Adding a YouTube video to your website or blog is easier than ever, but unfortunately over 90% Estonian companies and organizations and even online media use "from simpler to simpler” version.

To embed a YouTube video on your page, click "Share" - "Embed" below the video, copy the code and add it to the homepage. Some WordPress plugins only need to copy the video URL.

By default YouTube wants to show recommended videos after watching the video, show the title of the video, the YouTube logo and others, but many probably don't know that almost everything can be changed if necessary.

Different opportunities

Compare 3 different embedding options for the same YouTube video below:

Standard solution: 

• random related videos are shown at the end of the video,
• the video has a title and other texts,
• you can rewind the video.

A clean window or in the video:

• no title and no scroll button,
• you can only pause the viewing or go to watch on YouTube,
• no other videos are shown at the end.

Combined solution:

• the title is missing, but the video can be scrolled back and forth if necessary,
• automatically HD video,
• other videos recommended by YouTube are not shown at the end of the video.

When adding a YouTube video to your website, you should know that there is no one-size-fits-all solution - for example, in some cases it is important to only show the video in HD, but this is not always the rule. Read more about the recommendations.

Embed a YouTube video

Below are 12 technical tricks you can add to YouTube code before copying it to your website.

1) Video window size

In general, no one misses the size of the video window, because YouTube provides the right numbers automatically. The window can be adjusted according to the dimensions of the homepage.

However, as a note to DELFI editors, if you adjust the width, you must also adjust the height of the video window. For today's video example the height of a 520p wide video window should be 293, not 315 as can be found in the DELFI code:

iframe width=”520″ height=”315″

2) Autoplay

If for some reason you want your website visitor to start playing the video added to the page automatically, add the code: ?autoplay=1 

However, the unwritten rule is that the video on the website starts playing after the viewer clicks. Auto-playing a video can mean that the viewer closes the web page automatically.

3) Public subtitles

Read more how and why to make the added subtitles automatically public. When embedding a video, you must add the code: &cc_load_policy=1

&cc_lang_pref=en  you can specify that the preferred subtitles are EE in this case.

The unwritten rule is that if you have added subtitles to a video, make them public.

4) Scrollbar

When adding a YouTube video, it is automatically possible to rewind the video on the added page, i.e. there is a scroll bar under the video window. If for some reason you want to disable it, the secret code is: &controls=0

In general, disabling video scrolling creates stress in the viewer, but for short 10-20 second clips it can be reasonable (a'la video marketing front page 12 sec clip).

5) Show a certain part of the video

Dave Benton sang in the Mood Breaker hit that "the Negro's place is in Africa". How can I legally add just this paragraph to my page? You are welcome:

Add the code for this ?start=66&end=79, where the number represents the second from the beginning of the video. In this case, the number 66 means that Dave started singing his part 1 minute and 6 seconds into the video.

6) Disabling the keyboard

You probably know that you can control video viewing from the keyboard, the spacebar pauses the video, you can scroll with the arrows, etc. I can't figure out why it would be necessary to disable it, but if you want, use the code: ?disablekb=1

7) Full screen viewing

In the lower right corner of the YouTube window, there is an option to watch the video in full screen. If you want to disable it, remove from the code: allowfullscreen

8) Show/Hide Notes

On YouTube, you can add links to the video. They are automatically clickable, but in exceptional cases, if the owner of the video has added a lot of them and can be annoying ?iv_load_policy=3 use a code to disable their display.

9) "Long playing"

If you want the added video to start repeating itself automatically, add the code: &loop=1

If your neighbor threw a party at night and didn't really think about turning the music down, then according to the law, you have the right to set all your subwoofers and other sound systems against the wall from 7:00 in the morning, play Rammstein's song and go to work. 

10) Hide the YouTube logo

When you add the code ?modestbranding=1 then the linked video does not show the YouTube logo. Seems like a reasonable idea.

11) (Don't) show other videos

After showing a video, YouTube wants to recommend other videos to the viewer. You don't want that! Because it's automatic and you have no control over the recommendations. Add the code &rel=0

12) Disable video title

Sometimes it is good if the viewer can also see the title of the video, sometimes it is better without. If you want to disable the display of the title, add the code: &showinfo=0

Advanced settings

For each uploaded video, under the advanced settings, you can separately determine whether others can embed it on their sites. For example, from the last Song Festival, ERR did a live broadcast, which was forbidden to embed.

In addition, it is not automatically possible for viewers to add subtitles to the video, because humorists would take advantage of this opportunity, but in some cases it can be a point of thought.

Isn't there an easier way?

It is difficult and pointless to start remembering or writing down the codes presented here and adding them separately when embedding the video - there are 2 simpler solutions for this:

1) Under the YouTube video, before copying the code, you can disable the recommended videos, the video title and, if desired, the player buttons with one click.

2) If you want an advanced solution, install it for free VidIQ app and you will find below each video advanced embed button with the desired embedding a few clicks away.

A few clicks with the mouse and the desired embed the code is waiting to be copied and added to the homepage.

If you get into trouble, then let me know, which video and where you want to add it. I will make it suitable for you embed code ready quickly.