Where Should You Use an Explainer Video on Your Website?

An explainer video can be useful on a website, but only when it solves a real communication problem.

The best placements are usually pages where visitors need to understand something quickly, compare options, visualise a process, or feel more confident before taking the next step. That might be a homepage introducing an unfamiliar offer, a service page explaining how delivery works, or a landing page where hesitation is stopping people from enquiring.

The important question is not simply whether video belongs on the website. It is where the video can remove uncertainty without slowing the page down or distracting from the main action.

🧭 Jump to:

🎥 What an Explainer Video Should Do	🏠 Homepage Placement
🧩 Service & Product Pages	🎯 Landing Pages
💷 Pricing & Comparison Pages	📚 Support & Onboarding
📍 Where on the Page?	⏱️ How Long Should It Be?
🎬 Animated vs Filmed	⚠️ When Not to Use Video
⚡ Speed, UX & Accessibility	📊 Measuring Performance
✅ Planning the Placement	❓ FAQs

What Should an Explainer Video Do on a Website?

An explainer video should make something easier to understand.

That sounds obvious, but many website videos are added without a clear job. They introduce the company, repeat the page copy, show general footage, and end without helping the visitor make a decision.

A useful explainer video should normally do at least one of the following:

• Explain an unfamiliar service or product
• Show how a process works
• Clarify the difference between several options
• Reduce concern around cost, complexity, or delivery
• Demonstrate something that is difficult to describe through text alone
• Introduce the people behind the service
• Help visitors understand what happens after they enquire
• Condense a complicated message into a clearer sequence

The video should support the page rather than replace it.

Visitors still need headings, written explanations, calls to action, and enough context to understand the offer without pressing play. Search engines and accessibility tools also need meaningful page content beyond an embedded video.

Start with the problem, not the production

Before commissioning an explainer video, identify the exact point at which visitors become confused, hesitant, or disengaged.

For example:

• Are people misunderstanding what the service includes?
• Are they unsure which package suits them?
• Does the process sound more complicated than it really is?
• Are visitors reaching the page but not enquiring?
• Does the product need to be seen in action?
• Are important details being buried in long sections of copy?

The answer should determine the script, length, style, and placement.

Should You Put an Explainer Video on Your Homepage?

A homepage explainer video can work well when the business, product, or service is not immediately obvious.

It can help visitors understand:

• What the organisation does
• Who it helps
• Which problem it solves
• How its approach differs
• What the visitor should do next

This can be particularly useful for technology businesses, specialist consultants, new service models, technical manufacturers, healthcare providers, and organisations with several connected services.

When a homepage video adds value

A homepage explainer is most useful when the written proposition needs supporting context.

For example, a short video could:

• Explain a new platform in simple terms
• Show how several services work together
• Introduce an organisation with an unfamiliar model
• Guide different audiences towards the correct section
• Demonstrate the result of a technical or creative process

When the homepage does not need one

A homepage video may add very little when the proposition is already simple and immediately understandable.

A local professional service, for example, may be better served by a clear headline, proof, location information, and a strong call to action than by a broad company video.

It should also be avoided when the production has no clear message and exists mainly as background decoration. Large autoplaying hero videos can make a page visually impressive while making the actual offer harder to understand.

Using Explainer Videos on Service and Product Pages

Service and product pages are often the most useful place for an explainer video because the visitor has already shown interest in a specific offer.

The video can now address the details that influence whether they continue.

Service pages

A service-page video can explain:

• What the service includes
• Who it is designed for
• How the process works
• What the client needs to provide
• What makes one option different from another
• What happens after the initial enquiry
• What a typical project looks like

This is useful for services that are consultative, technical, regulated, or difficult to visualise.

A website design and development service, for example, could use video to explain the stages from discovery and wireframing through to development, testing, and launch.

A professional services firm might use it to explain an unfamiliar legal, financial, or advisory process without forcing visitors to work through dense technical copy first.

Product pages

Product explainers are most effective when seeing the product helps the visitor understand its value.

They can show:

• How the product works
• How it is installed or assembled
• What it looks like at scale
• How different features are used
• How it compares with another model
• What problem it solves in a real environment

This is particularly useful for software, equipment, machinery, medical products, technical components, and products with several settings or configurations.

The video should sit close to the relevant product information rather than being hidden in a general media gallery.

Should You Use an Explainer Video on a Landing Page?

An explainer video can support a landing page when it helps visitors understand the offer quickly or removes a specific reason for hesitation.

Landing-page visitors are often arriving from an advert, email, campaign, or targeted search. They should not need to work through a long company introduction before understanding what is being offered.

A useful landing-page video might:

• Summarise the offer in under two minutes
• Show the result or transformation
• Explain what happens after form submission
• Demonstrate a software product
• Answer a common objection
• Introduce the specialist who will handle the enquiry
• Clarify who the service is and is not suitable for

Keep the video focused on the campaign

A general corporate video is rarely the strongest choice for a focused landing page.

The script should reflect the same:

• Audience
• Problem
• Offer
• Promise
• Call to action

That consistency matters. A visitor clicking an advert about one service should not land on a video covering the company’s entire history and full range of capabilities.

Media Village’s landing-page design and video production teams can plan the page and content together, so the video supports the conversion journey rather than competing with it.

Should the video appear above the form?

Not automatically.

If the offer is simple and the visitor is already motivated, putting a video before the form may add unnecessary friction.

If the offer is unfamiliar, expensive, or requires more trust, placing the video before the main call to action may help the visitor feel ready to continue.

The position should follow the level of explanation needed.

Using Explainer Videos on Pricing and Comparison Pages

Pricing and comparison pages often contain information that is easy to misread or oversimplify.

An explainer video can help clarify:

• Why prices vary
• What is included at each level
• Which option suits which type of customer
• Which costs are one-off or ongoing
• What information is needed before a quote can be prepared
• Why two apparently similar services may be priced differently

This is especially useful where the service cannot be reduced to a fixed package without context.

The video should not avoid giving useful pricing information. It should explain the variables around the figures already shown on the page.

Comparison pages

A short visual comparison can be more effective than a dense table when the differences involve processes, outcomes, interfaces, or physical features.

Examples might include:

• Audio podcast vs video podcast
• Template website vs custom website
• 2D animation vs 3D animation
• Product A vs Product B
• Managed service vs internal delivery

The video should remain balanced. If one option is genuinely better for a particular situation, explain why rather than forcing every viewer towards the most expensive choice.

Explainer Videos for Onboarding, Support, and Knowledge Bases

Not every useful website video needs to sit near a sales enquiry.

Explainer videos can reduce pressure on support teams and make complex instructions easier to follow.

Customer onboarding

Onboarding videos can explain:

• How to access an account
• What happens after purchase
• How to prepare for an appointment
• Which documents or information are required
• How the first stage of a service works
• Who to contact for help

This can improve consistency because every new customer receives the same core explanation.

Knowledge bases and support centres

Video works well for practical tasks involving screens, equipment, settings, or physical processes.

Examples include:

• Software walkthroughs
• Installation guides
• Troubleshooting steps
• Maintenance instructions
• Account and billing support
• Product demonstrations

The page should still include written steps. This helps users who prefer reading, supports accessibility, and allows people to scan for one specific answer without replaying the complete video.

Using Explainer Videos in Case Studies

Case-study pages can benefit from video when the project is easier to understand visually.

A useful case-study video might combine:

• The client explaining the original challenge
• Footage of the product, website, campaign, or completed work
• The delivery team explaining key decisions
• Before-and-after comparisons
• Results and outcomes
• Examples of the work in use

This can make the evidence feel more tangible than a testimonial alone.

The video should still be supported by written context, project details, and clear results. A visitor should not need to watch several minutes of footage to discover what was delivered.

Where Should an Explainer Video Sit on the Page?

The best position is usually close to the information or decision the video supports.

There is no universal rule that every video should appear above the fold.

Near the top of the page

Place the video near the top when:

• The offer is unfamiliar
• The video contains the clearest summary
• Visual demonstration is central to understanding the product
• The page is built around the video itself
• Visitors need immediate reassurance before reading further

After the opening explanation

This is often the most balanced position.

The opening copy establishes what the page is about, and the video then expands on the idea for visitors who want more detail.

This avoids forcing every user to engage with the video before they have enough context to decide whether it is relevant.

Next to a specific process or feature

Place the video within the relevant section when it explains one particular part of the offer.

For example:

• A demonstration beside a product feature
• A process video beside “How it works”
• An onboarding video beside the next-step instructions
• A comparison video beside package choices

Near the call to action

A video can sit before a form or enquiry button when its main role is to resolve final hesitation.

This might include explaining:

• What happens after the visitor enquires
• How long the process takes
• Who they will speak to
• What information they need to provide
• Whether there is any commitment

Do not repeat the same full video several times on one page. Use one clear placement or create shorter, section-specific edits where genuinely useful.

How Long Should a Website Explainer Video Be?

The right length depends on the page, subject, and level of explanation required.

These are starting points rather than fixed limits.

A 30-second video that rushes through a complex process is not automatically better than a clear two-minute explanation. Equally, a five-minute company overview should not be used where the visitor only needs one straightforward answer.

Remove anything that does not help the viewer understand, decide, or act.

Should Your Website Explainer Be Animated or Filmed?

The format should follow the subject.

When animation works well

Animation is useful when the video needs to explain:

• Abstract ideas
• Software and digital processes
• Systems that cannot easily be filmed
• Data and statistics
• Technical processes happening inside equipment
• A consistent visual world built around the brand

Animation also gives greater control over pacing, transitions, icons, diagrams, and visual hierarchy.

When filmed video works well

Filmed video is useful when trust, personality, environment, or physical detail matters.

It can show:

• The people delivering the service
• A product in use
• A real location or facility
• A physical process
• Customer experiences
• Body language and human interaction

Can you combine both?

Yes.

A filmed presenter can be supported by animated diagrams, captions, screen recordings, product visuals, and motion graphics.

This blended approach often works well when the audience needs both human reassurance and technical explanation.

When Should You Avoid Using an Explainer Video?

An explainer video is not always the right answer.

A page may be better without one when:

• The message is already simple and clear
• The video only repeats the written copy
• The production quality would undermine confidence
• The page is already slow or overloaded
• The content will become outdated quickly
• The visitor needs a fast factual answer
• The video distracts from a simple enquiry or purchase action
• The business has no plan to caption, maintain, or update it

Avoid generic company montages

A sequence of office shots, smiling staff, laptops, and handshakes may look polished, but it is not necessarily an explainer.

If the viewer finishes the video without understanding the offer more clearly, it has not done the job.

Avoid forcing visitors to watch

Do not hide essential information inside the video.

Visitors should be able to understand the main proposition, price context, next steps, and important conditions through the page itself.

Video should give them another route into the information, not become a gate they must pass through.

Avoid autoplay with sound

Unexpected sound is intrusive and can create accessibility and usability problems.

If autoplay is used for a muted visual background, the content should still make sense without audio and should not be the only way important information is communicated.

How Do Explainer Videos Affect Website Speed and User Experience?

Video files are large. Poor implementation can slow down the page, delay interaction, and make the website feel heavier than necessary.

The video production and web development teams should therefore plan delivery together.

Use a thumbnail rather than loading the full player immediately

A lightweight preview image can appear first, with the video player loading only after the visitor clicks.

This can reduce the amount of data loaded during the initial page visit.

Compress the video properly

Website video does not need to be delivered as an enormous master file.

The production team should supply suitable exports for web use while retaining higher-quality masters elsewhere.

Use a suitable hosting platform

Video may be hosted through YouTube, Vimeo, a specialist platform, or another delivery service depending on privacy, branding, analytics, and performance requirements.

Uploading a large file directly into the website is not always the most efficient approach.

Protect the mobile experience

Check how the video behaves on smaller screens.

Consider:

• Whether the text remains readable
• Whether controls are easy to use
• Whether the aspect ratio suits the layout
• Whether captions cover important visuals
• Whether the page still loads acceptably on mobile data
• Whether a vertical or square edit would work better in that placement

Accessibility Requirements for Website Video

Explainer videos should be usable by people who cannot hear the audio, cannot see the visuals clearly, or prefer to consume the information in another way.

Useful accessibility measures include:

• Accurate captions
• A written transcript
• Clear narration
• Readable on-screen text
• Sufficient contrast
• Controls for pause, play, and volume
• Avoiding fast flashing visuals
• Explaining important visual information in the audio

The page copy should also provide the core information covered by the video.

Accessibility should be considered during scripting and storyboarding rather than added as an afterthought once production is complete.

How Do You Measure Whether an Explainer Video Is Working?

View count alone does not tell you whether the video is helping the page.

The useful measurements depend on its purpose.

Video engagement

Relevant measures may include:

• Play rate
• Average watch time
• Completion rate
• Points where viewers stop watching
• Clicks after watching

Page behaviour

Look at whether visitors who interact with the video are more likely to:

• Continue to another relevant page
• Reach the enquiry section
• Submit a form
• Book a call
• Add a product to the basket
• Complete onboarding steps
• Use fewer support resources afterwards

Qualitative feedback

Sales and support teams can provide useful evidence.

Ask whether prospects arrive with a clearer understanding of:

• The service
• The process
• The likely cost
• The differences between options
• What happens next

If the same misunderstanding continues after the video is published, the message or placement may need revisiting.

How to Plan an Explainer Video for a Website

A website explainer should be planned as part of the page, not created separately and inserted wherever space is available.

Before production begins, establish:

• Which page the video will appear on
• Who will be visiting that page
• What they should already understand
• Which question or objection the video must address
• What action should follow the video
• Whether filmed, animated, or blended production suits the subject
• What information must remain in written form
• How the video will behave on mobile
• How performance will be measured
• Who will update the video if the offer changes

Write the page and script together

The script should not simply repeat every paragraph on the page.

Instead, the two should divide the work sensibly.

The page can provide:

• Detailed information
• Search-friendly context
• Pricing and specifications
• Scannable answers
• Links and calls to action

The video can provide:

• Sequence
• Demonstration
• Personality
• Visual comparison
• Reassurance
• A concise overview

That creates a stronger experience than making both formats communicate exactly the same information.

FAQs About Explainer Videos on Websites

These are some of the most common questions businesses ask when deciding where and how to use an explainer video online.

Should an explainer video go at the top of the homepage?

Only when it helps visitors understand the proposition immediately. If the business is already easy to understand, the video may work better after a short written introduction or on a more specific service page.

Do explainer videos improve website conversions?

They can support conversions when they resolve a genuine question or objection. A poorly targeted or distracting video can have the opposite effect. The impact should be measured against the page’s specific goal.

Should a website video autoplay?

Autoplay with sound should generally be avoided. Muted autoplay may suit decorative background footage, but important explainer content should normally require the visitor to choose to play it.

How long should a homepage explainer video be?

Approximately 45–90 seconds is a useful starting point for a homepage overview. The video can be longer when the subject genuinely requires more explanation, but every section should earn its place.

Should an explainer video replace written website content?

No. The page should still explain the main offer, process, and next step in writing. This supports accessibility, scanning, search visibility, and visitors who do not want to watch.

Is animation or live action better for a website explainer?

Animation works well for abstract ideas, software, data, and technical processes. Live action is stronger when people, products, locations, and trust are central. Many projects benefit from combining both.

Where should a product explainer video appear?

Place it close to the feature, specification, or buying decision it supports. It may sit near the main product gallery, beside a “how it works” section, or near comparison information.

Can an explainer video slow down a website?

Yes, particularly when large files or heavy video players load immediately. Suitable compression, external hosting, preview images, and careful development can reduce the performance impact.

Do website videos need captions?

Yes. Captions support people who cannot hear the audio and visitors watching without sound. A transcript and clear written page content are also valuable.

How often should an explainer video be updated?

Review it whenever the service, pricing, process, interface, branding, or product changes. Avoid including details likely to become outdated unless there is a realistic plan to revise the video.

Final Thoughts

An explainer video works best when it appears at a genuine point of uncertainty.

That might be near the top of a homepage introducing an unfamiliar offer, within a service page explaining the process, beside a product demonstration, or before a landing-page enquiry where visitors need reassurance.

The placement should follow the job the video needs to do.

Adding video without a clear purpose can slow the page down, repeat information, and distract from the next step. A properly planned explainer can make a complicated offer easier to understand and give visitors a more useful route through the website.

Media Village provides explainer video production alongside in-house video production, animation, branding, and website design and development.

That joined-up approach allows the message, production, page structure, user experience, and technical implementation to be planned together rather than handled as separate pieces of work.

👉 Planning an explainer video for your website? Tell us what visitors need to understand, and our video and web teams will help you shape the right approach.