How do I add a video to my website?

How do I embed a YouTube or Vimeo video?

1. Get the video’s link. Open the video on YouTube or Vimeo and copy the address from the browser bar. You don’t need a YouTube account to embed a public video.
2. Open your page or post. Go to Pages or Posts, hover over it and select Edit.
3. Add the block. Select + and choose YouTube Embed (or Vimeo, or the general Embed block). You can also type /youtube and press Enter.
4. Paste and embed. Paste the link into the box and select Embed. The video appears in the editor.
5. Set the size. In the sidebar, under Media Settings, keep Resize for smaller devices turned on. It keeps the video’s shape when the screen gets narrow.
6. Place it. Use the alignment tool or the up and down arrows. Below the opening text usually works better than the very top of the page.
7. Preview and save. Use the View menu to check it, then save and look at the live page on a phone.

WordPress can embed from a long list of services, including YouTube, Vimeo and TikTok. Its Embeds page lists them all.

These steps follow WordPress’s YouTube embed guide. Vimeo works the same way with the Vimeo or Embed block.

Can I just upload the video file?

You can, with the Video block, which offers Upload, Media Library and Insert from URL. For most small business sites, a YouTube or Vimeo link is the better choice. Video files are large, they eat into hosting space, and every visit pulls the file from your server. YouTube and Vimeo handle streaming to phones on slow connections far better.

If you do upload, set Preload to Metadata or None so the video only downloads when someone presses play, and add a Poster image so there’s a clear picture before it starts.

The short version

• Host the video on YouTube or Vimeo, not on your website.
• Paste its link into a YouTube or Embed block in WordPress, then check the page on a phone.

Why does this matter?

A short video can explain a service or show your place better than a page of text. But a video that won’t play, pushes the layout sideways, or slows the page down does more harm than good. Embedding from a video service keeps the page light and the playback reliable.

What are the common mistakes and edge cases?

• Embedding is turned off. Some videos can’t be shared on other sites. The owner controls this. On YouTube it’s the Allow embedding setting in YouTube Studio, under the video’s details. On Vimeo it’s Where can this be embedded? in the video’s Share settings, as Vimeo explains. If it’s your video, turn embedding on. If it isn’t, ask the owner or link to it instead.
• Private videos. WordPress notes that only public and unlisted YouTube videos can be embedded. Private ones can’t.
• Autoplay with sound. Visitors find it jarring, and many browsers block it. Let people press play.
• Privacy. Embedded YouTube players share some viewing data with YouTube. YouTube offers a privacy-enhanced mode for embeds, described in its embed help. Mention embedded video in your privacy policy. This isn’t legal advice.
• Captions. Add captions on YouTube or Vimeo so people watching with the sound off, or who are deaf or hard of hearing, can follow along.

What if this didn’t work?

• “Sorry, this content could not be embedded.” The link may be private, embedding may be off, or the address may be a channel or search page rather than one video. Copy the link from the video itself and try again. WordPress also offers to turn the address into a plain link.
• The video looks squashed or overflows on phones. Check Resize for smaller devices is on. If it still overflows, your theme may need a fix; see why a site looks wrong on phones.
• Something else on the page moved. Undo the change and ask your web team. See what to do when a page looks broken.

How does E-3 handle this?

Send us the video link, the page it should go on and where on the page. A person at E-3 adds it, and updates are tested on a staging copy first. Afterwards, check the page on a computer and a phone for a footer or column shifting out of place, or a video that plays on one but not the other. If you only have the video file, ask us about putting it on YouTube or Vimeo first.

Call 814-399-4655 or email support@e3help.me.

Related questions

• How do I change a photo or banner on my site?
• Can you add social media links or feeds to my site?
• Why is my website slow?