Video vs. Slideshow: What to use on a real estate webpage

Posted on 02. Jun, 2009 by Patrick Connelly in News

The internet provides an open battleground where everyone and anyone can voice their opinion. Chatroom fights rage for hours on the merits of the newest X-Men movie or McDonald`s new burger. On the real estate front, a debate has emerged concerning the future of website multimedia; specifically, between the use of videos or slideshows to advertise properties.

The camps are split in two: traditionalists in support of slideshows and modernistas who champion video.

Slideshow proponents first point out the tried and true aspect of slow scrolling pictures. Long before video became an option on webpages, before the YouTube days if you can remember back that far, slideshows ruled. Easy to create and inexpensive, even someone with limited computer knowledge could boast a visually stunning procession of high-quality pictures on his or her website.

But in the last few years video technology on the web has skyrocketed. And while quality video was once restricted to the YouTubes of the world wide web, technology now allows for high-definition video to be viewed on any website. Real estate videos began appearing on many sites, with varying degrees of professionalism.

Video is to slideshows as television was to radio: the ability to show moving images is intrinsically a step up. But just as radio has survived to this day, slideshows still have their place and time. This is mainly because so many real estate videos are poorly done, looking more like the Blair Witch Project than a professional tour of a property. Most realtors try to make a video on the cheap, and the results are disastrous. Without a simple tripod and a small mic attached to the shirt a good video is all but impossible, and it sounds as if it were filmed in a cave.

This is one reason why slideshows are still relevant. You don’t have to worry about sound quality or steady camera work. But, looking at current trends, video is definitely going to come out on top in this struggle. WellcomeMat, the major player in real estate video production, has all but deemed slideshows dead and gone and many others are following suit.

But there is certainly a place for slideshows in the real estate world. Too much video on a webpage can be unwieldy and cluttered. And sometimes a prospective buyer just wants to carouse through a gentle stream of quality photos and not be bombarded by video and sound. While video will be king, both of these multimedia forms will coexist for the foreseeable future. Integrating them into your website will be crucial in keeping pace with the ever-changing internet real estate environment.

Which do you think is better? Post your opinions below.

photo provided by keno-eye at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kino-eye/108616724/