Vlogging is big business. In 2017, YouTube’s highest earning star took home an eye-watering $16.5 million. Just for making YouTube videos.
It is clear that successful vloggers can make big bucks. And none of this would be possible without the video hosting sites that are the homes of their content.
But it’s not all about YouTube. There are a number of other video hosting sites out there that you might want to consider for your vlog.
So read on as we take a look at 5 of the best.
1. YouTube
YouTube is the king of online video hosting.
In 2017, YouTube announced that it was reaching 1.5 billion users every month. That’s more than the entire population of China.
What’s even crazier is that YouTube is now the second largest search engine after Google. In your face, Bing. And it’s also home to the biggest viral videos the world has ever seen, with well over 100 videos that have had more than a billion views.
If you’re looking to vlog, then YouTube has a lot going for it. Being owned by Google means that YouTube videos are shown right at the very top of the Google search results. The YouTube community is long established, and the culture of subscribing is a great way to guarantee regular views.
It’s also free to upload your videos, although there will ads displayed on the page and sometimes before your videos, which can be quite annoying for viewers. But the upside is if you gain traction you can start earning money from those ads.
2. Vimeo
If you’d rather your vlogs be free of ads, then you might want to consider Vimeo.
Vimeo is considered more professional than YouTube, not least because of the lack of ads. It is very popular amongst indie filmmakers as it was the first online video hosting site to introduce HD, and then first again with 4K. If you’re looking to host high-quality video content then Vimeo could be for you.
Vimeo is also more community driven. So if you’re vlogging in a particular niche, the community support of Vimeo may be of benefit. There is also less chance of your content being drowned out by the sheer amount of videos on YouTube.
Vimeo also offers superior analytics to YouTube, but these don’t come for free. And this is another downside of Vimeo: if you want to upload more than 500MB of content a week you’re going to have to go for a premium package.
3. Dailymotion
If you’re looking for something else that is similar to YouTube, then Dailymotion is a good option.
In terms of sheer numbers, Dailymotion is second only to YouTube, boasting over 300 million monthly users. Like other free video hosting sites it also includes ads, but they tend to be a little less intrusive than those on YouTube. And like YouTube, there is a partner program so that you can earn money from ad revenue.
One downside is that videos cannot be longer than 60 minutes, so if you’re planning some lengthy content for your vlogs, then Dailymotion is the wrong choice. But as with Vimeo, the smaller scale of Dailymotion means that your vlog is less likely to get lost in the crowd.
4. Wistia
If you’re not just vlogging for fun, but as a business, then Wistia has features that can be of real benefit.
The most impressive of these is its analytics. Wistia provides a heat map for every video you upload. This shows you exactly how viewers reacted to your videos; which parts they watched twice, which bits they skipped, where they gave up and stopped watching. It will even show the exact moment that they interacted with the video, such as a clicking on a call to action.
This data is enormously helpful. It shows you what is working with your content and what is turning people off, and allows you to adjust your videos accordingly to maximize user engagement.
Wistia is also great for SEO as it automatically embeds code into the head of a page, making the videos on your website indexable for Google. The downside of all of this? It will set you back $99 a month if you want to upload more than 3 videos.
5. Brightcove
If money is no object, then Brightcove could be worth considering.
You know that something is going to be expensive when they don’t even list the prices on their website. After your 30-day free trial, if you want to sign up you need to contact them for a quote. But you can expect to be paying around $499 a month for some options.
The high prices have not put everyone off, however. Brightcove is the video hosting platform of choice for many Fortune 500 companies. But what do you get for your money? Well first off you get global servers that provide fast access to your content so that it streams like a dream.
It also has a whole host of customizable analytics tools, allowing you to you build your own report focusing on exactly the data you want to measure. It is also one of the most secure options available and has an impressive level of customer support.
Other Notable Video Hosting Sites
These are 5 great options, but there are plenty more video hosting platforms out there that may be better suited to the particular niche of your vlogs.
Twitch is the leading live streaming platform for gamers and is perfect for that genre of video. If your content is super short then a site like Metacafe may be a great fit.
And if YouTube’s strict policy on gun content is causing an issue, then you might want to discover more about UGEtube.
The Decision Is Yours
With such a range of video hosting sites to choose from, the most important decision is which one works best for you. Give a few a try and find a service that is the best fit for your needs.
If you’d like to learn more about technology that can help you in your business or leisure activities, then feel free to take a look around. We have plenty more articles full of all sorts of great tips and advice from topics such as education, health, and relationships.
As always, if you have any questions, then don’t hesitate to contact us.
The post The Top 5 Video Hosting Sites for Your Vlog appeared first on Cloud Media News.