Choosing where to host your video productions online might seem like a trivial decision. But it can have a huge effect on the impact of your videos, the audience it reaches and the experience for the viewer. YouTube and Vimeo are two of the most popular contenders when it comes to hosting corporate videos online.
But which is best?
Both sites have powerful video editing tools, customised embedding, extensive stats, monetisation and captions/subtitling options. These features alone are often enough for people to just toss a coin and go with whichever website they can remember their password for.
But there are a few more things to consider if you’re seriously looking to make a splash with your video marketing over the long term. And if long term is your goal (which it should be) it’s best to get that decision right from the start.
Here are a few things to consider when choosing between YouTube or Vimeo:
YouTube – Pros and Cons
There are lots of ads on YouTube
YouTube is owned by Google, and where do they get their money from? That’s right. Ads! Depending on the monetisation settings you have on your channel, your video may be hosting ads that can be distracting for your audience.
Can you replace a YouTube video?
Once a video is on YouTube, that’s it. You cannot change the content of the video at all. What if one of your team have left since you’ve produced the video and you want to edit them out and replace it with a new edit? No chance. The only option you have is to delete the existing video and start again. That means losing your stats and having to replace any embed codes of the video around the web. Not fun!
What features do I get with YouTube?
YouTube is the worlds biggest free broadcaster, so needless to say you don’t need to part with any cash to get started. Plus, a lot of the best unique features of YouTube, such as End screens, can be accessed without paying too.
Is YouTube good for SEO?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is vital for online video marketing.
As YouTube is owned by the biggest search engine on the planet, your YouTube videos will show up in regular search results as well as plain old normal web pages. You’ll need to make sure your YouTube videos title, description and tags are up to scratch though. Read our Essential Guide to YouTube to find out how to do this!
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Vimeo – Pros and Cons
Does Vimeo show ads on my videos?
Vimeo’s user experience far surpasses that of YouTube for the very reason that Vimeo never put ads before, after or during videos. There is some display advertising on some vimeo.com pages if you’re a free member but sign up to any of their paid services and you won’t see ads anywhere. Most importantly, any ads on vimeo.com won’t impact the viewing experience.
Can you replace a video on Vimeo?
You can go very deep into the backend of Vimeo. It has a wealth of features and settings designed especially for professional video producers. One of those features is being able to seamlessly replace a video.
This means that with just a few clicks, you can change a video to a brand new version and not only will you not have to update all your links to that video, but all the stats will remain too.
What are the different Vimeo pricing plans?
Vimeo has a lot of different pricing plans depending on your needs.
They have Plus, Pro, Business, and Premium. They differ in a lot of ways, so check out the website for a more detailed breakdown, but features such as total video storage, team members, live streaming and custom branding are most likely to be the features to look out for.
Is Vimeo good for SEO?
Landing pages on Vimeo are indexed just like any other page on the internet, so you can get pretty good SEO by hosting your video on their site. Embedding on your website will help a great deal too and make it more likely to appear in organic search results.
So which one to choose? We host videos on both platforms for different reasons, so to make it simple for you, here’s our verdict:
If you are a business uploading regular content that needs to be found by as wide an audience as possible, then YouTube will be better for you.
If you are looking for a cleaner, more robust and feature-rich experience with more privacy and a better viewing experience, go for Vimeo.
Which is best for you? Are there any other features that would be important when choosing a video hosting service? Get in touch to let us know! You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
