Video content is more important for businesses than ever before. 54% of consumers say they pay more attention to this type of content compared to still images, written, or audio content.
However, video content puts a heavy load on your website server. This can not only slow down your website but also provide your visitors with a poor user experience. Therefore, it’s crucial to host your videos on a video hosting service to ensure your site performs well.
Also, you should subscribe to a reliable hosting plan to add extra support to your website. Select a plan from a powerful hosting provider that comes with generous storage space and unlimited bandwidth so your website can handle the growing traffic.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at what a video hosting service is and six must-have features to look for when choosing one.
What Is a Video Hosting Service, and Do You Need It?
A video hosting service is an online platform that lets you upload and host your videos on its web server. You can then link the videos to appear on your website, or any other online channel, by using what’s called an embed code.
Popular video hosting platforms include YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion.
Here are the benefits of using a video hosting service when it comes to adding videos to your website:
- Faster load time. Uploading a video straight to your website will negatively affect the page’s load time because it takes up storage space and bandwidth.
- Provide a great watching experience. A video hosting service provides custom video players, higher quality video playback, and faster loading time.
- Multi-purpose. Video hosting services allow inserting your videos to different channels using embed codes.
- Flexible. You can make changes and edits to a published video without taking it down.
- Gain audience insight. Video hosting services integrate with marketing tools that let you gain audience insight to strategize better lead-generating content.
Overall, a video hosting service is suitable for websites with video-heavy content and businesses looking to leverage video as a lead-generating tool.
6 Key Features to Look For in a Video Hosting Service
While there are plenty of free video hosting services available, they’re not always the most suitable option for your business. Free hosting services typically include the platform’s logo and ad display, which can make you look unprofessional.
So, here are six key features to look for when choosing a video hosting service. Let’s take a look.
1. Video Editing Features
Video editing features are crucial elements to look for when choosing a video hosting platform. They ensure your content is well-edited, representative of your brand, and engaging.
Before publishing your work, it’s best to go over your video once more to ensure everything is done as intended. However, it’s no surprise if you find minor hiccups here and there. And that’s when built-in video editing features come in handy.
Essential video editing features to look for on a video hosting service include:
- Trimming. Cut out unnecessary bits from your video.
- Merging. Merge several clips together and join them into a seamless video.
- Format resizing. Different video formats perform better on different social media platforms.
- Transitions. Add transitions between clips to make your videos more engaging.
- Built-in voice-over. Record voice-over without leaving the editor.
- Text editor. Select text from different font choices and text animations.
While many video hosting platforms offer basic editing features, for more advanced editing and professional-looking results, consider using a dedicated video editing tool like Adobe Express, which offers a wider range of functionalities and creative control.
2. Simple Video Embeds
Video embeds are a string of HTML codes that you can use to add a video to different online platforms, such as social media posts, emails, and websites.
The embedded code pulls and displays the video from its original source without taking up space on your web server. In other words, embedding videos to your website won’t affect website load time as the videos are stored on another server.
A great video hosting service must offer simple video embeds, where it automatically generates code that is easy to locate.
An example of a simple video embed comes from the most popular video hosting site, YouTube. To locate the code, simply go to a video, click “Share,” and select “Embed.”
However, the downside of hosting your videos on YouTube include:
- Ads display
- Distracting recommended videos
- YouTube logo
Other video hosting services with a simple video embed feature include Wistia, Dacast, and Wave.video.
3. Customizable Video Player
If you want a self-branded or white-label video player, make sure your video hosting service offers video player customization options.
White-label video players broadcast your content without third-party logos and links. This is great for professional use and custom branding for a stronger online presence. It can make your business appear more credible while providing a tailored watching experience for the audience.
Style your video player to fit your brand by customizing the following elements:
- Color scheme
- Custom thumbnail
- Show or hide video player controls such as volume, playback speed, and video quality
- Watermark
4. Video Marketing Tools
Videos increase the audience’s understanding of your product and business. In fact, website visitors are 85% more likely to purchase after watching a product video. Therefore, choosing a video hosting service that also offers video marketing tools is crucial.
Here are several marketing tools to look for in a video hosting service:
- Social media video maker. Make videos of different sizes for Instagram Stories, Facebook video covers, and landing pages to engage with your audience across all channels.
- Promotional video templates. Create short videos to promote your brand, increase awareness, and drive conversions.
- Email campaigns. Increase email CTR by embedding high-quality videos.
5. Password Protection
Password-protecting your videos will control who can watch them.
For businesses, this feature is useful for collecting leads and monetizing videos. You can gate content and only provide the password after people opt-in to receive your newsletter or fill out a registration form.
Additionally, monetize your videos by giving access to only those who pay for it.
This is great for businesses that offer online workshops, courses, and eBooks. However, balance is key, so make sure you also provide free and quality content for the audience.
6. Stock Libraries
Selecting a video hosting service that comes with stock libraries can help you get started, especially as a beginner. Additionally, stock assets are free to use for personal and commercial purposes.
Even without much footage, you can create videos by using:
- Free stock videos
- Free stock images
- Royalty-free music
Browse through and choose from the many options available to convey your message. Once you select the stock assets, combine them with visual effects and graphic elements to make the video representative of your brand.
You can also create branded videos using stock libraries with the help of watermarks, filters, and custom video intros.
Conclusion
Selecting the best video hosting service comes down to the features it provides. Aside from giving users the server space to upload videos in high quantity and quality, it also needs to have other crucial elements, tools and assets.
To recap, here are six key features to look for when choosing a video hosting service:
- Video editing features. Includes trimming and merging, adding transitions, and selecting text style.
- Simple video embeds. Automatically generates codes to embed.
- Customizable video player. Lets you customize the color scheme, video thumbnail, and player controls.
- Video marketing tools. Offers promotional video templates, social media video maker, and email campaigns.
- Password protection. Best for generating leads and monetizing video content.
- Stock libraries and creative assets. Includes free stock videos, images, and royalty-free music.
Now that you know the must-have features of a great video hosting service, it’s time to do the research and make a choice. Good luck.