Embedded YouTube Video on iPad is Low Quality

You’ve just created your marketing video.  Uploading to YouTube is the best solution for adding to your website.  (You will embed your YouTube video.  YouTube provides the tools for doing this.)

YouTube displays on all platforms saving you the time and aggravation of converting your video to multiple formats, then coding your website to handle all the configurations.  It’s a simple solution.  Beyond that YouTube is owned by Google which strengthens your positioning for…search engines.  Add to that you can configure your YouTube account for keywords and general SEO.  All these advantages are significant.

You test your video, on Macs, PCs, cells and then..the iPad.  On every other device you get the typical YouTube box around your video, allowing the user to view from your website, or go to YouTube; change the quality settings up to the maximum resolution you chose when saving your video file.  Everything works as expected and seamlessly.  Every platform except the iPad.   While a box appears around it with what seem to be links, (just as you see on your PC) these are disabled.  You can make the video full screen to the disappointment of seeing it displayed as the lowest resolution.  Given the expectation of iPad’s video display this is shocking when you first discover it.  But there is no way around it.  Even if you code the embedded link with “video quality” to display 720 it will not improve the quality on the iPad.  Speculation is the Apple hates Google…Google hates Apple battle, but no way of confirming this.  Apple never wavered on allowing Flash, it’s doubtful this scenario will change, either.

The workaround?  Provide a direct link to your YouTube video below your video specifically for iPad users.  The issue is delivering your video with options of quality for the user.  I’ve since migrated to Vimeo. The screen capture below explains YouTube needs.

web disgner video

To Video or not

Video helps drive a website. It is true.

Video can be in the form of a slide show. A combination of still photos and video is typically the nicest – wonderful possibilities for something creative.

Video has come a long way, and yet still is simple.  You see a lot of home filmed informational videos. As a business owner you can create something informational: “how to” and show the process of what your business creates.  Look at what is out there, take notes of what is missing in the videos you view, to help you create your own; then give it a new spin.  How-to video allows far less creativity as the draw is simply educational.

But video to drive your website is fast becoming as slick as TV commercials with a gimmick, clever hook and something eye catching. Particularly if your video is NOT a how to you’ll want to push the envelope.  A drawn out, slow paced video isn’t enough, anymore. You’ll see these a lot on yellow page advertising – they used to be a nice additional “something moving”, but it’s not enough – the generic video just can’t do much for you. You really need polish to an ad video. The good news: people watch shorter and shorter videos. If you don’t catch them in the first 30 seconds, they will probably move on. Statistics are reducing the length of this ad based video from 5 minutes to 1.5 minute.  Shorter videos can be less labor intense!

Think of TV commercials – short and to the punch.

YouTube is doing a lot of 15 second and 30 second “instream” ad clips on YouTube videos. The owner allows it (there is a payment much like Google’s AdSense), and there are companies selling the service, you can also do-it-yourself. Create your video and submit to YouTube (owned by Google). For a set fee it will be placed on other videos for X number of “impressions”. There is a lot of skepticism if this will work, since so many of us click off these commercials. But right now is a good time to test the waters before saturation sets in.

If you create a video and post it on YouTube consider the above “negative” – people clicking OFF your video IF you choose to allow the ads. If your purpose is to educate or drive your website your video needs to be seen. Check out instream advertising.

Website Video Ad

Add a Video to your Website

Everyone is looking to add video to their website. While camcorders are fairly priced you need considerable time to edit  and polish your video. The prep to write the script can be daunting or you chance losing your message and your viewer.

A slide show can be the answer.  Simpler and less costly. If you are considering using a video in your online advertising it might be the answer.