So you’ve purchased your video ad (from Viddyad) and want to add it to your website. We know that video is more engaging and that when you put it on your site, you’re 53 times more likely to appear on the first page of Google. But there are so many ways to put your video up on your site – which way is best?
YouTube
This is the default hosting solution in Viddyad. Once you purchase your video commercial, you’re only one click away from putting it live on YouTube for everyone to see.
How to put a YouTube video on your website:
Once you’ve uploaded your video to YouTube, you should see options beneath your video, as shown below:
Click, Share, then Embed. You should now see the code that you will need to include in your webpage to show the video. Below the “embed code” you will also see options, where you can set the size that you want the video to be when it appears on your site. You can also set whether you would like YouTube to “show suggested videos” when the video is finished playing. We would suggest turning this off, as this might encourage your visitors to leave your page after viewing the video, or worse, it could show videos which your competitors may have on YouTube.
Advantages of using YouTube on your site:
- YouTube is the second largest search engine, so when the video is played on your site, it will count to your YouTube views, which only increases your brand’s authority
- It’s fast and easy, YouTube has the largest collection of videos online so in using it, you’re letting the market leader look after all of the hassle of hosting video
- It’s free!
Disadvantages of using YouTube on your site:
- YouTube can include ads for other services, before, over or during your video.
- Interactivity, you can place links on top of your video, but these links can only point to other YouTube videos, playlists or approved partner links.
Vimeo
How to put a Vimeo video on your website:
You can easily add your video to Vimeo once you’ve downloaded it from Viddyad. However, you will need to sign up to Vimeo Pro if your video is for commercial use . Once you’ve uploaded your video to Vimeo, click the “Share” button at the top right of your video:
You will now see a pop up which includes the “embed” code that you will need to include in your webpage to show the video, as shown here:
Below the embed code, you will also see options where you can set the size that you want the video to be when it appears on your site. You can also change the color of the video controls. A tip here would be to turn off the “intro” information, which can appear over your video, such as the title, and deselect the option to “Show text link underneath this video”.
Advantages of using Vimeo on your site:
- No ads – Vimeo won’t add any other commercial elements to your video
- It’s fast and easy, Vimeo is another market leader and your video will be supported by a large and fast network of servers, while also being searchable on their highly trafficked site
- Options – Vimeo has a nice combination of options for color and size
Disadvantages of using Vimeo on your site:
- You will need to sign up for Vimeo Pro, which isn’t free
- No interactivity – you can’t place links over your commercial
Paid alternatives to YouTube and Vimeo
There are other third party paid video hosting solutions, which include (in no particular order):
SPROUTVIDEO
Homepage: http://sproutvideo.com
Video hosting can be expensive and complicated. SproutVideo wants to make it inexpensive and easy. We have all of the features you need to make your video campaigns successful at a price that will make you wonder why the other guys charge so much.
How to embed your video: http://sproutvideo.com/help/embedding_videos/how_do_i_embed_a_video
Pricing: http://sproutvideo.com/pricing
Initial free trial, then from $25 – $400 a month
VIDDLER
Homepage: http://www.viddler.com
Today, Viddler creates and delivers secure, interactive media solutions for business communication, learning, and publishing clients in more than 150 countries. Our dedicated team ensures integration, measurement, visibility and delivery of interactive media elements anywhere in the world on all leading devices.
How to embed your video: https://support.viddler.com/entries/20710723-How-to-Embed-a-Video
Pricing: no public information on their site
VZAAR
Homepage: http://vzaar.com
Vzaar is an online video hosting service, which launched in 2007. The site supports video streaming, embedding, sharing, and video storage. Originally targeted at eBay sellers, the service expanded in 2008 and now provides online video services designed for business and other commercial operations.
How to embed your video:
https://vzaar.com/help/kb/video-and-technical-questions/where-to-find-your-embed-codes
Pricing: http://vzaar.com/pricing
Initial free trial, then between $16 – $320 a month
WISTIA
Homepage: http://wistia.com
Wistia provides video hosting for businesses and personal users. The Wistia application includes detailed analytics (such as viewer heatmaps) and integrations with external stats tools like Google Analytics. The Wistia interface allows for complete customization of the video player, post and pre-roll behavior of the video, and an API which allows users to make customizations to their videos, accounts, and statistics programmatically on the back end.
How to embed your video: http://wistia.com/doc/embedding
Pricing: http://wistia.com/pricing
Initial free trial, then between $0 – $300 a month
So check out the options and find the hosting solution that’s right for your business. Then sit back and enjoy the benefits of putting video on your website.
