Adding a video to your site

Adding a video

1. Put the video on YouTube or Vimeo if it isn't there already. Electbase doesn't host video files.
2. Open the video on YouTube or Vimeo, press Share, and copy the link it gives you.
3. In the editor, drag Video from the Components list onto your page, or select the video section your template already has. Its settings open on the right.
4. Paste the link into YouTube or Vimeo link. Underneath, "✓ YouTube video. It loads only when a visitor presses play." (or "Vimeo video") means it will play.
5. Fill in the section's title and subtitle, and optionally Video title (for screen readers) and Poster image URL (both below).
6. Publish, then press play on your live site to check it.

Links that work

Use the link from the video's Share button. These work, with or without https:// and www.:

These don't work, and the field says so as you type:

• Embed code. The <iframe …> code from an Embed button isn't a link. The field recognizes it and asks for the Share link instead.
• Anything that isn't one video, such as a channel, a playlist or a search on YouTube, or a showcase, channel or profile page on Vimeo.
• Other sites and video files, such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X or a link to an .mp4 file.

A start time in a link, like ?t=45, isn't kept. The video starts from the beginning.

If a link can't play, publishing stops and says which link it is. Fix the link, or clear the YouTube or Vimeo link field to show the poster alone.

What visitors see

Until a visitor presses play, your Video section shows its title and subtitle and a frame with a play button. The frame shows your poster image, or your site's dark brand color if you haven't added one. If the section has no working link, it shows the poster alone, with no play button, rather than a button that does nothing.

Nothing is fetched from YouTube or Vimeo until the visitor presses play. Visitors who never watch never contact YouTube or Vimeo, and the video doesn't slow your page down. When a visitor presses play:

• YouTube plays in its privacy-enhanced mode. YouTube says views in that mode aren't used to personalize what the viewer sees on YouTube, or the ads they see elsewhere. If the viewer clicks through to YouTube itself, YouTube's usual rules apply there.
• Vimeo plays with its "do not track" setting on, which Vimeo says stops the player collecting session data and analytics. It also means Vimeo's own stats don't count plays on your site.
• When a YouTube video ends, the suggested videos come from your own channel, not from anyone else's.

Your Cookie Policy tells visitors this too. While your site has a video that can play, publishing adds an "Embedded videos" section to your Cookie Policy page. It says that nothing loads until the visitor presses play, and that pressing play is their own choice, which their cookie preferences don't control. It also says YouTube or Vimeo may set its own cookies once the video plays.

The play button works from the keyboard. A screen reader announces it as "Play video:" followed by your video's title. Pressing it moves the visitor straight into the player.

The video title and the poster

Video title (for screen readers) is what the play button is called: "Play video: Meet Sofia". Leave it blank and the section's title is used. Fill it in when the section title doesn't describe the video, for example when the section is titled "Watch" and the video is your announcement speech.

Poster image URL is the picture shown before anyone presses play. Paste the address of an image that is already online, starting with https://. Electbase doesn't show YouTube's or Vimeo's own thumbnail, because loading it would contact them before anyone chose to watch. Without a poster, the frame is filled with your site's dark brand color.

When a video won't play on your site

If the video plays on YouTube or Vimeo but not on your site, it's usually a setting on the video itself.

On YouTube:

• Embedding is turned off. In YouTube Studio, select Content, then Details next to the video. Select Show more at the bottom, make sure Allow embedding is checked, and save.
• The video is private. Private videos don't play on other sites. Public and unlisted videos do.
• The video is age-restricted. Age-restricted videos can't be watched on most other sites. YouTube sends the visitor to YouTube, where they have to sign in and be over 18.
• A claim or policy blocks it. Even with embedding allowed, YouTube can block playback on other sites because of its policies or a copyright claim such as Content ID.

On Vimeo, the message in the player tells you which setting it is:

• "Sorry, because of its privacy settings, this video cannot be played here." The video is limited to specific sites. On Vimeo, press Share and choose Embed. Under Where can this be embedded, choose Anywhere, or add your site's address to Specific domains: yourname.electbase.com, and your own domain too if you've connected one.
• "This video is currently only available on Vimeo.com." Embedding is set to Nowhere. Change Where can this be embedded as above.
• "Sorry, this video does not exist." If the video hasn't been deleted and is unlisted, the link is missing its code. Paste the full link from Share, including the code after the number.
• The video is private. A private Vimeo video plays on other sites only for you and your team, never for visitors.

Quick checklist

1. Put the video on YouTube or Vimeo, and check it can be embedded.
2. Copy the link from the video's Share button.
3. Drag Video from Components, paste the link, and look for the ✓ under the field.
4. Add a title, and optionally a video title and a poster image.
5. Publish, then press play on your live site.