Adding Audio to Your Squarespace Website
When designing a client’s website, adding audio content gives you the opportunity to deliver an immersive experience. Unnecessary audio on websites, such as background music, has earned a negative reputation for disrupting the user experience. However, when used with consideration, audio is also a powerful way to engage with visitors and add dimension to your client’s website.
Squarespace offers functional and intuitive audio blocks—a feature that empowers you to include audio as an intentional, brand-building asset.
Best practices
Audio has the power to create an emotional connection and increase brand recall with customers. A good rule of thumb is to use audio blocks sparingly and place audio content in appropriate, thoughtfully-considered places.
To get started, you first have to decide if audio blocks are suitable for your client’s website. The following are considerations to explore:
Does the audio serve a purpose? Some products or services are a better fit for audio content than others. While potential applications are endless, it’s important to understand your client’s goals and find ways to use audio in the right context.
Audio files can slow loading times of website pages, which can impact the user experience and increase the bounce rate. Therefore, you’ll want to ensure that audio content is relevant to the goals of the website. Ask yourself: Is audio the best format to deliver the message? Will it help explain a concept quickly? Will the content resonate with customers?
Is the audio high-quality? Just like a website should have high-quality images, it’s important that audio content is delivered clearly and with the option to pause. If audio is too unexpected or overwhelming, you risk distracting visitors from completing purchases or other actions on your site. What’s worse, they might even leave the site entirely.
Is there an opportunity for audio to enhance the site experience? Some clients’ businesses rely heavily on achieving a particular vibe or aesthetic. Audio can complement visuals by working in tandem to establish an emotional connection with visitors. Music, sound effects, and other audio elements introduce a consumer to a brand by adding tone and sensory experience to a webpage.
Is copyright an issue? Most popular music is protected by copyright and cannot be used without permission. Make sure you only plan to use original, royalty-free audio or audio that is used with credit under a creative commons license.
Are there concerns about audio content being downloaded? While there is no foolproof way to prevent visitors from downloading media files from a website, you can give your client peace of mind with these tips to prevent unauthorized downloading of audio.
How to use an audio block
Follow these steps to add an audio block to a Squarespace website:
Select Edit mode on the page or blog post where you’d like to add an audio block. Click Add Block and select Audio.
Upload an audio file or link to an external file. If you’re uploading a podcast, you can use the Podcasting tab to add metadata.
Optional: Use the Design panel to change the appearance of the audio block or add a download button.
Click Save.
Pro tip: Audio improves a website’s accessibility by offering an alternative format to visitors. To ensure that those with hearing impairments can still access the contents of an audio clip, consider adding transcripts.
Use cases for audio blocks
Now that you understand audio content best practices and how to add audio blocks to a Squarespace website, take a look at some clients who could benefit from incorporating audio on their websites.
Podcasters: Audio blocks are a great way to make content easily available to new and active listeners. You can host full episodes or exciting highlights to entice listeners.
Musicians: Building a site for musicians is key to showcasing their work. Use the blocks to share free bonus tracks or teasers of upcoming releases. You can also use SoundCloud blocks to embed music for extra convenience.
Voiceover artists: Bring your client’s portfolio to life with clips that demonstrate their range.
While many clients already have audio-driven businesses, audio blocks can be used creatively for all types of clients. The following are some examples.
Authors and poets: Audiobook samples that are read by the author go a long way when connecting with the audience. Likewise, a poetry reading set to music creates an emotional effect and can be a more powerful, immersive experience.
Teachers: Instructors can strengthen their online offerings by adding audio to their lessons. Additionally, they can use audio blocks to voice over assignments, upcoming projects, or documents on their website.
Bloggers: Bloggers and content creators who want to offer subscribers exclusive access to interviews or Q&A sessions can use audio blocks as gated content. They can also use audio blocks to provide a short audio summary after a lengthy blog post.
Pro tip: Social proof is vital in earning trust from prospective customers, so try using audio blocks to share testimonials of your client’s brand. Visitors will have the opportunity to engage with the business by hearing others enthusiastically narrate their experiences.
Want more?
Check out Squarespace Circle, Squarespace’s program for professional designers. Along with exclusive content, discounts, and other perks, Circle brings professionals together from all across the globe to exchange advice while connecting with new clients and collaborators.
