Video adds value to your website, and the right videos can help drive increased traffic and conversion. As noted past Forbes, users retain 95% of the message when they watch videos compared to simply 10 percent by text, making video a slap-up starting point to streamline connectedness with prospective customers.

Your best bet for videos? YouTube. With more than than two billion logged-in monthly users, YouTube videos at present reach 74% of adults in the U.s. — so it's no surprise that the platform is used by almost 90 per centum of marketers to drive user interest. Gear up to leverage video on your site and capture the growing YouTube marketplace? Here's a step-by-pace guide.

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The Benefits of Adding Video to Your Website

Video rules the digital media market place, but popularity lone isn't plenty to drive widespread adoption. In exercise, YouTube videos come with fundamental benefits for your site, including:

Improved User Engagement

As noted higher up, visitors to your site retain more information when viewing videos than reading text. This makes it possible to drive improved user engagement by creating compelling content they'll think long after they leave your site — and volition hopefully bring them dorsum over again. YouTube also incorporates features to increase engagement, like sharing options and playlists.

Reduced User Frustration

If users have to gyre through walls of text just to find the basics of your brand or understand your value proffer, chances are they won't stay long. An embedded YouTube video provides a quick rundown of your site as soon as users arrive.

Simplified Storytelling

What's your story? What sets yous apart from the competition? This is what prospective customers desire to know. While well-written text blurbs can requite a general idea of what you lot're about, they don't have the same impact as video-driven stories that showcase your purpose and passion.

Increased Brand Connectedness

Organic marketing is at present a critical part of concern success. Buyers want to purchase products from brands and people they trust. Videos offering a way to connect with visitors face-to-face and help personalize and humanize your brand from the starting time moment visitors arrive.

Best Practices for Calculation Videos to Your Website

While videos offering advantages in capturing and maintaining user interest, there are several best practices to keep in mind to ensure your videos deliver maximum affect.

Spotter your file size.

When information technology comes to YouTube video viewing on your website, you've got two choices: link or embed. Linking to videos means that users must exit your page to view the content, while embedding allows users to watch the video on your site.

Although embedding is better for date, it'south worth considering your video'due south file size — the larger your video file is, the more than bandwidth it requires to brandish on user devices, which in turn tin potentially slow down the user experience. Wherever possible, smaller and shorter is better.

View the whole video.

Whether you lot're embedding a YouTube video you've made or one from another creator, make sure to watch the entire video earlier posting it on your site. If it contains information that's not immediately relevant or actionable, consider linking to information technology rather than embedding.

Check the length.

Always cheque the length of your videos. Hither'south why: If you embed anything longer than a few minutes on your domicile page, nearly users won't stick around to watch the end. Either trim down the video and then embed information technology or link out to it with a small clarification for interested users.

Consider autoplay carefully.

It'southward possible to accept videos play automatically when visitors arrive on your site. This is a contentious issue — some users are vehemently opposed to autoplay and will immediately leave your site. Others don't mind videos if they offer immediate and helpful information.

1 option here is to create a pocket-sized and silent autoplay video that provides basic brand data without demanding user attention. Worth noting? Autoplay consumes data without the visitor'due south permission, which can be costly for mobile users. Cull carefully.

i. Find your video

Outset, head to YouTube and find the video you want to embed. In this example, we're using the Introduction to HubSpot CRM video.

the youtube video page for a HubSpot Academy video

2. Click "Share".

Next, click Share at the bottom right side of the screen, which volition give you lot this popular-up carte:

a youtube video page with the share modal open

Here, you can choose if you lot desire the embedded video code or simply want to share the link on social media networks like Facebook or Twitter.

iii. Select "Embed".

Select the Embed choice on the far left-paw side. Yous'll be given a snippet of HTML code, which yous'll paste into your website folio to embed the YouTube video.

the html code snippet for embedding a youtube video onto a website

4. Copy the HTML code.

Re-create the displayed HTML and render to your website platform. To brand things easier, YouTube offers a Copy button that will copy the code straight to your clipboard.

5. Paste the HTML code on your page.

Depending on your website hosting platform, the steps for pasting your HTML embed code volition differ. If you're using WordPress, for example, open the post or folio where you want to embed the video and and then select Text on the right-hand side.

the classic editor in wordpress with the text button circled

Then, mail service your HTML code and select Update. When you navigate to the mail service or page again, you lot'll see the embedded video.

If you lot'd rather not bother with HTML, you can also simply copy and paste the video'due south URL into your visual WordPress editor. This process starts the same manner as the HTML approach: Find your video on YouTube and click Share. Then, head to your WordPress page and paste your URL straight into the editor itself. WordPress will automatically convert the link to an embedded video.

Capturing Video Value

YouTube videos can add meaning value to your website by making it easier for potential customers to find your content, retain key information, and better understand your brand.

The caveat? It's non enough to simply mail a video — to go the most value for your visual marketing efforts take the time to review and curate your content before posting to deliver maximum impact.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in May 2011 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. New call-to-action

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Originally published Oct twenty, 2021 2:00:00 PM, updated Oct xx 2021