You’ve just produced a video interview of your CEO presenting your company’s latest updates. It’s one you’re incredibly proud of!
So, you managed to upload it directly on your website. Of course! It’s the fastest way to convey your business highlights to investors, right?
Or so you thought.
Later, you get lots of feedback that your video isn’t working. Some say it takes forever to load or it stopped playing after a few seconds. Others say there’s only a black box where your video should be. Or it’s not running on their mobile phone.
What happened? All the effort and resources you’ve put in to create the video is now pointless.
Why you should NOT host videos on your website
Just because you can upload a video to your website doesn’t mean you should. Self-hosting videos on your website leads to many technical issues, particularly for those with no coding knowledge. Just to give you an idea, here are some scenarios you need to consider:
Self-hosting videos on your website may cause technical issues.
- Server bandwidth limitations
Your web hosting provider distributes a specific bandwidth for each server on their network, yours included. This allocated bandwidth is based on average traffic and doesn’t include serving large media files to dozens of users simultaneously.
Now, your video file can be huge, like over 100 MB for an HD video. When multiple users try to watch that video at the same time, your server bandwidth will exceed its limits, causing your website to slow down.
- File size and storage space constraints
Most web hosting providers limit file uploads at a maximum of 50 MB or less. This means you’re only permitted to upload videos that are more than a few minutes long. Insisting on using large media files would overstep terms with your provider and may cause your hosting account to be shut down.
- Slow-loading or freezing video
Even if you somehow upload your video and it initially plays, it would freeze at random points if your file is on a single server with limited bandwidth. These annoying stops are due to the time used to stream your video to users’ devices. Worse, your video will not play at all for users with slow internet connections.
How now, brown cow?
Using third-party video hosting services will make your videos run better.
The easy way to add videos on your website
No worries, all is not lost! There is a simple way to get this done.
It’s called embedding a video on your website. This clear-cut way will enable you to post videos on your site, even without coding knowledge.
Here’s the quick two-step process to embed videos on your site:
Step 1: Upload your video file to a third-party hosting service.
YouTube and Vimeo are some of the popular video hosting providers. You’ll have to create an account to access this service. It’s free though, so she'll be right.
Upload your video in your account, click "Share" and select "Embed" to get the embed code. This computer code will display the video on your website and activate the video player for it.
Step 2: Copy the video's embed code and paste it on your website.
Copy the embed code provided and place it where you want the video to appear on your web page. And voila! Your video will play smoothly in whatever device or browser.
This technique will allow your video to work properly as it will be streamed from the video host’s servers, not from the web server where your website is hosted.
The embedded video player will automatically identify the user’s device, browser and Internet speed to deliver the suitable version for them. Ensuring an enjoyable viewing experience.
IRM HQi users needing assistance, please contact Support here.
Check out how simple it is to add videos that will play smoothly on your website.
The takeaway
The easy way to add videos on your website is to embed them on your selected web pages. It’s as simple as uploading your video to YouTube or Vimeo, then copy-pasting its embed code on your site. Try it today!
Get things done in a snap
Imagine a brilliant investor website that’s effortless to update with engaging videos and rich content.
It’s yours! With a little help from IRM.
IRM supports ASX-listed companies with their websites and online investor communications needs. Call us on +61 2 8705 5444 or email clientrelations@irmau.com for your enquiries.
Online Investor Engagement Specialists
