How to Host Videos on Your Website (Best Way Explained)

Videos are a powerful form of communication. They’re attention grabbing, fun to watch, and even more fun to share — people are twice as likely to share videos than any other form of content. And, when used correctly, they can reduce customer service calls and increase traffic, leads, and sales.

Videos are also:

• Easily digestible. They’re helpful for explaining difficult concepts and communicating ideas quickly.
• Great for showing products in action. They can demonstrate people using your products in real life and show their effectiveness in a way that text can’t. 
• A way to connect with your audience. They provide a personal touch that resonates with readers and followers.

Creating videos requires training, planning, filming, editing, and careful evaluation to ensure they meet your quality and brand standards. With all the work and money invested, where you host videos might not be your first thought, but it’s a critical piece of the puzzle. If your video buffers, looks grainy, promotes competitors, or is too complicated, your hard work could go to waste. 

Let’s explore some hosting options to help you make the most of your efforts.

Host your videos on third-party platforms

Third-party platforms like YouTube and Vimeo are popular, but include some disadvantages:

• Distracted viewers. Many platforms, like YouTube, advertise related videos that make it easy for viewers to get distracted, click, and never return to your site. How often do you find yourself clicking through random cat videos and wondering how you got there? 
• Little control. When using third parties, you don’t control what happens around your video. Do you want your content to appear right next to your competitors’? Probably not. Some platforms also include ads that break up your video and frustrate your audience.
• Lack of customization options. Most third-party tools add their branding to all of your videos — essentially an advertisement for them. YouTube has no option for removing this, and Vimeo requires a paid plan, which can get expensive. 
• Storage limitations. Some platforms limit your video storage size or the number of GB you can upload per week.

Self-hosting: Host videos on your server

Another option is to host videos on your own private server. This gives you more control, and keeps people on your site, but there are still a few drawbacks:

• Bandwidth consumption. Bandwidth is the amount of data transferred between your site and your users. Some hosts include a set amount of bandwidth you can use each month. Since video files are usually large (compared to, say, images) they use up more bandwidth. If you have a 15MB video on your homepage, and your website gets 1,000 visits per month, then that video will use 1,000 x 15MB of bandwidth: 15,000 MB. This can quickly get out of hand, and upgrading your hosting plan becomes expensive.
• Reduced website speed. Because videos add load to your server, they can also slow down your site. And since site load time directly correlates to sales, a fast website should be a top priority. Even if you’re not an eCommerce store, slow sites get fewer page views.
• Tricky file formats. To host videos on your server, you might have to convert them to a different format or compress them, which requires time and additional software. Plus, unless you have experience, you may dilute your video’s quality in the process.

The solution: Jetpack video hosting

Jetpack’s video hosting plugin VideoPress is the best of both worlds; you have full control over your videos without sacrificing speed or ease of use. Take a look at this beautiful video that you can add to your site in just a few clicks.

Here are just a few of the benefits:

• Unlimited video uploads at a fixed price. Don’t worry about exceeding bandwidth limitations, or being surprised by fluctuating pricing. Jetpack VideoPress is a worry-free, cost-effective solution that’s included with a Premium or Professional plan.
• Seamless WordPress integration. Since Jetpack’s video hosting solution was created specifically for WordPress, it integrates perfectly with the post editor and media library — so you can add videos using the tools and dashboards you’re already familiar with.
• One-click setup. Simply enable video hosting with a single click in the Jetpack dashboard and upload videos directly to your media library. 
• Little impact on load times. All videos are delivered through Jetpack’s Content Delivery Network, which ensures that, no matter where your visitors are, they can load the video quickly.
• Informative, useful statistics. Find all the information you need about individual and overall video plays thanks to rich integration with Jetpack Stats. 
• No branding or ads. Your visitors won’t be distracted by competitors, unrelated videos, or third-party advertising. 
• Cross-browser and device compatibility. Jetpack VideoPress was built for all modern browsers and devices. Whether your users are on a desktop, tablet, or mobile device, they’ll have a great experience.
• Simple, but powerful. Developers can control the look and feel of the video player  — not always possible with third-party services.
• Flexible file formats. Jetpack video hosting supports everything from MP4 and Quicktime to MPEG and 3GPP — so you don’t have to worry about converting file formats.

And if you run into any issues, or have any questions, you’re backed by Jetpack’s unrivaled, priority support. Meet a few members of the support team.

Jetpack takes the headache out of hosting videos, while providing all the benefits of third-party platforms. If you already have a premium or professional Jetpack plan, then you can be up and running in just a few minutes. If you’re new to Jetpack, head over to our pricing page to get started or learn more about Jetpack VideoPress.

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