Video content has significantly grown in popularity within the last few years. One of the primary reasons is that video technology has rapidly developed. In fact, video content has become so popular that research by Statista shows video viewership will increase to 248.9 million U.S. viewers in 2022.
However, out of all the video content available online, one of them has had the biggest impact — live streaming videos.
These days, more people are watching live streams. In 2021, live streaming estimated 548.7 billion hours of watch time. That impressively makes it one of the most popular forms of online content.
Because people enjoy live streaming content daily, it’s clear that the streaming industry will keep expanding. In fact, the live-streaming market reached $70 billion in 2021, and it continues to grow.
While live streaming has impacted the world, web design is one area that will have a mark.
How Live Streaming Impacted Web Design
In the live stream industry, there are several reasons why it has become so popular. One of them is that streamers can engage with thousands of viewers across the globe in real-time. During a live stream, creators get to communicate with people via live chat — making their streams highly interactive and intriguing to watch.
Additionally, live streaming is cost-efficient. Unlike broadcasting on TV, live streams are entirely free to run on the internet. Plus, they don’t require as much of an expense for production. With lots of savings and the ability to monetize live streaming, this increasingly attracts streamers and has helped many businesses worldwide.
Moreover, it has allowed people to stay connected while the lockdown orders proceeded during the pandemic.
However, streamers are starting to realize the opportunities that live streaming brings when it comes to monetization.
Creators Are Designing Their Own Live-Stream Platforms
Streamers rely heavily on some of the most popular live-streaming platforms, like YouTube, Facebook and Twitch. These networks allow live streamers to be successful with the billions of viewers that use these sites.
However, public networks have limitations — restricting monetization, enforcing strict content guidelines and limiting channel discoverability with the algorithms.
Now live-stream creators look for a place where they have complete control over their content. That’s where web design comes into play because more streamers require their own live-streaming websites. And they need special features to create a successful live-stream site.
Between the popularity of live-streaming and the realization of creating their own platform, web design will have a crucial role in the industry. With more live-stream creators turning to their own platform, they get to:
- Have creative freedom.
- Control their income.
- Reach more people with SEO (search engine optimization).
- Increase their brand awareness.
Essentially, it empowers you to take control of your live streaming business. That’s why more designers are creating websites for people to achieve their own success. But for you to reap the benefits of your own digital space, you have to incorporate certain web design elements.
Web Design Features Needed in a Live-Stream Website
Web design can help you establish your brand as an influencer or live–streamer. You’ll look more legitimate and professional to your fans, helping you create more opportunities.
However, web design is critical when creating a website. A good live-stream web design uses the right colors, fonts, words, images and graphics to appeal to users.
Here are some elements to consider incorporating when designing your live-stream website.
1. Create an Online Store
You generate as much revenue as you desire with your own website — more than what’s available on social platforms. If you plan on selling items during your live streams, you’ll need to host an online store, so people have a place to buy merchandise.
When designing your e-commerce store, try to keep it simple. The more pop-ups, banner ads and colors you add, the more it takes away the point of closing a sale. Your design should be clean, clear and simple so users can easily find what they want.
2. SEO-Friendly Website
When developing new web pages, you need to ensure you optimize your site with clean, SEO-friendly code. Incorporating SEO into your site allows your streaming brand to appear in Google’s search results. As a result, you show all of your brand’s entire offerings.
Take time creating your site’s code to increase your return on investment. SEO-friendly coding will guide search engine spiders and provide them with a clear picture of your website’s content.
Furthermore, it helps to design a blog page to drive traffic to your website. If you create a blog section, you can target your audience with keywords and answer your user’s with the most common questions.
3. Drive Brand Awareness
A professional-looking website can attract more fans to your live-stream platform. To achieve better results, though, you need good branding. Branding awareness is crucial since it provides credibility in a saturated market and can set you apart from other live-streamers.
To design a brand successfully, you’ll first need to create a brand strategy that defines who you are in your business. Then, you can start incorporating your branding into your live-stream website.
For instance, colors are an essential part of branding. They can stimulate different emotions and associate with other characteristics.
When choosing the right color palette, consider its effects on the human mind. Doing so will help you determine which ones are the right fit for your brand. Once you pick the right colors, you’ll be able to create an attractive logo design and ensure your brand is memorable.
4. Create an Interactive and User-Friendly Experience
Finally, your website will need a user-friendly design. Users expect a lot these days when they interact with websites. Therefore, you need to create a live-streaming website that’s interactive and easy to use.
Some of the important features you’ll need to pay careful attention to when designing your streaming site will include:
- User registration: Ensure you set up the proper sign-up forms, so users have access to your live streaming content. You can provide various formats for users to log in, including email, Facebook account and a mobile number.
- Video search: Users will need a place where they can find your previously uploaded content. Consider categorizing your videos by topic, date, video length, genre, most-watched, etc.
- Video player: For better user experience, provide the options of sharing and embedding videos. Offer related videos, playlist configuration, download buttons and video quality selectors for enhancements.
- Payment Integration: If you plan on creating a subscription model for your live stream business, ensure you support online payments using third-party integrations.
Kickstart the Design of Your Live-Stream Website
It’s no wonder more streamers are turning to their own platforms. They get freedom and creativity doing it.
However, designing a new website considers usability, attractiveness and optimization. When incorporating live-stream into your web design, consider following the tips above to ensure you enhance the overall experience for your users.
Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly Magazine. Eleanor was the creative director and occasional blog writer at a prominent digital marketing agency before becoming her own boss in 2018. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dog, Bear.
