first thing on your homepage is a black box with a spinner, a good chunk of visitors are gone before your film even starts.
What we actually do
- Export a separate web version. The master file is for archives and TV, not for a homepage. A 20-second hero loop should usually land under 3–5 MB.
- Use a modern format. MP4 (H.264) plays everywhere. Add a WebM or AV1 version on top and most browsers will pick the smaller file on their own.
- Always set a poster image. It's the first frame as a normal JPG, so the page looks finished instantly while the video loads behind it.
- Give the video a fixed size in the layout, so nothing jumps when it appears.
- Autoplay only muted, short loops. Anything longer than a minute belongs on YouTube or Vimeo with a click-to-play.
- Don't load videos further down the page until someone scrolls near them.
“On our own site the hero video starts on its first frame as a still image, and the real video takes over once it's ready. Nobody sees the swap. That one trick fixes most of the problem.”
YouTube, Vimeo or your own server?
For long films, embed from YouTube or Vimeo. They handle the streaming and pick the right quality for each viewer's connection. Just load the player only when someone clicks play, because the embed itself is heavy.
For short background loops, host the file yourself or on a CDN. A YouTube embed for a silent 10-second loop is like hiring a truck to carry a coffee.
Don't forget video SEO
- Give every video a real title and description on the page, not just 'video1.mp4'.
- Add captions or a transcript. Google can read text, it can't watch your film.
- Put important videos on their own page with VideoObject schema, so they can show up in video results.
- Name your files properly: 'kathmandu-hotel-brand-film.mp4' beats 'final_v7_FINAL.mp4'.
Quick check you can do today
Open your homepage in Google's PageSpeed Insights. If the video shows up in the 'largest contentful paint' or 'avoid enormous network payloads' warnings, you know where to start.
Questions people ask
Does a video on my website affect SEO?
Yes. A large, unoptimised video slows page load and hurts Core Web Vitals, which Google uses in ranking. A compressed video with a poster image, fixed dimensions and a transcript can help SEO instead.
What size should a website hero video be?
For a short, muted background loop, aim for under 3–5 MB. Export a dedicated web version at 1080p or lower in MP4 (H.264), plus WebM or AV1 where possible.
Should I host website videos on YouTube or my own server?
Long films are best on YouTube or Vimeo, loaded only when someone clicks play. Short background loops are better self-hosted or served from a CDN.
Planning a shoot? Tell us about it — or see what we've made.
