Summary
READ ITWant to take your business to the next level? Are you looking for e-commerce hosting solutions?
As organisations within the ecommerce industry who have an online store are on the constant look out for powerful marketing tools that can engage consumers without compromising on the overall digital experience. Brands are being seen to incorporate video marketing tools as a must have in their marketing arsenal however, a noticeable concern is the impact these videos may have on the load time and speed of their respective websites regardless of their platform be it Shopify, WIX, OpenCart, PrestaShop etc.
Introduction
Did you know? When traffic is directed towards your website, it is often noticed that if a web page takes more than 2 seconds to load, consumers and visitors tend to leave the page without engaging with your content. Studies have shown that almost 40% of individuals who visit websites abandon the website if content loads in more than 3 seconds.
Keeping this in mind specially, for that audience segment that utilises mobile platforms to browse, can significantly improve your engagement and conversion rates.
Balancing Video Embeds Including Server Load for Increasing Site Performance
When it comes to understanding the ideal balance between using videos while being able to maintain optimal website performance, using unique embedding strategies can guarantee that you as a brand are able to create an engaging and appealing experience for your viewers without compromising on the benefits of displaying video based content.
Let's delve into a list of strategies that you can employ in order to optimise your core web vitals:
Identifying Potential Bottlenecks with Google PageSpeed Insights
Now remember, before you attempt to make any changes to your current strategies, it is important to identify and know the current page response time and load time of your website, with the help of free tools provided by google. Using the tool, Google PageSpeed Insights, with a simple copy paste of your brand domain, you are able to get a detailed overview of the performance of your website in terms of loading time performance along with insights into those areas which have room for optimisation.
Navigating the Choice between Self-Hosting and External Video Players
When it comes to using video content, as an ecommerce brand you have two options; one is self hosting the video content, which would give you more flexibility and control over the playback experience however, it is important to take into consideration that this has the potential to put unwanted strains on your servers, which could further lead to significantly lower loading times. On the other hand you have the option of using external video players for web hosting services, like smaller private platforms such as cloudways or larger ones such as Youtube, Wistia, and Vidjet that offer the ability to host video content on your websites without unnecessary strains on bandwidth. These video players are able to not just let you host videos on your website but at the same time make these videos shoppable and interactive while keeping your site speed at optimal levels.
Optimizing Video Content with Compression Techniques
It goes without saying that video players may be one side of the solution however, the video quality and size too have an impact on maintaining optimal loading times. With the help of compression tools that are effortlessly available online, giving you the ability to make fast and optimise your video content without actually compromising on its visual appeal.
Harnessing the Power of CDN for Enhanced Video Delivery
CDN s (Content delivery network) distribute your video content across a network of geographically dispersed servers, ensuring that users receive the content from the nearest server. This reduces latency and improves loading times, especially for users with slow or unreliable internet connections. Some recommended examples include cloudflare, amazon web services (AWS) which are virtual private servers.
Employing Lazy Loading and Lightweight Video Players for Smooth Playback
In simple words lazy loading refers to the delays the loading of videos until a user reaches the section of the page where the video is embedded. This technique reduces initial page load time and improves overall performance. Lightweight video players also minimize the impact on page load speed.
Utilizing Asynchronous Loading for Enhanced User Experience
Asynchronous loading is a technique that allows you to load resources, such as videos, in the background while the rest of the page continues to load. This prevents the page from freezing while waiting for the video to load, which can improve website speed and user experience.
Monitoring Website Speed with Google PageSpeed Insights and Other Tools
No strategy is successful without ensuring that your newly implemented efforts are bearing fruit. You need to regularly review & monitor your website's performance using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to track your progress and find areas for further improvement.
Hosting Offers: Comparing Website Hosting Options for Smooth Performance
Did you know? JavaScript embedding is crucial for integrating interactive and dynamic features within web pages. However, poorly implemented JavaScript injections can significantly impact page load times and overall website performance. Selecting the most suitable JS injecting strategy based on the chosen platform is essential to ensure a seamless user experience.
Let's delve into this list further:
Youtube
YouTube's embeddable player is widely used due to its simplicity and widespread adoption. However, YouTube embeds inject significant amounts of JavaScript, which can slow down page load times, especially for users with slower internet connections.
Take Away
The JavaScript used in this website is 974 KB, which is a significant amount of code to load. This large amount of JavaScript can lead to a noticeable delay in page load time, which can have a negative impact on user experience. This delay can be especially noticeable on mobile devices, where internet connections are often slower and more unreliable.
Wistia
Wistia offers a lightweight and customizable video player with a focus on performance and optimization. Their embed code injects comparitively less JavaScript, contributing to faster page response times. Wistia also provides features like video analytics and A/B testing to enhance video engagement.
Take Away
The website is using 159.4 KB of third-party(Wistia) JavaScript, which is a significant amount of code to load from external sources. This large amount of third-party JavaScript can lead to a noticeable delay in page load time, which can have a negative impact on user experience. This delay can be especially noticeable on mobile devices, where internet connections are often slower and more unreliable.
Vidjet
Vidjet is another popular video embedding platform that prioritizes performance and speed. Their embed code is lightweight and incorporates progressive enhancement techniques, ensuring that videos load quickly even on slower connections. Vidjet also offers advanced features like , a shoppable video player that allows customers to browse and purchase products directly from the video player itself.
Take Away
The website in the shared image is using the Vidjet widget to embed a video with shoppable elements. Ranking first, the Vidjet widget is only loading 82.8 KB of JavaScript, which is a relatively small amount of code. This is good news for the website's performance, as it means that the video will load quickly and smoothly.
Answering Frequently Asked Questions About Video Optimization
What video content slows your speed down
Videos with high resolution, bitrate, and frame rates can significantly slow down your page load time. You can start to optimize your videos by compressing them and reducing their file size.
What is the time, amount, and effort you are required to invest?
The time, amount, and effort you are required to invest in optimizing your videos will depend on the length, resolution, and bitrate of the video. However, in general, it is a relatively quick and easy process. You can use online tools to compress and optimize your videos.
How do I check out my load time
Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to check your load time.
