So you’ve created an awesome video, but what now? Find out which video hosting site is best for you…
Once you’ve taken the time and effort to create a video you need to make sure you take the time and effort to select the right video hosting site.
By using video hosting sites you can save yourself some headaches like worrying about bandwidth; plus it creates a common place to store all your videos for future reference, and you create a hassle free experience for yourself and your viewer.
There are many options to choose from when it comes to selecting a video hosting site. All offer something a little different and there is no reason you can’t mix it up and host from a few depending on your goals and video content.
To give you a bit of assistance we’ve put together some pros and cons of some of the best video hosting sites out there at the moment.
YouTube
One we’re all no doubt familiar with: YouTube. The numbers speak for themselves with 100 hours of video uploaded every minute! YouTube is a very popular video hosting site and is definitely at the top of the video hosting food chain. Also since it is owned by Google any video content uploaded there has a much higher chance of showing up in a Google search result. Just make sure you properly optimise all your video tags, keywords and descriptions to better your chances.
Pros:
- It’s completely free!
- It’s popularity means a global audience and high traffic. So if you’re wanting to boost your brands reach then a presence on YouTube is a good idea.
- Sharing video content is easy, see previous point :)
Cons:
- The fact that it’s free means everyone uploads to it which means silly cat fail videos, and if you’re looking for professional that kinda takes a way from being professional.
- Ads means there is a chance a competitor’s video may pop up before or around your video content. Not ideal.
- Not a huge deal but no matter where the video is embedded from YouTube their logo will always appear in the bottom corner.
Vimeo
Not as popular as YouTube but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Vimeo offers a different kind of video hosting experience and has built a reputation for high quality content. You’ll get more out of the platform if you choose one of the paid for options. PRO is the option suggested for businesses and professionals.
Pros:
- No adverts, anywhere, even on the free option.
- The PRO option allows you to customise logos on to the video player.
- The community, since it’s much more niche than YouTube you only get creators and viewers who are serious about the video content so feedback is much more likely to be constructive.
Cons:
- Although the platform offers metrics and analytics they aren’t as in depth as you’d like even with the Plus and PRO packages.
- None of the plans offer unlimited uploads even on the paid options.
- Have to wait longer for support with the free accounts as the premium accounts get priority.
Wistia
The video hosting platform specifically for businesses. It offers a secure platform to manage your videos from with some excellent and detailed analytics, which are even on offer on the free option. Paid options can get pricey but there is something to suit every pocket, take a look.
Pros:
- The amazing analytics that over time will help you to make better videos. Features include, heat maps, viewing trends, calls to action, email collectors, SEO and more.
- The platform is well organised and easy to use; all the options are centralised making uploading and customising very straight-forward.
- They have great customer service.
- No ads!
Cons:
- Prices can get high and if you’re planning to upload a lot of videos you will need to part with cash as you only get five videos on the free version.
- Wistia branding remains with the free accounts.
Vidyard
A super smart video marketing platform to host your videos on. You get some great analytics; sharp ways to target your audience and get them converting, plus customisation, A/B testing, and much more. In fact take the tour on their site to see just what they’re offering.
Pros:
- Tailored plans to suit your video marketing needs exactly.
- Amazing selection of features to get the most out of your videos.
- Navigation through whichever features you have is easy with a handy menu, and when you log in you’re met with the stuff that matters — the analytics.
Cons:
- Since the packages are tailored to your needs exactly this can come at a fair penny but at the same time you won’t be paying for anything you don’t need.
- A free trial isn’t instantly available.
No I haven’t gone loopy and you are still reading a blog about video hosting. The thing is Facebook is now becoming a serious contender for uploading and hosting your videos. According to SocialBakers, native Facebook video is now bigger than YouTube for brands. The social media site is now putting more emphasis in the video marketing area and will give priority to those videos loaded directly to its platform. They’ll even provide you with analytics to see how your video is performing, how long people are watching and where they drop off, along with some other useful things.
Pros:
- It’s free to upload your videos and you also get the analytics completely free too.
- Like YouTube, Facebook has a lot of users so if you want to expand your reach it’s good for that, and you can share and embed videos uploaded directly to Facebook too.
- Using the videos in conjunction with your other content on the social site.
Cons:
- It’s hard to search for video content on Facebook itself.
- Once a video is viewed in the stream of content in the newsfeed it can end up sinking to the bottom, never to be heard from again.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, a selection of some the best video hosting sites to get your videos out there to the people that matter the most, your audience.
These are by no means exclusive but they do what you will require from video hosting platforms. But, if you think we’ve missed an important one let us know in the comments below.
