A PICTURE IS WORTH 1,000 WORDS
The old saying is still true, and when it comes to animation – moving pictures – it’s even more true. People find a Play button almost irresistible, and background video – a looped, silent video behind words and/or static images – is extremely effecti ve in capturing attention.
The issue is that video files can be very large, clogging up your server space and extending the time it takes for your web page to load.
HOSTING VIDEO
Words and images on your website are almost always “hosted” directly from your website. T he rule of thumb for video is: try to avoid having your video play directly from your website. The files are almost always way too large. The best way to “embed” video on your website is to have it hosted elsewhere and only embed the code that plays it from somewhere else as if it were actually on the page.
YOUTUBE VS. VIMEO
The two most popular and effective places to host your video are on Youtube and Vimeo. Both offer free hosting.
The advantage of Youtube is that it is the second largest Social Media platform in the world. It also actually is the second largest search engine, with over 3 billion searches a month. The main disadvantages are that when you’re video is done playing, it displays other people’s videos – often your competitors – has ads, and you have no control over the first frame (you know, the one where your face is screwed up like you just smelled… well… something unpleasant). Vim eo’s free service is similar but without the ads.
PLUS AND VERIFIED
What I recommend is investing a little bit into Vimeo Plus or getting a Verified Youtube Channel. Vimeo Plus is $5.00 a month, and you can remove the watermark, control the first frame that sits on the page until the play button is clicked, and control what happens at the end of the video. It’s more than worth the money. A Verified Youtube Channel requires 100,000 subscribers, but once you have that, it’s free, and offers similar features.
If you’re just starting out, host your video on Youtube for free, but pay the $60.00/year for Vimeo Plus and use that to play your video on a website.
Email us at hello@21thirteen.com or call us at 646 808 0249 to learn more.
