YouTube vs. Other Video Hosting Sites // the Good and the Bad
When you think of online video hosting, the first site that comes to mind is YouTube – and this also applies to the 80% of Americans with internet access. If you have a whiteboard animated video for your business that you want the world to see, uploading it to YouTube should be your first move. However, what exactly are you getting into by letting YouTube host your video, and are there any other viable online video hosting options? Here’s a list of YouTube’s good and bad, followed next time by a list of several video hosting sites that deserve a second look:
The Good:
- Free! This is perhaps YouTube’s greatest quality – all you need are a username and password and you can upload as many videos as your little heart desires
- YouTube provides batch uploading and multiple encoding options
- Users can upload videos up to 15 minutes long and accepts file sizes up to 2GB
- YouTube has one of the largest viewerships on the internet and the largest audience of any video site
- YouTube is the second largest search engine, and because it’s owned by Google, all of its content is indexed into Google’s search engine
- YouTube has a social nature which makes it great for sharing across major social networks and embedding into websites alike
- Though limited, there are customization options for your video player and channel design
- There are several SEO features, and you can add a link to your website in the description section
- You can search for trending keywords and optimize your videos for them
- Resolution on Youtube can be up to 1080p or higher, which is generously high video quality for a free site
- Embedding your video is easy with customizable player dimensions. YouTube also allows embedding of entire playlists or channels
The Bad:
- During times of high traffic, viewers may experience inconsistent streaming which can lead to video abandonment
- Though there are customization options, they are limited to your programming knowledge
- YouTube limits your thumbnail choices to three random images
- Many companies and schools block internet users from browsing YouTube, restricting them from viewing your services
- If your video or its thumbnail image shows up in Google’s search results there’s no guarantee they will be for your own domain
- You can’t use your own ad network, and sometimes the advertisements featured on your video can be for a competitor – when it comes to ads, YouTube has the only say
- There is virtually no customer service – often questions or requests will not be answered or you will only receive non-specific generated answers
- Their user guidelines are arbitrary at best and difficult to dispute, and YouTube has the right to shut down your account at any time for any purpose
Though YouTube has its setbacks, it is still the #1 most recommended video hosting site. You just can’t beat free, even with several restrictions. However, if you’re on the search for the perfect video hosting site and YouTube doesn’t meet your requirements, check back for a list of the next top video hosting options.