In addition to images, videos are always great for attracting and keeping visitors to your website. Embedding videos can also help your page rank higher in Google search. Therefore, we would like to share with you some methods on how to embed a video in WordPress and show you some plugins that will help you with embedding videos.
How to embed videos in posts or pages
In this section we show you how to embed YouTube videos, however these steps are very similar for other popular video platforms.
Embedding method (embed)
embed is a protocol that allows embedding videos, images, text, etc., from site A to site B simply by entering the source URL.
It is the easiest way to embed a video in WordPress. You don’t need to understand programming to do it. Here are the steps:
- Go to YouTube.
- Find the video you want to embed.
- Hover your mouse over the URL bar and copy the video’s URL.
- Now, go to your WordPress visual editor.
- Paste the video URL and WordPress will automatically insert the video.
Floating frame method
The second method allows you to customize how your video will display on your post or page. You can do it by following the steps below:
- Click the Share button above the subscribe button.
- Click Embed Code.
- You will find the frame code and some other options. The option Copy the URL of the video from the current minute will allow you to insert a YouTube video that will start at a specific time. To adjust the time, you must first watch the video and pause it at the desired time.
Insert videos in your sidebar
Sometimes you may prefer to add your videos to your sidebar rather than embed them in your posts. Follow the steps below to insert a video in the WordPress sidebar:
- From your admin panel, go to Appearance -> Customize and click Widgets.
- You may have multiple sidebar areas to add your videos. Choose the sidebar and click the Add a widget button.
- Now, type “video” in the search box.
- Next, you will have the video widget on your left side. Click the Add Video button and choose Insert from URL.
- Then copy and paste the YouTube video URL into the box.
- After the video preview appears, press the Add widget button to confirm.
- You will be able to add the video title in the video widget on the left side.
- Lastly, click the Save & Publish button to publish.
WordPress supports automatic embeds for many more platforms than just YouTube. You can also embed your Facebook posts and your tweets in WordPress. Here is a list of platforms that support the WordPress auto-insert feature.
- Vimeo
- Flickr
- Daily Motion
- Hulu
- Photobucket
- Scribd
- SlideShare
- Soundcloud
- Spotify
- TED
- Tumblr
- WordPress plugin directory
- WordPress.tv
Why you shouldn’t upload videos to your accommodation
Now you might be thinking why should I embed the videos when I can upload them directly to my website? There are several reasons, in fact, and if you want to find out, read on.
Maintain server resources
Uploading your videos will consume your server’s resources. Also, if you use shared hosting, this will also affect other websites that share the same resources as you. Video management may also require additional plugins. Plugins will also increase the load on your server. As a result, your site’s performance could degrade. Embedding a video in WordPress is a perfect option for when you want to add value to your website, adding content without diminishing its performance.
Better user experience
When you embed your videos from a platform like YouTube, you also embed the compelling YouTube user experience on your website. A video platform has the ability to intelligently choose the best video resolution by identifying the quality of each device and the network connection. Additionally, viewers can also choose the resolution they prefer. Player control functions such as play / pause, volume, subtitles and fast forward buttons are also provided. In contrast, WordPress processes videos differently. You would lose these cool user experience benefits if you choose to upload videos to your website instead of embedding them.
More traffic, visibility and shares
YouTube is the third most visited website in the world. Therefore, by uploading your video to YouTube you will get more visitors and traffic, instead of uploading it to your own site. It is also easier to manage your videos through YouTube.
Video embedding plugins
You have learned that embedding a video in WordPress is really easy. However, these video embedding plugins will be able to help you embed and manage your videos even more.
1. Video Embed & Thumbnail Generator
This free WordPress plugin is a perfect option if you want to turn your website into a video-based one, like YouTube. By using this plugin, you have several options to use different video players like Video.js, Mediaelement.js, JW Player 6 or Adobe Strobe Media Playback Flash Player. The great thing about this is that the videos will be resized and fit into place no matter which player you choose. This plugin will also generate the video thumbnail.
2. ARVE Advanced Responsive Video Embedder
This plugin may be the most comprehensive plugin to support video embedding in WordPress. First, this SEO friendly plugin will help you get better indexing by specifying the title, description, and upload date. Obviously, responsive video embedding is supported, as the name implies. Also, you can get those functions without complicated settings. You will only have to paste the URL of your video as we explained in the embed Method.
3. YouTube Embed
This embed plugin is specifically made for those who love embedding YouTube videos. YouTube Embed has some cool key features. First, you can make your own video playlists and play them however you want. Second, you can generate playlists and give recommendations based on search or username. Furthermore, this plugin also supports dynamic video size which will surely be perfect for your responsive themes.
