The Ten Commandments of Using Streaming Audio On Your Website
When it comes to placing audio on your website there are Ten
Commandments you absolutely must follow. Break one of these
Commandments and you can watch your website drive visitors away
faster than the speed of sound. Fortunately, if you follow the
Ten Commandments you can get people to stay at your website
longer, inquire about your product or service more often, and
even buy more of what you are selling. Doesn’t that sound good?
So without further ado, here are the Ten Commandments you must
follow when placing audio on your website.
Commandment #1
Don’t set your audio to play automatically when people arrive at
your website. Your visitors all have different computers with
different speakers, some have the volume turned all the way up,
some are already listening to music, some don’t even have
speakers to begin with. If you start playing your audio
automatically you risk losing potential customers. It’s much
easer to leave a website or hit the back button then it is to
search around for how to turn off your audio. One exception to
this Commandment is the use of pop-up windows. Pop-up windows
can be closed by the visitor yet they still leave them at your
website. The same goes for exit pop-ups, these windows can be
very effective at grabbing the visitors attention, although some
people may not like it, it has proven to be very successful in
some uses.
Commandment #2
Sounding like a Pro! You must have professional sounding audio
on your site. Anything else will make you look like an amateur.
If you are showcasing your own poetry, or telling a personal
story, or marketing yourself, then you should use your own
voice. But, if you are trying to sell something and your voice
doesn’t quite cut it, then have a professional voiceover person
record your audio. It will make all the difference.
WebAudioReviews.com has a list of several affordable voiceover
professionals.
Commandment #3
When using audio to sell or promote, keep it short! Long audio
messages have their place online and rarely are they on the main
page of a website. Keep your messages short, concise, to the
point, and easy to follow. This can make all the difference in
your audio message. Try to keep your promotional audio message
around 30 to 90 seconds. Commercials are only 30 seconds and get
their point across very well, follow their lead and do the same
thing.
Commandment #4
Be prepared! If you or someone else is recording your audio then
write out a script. Write out a complete word for word script,
practice it out loud and change it as necessary. If you just
“wing it” then it will sound like it. Have others listen and
critique your script before you record it. Fine tune your script
by removing unnecessary wording, trimming down the overall
length, and wording it for maximum impact.
Commandment #5
When recording your own audio, smile! It will come across in
your voice. But remember, if you don’t sound like a pro even
when you smile, then get one!
Commandment #6
Don’t overload your site with audio. If you have too many audio
buttons to choose from most people will choose none. Whereas
when you only have a few audio buttons on your website it will
encourage people to listen to your audio message. A single audio
button done right is usually enough to get your point.
Commandment #7
Use music! Using music in addition to your voice will make your
audio sound 100 times more professional and engaging. Add some
easy listening intro music that fits the theme of your site,
even sound effects if done right can make a tremendous
difference in the way your message sounds. Remember to use music
that is royalty free music or music you have created and own
rights to. Placing your favorite Beatles song on your website
could get you in trouble.
Commandment #8
Have a point! This may sound obvious, but many people place
audio on their website just because they can and for no other
reason. No one cares about how fancy your audio is if it doesn’t
have much of a point to it. Have a purpose and reason for using
audio.
Commandment #9
Tell people to listen to your audio! Just having an audio button
on your website isn’t good enough. You need to tell people what
they will hear, what it’s about, how long it is, and where to
click to listen. Don’t assume people will figure it out on their
own, people need to be told what to do online, and the same goes
for telling them to listen to your audio. Also, by telling
visitors the length of your message they won’t be afraid to
listen to it because they will know how long it is. Research has
shown that sometimes people will not listen to an audio message
in fear that it may be too long. If it is a long message then
tell your visitors so they will be prepared for an hour long
audio message.
Commandment #10
Test your audio! Don’t just place audio on your website thinking
it will increase sales. Test it out, get opinions from your
visitors, friends, and family, and then do split testing. Find
out if the sales are greater with your audio. If you don’t split
test your site with different audio messages and without audio
then you will never know if it’s helping or hurting your website.
To place streaming audio on your site, as well as find a wealth
of information, voiceover professionals, audio hosting,
recording tools, and more, visit Web Audio Reviews.
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