How to Fix Video That’s Slowing Down Your Page Load Time

Jonesen TeamSupport Center

When it comes to online marketing, no content is more compelling and connective than video. There’s a reason why 55% of people watch video content online every day.

But leveraging video to bolster your brand and improve sales is easier said than done, and if used ineffectively, video can actually slow down your page load time and drive customers away from your site.

Are you dealing with page load issues on your website? Think your site’s video is to blame? In this article, we’re covering quick and easy ways to fix your video content so you can share valuable content without crashing your site.

How Does Video Negatively Impact Page Load Time?

When you embed a video from YouTube or a similar website, your visitor’s browser sends additional requests to render your page. Each and every one of these requests increase your website’s page load time.  Including such a large file on your website also slows down the other page elements on your website that are attempting to load.

How to Fix Video Content That’s Slowing Down Your Page Load Time

Did you know that 40% of site visitors will leave your website if it takes more than 3 seconds to load? That’s why it’s essential to fix any issues that negatively impact site performance, including video content.

Fixing performance issues isn’t always easy as it relies on a variety of factors, like what you’re using to embed your videos and the overall optimization of your site. There are some best practices, however, that can help improve your website design, and prevent your videos from slowing down your page.

Compare Your Website’s Load Time

The first thing you should do is see how your website’s load time compares to others with GooglePageSpeedInsights. This will also help you identify the overall areas where your site content can be updated and improved.

Review Your Video Hosting Options

If your site is performing poorly, it may be time to switch video host providers. In general, there are three hosting options for you to choose from: YouTube, Wistia, and self-hosting. Each of these platforms come with their pros and cons.

YouTube, is free and easy to customize, but potentially comes with ads, which can slow your page load time. Wistia is fully customizable and offers great analytics, but is not free. Self-hosting allows you to embed directly on site but is more difficult to manage if you’re unfamiliar with video content.

If your content is educational or entertaining, it may be best to use YouTube. This will help with page load time, but also make your content more accessible and discoverable on YouTube.

If your video is more product-specific, it’s better to use self-host or use Wistia so you have greater control of the video and its placement on your site.

Optimize Your Videos

Once you’ve picked your host, it’s important to optimize the video content itself. If your video is an integral part of the page, include it at the top of the screen. If it isn’t, place it lower on the page, and set up a lazy-load so the video is the last thing on the page to load.

Once you’ve settled on your placement, you need to choose the correct frame size for your video as this greatly impacts the overall page loading time. 640×360 is a great target size to aim for and is suitable for smartphone users.

If these solves aren’t enough, you’ll need to tweak some of your website’s code. If your website’s script that loads the video is in the header of your website’s code, it’ll cause your page to load more slowly.

If you move the video code to the footer, the video will be the last thing on the page to load. The benefit of this is that the rest of the webpage will be responsive, so users will think it’s fully functional. Users will most likely notice that the video hasn’t loaded yet, or explore other content as they wait.

Final Thoughts on Video Content

Video content is great, but if implemented incorrectly it can lead to disastrous consequences. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can clean up your site and optimize your video content so you can provide users with what they need without compromising on your page load time.

Is your website struggling? Want help from an expert? Contact us to find out how we can help your business!