Top 6 Ways to Find the Best Video Streaming Hosting Services

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Online video consumption has been on the rise in the past few decades. It hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down any time soon. A report by Zenith indicated that an average person in 2018 spent 67 minutes daily watching video content online.

The popularity that videos enjoy is a result of one vital factor. People find it easier to watch a video than reading textual content with a few still images. Expert research has found out that people process visual content faster than text.

Anyone looking to build an online audience needs to infuse videos into their strategy. Finding the best video streaming hosting service can help your video strategy succeed. This post looks into the best ways to choose a video streaming host.

Here’s all the information you need.

What Is Video Hosting and Why Does It Require A Special Type of Hosting?

There are different ways through which audiences can consume online video content. One way to do it is to download the files and store them on a device. Another is to watch the video on a website without downloading it and live streaming online video content in real-time.

Video hosting is uploading and storing your video on a third-party website. It also includes giving your target audience streaming rights for the video. You have three main options to consider when deciding to host your video content online. You can use free platforms, a personal server, or paid hosting platforms.

There are different benefits of using any of the above options. Free platforms don’t give your audience the best streaming experience. That’s because they contain many ads that could be irritating. That makes it vital to consider paid streaming services or using a personal server. These two give you more control, fewer ads, and a good user experience.

You need a premium hosting solution for many reasons. One is because an average website may lack enough bandwidth and data storage. That makes it impossible to upload many videos on it. It also will not allow many users to stream without buffering issues.

Video streaming hosting services will give your visitors a smooth experience. Premium hosting sites deliver more storage, increased network bandwidth, and better speeds than average websites. That makes it easy for users to enjoy videos without experiencing too much lag.

Choosing the Right Video Hosting Service

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The success of video streaming depends on the hosting service you choose. An ideal hosting provider should help you increase your marketing ROI in the end. Below is what to consider when choosing your video streaming hosting service.

1.   Pricing

The first thing to check before using a video hosting service is whether it is affordable. Several factors determine the pricing of a video hosting package. Service providers vary from those who offer free hosting to premium service providers. The latter charge different prices with various factors in mind.

For instance, it will be costly to host your video with a provider who offers top-notch features. Examples of these features include lots of storage and bandwidth. It is advisable to combine paid and free services. That gives you access to basic and advanced features. It also gives you control over several aspects.

A premium hosting service lets users access your video content from its server. It also allows you to embed videos on your site. But then, you need to consider your budget.  Choose a video hosting provider who’ll give you all the desired features at a friendly price.

2.   Bandwidth Limitations

Bandwidth limits are common with video streaming hosting services. Some hosting providers have a set limit of the number of times people may stream your videos. The limit is set to monthly, and you may have to pay a fee to exceed it, or the provider freezes the traffic on your video.

It is best to ask the service provider if they do have bandwidth limitations. If there is, decide whether it will be wise to host your video on their platform. Your focus should be on ensuring that your visitors don’t have a bad experience with your video.

Approximating your bandwidth before transitioning to a paid service will be easier. But that works if you’ve used a free video hosting service before. Check out the viewership data from the free service to know the amount of traffic to expect. That will help you pick the best hosting provider.

3.   Storage and Delivery

You also need to check out how the service provider will store and deliver your videos. That gives you a technical view of how things will run in the background for your visitors. The service provider can store your videos on a private cloud, a CDN, or a local server.

Where your files get stored affects the customer’s user experiences. The closer the files are to the user, the faster they’ll load and the happier users. It is worth noting that every second in marketing matters. That makes it vital to create a good impression as fast as possible.

Ensure that you ask about the security the service provider offers. Premium hosting providers have security policies guiding client file protection. It will be best to start by confirming that they provide adaptive streaming. This feature enables you to adjust the quality of the video delivered.

A video streaming service’s security needs to work like a residential proxy would. It should prevent unauthorized access to your network and protect your files. Your visitors’ sensitive details including login information also need to be secure.

A secure video streaming service will attract more people to it. That will help increase your audience. It will also help your video get to your target viewership faster. Thus, you need to confirm that there’s enough security before using a service.

4.   Available Viewer Metrics

Analytics and metrics are essential for any business that wants to scale in the future. The data provided helps enterprises to analyze their current state. It also supports future decision-making. Choose a hosting provider who provides you with such data if you love basing your decisions on it.

You should rule out free video hosting providers if you want to collect data. Free platforms may provide some analytics and reports. But then, it may not be enough to support your business decisions. Premium providers give more in-depth and actionable insights making them a better option.

The best way to know the analytics that a provider offers is by asking for a sample report. That will help you have a deeper look into what to expect in analytics and metrics. It will also help you understand the service provider better.

4. Available Sharing and Embedding Capabilities

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The best video marketing plan is that it makes it easier to create content for every platform. Sharing your content from one platform to another can simplify your content creation. A good video streaming hosting provider should make it possible to embed the video on your site.

They should also enable sharing across social media platforms. That also includes sharing with your audience on the email list. A reliable hosting provider should allow easy embedding and sharing. They should give you embedding codes that are compatible with your website.

Some video streaming hosting services have shareability limitations. These limitations may affect how your audience accesses the videos you upload. Ask about shareability and embedding capabilities before choosing a hosting platform.

5.   Brand Customization

Customization is a very vital aspect of every business marketing strategy. Maintaining a perceived image of your company out there is not easy. It depends on the service provider you choose for video hosting. An ideal video hosting provider should allow customization.

Most premium video hosting providers allow customization of different aspects of videos. For instance, you can change the video thumbnail or the logo displayed on the video. You can change the color to ensure it embodies your brand and people can relate to it.

Free video streaming hosting platforms do not allow you the flexibility you desire. They do not let you decide which video will play first among the videos you post on their media. Free platforms are susceptible to various challenges.

Sometimes they even recommend a competitor’s videos to your audience. That not only leads to negative UX but also promotes your competitors. Investing in a premium streaming platform will save you the stress of having to deal with this. Your audience will also be happy and browse more of your videos.

In Summary

There are various benefits of choosing the right video streaming hosting provider. Today’s different hosts, free and paid, make it easy even for complete novices to host videos online. Video hosting will help to cut bandwidth and storage costs incurred if you decide to self-host.

Choosing a good video hosting provider is a daunting task. Following the tips mentioned above will help you find one that will meet your needs and those of your audience. If you are a business marketer, integrating video marketing into your strategy will help you stay ahead of your competitors.

This article is sponsored by SolidSignal.com. Shop at Solid Signal for the technology and accessories you need to live your best digital life! Call us at 888-233-7563 to get the best advice!

 

 

About the Author

Dan Martin
Dan has hands-on experience in digital marketing since 2007. He has been building teams and coaching others to foster innovation and solve real-time problems. Dan also enjoys photography and traveling.