How to add videos to your Squarespace site
If a picture on your website is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million, right? Well, it’s definitely powerful.
First of all, there are so many types of videos that you can add to your website — testimonial videos, team videos, case study videos, tutorials, and more. And while you can show off written testimonials, tutorials, etc., videos can grab the attention of your visitors in a different way than text can. In fact, customers retain 95% of a video testimonial compared to only 10% of a written one.
Videos can also help you rank higher on Google, as Google values sites with a diverse set of content, including images and video. And since people will spend more time on your page if they’re watching your embedded video, it improves your page’s engagement and can have a positive impact on your website’s SEO.
All this to say, if you want to start adding videos to your website, do it!
And to make it easy for you, in this guide, we’ll go over exactly how to upload and embed videos to Squarespace, step by step. You’ll also learn about best practices and tricks you can use to make your videos function exactly the way you want it to. Keep reading!
How to upload a video to Squarespace
One of the ways to add a video on Squarespace is to upload a video from your computer files onto your website. Here’s how to do it:
Click Edit in the page you want to add the video in.
Hove over the section in which you want to add a video and click Add Block.
Choose Video.
Click the video block, then click the edit icon.
Click the + icon above Add a Video.
Click Upload File.
Upload your video.
Resize the video using the drag tool on the corners of the video.
Save your changes.
How to embed a YouTube video in Squarespace
Now, what if you don’t have the video you want to add on your computer, but you want to embed a video from YouTube? Well, you can do this easily on Squarespace. Here’s how:
Click Edit in the page you want to add the video in.
Hover over the section in which you want to add a video and click Add Block.
Choose Video.
Click the video block, then click the edit icon.
Click the + icon above Add a Video.
Click Add From Link.
Paste in the YouTube or Vimeo link (you can also embed videos from Vimeo!).
Click Add.
Resize the video using the drag tool on the corners of the video.
Save your changes.
How to add a video page to Squarespace
Do you have a whole collection of videos or video library you want to publish to your site? Well, Squarespace has just the thing for you — video pages. These types of pages make up a collection page that visitors can scroll through on your website. It’s essentially a blog of videos. Here’s how to set this up in Squarespace.
Click the + icon next to the Not Linked section.
Under Collections, choose Videos.
Choose one of the layout options.
Click All Videos.
Click the + icon.
Under Content, click the plus icon above Add a Video.
Select Upload a File if you want to upload a video from your computer or Add From Link if you want to embed a video from YouTube or Vimeo.
Update the title, description, excerpt, and URL. Since each video you add creates a new page, you’ll also want to add a meta title and meta description.
You’ll also want to add the video to an existing category or create new categories to upload it into.
When you’re ready for the video to go live, under status, check Publish.
How to add a video to a blog on Squarespace
Since blogs use the classic editor (not Fluid Engine) in Squarespace 7.1, uploading and resizing videos are going to look a little different.
In the location where you want to add your video, click the blue + icon.
Choose Video.
Click the edit icon.
Click the + icon above Add a Video.
Add your video by clicking Upload a File or embed a video from YouTube or Vimeo by clicking Add From Link.
Use spacers to resize the video by first clicking the blue + icon.
Then choose Spacer.
Drag the spacer to the side of the video.
Copy the spacer and add it to the other side of the video.
Adjust the length of the spacers to resize the video.
How to add a banner video on Squarespace
Banner videos have become increasingly popular on websites. They can tell a story quickly, like highlights of the work your team has been doing or displaying an offer in action. Here’s how you can set them up in Squarespace:
Click Edit in the page you want to add the video in.
Click Add Section under the navigation.
Choose Add a Blank Section.
Hover over the section and click Edit Section.
Uncheck Fill Screen.
In the section, click Add Block.
Choose Video.
Click the video block and drag it to fill the screen.
Click the video block, then click the edit icon.
Click the + icon above Add a Video.
Click Upload File.
Upload your video.
Save your changes.
Since banner videos often autoplay and are muted to make them as seamless as possible, check out the instructions in the next section to learn how to do this in Squarespace.
Useful functions available for Squarespace videos
There are more ways to customize your videos in Squarespace than just resizing them. You can make the videos autoplay, mute them, and more. Here are some of the most common customizations you can do to your videos in Squarespace.
How to make the video autoplay in Squarespace
One of the cool functions that Squarespace videos have is the ability to autoplay. Here’s how to do it:
Click your video block and click the edit icon.
Turn the Loop Video toggle on.
Save your changes.
How to mute a video in Squarespace
You can also mute your Squarespace videos, which can be particularly useful if you add a banner video and don’t want to scare your visitors with unexpected noise!
Click your video block and click the edit icon.
Turn the Mute Video toggle on.
Save your changes.
How to hide the play button
Banner videos tend not to show the play button to be as seamless within the website as possible. This is just as easy to do as the previous functions. Here’s how to do it:
Click your video block and click the edit icon.
Under Player Controls, select None.
Save your changes.
How to change the featured image in Squarespace
Another useful feature available for Squarespace videos — changing the featured image. Here’s how to do it:
For an embedded video, turn the Custom Featured Image toggle on.
Click the + icon above Add an Image.
Click Upload File and select your image.
Save your changes.
Optimal video specifications in Squarespace
In order to keep your videos looking great and your page loading fast, you’ll want to make sure you’re following Squarespace’s Specification guidelines. Here are some to keep in mind:
File type: When uploading a video, make sure it is a .mp4, .m4v, .mov file type.
File size: Videos on video pages can be up to 5000 MB and videos in video blocks can be up to 500 MB.
Length: Video blocks can be up to 30 minutes long and video pages can be up to three hours long.
Minimum resolution: 360p
Maximum display resolution: 1080p
Maximum upload resolution: 4K
How many videos can you add to your Squarespace site?
As you can see, there are plenty of places you can add videos to in Squarespace. But there’s a slight catch. While Squarespace technically allows you to upload up to 10,000 videos to your site, you only have a 30-minute limit for uploaded videos in your basic plan. If you need more storage than this, you can sign up for the core plan (5-hour limit), the plus plan (50-hour limit), or the Advanced plan which allows for unlimited video storage and hosting. So, get what’s right for you!
Want to learn more?
Well, now you know how to add a video to your Squarespace site! But do you want to learn more? Well, you can learn more about Squarespace, design, copywriting, SEO, and more on the blog! Here are some of our favorites!
130 Instagram caption hooks for your next post
40+ ways to increase your blog traffic
How to grow your business without social media
Newsletter story ideas (and how to use them)
How to repurpose blog content to save time and your sanity
Is blogging still relevant in 2024?
