People sure watch a lot of video on Facebook. And by a lot I mean that every single day people are viewing more than 3 billion videos on the social network.
With its increasing popularity, auto-play feature and Newsfeed distribution, more and more brands have began experimenting with uploading their video content as native Facebook videos instead of sharing a link to their external video content.
This week’s #SocialMediaMinute will cover how to embed a Facebook video on your website.
Luckily it’s very similar to the way YouTube and Vimeo videos are embed on other websites that you’re typically used to seeing.
See Also: How to Share a Facebook Photo or Video with a non-Facebook User
Learn more by watching the short tutorial video below.
Video Tutorial
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How to Embed Facebook Videos on Your Website
Now there’s going to be two opportunities for you to embed Facebook videos on your site. The first would be embedding a Facebook video you see in your news feed that is not uploaded by you.
To do so, first open up the video from your feed and below the view count you will see the option to embed the video. Selecting this option will provide you the video embed code to paste into your website. Easy enough!
To embed your own uploaded Facebook videos onto your website, open up your video from your personal (or Page’s) timeline or from within your Facebook video album. Next locate the “options” tab below the video’s description. Then just select embed video to generate the code.
Considerations Before Embedding Facebook Videos
To be honest, with this being such a new feature it’s hard to quantify the pros and cons when comparing Facebook video embeds with other video hosting providers. Here’s a few of my initial thoughts and I’d love to hear your own feedback in the comments.
Potential Pros of Facebook Video Embeds
- No need to upload your Facebook video elsewhere to host it on your blog
Potential Cons for Facebook Video Embeds
- Little to no SEO value or SERP rank
- Video content creators can’t monetize video playbacks (yet?)
- Limited video analytics when compared to YouTube
- Currently buggy on WordPress :/
- Profile privacy settings may limit visibility
Pro Tip
The majority of Facebook video uploads I see are just stripped from other sites or re-purposed YouTube videos. While uploading these same videos to Facebook generates additional exposure, my one recommendation is to slightly edit the video to be Facebook optimized. This means your video shouldn’t mention or have graphics asking the viewer to “subscribe to my channel” etc. It’s a small detail but can go a long way in increasing conversions and also shows your fans you’re not being lazy.
Takeaway
Facebook seems to be chasing other video platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Wistia for embed space on your website or blog. They also want Facebook to be your go-to source for everything online.
While there are some apparent advantages to include Facebook video embeds on your site, consider how choosing one over the other will effect your current video marketing and SEO strategy. At this time, I’m going to wait for a few creators’ feedback before jumping on this bandwagon.
Will you be embedding Facebook videos in your site? Or which video hosting provider will you stick to? Let me know in the comments below and make sure to come back next week for more social media tutorials.
3 responses to “How to Embed Native Facebook Videos on Your Website”
Hi Jacob,
I’d say that pro tip is dead on. Smart tips overall!
Edit the video a bit to ensure a more seamless transition from Facebook to your website.
I’ve not done this yet; so far, only updates.
We will see going forward.
Thanks for sharing!
Tweeting from Bali.
Ryan
Hey @ryanbiddulph:disqus! Thanks for stopping by. Really glad you agreed with my tip. I think it can really go along way. So great that you’re tweeting from Bali haha! Enjoy!
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