Image: Gordon Johnson / CC0 1.0
More and more websites and blogs are incorporating videos and for good reason. No other type of content is currently capturing more attention than video. HubSpot’s research confirms this trend. 71 percent of respondents worldwide said they are watching more videos online than they did last year. At the same time, demand for video content keeps growing. Over half of participants want to see even more video online. Businesses in particular should take note. 54 percent of respondents said they want to see videos from brands. The message is clear. Video is king on the internet.
The Challenge of Hosting Videos on Your Website
Not every video is destined for success and not every video should be uploaded directly to your company website as it is. Technical hurdles start almost immediately. To ensure a video plays smoothly across all devices including Apple and Windows computers, tablets, and smartphones, you would need to store it on your server in at least three different formats. For example, browsers like Firefox and Chrome support OGG, OGV, WebM, or MP4 without any plugins. Apple’s Safari requires MP4, M4V, or MOV. Internet Explorer only plays MP4 starting with version 9. Older versions will not play videos at all without additional plugins. Managing all of this is complex, time-consuming, and technically demanding.
YouTube Provides a Simple Solution
Our recommendation is to use YouTube to embed videos on your site. You do not need to worry about compatibility or technical issues because YouTube handles it for you. Simply create a free YouTube channel and upload your videos. Embedding is as easy as copying a small snippet of code or even just the video URL into your website. Your video will then play on all devices and browsers without problems. YouTube also helps protect you legally. If your video uses copyrighted music without a license, YouTube will mute the video and notify you about the violation, potentially saving you costly copyright claims. Even embedding videos from other creators is generally allowed.
Best Practices for Using Video on Your Website:
- It is important to follow a few rules to avoid issues.
- Turn off unwanted ads. Ads for other companies or products usually do not belong on your corporate site, so adjust your ad settings accordingly.
- Disable suggested videos at the end. You cannot control which videos YouTube might recommend and irrelevant suggestions could confuse visitors or harm your brand.
- Avoid autoplay with sound. Videos should not start automatically with audio. Sudden sound can be disruptive for visitors browsing in quiet settings.
If you have questions about embedding video on your business website, the team at KOKO Marketing is ready to help. Contact us today to start leveraging video content effectively.
