OPTIMISING VIDEO CONTENTFOR MOBILE DEVICES
A user spends a full 47 minutes on average passing the time with online videos. Already today, 44% of online videos are consumed on mobile.[^2] By 2021 it is forecast that more than 70 per cent of all videos will be played on mobile devices.[^3] One thing is therefore clear: the video content of the future is mobile-optimised.
With mobile video use on the rise, advertising spend on mobile video advertising in Germany also grew by more than 20% in 2020 compared with the previous year.[^4] For publishers who do not yet integrate video content on their website, that represents an additional revenue stream — and, with the right optimisation, it increases the revenue potential of those who already build videos into their articles.
1. Responsive design – a must
Modern publisher websites are expected to adapt their layout optimally to the different screen sizes of desktops, tablets and smartphones. This so-called responsive design is also essential for playing video content without trouble. One straightforward way to achieve it is to integrate a responsive video player on the website. All common video players are mobile-optimised today and, at best, also allow integration into Google AMP as well as mobile apps.
2. Improve load times
User-friendly websites keep visitors on the site longer. Guaranteeing a fast load time is particularly important for mobile use of video content. One option for improving your page load times is to optimise your website with Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages). AMP-optimised websites load four times faster than their counterparts without AMP.[^5]
3. Video metadata upkeep for SEO
Video content has a significant influence on how discoverable your websites are and helps achieve a better page rank in search engines. So pay attention to SEO-friendly meta descriptions — aligned with your SEO strategy — stored with your video content too, so that there are no discrepancies between the video and the page content.
4. Clip length matters
The optimal video length varies by platform and audience, but every platform has one thing in common: short videos perform better. The greatest user engagement sits at a video length of between 30 seconds and 2 minutes.
5. Mobile-optimised thumbnails
A successful teaser for the video content is indispensable, especially for click-to-play integrations. The thumbnail should represent the video’s context clearly and also be an eye-catcher that is easy to make out on small devices, so that you secure the user’s click and increase your advertising revenue.
6. Videos with subtitles
Mobile devices prohibit playing videos automatically with sound and only allow autoplay without audio. For autoplay integrations in a mobile environment you should therefore fall back on videos with subtitles, to get the user’s attention and increase video engagement and so monetisation. Subtitles are not only useful in an autoplay environment, though — consider deaf and hard-of-hearing people, for instance. Almost 17 million people in Germany are affected.[^6]
7. Videos that match the context
Relevant, high-quality and current video content that complements the content of your website article increases the click-through rate as well as adding editorial value for your visitors, and so ensures the best possible monetisation. If you produce few videos or none at all, you can enrich your video repertoire with the more than 400 new video items glomex adds every day, for example.
glomex is the leading video marketplace in the German-speaking market for distributing and monetising high-quality video content online. The content offering currently comprises more than 350,000 video items from well-known licensors such as TV broadcasters and news agencies. The content is distributed across more than 400 connected publisher websites. glomex also provides the technology for video publishing and takes care of industry-leading ad sales for the content, primarily through SevenOne Media. glomex GmbH is headquartered in Unterföhring and is a wholly owned subsidiary of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE.
glomex was recognised in the “Business Model” category at the European Digital Publishing Awards 2020.