Toronto and the GTA
Website video production in Toronto
Website video is made for one job: to sit on a page and answer the question a visitor has just before they get in touch. It is short, compressed for the web, captioned and delivered with a poster image so the page does not shift while it loads.
Video makes a service easier to understand and a person easier to trust. It is not a ranking guarantee, and nobody honest will promise a conversion figure before filming.
Recent work
Introducing First Session
A short explainer introducing a service that helps people find the right therapist.
What gets made
Video built for a specific page
The most common mistake is commissioning a brand film first. It is the most expensive option and it answers a question nobody on your site is asking yet.
Homepage brand videos
A short piece at the top of the site that establishes who you are. Worth making once the more specific videos exist.
About videos
The person or team behind the business, on the page where a visitor goes to decide whether they like you.
Service explainers
One video per high-value service, on that service's page, explaining what it involves and what it costs to get started.
Professional profiles
For practitioners whose clients are choosing a person. Sixty to ninety seconds gives tone, pace and manner, which is most of what is being assessed.
Customer testimonials
One customer explaining what they were worried about and what happened. Cheap to produce alongside another shoot and hard to argue with.
Background video loops
Short muted loops for hero sections, made from genuine footage of the work. Autoplayed only when they carry no information.
Landing page videos
Built for one campaign and one action, with the video and the button next to it asking for the same thing.
Recruitment videos
Watched more carefully than almost any other video on a site, and usually the most undervalued page a business has.
Publishing it properly
Performance, accessibility and how it behaves on a phone
Most website video underperforms because of how it was published, not how it was filmed. These are handled as part of delivery rather than left to whoever builds the page.
- Performance
- A video that hurts page speed loses more visitors than it gains. Delivery includes a web-compressed file alongside the master, sized for the space it actually occupies rather than exported at capture resolution.
- File compression
- Bitrate and resolution set for web delivery, not for archive. A four hundred megabyte export belongs in a backup, not on a homepage.
- Poster images
- Every video is delivered with a poster frame at the exact aspect ratio. The poster reserves the space from first paint, which is what stops the page shifting while a player loads.
- Captions
- A subtitle file is included with every website video. A large share of web video is watched with the sound off, and captions are also part of meeting WCAG requirements.
- Accessibility
- Controls reachable by keyboard, a real label on the play control, and no important message that exists only inside the video. Anything a visitor must know is on the page in text as well.
- Mobile behaviour
- Cut and graded to read on a phone first. Text on screen sized for a small display, and the opening seconds built to hold attention before anybody has decided to scroll.
- Autoplay and sound
- Background loops autoplay only when they are muted and carry no information. Anything with speech is click to play. Loops respect a visitor's reduced-motion preference.
- Hosting
- YouTube or Vimeo keeps the file off your server and handles the bandwidth. A self-hosted file is reasonable for a short muted loop. Which one suits depends on whether you also want the video found on the platform.
Process
How a website video runs
01
Pick the page
Start with the page where the decision happens, not the homepage. That choice does more for the result than any production decision.
02
Plan the piece
Length, structure and the single action it should lead to, agreed before filming. Sixty to ninety seconds is the usual target.
03
Film
Usually one location and one session. Several short videos filmed on the same day cost far less than the same videos filmed separately.
04
Deliver ready to publish
Web-compressed file, poster frame at the exact aspect ratio, subtitle file, and the vertical version if you are also posting it.
What you receive
What a website video delivery includes
- A web-compressed file sized for the space it occupies
- The full-resolution master for archive
- A poster frame at the exact aspect ratio
- A subtitle file, plus burned-in captions where needed
- A vertical version for social, where quoted
- Colour grading and a mixed audio track
- Licensed music with the licence confirmed in writing
- Notes on how to embed it without causing layout shift
Cost
What determines the cost
Website video is usually the least expensive video a business commissions, because it is short and it is normally one location. These are the factors that move the number.
- How many videos are filmed in one session. Three short pieces on one day cost far less than three separate days.
- Whether there is a script and graphics, or whether it is a straight piece to camera.
- How much supporting footage the piece needs to cover the explanation.
- Whether vertical versions are planned before filming or added afterwards.
- Whether the location needs lighting brought in, or has usable daylight.
In their words
What clients have said
“Rosa is incredibly knowledgeable and such a great resource for all your website, social media, and SEO needs! She's straight to the point and provides a great amount of detail on what can be done to boost performance. She is friendly, professional, and really responsive. I highly recommend working with Rosa!”
Margarita IarovaiaLead the Way Psychotherapy“Working with Rosa to create a video for my website was a delight. She is responsive, creative, and collaborative. She helped me feel comfortable throughout the filming process while beautifully capturing my essence. Choosing a therapist based solely on a written bio can feel challenging. I believe that having a professional-quality video on my website improves accessibility and helps build rapport with prospective clients. Since re-doing my website and adding a video, I noticed much more client outreach. My caseload is full, and I have a waitlist. I will absolutely reach out to Rosa again in the future to create more content for my business, she is amazing!”
Alex GosselinMSW, RSW“Working with Rosa was an incredible experience. Her keen eye for detail and creative vision brought our website to life in ways we couldn't have imagined. The video and photos she produced captured the essence of our brand. We are beyond thrilled with the results.”
Michael KangClinical Director, K'yaa Therapy
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Will a video slow my website down?
Not if it is delivered properly. A website video should be compressed for the web, given a poster image so the layout does not shift while it loads, and either hosted on a video platform or served from a CDN. Delivery includes files prepared this way and the poster frame to go with them.
Should the video play automatically?
A short background loop can autoplay when it is muted and has no important information in it. Anything with speech or a message should be click to play, so visitors decide. Autoplaying sound loses more visitors than it gains.
Does video improve conversion?
Video helps people decide, particularly when they are choosing a person to work with rather than a product to buy. It makes a service easier to understand and a practitioner easier to trust. It is not a ranking guarantee, and nobody honest will promise you a number in advance.
Where should the video be hosted?
YouTube and Vimeo both work and both keep the file off your own server. A self-hosted MP4 is fine for a short muted loop. The right answer depends on whether you want the video discoverable on the platform as well as on your site.
Are captions included?
Yes. A subtitle file is included, because a large share of website video is watched with the sound off and because captions are part of meeting accessibility requirements.
Related services
Video Production
Video production covering pre-production, filming and editing for organizations across Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area.
Interview Video
A filmed conversation, lit and recorded properly, cut into a piece that lets one person explain something in their own words.
Corporate Video
Video made for an organization's own communication: brand films, company profiles, recruitment, training, internal messaging and product explainers.
Guides that go with this
- Video Production
Website Video: What Businesses Should Film First
If you can only make one video for your website this year, this is the one to make and where to put it.
8 minute read
- Podcast Editing
How Video Podcast Editing Works
A step-by-step account of the editing process for a video podcast, and what to record so the edit goes well.
7 minute read
Contact us about a website video
Send a link to the page you would put it on. That is usually enough to give you a straight recommendation about which video to make first.