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Appropriate use of audio elements on your website isn’t as easy as it seems, but if done properly audio can be a very effective marketing tool for your business. You can gain the competitive edge over your competition, and in the online world even a slight advantage mean the difference between the success and failure of your business.

Think about the many ways sound affects us. Music can soothe us, excite us, relax us, or put us in the mood for romance. Big business understands the persuasive power of music, which is why different stores play different types of music, aimed at keeping your browsing longer than you may even realize!
You can use audio elements, including music, in the same way on your website.

You can use an audio file (perhaps featuring your own voice) to welcome visitors to your site. This offers an air friendlieness and a personal touch to your business. Visitors will feel like they are getting a personal tour of your site from you, the site owner, even though they are only listening to the same recorded message all other visitors have heard. Your audio welcome should be short and to the point. Introduce yourself, and explain your business’ raison d’etre. Be careful about being too forward with a sales pitch; you don’t your visitors to feel put off. Remember: Perception is reality. If having the perception that they are receiving a personal tour helps put visitors at ease and compels them to want to stay awhile, that’s a very good first step.

You can also use audio to serve as a powerful navigational tool for your site. Using audio, you can help point users to where you want them to go (which, ideally, will eventually lead to your sales page).

Further, you always use audio (in the form of music) to accompany and influence your visitors’ journey through your site. As discussed above, background music can have a profound effect on your visitors’ moods and can even influence them to buy. But it’s important to use background music judiciously, however. Don’t just choose your favorite song or the latest number-one hit. Choose music that is appropriate for your website. That means choosing music that is inviting, and either relaxing or uplifting, depending on the mood of your site. Choose something that will complement your content, not detract from it or overshadow it. Remember, it’s supposed to be background music. One final caveat about using audio on your website: Always, always give the option to your visitors to turn the audio on or off as they prefer. Not everyone will want to listen to music while they browse your site! What’s more, you never know where a visitor will be when they are visiting your site. In a library, on the train, at work (gasp!) – there are lots of places where blaring strains of instrumental Pink Floyd may draw unwanted attention. Don’t put your visitors through that!

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Website audio elements can also be used to educate and inform your visitors. Using audio to offer free online tutorials or webinars on your topics, or showcase video testimonials for your products to promo your product will offer credibility to your site.

Recording audio elements is not expensive and is quite easy to do, even for a relative newcomer to the online world. All you need is a quiet environment and a microphone with which to record your message. You should type out what you are going to say beforehand to facilitate natural-sounding speech without having to restart multiple times. In addition, you can then offer the transcripts as additional, value-added materials for download from your site.

The goal in website design is to create an environment that is user friendly, interactive, and informative. Including the right kind of audio elements on your site is a great way to achieve all of those goals.