Adding videos to your WordPress blog can be a great way to engage your audience and increase traffic to your site. However, there are a few mistakes that people make when embedding videos in their posts. In this article, we will discuss some of the most common mistakes and how to avoid them. We will also prove why videos are an absolute must if you want an effective and money-bringing website.
Uploading Videos Directly to WordPress
While this might seem like an easy way to get your videos onto your site, it can actually cause a number of problems. First, uploading videos directly to WordPress can quickly fill up your server space and cause your site to slow down. Second, you will be limited to a 50 MB video, which probably be not of good quality. Third, your video will be encoded in a format that may not compatible with all browsers and devices, which could make it difficult for some viewers to watch. Finally, if you ever need to move your site or change hosting providers, you will need to re-upload all of your videos, which can be time-consuming.
Way to go: Instead of uploading videos directly, we recommend embedding them from a third-party platform like YouTube or Vimeo. Not only will this save you space and bandwidth, but it will also make sure that your videos are properly encoded and accessible to all viewers. Plus, you’ll be able to take advantage of all the features that these platforms offer, like video analytics and privacy controls. To embed a video from YouTube or Vimeo, simply copy the embed code from the platform and paste it into the WordPress editor.
Using Glitchy Plugins
There are a number of plugins available that allow you to embed videos in your WordPress posts. However, not all of them are good. Some plugins can be quite glitchy, causing your videos to load slowly or not at all. This can be a major downfall for your site, as people tend to close tabs that are really slow.
Way to go: Do your research before choosing a plugin for embedding videos on your WordPress site. We recommend checking out user reviews and ratings to get an idea of which plugins are the most reliable.
Posting a Video That Doesn’t Match Your Blog Post
When you’re adding a video to a blog post, it’s important to make sure that the video is relevant to the topic of the text. If your blog post is about gardening tips, for example, embedding a video about cat care would not be very helpful. Not only will this confuse your readers, but it will also hurt your SEO as search engines will not see the video as being relevant to your content.
Way to go: Be sure to carefully consider which videos are most relevant to each of your blog posts before embedding them. This will ensure that both your readers and search engines are happy.
Ignoring SEO Practices
Speaking of search engine optimization, it is a big deal in website promotion. This is what helps Google and other search engines understand that your content fits the bill. And most importantly, it helps people actually find your pages. Without proper optimization, your blog post is a drop in the ocean of thousands of similar pages. You may think that SEO is only about keywords and titles of the page text, but it’s not. SEO concentrates on every element of your page, including videos. So, ignoring optimization for videos in the first place can ruin the chances of high rankings in SERPs.
Way to go: Make sure to include a keyword-rich title and description for your videos, as well as choose a relevant thumbnail image. By following these simple SEO tips, you can help ensure that your videos are more likely to be found by potential viewers.
Note: This is why it’s also helpful to embed videos and not upload them directly to WordPress. They are supposed to be already SEO-friendly and can even boost your website.
Violating Copyright Laws
“I’ll just put this video that I saw on YouTube here, no one will know”. That’s completely the opposite of what you should think and do. Using someone else’s content without any credit or permission can end badly. From being asked to delete the video to facing real charges for copyright infringement – it can go either way.
Way to go: Only embed videos on your WordPress blog that you have the legal right to use. This includes videos that you have created yourself or have received permission from the copyright holder to use. Additionally, make sure that you give credit to the original creator and not claim it as your own.
Using Low-Quality Videos
Videos with bad lighting or sound and lack of production values will come across as amateurish and could turn off potential viewers. If your video is low quality, it can impact everything from how viewers perceive your brand to how much money you make. Low production values can make your company look unprofessional and cause people to lose trust in you. Furthermore, if your video is hard to watch or listen to, people will likely just skip it, which means they won’t see your message or buy your product.
Way to go: Before you upload that video, make sure it’s high quality and will reflect positively on your business. This will help ensure that your readers take your content seriously and continue coming back for more. First, be sure to use proper lighting and sound equipment to make your video pleasant to watch and listen to. Second, devote some time to editing the footage, using the proper tools. You don’t have to invest a lot, as there is a cool default video editor on macOS, and there are tools that look like iMovie for Windows as well.
Adding Videos Just for the Sake of It
You’ve done your homework and now know that videos can give your website a huge traffic boost. So you start adding them in each and every blog post and wait for the promised results. But they never come. Why? Just because you can add a video to your post doesn’t mean you should. The placement of your videos is just as important as the quality of the videos themselves. Videos may drag attention away from the text, and if, say, your call to action is at the bottom of the page, readers may not get to it at all.
Way to go: Before adding a video to your WordPress post, ask yourself if it is truly relevant and adds value to your readers. Try to put them in places where they are most likely to be seen by potential viewers, such as near the beginning or end of the post.
Excluding Social Sharing Buttons
One of the most common conversion killers is failing to include social sharing buttons on your landing pages. If you’re not making it easy for visitors to share your content, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity for free exposure. This is also true for videos. If you’re hosting videos on your site, make sure to include social sharing buttons so that visitors can share the video with their friends and followers.
Way to go: Make sure to include social sharing buttons in a prominent location on your landing page, and make sure they’re visible even if a visitor is not logged into their social media account. If you want to go the extra mile, you can even add share count buttons that show how many times your content has been shared. This can help increase social proof and encourage more visitors to share your content.
Choosing the Wrong Thumbnail
The thumbnail image is what shows up in the search results, so it’s important to choose an image that is both relevant and eye-catching. If your thumbnail image is boring or irrelevant, people are less likely to click on it. The same thing happens with clickbait images – people don’t like to be deceived and fed false information.
Way to go: Take some time to pick an attractive thumbnail image that accurately represents the content of your video. If you’re not sure what kind of image to use, try experimenting with different images until you find one that works well. This will help increase the chances that potential viewers will click on the video and watch it.
Overdoing It
While videos can be a great addition to your WordPress blog, it’s important not to overdo it. This means embedding only a few videos in each post and making sure that they are relevant to the content. Otherwise, you risk turning off potential readers with too much unnecessary content. You also shouldn’t be constantly hitting visitors over the head with a sales pitch. If you’re too pushy, you’ll come across as desperate and turn people off.
Way to go: Take a subtle approach with your videos. Use them to enhance the content of your posts and add value for your readers. If you do this, people will be more likely to watch your videos and engage with your content.
Not Adding Videos at All
One of the worst things you can do is exclude videos from your WordPress blog altogether. Maybe you don’t know how to use them properly (which we’ve hopefully covered above) or maybe you just don’t believe they’re worth the effort. But they are! With so many potential benefits, such as increased engagement and SEO value, there’s really no excuse not to embed at least a few videos in your posts. Still not convinced? Read on to learn what big of an effect videos make on user behavior.
Way to go: Start by finding a few relevant and engaging videos that you can embed in your posts. You can also create your own videos if you want to add a personal touch.
Why Do You Need Videos on Your Website?
Videos are one of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s toolkit. They can help you increase conversions, engagement, and even sales. But why?
It all has to do with how videos impact user behavior. Studies have shown that videos can grab attention more effectively than any other type of content. They also increase the average time spent on the website, which gives you more opportunities to get your message across.
But it’s not just about getting people to look at your content; videos also have a major impact on how people interact with your brand after they’ve seen your video. Thanks to the power of social media, users are twice as likely to share videos than any other type of content. This means that your videos have the potential to reach a much wider audience than any other marketing effort you might make. All of these can lead to increased traffic and engagement on a website, which can in turn lead to more revenue.
And finally, videos can also help you boost sales and conversions. Thanks to their engaging nature, videos can persuade viewers to take action, whether it’s signing up for a newsletter, downloading a white paper, or even making a purchase.
However, it is important to note that not all videos will have the same effect on all users. It is essential to consider the target audience when creating and selecting videos, as this will help ensure that the videos are effective in influencing the desired behavior. Additionally, it is also critical to track user behavior before and after implementing video content to ensure that the video is having the desired effect.
Conclusion
Now you know why videos should be an integral part of your website for it to be successful – they help increase traffic, conversions, and revenue.
The main thing you should remember is that by creating and using relevant video content, you can boost the metrics of your website. And by following these simple tips, you can avoid making mistakes when adding videos, so you can be sure to achieve whatever results you want.
Do you have any other tips for using videos on websites? Let us know in the comments below!
