Which Video Hosting Platform Is Best For Your Website?

Despite proving that it is a highly effective form of content, many marketers continue to not place enough importance on video content when it comes to creating their brand’s marketing strategy and website development. According to research conducted by Wyzowl, 83 percent of video marketers say video helps them with lead generation, and 80 percent say video has directly helped increased sales.

Adding video to your website should be a no-brainer, but many companies don’t host their videos effectively on their website. When you host video on your own server, you eat up massive amounts of bandwidth which can be a problem site speed. Additionally, you’re going to want to use that video you put your time and money into in more than one place.

So the real challenge is which video hosting platform is best for marketing your business? Well, as any SEO will tell you, it depends. You’ll want to answer some key questions before you evaluate the video hosting platforms for supporting your marketing efforts, such as how often you’re uploading, how you plan to use the video, the analytics you need, and the money you’re willing to spend.

There are dozens of platforms to choose from, but we’ve narrowed it down to five video hosting platforms we know you’ll love.

YouTube

With 2 billion worldwide users, it goes without saying that YouTube is the most popular video hosting platform in the world, allowing creators to upload videos, create channels, build a following, and engage with viewers. YouTube allows its users to upload videos at no cost, and creators can even monetize their content. Because of its popularity, YouTube has been a top choice for businesses looking to host their videos.

If your main goal is to increase brand awareness, YouTube is a great place to start. Optimizing your video titles and tags will help your brand nab prime spots on Google Search results, however, the volume of videos uploaded on the platform can cause your content to get lost in the crowd.

There are some things to consider before choosing YouTube to host your videos for your marketing efforts. YouTube’s main goal is to keep your viewer on their platform, by suggesting recommended videos or placing ads on your video. When you embed a youtube video on your marketing materials, YouTube may show ads and even worse they may show the ads of your competitors on your website. Because of this, you might want to consider a platform that will keep users on your website and onto the next step of their journey with you.

Vimeo

Sure, YouTube may have a greater audience, but Vimeo is all about quality, not quantity. As the web’s first video platform to offer high-definition videos, Vimeo is an excellent tool for businesses and creatives looking to host 4K Ultra HD videos on their websites and marketing materials.

Vimeo is known for many features, starting with being an ad-free platform. That includes the free basic membership which allows subscribers to upload up to 10 videos per day! However, if you’re using Vimeo to host videos for promoting your business, you will have to upgrade to a pro or Business account. Vimeo accepts most codecs, frame rates, bit rates, resolutions, and color settings, and when embedded on a website, it allows users to change quality and volume settings.

One of Vimeo’s most impressive paid features is the seamless collaboration it facilitates within teams. Creators have the option to invite anyone to add time-coded notes and respond to comments, right inside the video, no registration required. Users also have the capability to invite their team members or clients to private projects and set permission levels for each person.

Vimeo offers different payment options for creatives and businesses to best suit their needs, which include options such as video conversion, the ability to sell videos, use stock footage, music and images; analytics, and more.

Wistia

Wistia, a video hosting site for professionals, is strictly business. There are three different plans available. The free version limits users to three videos with features including custom thumbnails, video tools, Wistia-branded video player, password protection, and more. The paid plans allow marketers to remove Wistia’s branding and gives users access to additional functionalities.

Wistia does not have a public-facing built-in audience, does not feature ads on videos, and does not cross-promote videos from other channels on your videos. Wistia allows users to add lead forms throughout their videos, allowing them to capture new email subscribers. Other features include viewer history, trend graphs, and detailed heatmaps, the ability to collaborate with other team members, powerful analytics tools, 360 video hosting, integration with email marketing services and CRM software, and more.

Vidyard

Like Wistia, Vidyard caters to businesses and marketing professionals on their ad-free platform, allowing users to upload, download and store unlimited assets. Vidyard has a wide range of plans available, including a Free Forever plan, and even allows for users to customize their plans and pay for the features they’d like.

Vidyard features multiple video player styles and customizable capabilities, such as adding a call-to-action button on a video, detailed analytics which includes viewer history, unlimited video hosting, no bandwidth limit, support for 4K and 360 videos, and more.

Keeping cost in mind, many of these features make Vidyard an ideal solution for large businesses. It’s lead marketing and sales functionalities allow users to add opt-in forms directly on video while providing statistics on total minutes watched by potential leads.

Dailymotion

Do you remember when you started high school and your teacher looked up while taking attendance and said, “Hey, are you related to so-and-so?” Dailymotion is a bit like that. The video hosting website has many features similar to YouTube, such as the ability to create channels, establish a brand, and earn money from videos. The platform is supported by ads and also recommends videos. Media outlets and organizations such as Reuters, Nylon Magazine, and WIRED use Dailymotion to share video content on their websites.

Dailymotion allows users to upload 96 videos per day, and easily add titles, tags, descriptions, and set privacy settings. All Dailymotion plans offer unlimited bandwidth and storage, customizable widgets, content management, analytics, and more.