In the 1970's groundbreaking research was done resulting in a much greater understanding of how the brain functions. The work of a Bulgarian scientist called Georgi Lozanov in the 1960's laid the foundation for what the West would later call accelerated learning. Learning styles were categorized, such as audial, visual, and kinesthetic modalities. Although our brains absorb information from all our senses, it was discovered that every individual has a preferred learning modality. Identify it and you can learn must faster.

Here though is a significant statistic. An interesting discovery was made after extensive testing that a large number of people prefer to learn through visual means. They like to see things as they absorb information. Some studies even put the figure as high as 65% of the population who absorb and recall information best by seeing.

Now can you see where this fits in when we talk of why you should add video to your web site? Pictures can make a huge difference in the way your message comes across. You can state something but when you show a picture of it, well, the effect is immediate.

In the late 1870's experiments were done with moving pictures. Using 24 cameras, an English photographer by the name of Eadweard Muybridge, photographed a horse in fast motion. The series of photographs settled a debate of the day as to whether all four hooves leave the ground when a horse is running. The resulting 'movie' proved conclusively that they do.

From those humble beginnings, motion pictures developed to what they are today. Who can argue that motion pictures have not had an incredibly substantial impact on the 20th and 21st centuries, not only in the arts, but also in technology and politics.

This presents an amazing opportunity for the modern day marketer. Add video to your web site and you capitalize on this highly successful modern medium to get your message across. A large number of people think in pictures. If you have an interesting video presentation featuring your services or products, there is a strong likelihood your sales conversion rate will increase, perhaps even dramatically.

Additionally, when you add video to your web site, visitors are likely to stay on the page longer. Isn't that another key aim of any webmaster? Using a tool like Google Analytics, you can measure the average time spent on your web site or on your web page. The longer a visitor lingers on your web site, the chances increase of them clicking on a link that leads to a sale or taking some other action you lead them to.

As an experiment, why not add a video to your web site on one page, and then make a copy of that page without the video. Track the visitor response through split testing over a few days or weeks. You may be astonished at the results.

Here's another idea. Apart from adding video to your web site, also consider how it could be used on an ebay auction or perhaps your blog? You could see signups to your list or actual sales soar.

So to boil it all down, why add video to your web site? To make money. Why keep spending out trying to get more traffic when you can increase the sales conversion ratio of the traffic you already receive. Make your web site 'sticky' by adding video so your visitors will not just click away but engage and actually stay a while. The more time they stay on your site the better it is for you.

Copyright (c) 2009 Michael A Jones