So what’s next?
Before applying this newfound knowledge of HTML audio and video tags, you must know how to use them responsibly. Overusing these elements could potentially be a huge turn-off and annoyance for anyone coming to view your site. A post titled How to Use Video and Audio to Enhance your Website takes you through the do’s and don’ts of adding each element. This post has thorough explanations of each guideline and I highly recommend reading them to grasp the full understanding of why this is so important. To save some time, I have created a checklist of questions based on this article to help you quickly decide whether or not an audio or video file is a good idea for your website.
Audio Checklist:
- Is the Audio necessary?
- Will the Audio create a positive user experience?
- Will the Audio be an annoyance to your audience?
- How will it affect the performance of your website? (i.e. loading content quickly)
- Can the Audio improve user accessibility?
Video Checklist:
- Is your Video file compatible with multiple browsers?
- Does your poster/ cover image on the video entice your audience to click on it?
- Is the video file reasonably sized for your website loading speed?
- Is the video too long?
- Is the video experience on a mobile device the same as on a desktop?
- Will your video or website support Closed Captions (CC) for better accessibility?
Each one of these questions is important because it all goes back to the creation of a positive user experience. Knowing how to code each audio and video element is just as important as knowing when and where to place them. You always want your audio or video files to work for you and not against you. Adding audio and video with HTML can be easy but now knowing how to use it to your advantage can make the process even more enjoyable!
Do you have any tips on how to better incorporate audio and video into a website?
**NOTE: This chapter is a revised version of a blog post titled “Guidelines for adding Video and Audio Elements to your Website” on Journey to the Center of the Web blog