Do you want to publish videos on your blog but aren’t sure how to go about it? The fact of the matter is that there are several different options that you can choose from – each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
As a start there are three options that you should consider that will let you publish video content on your blog relatively easily:
- HTML5 video
Prior to HTML5 video couldn’t be added directly to a blog’s HTML code and required additional plugins. However HTML5 introduced the <video> element, and made it easier than ever to publish videos.
Although HTML5 videos can be published in MP4, OGG, or WebM formats – some browsers such as Safari and Internet Explorer may not support the latter two. Additionally if you use this method you’ll have to self-host the video on your blog’s server, which could take up a significant amount of bandwidth.
- Online video platforms
Another option to publish videos on your blog is to use online video platforms – the most popular being YouTube. Essentially you will upload the video to YouTube and then copy and paste the embed code that it provides onto your blog.
The main advantage of this option is that your video will be hosted by YouTube so it won’t take up your bandwidth. However people watching your video may then proceed to YouTube if the next video interests them as well, and leave your blog.
- Video player plugins
Nowadays there are numerous other video player plugins designed either for specific blog platforms, or for any websites. The functionality of these plugins vary, and some may work in conjunction with online video platforms while others use cloud hosting or self-host videos.
The main reason you may want to consider using such plugins is because they can simplify the task of uploading videos, and provide additional customization options. That being said you will need to choose a plugin that caters specifically to your requirements.
Overall regardless of the option that you use it is generally best to use the MP4 with H.264 video format when publishing videos. It is the most compatible, and is the recommended format by most online platforms as well. If necessary you can convert your video to MP4, and for example could use Online Video Converter (www.videoconverter.com) to do that.
All said and done you should find it relatively easy to publish videos on your blog using any one of the options listed above, as none are particularly complicated. At the end of the day it boils down to a question of preference and the specific requirements that you may have for the video that you want to publish.