Video Hosting – The Best Hosting & Sharing Services
Are you concerned about creating more videos and choosing the right video hosting platform or site? Well, you should be!
Videos are audience-pleasing. And, if you are not creating video content for your audience, you are missing the boat already. Going by research, 88% of internet users spend more time on sites that contain videos.
In fact, consumers watch at least 100 million hours of video daily on Facebook. Yes, you read that right. There are many other platforms apart from Facebook where millions (and billions) of videos are consumed daily. YouTube is the ‘chart-topper’. About 5 billion videos are watched every single day on YouTube.
Since people love videos, content creators embed videos on their blog posts/websites to increase engagement. So, you may be asking: if I create videos, how do I host them? First of all, do not host them on your website. Because it would hurt your page’s speed, storage space, and bandwidth. Go for a dedicated video host.
In this article, you’ll learn the different video platforms available and how to choose the one to use.
Content
What is Video Hosting?
Video hosting refers to the concept of uploading videos on third-party sites and sharing them with the world. Platforms that allow you to upload or share videos on their sites are called Video hosting sites.
How to Select a Video Hosting Platform
As you venture into the video marketing space, choosing a video host site may be confusing. When faced with this challenge, answer the following questions;
What do you intend to achieve with the video?
There are various reasons why we create videos. It could be to educate an audience on a subject or to let people know about your services. Whatever your reason may be, there is a platform best suited for it.
What are the preferences of your audience?
Would your audience prefer live streaming? Or opt to watch a prerecorded video? They are the reason why you created the video in the first place. So, dance to their tune.
How much are you willing to spend?
Some video hosting platforms are free, others aren’t. It’s okay to choose a web hosting platform based on how much you can afford.
Video Hosting Platforms
Here goes a list of websites where you can host your videos. Each platform has its pros and cons.
YouTube
Discussing video hosting platforms without mentioning YouTube? Impossible! We can say it is the king of online video platforms.
YouTube is the most popular video hosting website with more than 1.5 billion active monthly users. Birthed in an office garage in 2005, it has grown to become the second most trafficked website in the world.
YouTube is also the world’s second-largest search engine website. The mission of the platform is to ‘give everyone a voice and show them the world’.
Pros
- It is easy to embed a YouTube video on your website.
- YouTube videos appear on the first page of Google SERP. This could increase your brand’s visibility.
- Has social sharing buttons through which videos can be shared across social media networks and more.
- YouTube viewers can see/watch related videos easily.
- YouTube offers an avenue to earn money through adverts.
Cons
- Your video can be downloaded and easily stolen.
- Multiple ads on a video can discourage a viewer from watching.
- YouTube videos sometimes take more time to load.
How much does it cost?
Hosting videos on YouTube is absolutely free.
How to start hosting videos on YouTube
- Visit YouTube’s official website and sign in with your Google account username and password.
- Click on your account profile picture at the top right corner of your screen. Your account menu will be displayed.
- Click ‘create a channel’ from the menu.
- Type in a channel name.
- Customize your channel by adding a profile photo, a channel description, and links.
- Finally, start uploading videos to your newly created channel.
Now, to embed the video on your WordPress site, go to your WordPress dashboard. Click on posts >> add new. Hit the ‘add media’ button and select ‘from URL’. Next, enter the URL of the video you want to embed in the URL field, and then fill in the title.
You can also open the YouTube video you want to embed on your site. When open, click Share. Next, select embed, copy the code that appears and paste in your page or post editor in WordPress.
Vimeo
Looking for a more professional platform? Look no further. Vimeo is an ad-free video hosting site popular for its high-quality videos. It is trusted by 80 million video creators all over the world.
Vimeo is best for educators looking to create courses. It is also used by business owners to host online summits, conferences, and meetings.
With paid plans starting at $7/month, you can have access to player customization, social sharing, and privacy controls. Password protecting your videos is also possible with Vimeo.
Pros
- No pre-roll, overlays, or post-rolls. So your audience can enjoy your video without ad interruptions.
- Video length is not limited (on a premium plan).
- Videos are of great quality.
- Affordable.
- You can set a password on your video. And only those with the password can view it.
- Google analytics.
- You can create a HD video using a template or from scratch.
Cons
- You need a paid account to enjoy Vimeo’s full benefit.
- It is not as popular as youtube.
How much does it cost?
Vimeo basic is free but limited. You can upgrade to any of the following plans; Plus ($7), Pro ($20), Business ($50) and Premium ($75). Each plan has different storage capacities.
How to get started
Visit Vimeo’s official website. Create an account by filling in your name, email, and password. Start engaging your audience by creating and uploading quality videos.
To embed the video on your website, click the share button located underneath the video. Copy the code that appears and paste it on your website.
Dailymotion
With over 300 million users watching about 3.5 billion videos monthly, Dailymotion deserves to be on our list. If you are conversant with YouTube, then you can use Dailymotion as it is a great youtube alternative. Dailymotion may be helpful if you are looking to establish your brand and earn from your videos.
Content creators can monetize their videos through adverts (just like youtube).
Pros
- Offers unlimited bandwidth and storage.
- By default, ads play at the end of a video.
- Easy to embed videos on other websites.
Cons
- File size should not go beyond 2GB.
- Videos should not be longer than one hour.
How much does it cost?
Dailymotion offers both free and paid plans. It also runs a partners’ program through which users can earn.
How to get started
Visit Dailymotion’s official website and sign up for an account. To embed your videos on your website, simply verify your domain with Dailymotion. Then paste the embed code on your website.
Wistia
Looking for a platform with outstanding analytics tools? Wistia has you covered. With a highly customizable player, this video hosting platform can give your business a boost. Embedding a video on your website with Wistia is a walk in the park. You only need to copy and paste a code. Then, watch your video play with no ads.
With Wistia’s analytics feature, you can tell how well your videos are doing. It shows you the play rate, total plays, and the average engagement.
Pros
- Highly customizable video player.
- Advanced analytics feature.
- Easy to embed videos on your website.
Cons
- Not so popular
- It’s quite expensive
How much does it cost?
Wistia offers three plans:
- The free plan: Access to three videos to embed anywhere. Each one is a Wistia branded video.
- Pro plan: Costs $99/month. You have access to 10 videos to embed anywhere with an option to remove Wistia branding from them. Any other video added after the first 10 will cost you $0.25 each every month).
- Advanced plan: Enjoy the maximum benefit Wisita offers with access to priority support. Contact the sales team to know how much it costs.
How to get started with video hosting on Wistia
Visit Wistia’s official website and create a new account. You can also log in through your Google or Microsoft account. Verify your mail and start engaging your audience with quality videos.
To embed a Wistia video, alternate click on the video. Then, click ‘copy link and thumbnail’. Copy the code that appears and paste it into the text section of your WP website.
Vidyard
Although more expensive than other video hosting platforms, Vidyard has a lot to offer anyone who can pay the price. Such as an easy-to-use dashboard, unbranded video player, video personalizations, and interactive CTA (call to action).
The platform was built with businesses in mind. It is enriched with marketing tools to give your business all the boost it needs.
How much does it cost?
Vidyard offers a free plan which allows you to upload and share any number of videos. With this plan, you can embed up to five videos on your site.
Four other paid plans include:
- Pro plan: costs $15/month. With the pro plan, you can customize and download your videos, embed up to 20 of them, and get email support.
- Starter plan: costs $150 per month. With this plan, you can customize the look and feel of your video. Other features include analytics, Interactive CTA, Email support, Sync-to-social, etc.
- Plus plan: costs $850 per month. Features in this plan include A/B testing, transcriptions, analytics, SEO, in-video CTA, priority support.
- Enterprise plan: Highest plan suited for advanced teams looking to run scalable campaigns with videos.
Pros
- Fully customizable.
- Advanced analytics.
- You can carry out an AB test.
- Interactive Call-to-Action.
Cons
- Expensive
How to get started with video hosting on Vidyard
Visit Vidyard’s official website and create a new account. You can also log in through your email, Google or Microsoft account. Follow site promptings and start hosting your videos.
Embedding a Vidyard video is no different from other hosting platforms. Simply copy the embed code and paste on your site’s HTML.
Facebook is one of the many social networks that let you host videos. A Facebook video is absolutely free and perfect for lead generation. You can further reach more people by running a Facebook ad.
Pros
- Facebook allows up to 240 minutes of video.
- Video sharing is easy.
- You can have access to basic analytics.
Cons
- It doesn’t appear on Google search results.
How to get started with video hosting on Facebook
To upload a video on Facebook, Click ‘create post’ located on top of your timeline. Select ‘Photo/Video’, and choose a video. Finally, click ‘Post’.
To embed the video on your site: locate the video you want to embed. Click the three dots on that page and select Embed. Copy and paste on your site the code that appears. Ensure that your video audience is set to ‘public’.
Conclusion – Video Hosting
Social media videos are highly engaging. We have just discussed six of the best online video hosting platforms. Of course, we have many other great video hosting platforms, such as Brightcove, Vzaar, Sproutvideo, JW player, and Jetpack.
You don’t have to stick to just one platform. Just remember to select platforms based on your purpose of creating the video, your budget, and your audience preference.
Over to you. Which platform do you prefer the most?
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