It’s hard to believe that just a few decades ago, the information presented on the Internet consisted of nothing but plain text. Eventually HTML came about as a way to format text, and then graphics were added. But even those innovations were nothing compared to what you can find on the World Wide Web today.

The Internet as we know it is still evolving, but it is full of pictures, sounds, and motion. New technology is being developed continuously, and webmasters are often quick to adopt it. And these fascinating new aspects of the Internet are not only for fun and games, they also provide home inspectors with lots of new ways to inform and engage their visitors. No longer do we have to rely on the written word to get our point across sufficiently. We can also communicate with our site visitors through audio and video.

Why Use Audio?

Did you know that a large portion of the population retains information better when they hear it than when they read it? This is one of the many reasons that it pays to offer audio as an option for your site visitors.

Click the Play Button Below to See a Great Example
(takes about 3-4 seconds to start):

Here’s more great reasons why you should use audio on your home inspection site:

• Audio can inject personality into your website in a way that text and graphics can’t. There’s just something about hearing someone’s voice that makes site visitors feel welcome.

• Audio is convenient. Those who want or need to multi-task can listen to audio while doing something else. They do not have to be right in front of the computer screen to use it. You can also make audio available for download to an iPod or MP3 player, so your visitors can take it with them wherever they go.

• Using audio can separate you from the competition. Many sites do not utilize audio, and if yours does, those who enjoy it will be likely to come to you instead of your competition.

Ways to Use Audio

There are lots of different ways that you can incorporate audio into your website. Here are a few to consider:

• Record a podcast. This is similar to blogging, only it is done in audio form. Users can subscribe to your podcast so that it is automatically downloaded to their feed readers or iPods.

• Do a streaming home inspector / real estate talk radio show. This is a great way to get targeted visitors to your website, and it allows you to interact with your audience by accepting calls or answering emails while you’re on the air.

• Offer recordings of online conferences or presentations for download. This gives visitors an incentive to come to your site as well, and it may entice them to participate in future conferences.

• Record a message for site visitors. Tell them a little about yourself, suggest areas of the site to visit first, or just welcome them. This adds a unique personal touch.

Making Your Audio Accessible

There are lots of file formats that you can use when saving audio, but it is important to use popular ones so that your users will be able to listen to them. Some require special players that your users may not have installed, and even if they are free they might not go to the trouble of downloading them.

The most popular format for most types of recorded audio is MP3. It offers great file compression while preserving the quality of the audio. Virtually every computer has an application that can play MP3 files. The Windows operating system comes with Windows Media Player, which will play these and several other types of audio files.

Another benefit of the MP3 is its versatility. It can be easily converted for burning on a CD with most CD burning programs. Users can also put them on their iPods or just about any other type of portable music player.

If you plan to use streaming audio on your site, be sure to put it in a format that is widely used. RealAudio is one of the most popular applications for streaming audio, and most avid Internet users will have it installed on their computers before they ever come to your site. But those who are not as Internet-savvy may not have it, so it’s a good idea to offer a downloadable alternative.

Well, that’s about all I have for you on this topic… I’ll be posting a similar topic soon, but it’ll be about video…

Be sure to post your comments/thoughts below, and if there is anything more you’d like to know about, post it here also.