With all of the possibilities that audio and video have to offer, one might think that plain old text would be outdated.  But even though these things add a great deal to the Internet, there still is, and probably always will be, an important place for the written word.

The Internet was founded on text.  And while text is no longer the only thing you can find online, it is still what the Internet is based on.  It’s largely what the search engines use to determine whether a page is relevant for a given keyword, and it’s often what people want when they are seeking information that they can share easily.

Text is currently the only medium that allows for easy searching.  This is not only important to the search engines, but also for the average user.  This is starting to  change as technology advances, but currently you can’t type in a search term and skip to each instance of it on an online video or audio recording.  But if you’re on a web page and need to find a specific word or words, you can simply use your browser’s search function to go directly to it.

It’s also important to consider that there are people who use text-only browsers to access the Internet.  Those who are blind often use browsers that read the text on a page aloud, and if there is not sufficient text to describe what the page is about, they may seek information elsewhere.  In addition to this, there are users who do not have sound cards or speakers, rendering audio useless and video usable but silent.

There are many things online that need to be presented as text.  Doing them any other way just doesn’t make sense.  For example, you probably wouldn’t want to access your bank account information as an audio file.  And you might not benefit very much from your digital camera user guide being presented in video form, although videos showing specific picture taking and maintenance techniques might be helpful.

Text is still an important part of any web page.  Audio and video can great assets to your website, but in most cases they shouldn’t completely replace your text.  Text is still favored by many Internet users, and it gives the search engines more to go on when they index your site.

 

Text Can Be Portable, Too

Online audio and video are becoming easier and easier to take wherever you go.  They can be downloaded to watch later on your computer, or you can put them on portable audio and video players.  But text doesn’t have to be bound to the Internet or computer screen either.

When people find information that is valuable to them online, they often want to save a copy of it for later reference.  They can bookmark the web page, but subsequent changes may move or eliminate the information they want.  They can save the page in question to their hard drives, but few people do.  Making it easy for your site visitors to take your words with them is good for business.  Here are some ways to accomplish that:

• Offer printer-friendly versions of popular pages.  Your site design may cause pages to print out poorly, especially if you use frames.  Making it easy for users to print pages that look like they should will allow them to easily archive information for future reference.
• Consider putting certain information in PDF format.  This is the file format that is often used for ebooks and brochures, and it provides easy readability.  It prints out nicely if your users want a hard copy.  And there are now portable ebook readers on the market that allow one to save his ebooks and other PDF files and take them with him wherever he goes.
• Provide options for mobile web users.  It is worthwhile for to set up mobile web pages and for, some businesses, text alert systems.  If your website offers up-to-date information such as news, weather, or account information, your users could benefit from mobile options.

The many recent innovations that utilize text indicate that it is still a medium that should not be ignored.  While it may not have the potential for personality of audio or be as visually stimulating as video, it is easy to transfer and doesn’t require any special software to use.

 

Audio and Video Should Complement Text, Not Replace It

One of the most important things to realize about audio and video is that at this point, they often don’t translate into money as quickly as text can.  Utilizing audio and video is more about making a name for yourself and building your brand than immediate monetary gratification.  It helps generate traffic to your website and boosts your business’s image.

Of course, there are exceptions. Popular videos participating in the ad revenue sharing program with YouTube can earn some decent money. YouTube is also always developing their technology for embedding links and other more interactive elements into videos.

In addition, you may find using video on a sales page increases your conversions and it can work as a very well in this regard.

But overall, text is so vitally important on any website.  Audio and video can enhance a website or sales letter, and they can go a long way toward convincing a visitor to become a customer or client.  But ultimately, it is usually text that seals the deal.  At the very least, text is the most effective way to instruct visitors on how to order or sign up.

Audio, video and text can work together to make your website nice to look at and listen to, as well as highly functional.  Each medium appeals to visitors in its own unique way.  Taking advantage of the multimedia opportunities available online can boost your site’s popularity while making it more useful.