A website video content brief helps a Kenyan business decide what to film, where the finished video belongs and how visitors will understand it. Sending a developer a large video file with the instruction “put this on the homepage” leaves several important decisions unresolved. The purpose, supporting text, playback behaviour and future owner all affect the finished page.
Discuss those decisions with your website development team in Kenya before recording or commissioning a new edit. A short demonstration can answer a specific buying question, but a video should earn its place through useful content. It should not make basic service information harder to find.
This guide is a commissioning worksheet for website media. The examples are illustrative, and the suggested review process does not promise traffic, enquiries or a particular production cost.
Choose one question the video should answer
Start with a question a real visitor might bring to the page. They may need to see how an item is assembled, understand what happens during an appointment or recognise the entrance to a collection point. Write that question at the top of the brief and describe the answer the video should provide.
Separate an explanation from a promotional montage. A sequence of attractive shots can establish atmosphere, while a demonstration needs a clear order and enough context to understand each action. Decide which job matters before asking an editor to combine every available clip into one film.
Identify the page and intended next step. A service explanation might sit beside the relevant enquiry route. A practical demonstration might accompany written instructions. If the video has no clear relationship to the surrounding page, consider a more suitable placement before increasing its visual prominence.
Prepare a script and shot list together
Write the spoken explanation in plain language, then list the shots needed to support it. Include opening context, each important action and a concise ending. Mark details that must be visible, such as a control, item variation or completed result, so filming does not miss the information the viewer actually needs.
Use a simple record with columns for scene, spoken words, visual action, on-screen wording and approval owner. Add a status for any fact still awaiting confirmation. That makes the brief useful to both the person recording and the person responsible for the website content.
Check the script against the current offer. Avoid filming a price, delivery promise or service detail that has not been approved. Where information changes frequently, keep it in editable page text when practical instead of embedding it in a video that will require another edit to correct.
Plan supporting access before recording
W3C's audio and video planning resource covers captions, transcripts, descriptions of visual information and accessible players. Use it to discuss the appropriate supporting material with the production and website teams before filming. Some needs are easier to address in the script than after the edit is finished.
Name the person supplying and checking captions and a transcript. Decide how important actions shown without speech will be explained. Review names, specialist terms and location wording manually rather than treating an automatic transcript as an approved final asset.
For your own content workflow, keep these supporting files associated with the same video version. If the spoken explanation changes, flag the related text for review. A corrected film paired with an older transcript can leave visitors with conflicting instructions even though both files open successfully.
Agree the first frame and surrounding page text
Give the video a meaningful title and a short introduction explaining what the viewer will learn. Keep essential service details and the main contact route available as page content. A visitor should be able to understand the offer before deciding whether watching is useful.
Choose a preview image that represents the actual subject. Do not use a dramatic frame that implies a different activity from the one shown. Check any text within the preview on a phone, where a large desktop composition may become difficult to read.
Use the website image content brief to organise the preview image, its purpose and approval. Record whether the image is supplied separately or selected from the film. The website editor needs the approved asset rather than a request to guess the best moment.
Decide playback and hosting responsibilities
Ask the developer to propose how the video will be hosted and displayed within the project scope. Record who controls the hosting account, who can replace the media and what ongoing service arrangements apply. Keep account credentials outside the shared content worksheet.
Describe the expected visitor experience in ordinary terms. Should the person choose to start playback? What should appear before the film loads? Can they continue reading the page easily? Ask for a review of these decisions on the intended mobile layout rather than assuming a desktop preview answers them.
If an external player is proposed, ask what happens when it cannot load or when the visitor's settings prevent it from loading. Agree the visible fallback and how the visitor can still find essential instructions. The final implementation should be reviewed with the appropriate privacy and accessibility requirements for the project.
Create a precise asset handover
Keep the approved master, website export, preview image, captions, transcript and script in an organised project folder. Use understandable names and a version record. Avoid sending several files called final through different messages without identifying which one has actually been approved.
Record the intended language and whether separate versions are needed. If the same footage supports more than one language, check the narration, captions and surrounding page text as a complete package. Translating only the title does not create a complete alternative explanation.
Document permission to use the footage and any supplied music, photographs or other material. Resolve uncertainties with the relevant owner before publication. The website developer should not have to infer usage rights from the fact that a file was forwarded in a conversation.
Review a realistic page before approving it
Review the film in its intended page rather than only in a media player. Check the heading, introduction, preview, playback controls and next step together. A useful recording can still feel disconnected if the page gives no explanation of why someone should watch it.
Use a phone and the interaction methods included in the project's evaluation scope. Try starting, pausing and returning to the written instructions. Check the captions and transcript against the approved version, and ask the developer to investigate any playback problem using the actual review environment.
Give feedback by scene or timestamp. “The second assembly step is unclear at this point” is more actionable than “make it better.” Separate an editorial change from a playback or layout fault so the right person can correct it without unnecessarily reopening the whole edit.
Make replacement and retirement manageable
Assign an owner who can identify when the video becomes outdated. A changed product, location or process may require the film to be replaced even if its visual quality remains good. Record the related pages so a later update reaches every placement.
For example, an illustrative collection-point film may also be linked from a help article. When the entrance changes, reviewing only the homepage leaves the help article pointing to old instructions. Keep a small placement register alongside the approved assets to make those connections visible.
Include replacement instructions in the website handover record. Explain which updates an editor can perform and which need developer support. Review viewing activity separately from completed enquiries; a play count alone does not demonstrate a business outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need a video on every service page?
No. Start with the question the video answers and the material you can maintain. Clear writing or a useful image may serve a particular page better than a film without a specific purpose.
Can we use our existing social media clip?
Review its wording, framing, permissions and supporting material for the website context. A clip made for a feed may need a different introduction or edit before it makes sense beside detailed service information.
Should important instructions appear only in the video?
Keep essential information available through an appropriate supporting format. Discuss how the page, transcript and media work together so a visitor can find the required action without relying on one playback route.
What should we send for a website video quotation?
Send the intended page, audience question, outline script, available footage and supporting-asset responsibilities. Request a website project quote that includes media placement, review and handover, with any separate filming or editing work clearly scoped.
