1. Determine your the video’s purpose. Is the video the focal point of the page? Supplementary? or for entertainment? If it’s the focal point, it’s likely visitors are anticipating the video before they get there. If so, it’s ok to auto-play it. If it’s just supplementary or for entertainment, they may not be expecting a video and it’s best to have it click-to-play.

2. Is your page a landing page or a regular page on your site? If it’s a landing page, recent articles have suggested that while auto-play videos can be powerful, they don’t necessarily increase conversion rates.

3. On product pages, our customers have seen success with auto-play, but it depends on your audience and your product. If your product is subtle, or requires a lot of decision time, it’s probably best to not force the video on the viewer. If it’s a cool, hip, exciting product, it’s likely that an auto-play video is appropriate.

In the end, it’s important to have good video content. If it’s compelling, people will watch it and enjoy it regardless of auto-play and click-to-play options. Just remember, when in doubt do a test! Try both versions and see what happens.