It used to be that most marketers agreed you should host your own videos and rarely—if ever--embed from YouTube.

It is incredible how much has changed in such a small amount of time!

There is a simple way to increase user engagement on your website. Increase the quality of video content, and you will see positive results in terms of visitor count as well as increasing their conversion rate! Why not combine YouTube’s immense popularity with one easy-to-use platform? You can also benefit from having great videos by leveraging social media sites like Facebook where users engage heavily through the comments section below each clip—and no need for pesky likes when we already know what makes them tick.

There is a lot to be said about the benefits of hosting your website videos on YouTube, but let’s look at things from a different angle. 

What's so bad about hosting your own videos? 

You may be thinking about hosting your own website videos and that’s great! But there are 5 reasons why we advise against it. 

1. Load speed is big in terms of SEO, self-hosting can slow your site down.

As we all know, Google loves websites with fast loading times. Any website that is filled to the brim with videos—embedded or not—will likely experience some sort of hit to its page speed. However, we must realize that YouTube videos are meant to be streamed.

The optimization for playback and speed is built into video streaming sites like WordPress, so if we want our websites to load quickly, we must be mindful of the number of videos we include and host them on a platform that can handle the traffic.

When it comes to speed, there's no doubt that embedding your videos is the way to go. By doing so, you're guaranteed to get the best possible speeds, with less stress and fewer headaches. After all, your doctor's office's website isn't the only thing that impacts your video playback.

How you choose to embed and optimize your videos does, too. But, overall, you're likely to get better speeds with less stress when you choose to embed. So why wait? Go ahead and give it a try today!

2. Compatibility problems can arise with self-hosted videos.

Video is an increasingly popular way to consume content online. And as the demand for video grows, so does the need for faster and more reliable ways to stream and embed video files. In general, you're likely to get better speeds and less stress when you choose to embed your videos rather than streaming them. Embedded videos are generally saved on a server, which means they can be quickly accessed and played back without having to wait for a live connection.

This is in contrast to streaming videos, which are played in real-time and require a constant connection to a server. As a result, embedded videos tend to load faster and be less susceptible to buffering or other playback issues.

Furthermore, because they are not played in real-time, embedded videos place less of a strain on your bandwidth, which can help to improve your overall speed and browsing experience. While there are benefits to streaming video, such as the ability to reach a larger audience with live content, for most users, embedding video is the best option.

3. No one likes to waste time but Self-hosted videos lead to a big-time suck.

Any website owner who has hosted their own videos knows that it can be a great way to save on storage and bandwidth costs. However, there are also some potential dangers that come with self-hosting. One of the biggest problems is that if a video becomes popular, it can quickly exceed storage limits and become unavailable to viewers.

Another issue is that server bandwidth can become overloaded when too many people are trying to watch a video, leading to pauses, stops, and starts in playback. In both of these cases, self-hosting can Bite you just when you start to succeed. That's why it's important to consider all of the risks before deciding whether or not to host your own videos.

A rising tide lifts all boats. So, if your video suddenly does well or "goes viral," you're kind of up the creek. Your technical issues drive away from the potential leads and clients that have come right to your video for answers. Your success gets cut short before it can benefit you, and your dreams of a viral video quickly become a nightmare instead.

YouTube offers unlimited bandwidth and no storage limits, making it a more attractive option than other video hosting platforms. With YouTube's global reach, your audience is practically limitless.

At first glance, it may seem like adding a new video to your website would be a time-consuming and difficult process. However, with today's technology, it is actually quite easy to do! There are many search engines that will allow you to optimize your videos so that they come up first in search results.

This will increase the likelihood that people will view your videos and learn about your business. Additionally, adding videos to your website is a great way to increase blog traffic. People are more likely to read a blog post that includes a video than one that does not.

Therefore, by including videos on your site, you are more likely to attract new readers. Ultimately, adding videos to your website is an easy and effective way to increase traffic and improve your business.

4. Do you really need more on your plate? Self-hosted videos put more of the burden on you.

If you're looking to drive traffic and generate online leads, hosting your own videos might not be the best strategy. While you may have more control over your videos, the extra steps and hoops you have to jump through can make it less likely that you'll actually use them. This lack of use means your videos probably won't be driving traffic or generating passive leads as you want. In the end, it might not be worth the extra effort to host your own videos.

As anyone who has attempted to host their own videos knows, it can be a bit of a hassle. There's more coding required, and more steps to jump through in order to get the videos online. Sadly, this often means that people give up before they even get started because the process becomes too much.

5. Don't cut off your video content from the rest of your marketing by self-hosting.

It's easy to get caught up in the latest shiny new toy, especially when it comes to technology. But sometimes, the tried-and-true method is still the best way to go.

That's certainly the case when it comes to video hosting. Self-hosted videos can be a great way to showcase your product or service, but they're not always the best option for every business. Here's a look at the pros and cons of self-hosting to help you decide if it's right for your company.

The biggest advantage of self-hosting is that it gives you complete control over your videos. You can host them on your own website, which means you can include them in your overall SEO strategy.

You can also customize the player to match your brand and embed them on other sites. However, self-hosting can be a bit more expensive than using a service like YouTube or Vimeo. And if you're not careful, you could end up with a lot of bandwidth charges. For small businesses, the cost and complexity of self-hosting might not be worth the benefits.

YouTube Videos Multiply Your Businesses Marketing Power

While many businesses are quick to dismiss YouTube as a digital marketing strategy, the platform can actually be a powerful asset.

By hosting your videos on YouTube and embedding them on your website, you can take advantage of the platform's vast user base and extensive search capabilities. In addition, YouTube's integration with other Google products makes it easy to share your videos across the web. As a result, using YouTube videos on your website can help you reach a wider audience and improve your search engine optimization. Ultimately, this can lead to more customers and sales for your business.

Many business owners are unsure of how to use YouTube videos on their websites to boost traffic. There are a few key things to keep in mind when using YouTube videos on your website. First, create a blog and optimize your website for the specific keywords you want to rank for. Second, share your content with as many people as possible.

The more views your video gets, the higher it will rank in YouTube's search results. Finally, don't forget to include a call to action in your video. Encourage viewers to visit your website or take some other desired action. By following these simple tips, you can use YouTube videos to boost traffic to your website.