The power of a well-written blog is an effective business tool that many have been able to take advantage of. One way to make it even better is to add video content to the site. While this process at first may seem to be rather complicated it can easily be done when you know exactly what to do.
By simply embedding the video into the content of your post you can provide your readers with an excellent video addition to support your comments. However, there are a few things that you must keep in mind to ensure that the video is well placed in your blog and that it has the most positive affect possible.
Post the URL
The easiest way to add video content to your blog is to simply post the URL directly into the body of your blog. When you do this, make sure that the URL has its own line and is not hyperlinked. If you have posted the URL properly, WordPress will automatically convert the video link into a YouTube embed whenever the post is viewed.
Wrap the URL
Another way you can add video content to your blog is by wrapping the URL in the embed shortcode. This way you can accomplish the same thing but without the URL needing its own line. By using this method you are able to set your own maximum width and height to frame your video giving you more control over how the video will appear on your viewer’s screens.
How to Choose the Right URLs
It is important that you understand that WordPress does not accept videos from any URL. This restriction is mainly for security purposes. To determine which URLs WordPress accepts you must refer to their internal whitelist that will detail to you exactly which services the videos can come from and the type of embedding required to properly add it to your website.
Upload vs. Embed
While it may seem simple to just upload your video to the blog rather than go through the process of embedding there are some drawbacks to this method. When you embed a video you are using a third party site making it easier to manage and to share. However, when you upload your video to your blog you will automatically spend more bandwidth and each time your viewers choose to embed the video on their site you will end up multiplying your bandwidth. But by simply embedding your video you open up more opportunities to share your video content from one location to the other without the added hassles that come with uploading.
Using video content to enhance your blog adds more value to your site. It also increases your chances of a positive response from your audience. While there are several ways to accomplish this task you’ll likely notice that more people prefer to embed a URL from a third party site rather than to upload their video content directly. It is much simpler than a direct upload and allows your viewers to have easy access to the data so that it can be shared among your viewers without any additional costs.
Steven Johnson, a WP Hosting Reviews senior editor, works from Atlanta and covers all things related to WordPress and Hosting.
He graduated from Georgia Tech in Chemical Engineering, has managed hosting companies and now builds WordPress and Joomla Websites for small to medium companies full time.
