The Best WordPress Plugin to Install Videos on Your Website

There are many reasons why you might want to add videos to your website. You could use them to welcome users to your blog or website, you could post them to document your work, or you could even use them to sell your products or services. No matter what you want from videos, they can all be accomplished with WordPress.

WordPress provides several video plugins that you can use to add videos to your website. Though each one is quite different from the other in terms of features and functionality, they all have one thing in common: they’re easy to use and enable anyone to add videos to their site with little to no technical knowledge.

Instagram Videos

Instagram launched its video feature about a year ago and it’s been blowing up ever since. The popularity of videos on the platform is growing every single month which makes them a great choice for adding to your website. Instagram videos are known for their short length which makes them ideal for quick blog posts or websites. In less than 10 minutes, you could have a complete video lesson or teaching opportunity for students or other website visitors.

Instagram videos also work well when used for promotional purposes as the platform promotes user generated content. Since videos are usually shareable and attention-grabbing, they’re perfect for getting YouTube views and potentially increasing your social following on the platform. Finally, because Instagram videos are popular on the platform, they’re great for getting people to your site. When visitors can watch entertaining or informative videos on your site, they’re more likely to stay engaged and possibly make a purchase or follow you on social media.

YouTube Videos

YouTube launched its video platform in early 2006 and it has since grown to become the second largest video platform in the world. Just like Instagram, YouTube is also a popular choice among content creators due to the platform’s broad global audience. Similar to Instagram videos, YouTube videos are easy to use and can be posted in less than 10 minutes. Their popularity on social media and their shareability on sites like Twitter and Facebook makes them ideal additions to your website.

On the downside, YouTube videos can be rather pricey to buy and promote. The cost to purchase a single video can range from $5,000 to $15,000 which makes them an expensive addition to your web content. Plus, you’ll need to find a way to get viewers to your site which, as we mentioned before, can be difficult. Still, if you have a sizable budget and you need to increase your social media presence, YouTube videos are a great choice due to the platform’s huge reach and its user-friendly design.

Vimeo Videos

Vimeo is a popular choice for anyone seeking a fully featured video platform. Though it launched about a decade ago, the video app has grown to become a household name and a favorite among content creators. Vimeo is owned by the massive media company, Hollywood Media Company which also owns various other popular media platforms such as Polygon and Gawker.

Unlike other video platforms, Vimeo videos can be downloaded and embedded on websites and blogs for free. This makes them extremely cost-effective and very useful to content creators. Their popularity in Hollywood makes them the perfect choice for adding to your website if you’re a filmmaker or a video production company.

Vimeo videos also work well for brand awareness and marketing, especially when used for product or service promotions. The product placement strategy on The Handmaid’s Tale is a great example of how brands can use videos to promote their products. In the Hulu Emmy winning television series, Offred (played by Margot Robbie) is a handmaid assigned to a powerful man’s wife (played by Sissy Spacek). The series follows Offred’s (the handmaid) quest to become a fully functioning woman and to determine her own fate. In the show’s second season, we are shown commercials for Emmet O’Neill’s Pembroke Saltwater Shrimp which is served in a cocktail sauce. This is a nod to the culinary skill of Emmett O’Neill (the shrimp king), and it’s a great example of how brands can use videos for brand awareness and marketing. If you’re familiar with the TV show, you’ll know that the restaurant’s signature shrimp cocktail is served in a sauce that’s reminiscent of the marinades used by the Bastion Cookers (the restaurant that Emmett O’Neill runs).

Dailymotion Videos

Dailymotion is a pure-play video platform that was originally launched in France as Vidéo.net. The platform’s tagline is “the video platform for all of us” which sums up its goal of providing users with a broad range of content. Dailymotion’s success comes from its innovative approach to content which includes curated daily shows and weekly magazine-style videos.

Like the other platforms on this list, Dailymotion videos are easy to use and can be uploaded and posted in less than 10 minutes. Though they are widely available, Dailymotion videos are still relatively affordable to purchase. The platform’s revenue comes from its popular membership plans which enable users to access premium content for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. For marketers seeking to promote their products or services, Dailymotion videos are a great choice since they can be used for brand awareness and marketing as well as for product or service promotions. Plus, the platform’s membership base is already highly engaged with the internet marketing world, so it’s quite possible that a brand evangelist could use Dailymotion videos to convert a small audience into a paying customer.

Wikimedia Commons Videos

Though Wikimedia is a massive media company whose platforms include Wikipedia, Flickr, and Vimeo, it also maintains a venture capital fund called The Wikimedia Foundation which invests in early stage technology companies. One of Wikimedia’s investment recipients is Blue Jeans, a company that builds platforms for creative professionals. Blue Jeans is responsible for Creative Commons which was founded in 2011 and it enables non-profit organizations and educational establishments to create and distribute multimedia content.

Much like the other platforms on this list, the videos available on Creative Commons are easy to use and can be posted to websites and blogs for free. The videos are available under a Creative Commons license, which means that they can be used for any type of commercial or non-commercial purpose as long as the copyright attribution link is included.

Although the cost to create a Creative Commons video is free, it can still be quite expensive to purchase. This is mainly because the cost to purchase a single video ranges from $500 to $25,000. Plus, if you’re a filmmaker or brand looking to build a meaningful connection with the YouTube community, Creative Commons videos are a great choice since they can be used for any type of marketing or educational purposes as long as the attribution link is included. Finally, if you have a sizable budget, adding Creative Commons videos to your site could be a good option since they’re cost-effective.

What Type of Videos Should You Add to Your Website?

Based on what you intend to do with the videos, you must decide whether to go with free or open-source video platforms like WordPress, or you could purchase a premium solution like Canva Video.