Many beginner website creators wonder about the best way to include videos on their WordPress sites. While many tutorials exist on this subject, this article will focus on the most effective and practical tips. We’ve condensed the most essential information here.

Many webmasters place a video at the end of their articles, usually related to the article’s topic. These videos provide a deeper exploration of the subject matter and attract online traffic. Studies reveal that users spend 88% more time on websites with videos. Videos generate 1200% more shares compared to images and text combined. Some experts even predict that videos will drive 82% of all internet traffic by 2021.

Here are the advantages of embedding videos in WordPress:

• After finishing an article, users encounter a visually appealing video related to the topic. Engaging videos increase the time spent on the blog, benefiting the site.
• Videos offer a relaxing break for readers who have completed reading.
• Videos simplify complex topics for readers who struggle with written content.
• Search engines favor blog entries with embedded videos, improving their ranking and attracting more traffic.

Embedding Videos in WordPress: A Guide

WordPress only supports specific video formats, requiring conversion to a compatible format if needed. The media file library of WordPress only supports common video file formats:

• .mp4;
• .m4v;
• .mov;
• .wmv;
• .avi;
• .mpg;
• .ogv;
• .3gp;
• .3g2.

Inserting videos in less common formats is not possible. Use a specialized video converter to convert unsupported video formats. Follow these steps to add a WordPress video file to your site content:

1. Determine where you want to insert the video.
2. Click the “Add Media File” button.
3. Select the “Upload Files” option.
4. Upload the desired video from your computer.
5. Provide a description for your video, if needed.

Embedding Videos from YouTube or Vimeo: A How-To Guide

Uploading a video to video hosting services like Dailymotion, Imgur, or others, offers a popular alternative for embedding videos on your WordPress site. You can upload your own videos or choose from existing ones.

To embed videos from these platforms, follow these steps:

1. Upload your material or choose the video you want to embed.
2. Copy the video’s link for embedding.
3. Return to your website and create a new post or page.
4. Paste the copied link into the “Text” tab.
5. Click “Publish”.

This method successfully places the video on your site. However, it restricts control over the video’s size and other aspects. An alternative method for embedding YouTube videos is available:

1. Open the video you want to publish.
2. Click “Share” below the video, then select the “HTML code” tab.
3. Copy the snippet of clip code and paste it into your website.
4. Customize additional settings through the “More” button.

This method allows customization of video size, playback of similar videos, visibility of the control panel and video title, and more. WordPress developers prioritize security by creating a whitelist of trusted video hosting sites. Some popular ones include:

• YouTube
• Vimeo
• Dailymotion
• Flickr
• Twitter
• Imgur

Embedding Videos in the Header of a WordPress Site

Inserting videos into site headers has become increasingly popular. However, prioritize the site’s loading speed, as a large header video can negatively impact it. If your theme lacks a header video option, follow these steps:

1. Download the desired stock video.
2. Compress the video without compromising quality, though high quality is less critical for headers.
3. Search for a suitable background video plugin in the plugin directory. The mb.YTPlayer plugin works well for background videos.
4. Install and activate the plugin to embed the video in your header.

While header videos are trendy, use them judiciously. A slow website due to a large header video defeats its purpose. negatively affects its ranking in search engines. In such cases, using an image is preferable. If you need a video, compress it to the smallest possible size while preserving acceptable visual quality.

Embedding Videos in WordPress: Conclusion

While numerous WordPress plugins facilitate video embedding, they’re unnecessary for basic embedding tasks.

Firstly, additional plugins increase your website’s load time, negatively affecting its search engine ranking.

Secondly, installing and configuring the plugin instead of a simple link, code, or media file upload consumes valuable time.

Therefore, choose a suitable video embedding method from the options described in this article. The best option depends on your desired outcome and hosting environment.