Video integration results in visitors spending more time on your website and helps drive conversion rates. However, no embedding standards exist, which sometimes leads to compatibility issues. So which is the best video hosting platform between Vimeo and YouTube, the two most widely used video-sharing sites?
Self-Hosted vs Vimeo vs YouTube for Business Website Integration
“Most business owners assume that video needs to live on their website, rather than living on YouTube or Vimeo, and simply embedding it on their website,” said Joe Labonte, Thrive’s Web Sales Engineer.
Unfortunately, that is not a viable solution for most businesses. One reason is the cost. Videos not only require more storage space. They also consume large bandwidths, especially if there are many visitors. Hence, the cost of hosting and bandwidth charges will be too prohibitive.
“The advantages of using Vimeo or YouTube are significantly lower bandwidth usage, avoiding any slowdowns of the hosting server,” Labonte said.
Furthermore, Vimeo and YouTube are not only video-sharing platforms but also search engines. By uploading videos on these sites, businesses can capitalize on over 260 million active Vimeo users and 2.6 billion active YouTube users.
Above is an example of a typical query on Google Search. In this particular instance, Thrive’s Arlington pay-per-click (PPC) page appears on top of the results.
YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine. In this example, Thrive’s PPC video dominated the results page. So apart from being able to embed the video on any website, Thrive can capitalize on the organic traffic generated, thus making it a great YouTube marketing strategy.
One can say that Thrive is attracting visitors not only from Google Search but also from YouTube.
How Video Integration Helps Your Website SEO
According to Google’s John Mueller, embedding videos from other sources is no different from hosting them yourself from a search engine optimization strategy (SEO) standpoint. Indirectly, though, Vimeo integration (or YouTube integration) may help with your SEO strategy and analytics.
1. Increase Search Engine Presence
Competing with others to rank first is highly challenging. Not even the most knowledgeable SEO specialists can guarantee top rankings. But with video integration, you can increase your presence through rich snippets on the search engine results page (SERP).
In some queries, Google displays video results on top of the SERP. It’s not fixed, though, as Google may also show it in other parts, as seen in the image showing the results for “Vimeo vs Youtube for business.”
Besides the standard search, users can also choose a specific type of content. In the above example, the videos uploaded by Thrive on YouTube dominate the SERP, giving them the best chance to capture more organic traffic compared to other digital marketing agencies.
2. Improve Analytics and Conversion Rates
According to one survey, up to 88 percent of users spend more time on a website with videos. As a result, there’d be an improvement in dwell time and session time. Moreover, users are likely to navigate to other pages, therefore reducing bounce rates.
According to Google, bounce rates are not a ranking signal. As for dwell time and session time, it is unclear if they affect SEO. At any rate, one survey reported that pages with video integration are 53 times likelier to rank in the top 10.
SEO aside, video integration helps businesses in other meaningful ways. For instance, up to 72 percent of consumers favor learning about a product or service through a video, with 95 percent preferring explainer videos.
On landing pages, a Vimeo integration (or YouTube as an alternative to Vimeo) can help increase conversion rates by 80 percent. Marketers know this, which is why many are availing video production services. After all, 88 percent of them have had great return on investments (ROIs) with video content marketing.
3. Amplify Business Awareness on Social Media
Hosting videos on Vimeo or YouTube allows a business to attract more traffic. They are also reusable. For instance, companies can post them on various social media platforms.
Some 63 percent of marketers believe promoting videos on social media is effective. Considering that 4.62 billion people use social media globally, there is no denying that it is the best way to raise brand awareness and build relationships.
Best Video Hosting Platform for Website Integration
YouTube vs Vimeo. Which one should you use to host videos you will integrate into your website? One way to determine that is by knowing the pros and cons of each platform. So, we consulted Chris Clements, Thrive’s resident videographer and photographer.
“YouTube is user friendly and has a large user base. But it compresses video quality. Also, ads can sometimes be on certain videos,” Clements said. “As for Vimeo, there is no loss in video quality. It is also viewed as very professional because it is pay-to-play. But because it is pay-to-play, Vimeo is not as used as YouTube.”
Pros and Cons of Vimeo Integration
As an alternative to YouTube, employing a Vimeo marketing strategy provides you with these advantages:
• Customer Support. Vimeo provides paid users with several levels of personalized on-demand technical support.
• Pre-Roll Advertisements. Vimeo does not allow ads. For the near future, there are no indications they will allow it.
• Community. Vimeo is a community-driven platform, making it an excellent opportunity for certain businesses to tap into a niche market.
• Privacy Options. Vimeo provides more nuanced privacy options to users. One example is hiding a video from the Vimeo community while allowing it to be viewable only as an embedded video on your website.
• Player Customization. Vimeo offers a sleek embedded player that comes with several customization options. On paid accounts, for instance, a logo can be attached.
• Video Quality. Almost everyone will agree that Vimeo’s video quality is crisp and clean.
• Audio Quality. Vimeo supports 320Kbps, which means its audio quality is excellent.
Vimeo may not be your best YouTube alternative if the following matters:
• Users. The number of Vimeo users, while in the hundreds of millions, pales in comparison with YouTube.
• Search Optimization. Because of its smaller user base, Vimeo cannot compete with YouTube as a search engine.
• Mobile. Although Vimeo videos play on mobile, it does not offer as many opportunities for reach.
• Cost. A Vimeo marketing strategy would require a paid subscription to unlock the necessary premium features to make it effective.
• Storage. The free account provides only 500MB of storage space. Even the paid subscription plans have limitations.
• Advertising Campaigns. No other video streaming platform can compete with the ad platform provided by YouTube.
• Analytics. A paid subscription is necessary to use advanced analytics tools to run an effective Vimeo marketing strategy.
YouTube vs Vimeo: Which Should You Choose?
There is no alternative to Vimeo or YouTube for integrating videos on websites. These two video-sharing platforms are the top choices of most website design services and video production services.
From site visitors’ standpoint, there is not much merit to the debate on Vimeo vs YouTube for business website integration.
“Using Youtube or Vimeo on a website has never hindered my decisions while visiting a website over having it embedded,” Clements said. “Typically, the website is smoother while scrolling with a Youtube or Vimeo link.”
So, as a general rule, if the nuances of both platforms are minimal, the best video hosting platform would be YouTube. However, you might consider Vimeo over YouTube if there are specific features you deem necessary.
“The biggest objection to using video stems primarily from YouTube,” Labonte said. “Specifically, they don’t like YouTube showing ads on the videos, as sometimes the ads are for competitors. In those instances, we recommend using a paid service like Vimeo, which does not show ads.”
Here’s an infographic created by Market Motive showing some differences between the two video-sharing platforms.
Video Marketing Tips To Elevate Your Strategy
Now, let’s move on to video marketing tips for website owners, marketers and anyone who offers website design services. Remember that these tips are not only for video integration but also for social media marketing using videos.
1. Regular Postings
On blogs, content marketing specialists recommend regular postings. Not only is it good for SEO, but frequent site visitors also expect regular content updates. Likewise, social media followers also expect regular posts. So, by scheduling regular posts, you encourage your followers to return and view the latest posts.
2. Create Videos Based on User Intent
The customer journey starts when a need or desire is identified, and they start researching a product or service. You or a video production services agency should create explainer or demo videos to target these potential customers. Consider also making tutorials to show people how they can use your products.
3. Create Testimonial Videos
Customers do not only want to hear what you are saying. They also want to know the experiences of people who have used your product or service. So creating testimonial videos that you can share on social media or embed on your website is a great video marketing strategy to increase conversion rates.
4. Incorporate User-Generated Video Content
Encourage customers to create videos showing how they use your product or service. These videos are very much like testimonial videos and very compelling.
Share the user-generated videos on all your digital channels. In addition, the customers would be more than happy to share those videos featuring themselves on their social networks, further extending your reach.
5. Add a Call to Action
A call to action prompts a viewer to take your desired action, so be sure to incorporate one into your video. One thing to note is that the desired action must be relevant to the particular stage of a buyer’s journey you are targeting. Do not, for instance, convince a consumer to buy a product on an explainer video that aims to turn a viewer into a potential lead.
6. Remember SEO
Videos also get indexed on search engines. So, from the title to the description, ensure that you incorporate the right keywords in your website or online store. This way, you can have the opportunity to appear more on search results and attract more organic visitors.
YouTube or Vimeo Video Integration Helps Your Business
Clements said, “A good website with a video will consistently outperform a good website with many words. Video tends to dominate the internet; it helps customers see who you and your company are and the quality of your work. It essentially builds a starting level of trust between you.”
If you are still confused about YouTube vs Vimeo, contact our website design services team or call 866-434-4748 for a free consultation on embedding videos on your site and enhancing your conversion rates.
