With the number of internet users worldwide touching 5.18 billion in April 2023, every business on the internet is striving to get the attention of its target audience. As the number of smartphone users is increasing at a rapid pace every year, all offline businesses are establishing their presence on the internet. There were 5,006 million smartphone users worldwide in 2022 and projected to reach 5,848 million in 2026. Let us discuss how to create a VOD website like Netflix in detail below.
6 Factors to Consider in Building a Video demand website
- Building a VOD website that will attract and retain users in the competitive arena requires planning well in advance. All the factors have to be taken into consideration to provide the best user experience and prompt the user to increase the usage of the VOD website.
- Ease of access
- Convenient to access
Make your VOD website accessible from anywhere and at any time. People access entertainment remotely at any time. It could be during traveling, during office break hours, and from any location.
So make sure that your VOD website and application are accessible on any device, including Android and iOS. The most commonly used devices worldwide are smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and smart TVs.
- Your users will spend more time on your website when you increase their convenience quotient. After all, that is the end goal that will generate revenue.
- Original and on-demand video content
- Exclusive and entertaining content
With so many VOD businesses in the market, the only way to stand out is to ensure that you are catering to the demands of your target market. The first criterion to satisfy your audience is to provide entertaining video content. It is an ongoing demand.
Apart from this, provide exclusive web content on your VOD platform. Tie up with content creators who will produce content to release exclusively on your VOD platform. It will benefit your VOD business and the content creator.
- It is also essential to host original content on your website. Be aware of the vendors who might deliver pirated or stolen video content to your website. It reduces the credibility of your business which is difficult to rebuild.
- No advertisement
- Ad-free video content
If you start a VOD website and run it on a subscription model, you must provide premium service to your customers. Viewing ads on every video will put off your customers. You could opt to display a selective ad on any one or two of your videos that will have more eyeballs.
This way, you will not only be able to sell premium ads at a higher price but also provide a premium viewing experience to your customers. It means increased revenue and offering optimum user experience. After all, your paying customers would expect a premium experience compared to your free users.
- If your VOD website generates revenue using an advertisement video-on-demand model, you can choose highly relevant ads that benefit your users.
- Planning
- Strategizing content delivery
When you decide to create a VOD website like Netflix, planning is the first step to heading in the right direction. Define your target audience clearly and in detail. As a VOD business owner, you must know your user persona.
Decide on the video content you can deliver to your ideal user persona. Figure out the methods and vendors to procure the content. It must meet the requirements and demands of your audience.
- The quality of the content and the consistency with which you can deliver the content are also crucial components.
- Hosting on Cloud
- Cloud hosting
When you think about how to create a video-on-demand website, the first thing that pops up is the storage of your video content. Security is of utmost importance on the internet. Host and store your data securely on the Cloud.
Due to the nature of the business, it is necessary to store the video content on Cloud rather than on-site. It is not only easier to host, retrieve and manage data on Cloud but is also saclable.
- As your VOD business grows, Cloud will be a viable and cost-effective solution when compared to storing data in a physical location.
- Video-on-demand provider
- Opt for the right solution provider
The VOD provider who offers to provide and maintain a VOD platform for your business is a major deciding factor in the success of your business. With several VOD platform providers in the market, it is essential to choose a service provider that meets your business requirements.
Only if a provider can meet your business requirements and offers scalability you must opt for it. This is crucial to receive the required support in projecting your brand in the right light and to be able to effectively serve your customers.
Create a VOD Website using these steps
Procedure to develop a video-on-demand website
- Building your video-on-demand website right is the first step in delivering top-notch content and user experience. Let’s discuss the steps to create a VOD website in detail below.
- Conducting market research and planning
- Study the market and strategize to meet the demand
Studying the market to understand the current scenario is the first step. This gives in-depth insights into the needs and demands of the target audience group. Competitors that cater to the needs and demands of the same or similar target audience also must be studied.
As a result of the study, you will be able to identify the trends in the market, the gaps that are not being addressed by your competitors, and how you can serve your audience better.
- Develop a detailed plan to achieve your VOD business goals based on the market research conducted.
- Set up the VOD website
- Set up the website and app
Your video-on-demand website and app are where your users will be spending their time. This makes it vital to set up a website that is attractive and easy to use.
- All the technicalities required for the proper and optimum functioning of the necessary features on your VOD website and the app must be set up. Having a team of sound technical professionals in-house will help with the development and maintenance of your VOD platforms.
- Acquiring video content and licensing
- Obtaining content and its licenses
Obtain original video content with its license to host on your VOD platforms. You could tie up with production houses, content creators, and vendors to get the on-demand content.
- You could also sign-up contracts with producers and dealers to host exclusive content on your platform. With VOD website exclusive content, you are bound to get a loyal fan
base.
- Designing the website and app
- Optimizing user experience through design
The look and feel to build VOD website and application must encourage the users to spend more time on your platform. Since it is a visual medium, it is crucial to optimize the user experience through design.
Portray your brand in the right light using professional designing services. Designers who deliver high-quality services will ensure that the smallest details on the platform are taken care of. It could be color, font style & size, background images, buttons, menu, pages, layout, etc.
- Working on the small details and pointing them towards the larger scheme of things to enhance user experience is what design does. A VOD business that can cater to this requirement can assure its users a smooth experience.
- Monetization through marketing strategies
- Setting up monetization methods
Make marketing plans to drive revenue to your VOD business from the start. Monetization is the ultimate goal of the business. It is crucial to strategize a marketing plan that will facilitate the monetization goals.
Creating two to three marketing plans for A/B testing will help compare and determine the strategy that works better. It also helps in falling back on another marketing plan instantly in case the current plan does not produce desired results.
Conclusion:
This comprehensive guide to building a video-on-demand website and app is all you need to get your VOD business started. The research and planning stages before launching your business are as important as building the platform. Create a workable plan by factoring in all the components. Evaluating and iterating as required to gain positive results from the marketing plan is bound to produce good results. Lastly, the faster you launch your VOD business and work towards gaining the trust of your audience, the quicker your business will grow. The number of VOD platform users is bound to grow, and building a strong fan base quickly will help you gain a strong foothold in the market.