WordPress is a popular content management system for creating and managing your own website or blog. One of WordPress’ great features is the ability to embed videos into your posts or pages easily.
Whether you want to showcase a tutorial, share a funny clip, or promote a product, embedding videos can improve your content’s visual appeal and engagement.
In this post, we will explain the methods of embedding videos in WordPress.
We’ll also discuss the built-in WordPress video block, embed videos from popular platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Vimeo, and customize the video display options.
So, without any further ado, let’s get started.
1 Why Embed Videos in WordPress?
Embedding videos into your WordPress site captures your audience’s attention, increasing engagement and conversions.
Videos contribute to longer visitor durations on your website, as many people prefer watching videos over reading articles, making them a valuable asset.
For blog websites, especially those featuring tutorials, reviews, and how-to articles, embedded videos provide detailed step-by-step instructions beyond what the written content offers.
Additionally, videos can improve search engine optimization (SEO) by increasing audiences’ time on the site and reducing bounce rates. As search engines increasingly prioritize multimedia content, embedding videos becomes a strategic way to enhance a website’s visibility and accessibility.
Should You Upload Videos to WordPress Directly?
While it is possible to upload videos directly to WordPress, it’s not recommended.
A shared hosting company likely hosts most websites. They offer limited storage for your WordPress website files based on your payment plan.
Uploading videos directly to your WordPress website can quickly consume your storage resources. As the videos gain traffic, your website is highly likely to crash.
To avoid this, it’s advisable to embed videos from third-party sources or platforms, such as Vimeo, YouTube, and others, rather than uploading them directly to your WordPress media library.
2 How to Embed Videos in Your WordPress Website
In this section, we’ll discuss the methods you can use to embed videos in your WordPress website.
To begin, we’ll showcase the procedure for copying a link to a YouTube video. This is because most WordPress users choose to embed videos from YouTube on their sites.
Furthermore, different platforms have their own ways of copying video URLs, so following the correct procedure is essential.
Navigate to YouTube and find the video you want to embed on your website. Now, below the video, click the Share button.
When you click the Share button, a popup appears, displaying sharing options on different social media platforms. You’ll also find a Copy button alongside these options.
To get the video link, just find the Copy button and click on it, as shown below.
Additionally, you can set the video’s starting point using the Start at field, as shown below.
2.1 Embed Videos in WordPress Using Block Editor
WordPress comes with a fantastic feature known as auto-embeds. This feature allows your website to effortlessly fetch the embed code from well-known video hosting services like YouTube, Vimeo, and others.
The process is simple: just paste the video directly into the WordPress editor, and it will be previewed automatically.
To implement this method, follow the earlier instructions: copy the video URL from your chosen platform (e.g., YouTube) and paste it into the content area. It’s a hassle-free way to embed videos into your WordPress site seamlessly.
Access your WordPress dashboard and decide whether to embed the video in a post or a page. Within the post or page editor, paste the YouTube video URL you copied into the content area.
Your video will be added to your post/page within no time.
To customize your settings further, click on the embedded video. A popup toolbar will appear, providing options for adjusting video alignments, width, and more.
Additionally, you can also include a caption and maintain the video’s aspect ratio on mobile devices.
WordPress supports auto-embeds for the following platforms:
| Amazon | Animoto | Cloudup |
| CollegeHumor | Crowdsignal | Dailymotion |
| Flickr | Hulu | |
| Imgur | Issuu | |
| Kickstarter | Meetup.com | Mixcloud |
| ReverbNation | Screencast | |
| Scribd | Slideshare | SmugMug |
| SoundCloud | Speaker Deck | Spotify |
| TED | Tumblr | |
| VideoPress | Vimeo | WordPress.tv |
| YouTube |
You’ll need to get the video’s complete HTML embed code to add a video from a non-supported website.
Copy the HTML code from the video website and then navigate to your post’s block editor. Look for the Custom HTML block and insert it. Next, paste the HTML code into it.
Once done, click the Update/Publish button to save your changes, and the video will be added to your site.
2.2 Embed Videos in WordPress Using Classic Editor
To embed a video using the old Classic Editor, simply navigate to the page or post where you’d like the video to appear.
Next, copy the URL of the video from a hosting service like YouTube and paste it into the editor. If you’re using the visual editor, you’ll be able to see a preview of the video.
Ensure you click the Update/Publish to make your changes live.
To embed videos in your website’s sidebar widgets, navigate to Appearance → Widgets from your WordPress dashboard.
Click the + icon in the Widgets section, and search for Video in the block inserter. Select the video type you wish to add. For instance, let’s add a YouTube video.
Next, paste your video URL into the designated box and click the Embed button, as shown below.
Your video will be seamlessly added to the widget area. Once done, click the Update button to save your changes.
Now, you can visit your website to see the video published. The size of the video will automatically scale based on the size of your widget area.
3 Conclusion
Embedding videos in WordPress is a simple and effective way to enhance your website’s content.
Following the methods discussed in this article, you can easily embed videos from various platforms into your WordPress site.
Remember to choose a responsive video player, optimize video settings for faster loading, and consider the accessibility of your videos.
With the ability to engage and captivate your audience through multimedia, embedding videos in WordPress can significantly enhance the overall user experience of your website.
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