How To Improve Your Website In One Easy Lesson

If you are looking for a way to increase the effectiveness of your website, I have one piece of advice: rich media. Rich media is an industry term for video, audio and animated Web content—all things that add motion, sound and excitement to the message (more here). Rich media was a deterrent to Web visits when most sites were accessed through dial-up accounts, but now that fast broadband access is soaring, there is no reason to be boring anymore.

Time spent online has now reached hit an all-time high of 30 hours and 35 minutes a week. And, as this Cickz article points out, there is nearly 70 percent broadband penetration. With all this time now spent online the challenge will be to attract and hold the attention of Web users.

Imagine how popular TV would be—not very—if it was just a series of static pages linked together. Too many websites are like PowerPoint presentations with hyperlinks that let you change the presentation from sequential to discretionary. Broadband capabilities bring with it the speed to enrich the Web user experience with content that is exciting, useful and appreciated. One of the biggest opportunities for rich media on the Web is video—video that entertains, explains, demonstrates and persuades. I am also talking about video that is creative and interesting, and most importantly, that someone has an option to watch instead of being forced to watch. In the TV world video content is streamed sequentially. Your only option if you don’t like the TV sequence is the remote. The Web is about much more user empowerment than a remote. It is putting that user in the driver’s seat and letting them orchestrate their experience.  Keep that in mind when using video and other rich media. Your message will be more interesting if you can compel with sound and action instead of just using written words, photos, charts and diagrams.

The use of rich media doesn’t apply only to websites; it also holds true for your online advertising as well. A message online is already more inclined to be effective because it is usually presented in a relevant contextual setting. Think how much more likely it is to be effective if it cajoles with interesting rich media content that engages the Web user.

With the Web becoming the centerpiece of many companies’ marketing efforts, it is time to start using the full range of communication capabilities to convey a message. Websites that stand out from the competition still require outstanding forethought, user-centered design, architecture, coding, target segmenting and data structuring. However, the time has come to complete the process with video and other rich media that not only gives users the options of reading the message, but instead allows them to be immersed (at their choosing) in the brand experience.