Video thumbnails play a crucial role in attracting viewers to your content. When designed effectively, they enhance the visibility of your posts and encourage visitors to engage more with your WordPress site.
Unfortunately, WordPress does not automatically create appealing thumbnails for videos.
Instead, it typically displays a plain black video player or captures the first frame of the video, which is often not visually appealing.notvery captivating or enticing for viewers.
After some experimentation, we discovered that the plugin Really Simple Featured Video simplifies the process of adding custom video thumbnails in WordPress.
In this guide, we will provide a detailed walkthrough on how to add featured video thumbnails in WordPress to boost your click-through rates – no coding skills needed. ✅
Why Should You Add Featured Video Thumbnails in WordPress?
All major WordPress themes support the addition of featured images to your posts and products.
These featured images serve as the primary visuals and are often displayed prominently at the top of your pages and on your site’s archive pages. Search engines and social media platforms may also use a page’s featured image in their displays.
A well-chosen featured image can enhance user interaction. However, a featured video thumbnail may prove even more effective in driving clicks, increasing page views, and boosting sales.
If you’ve set up an online store, displaying a video at the top of your product page can significantly engage shoppers and encourage them to explore more about the product.
In this guide, we will walk you through the process of adding featured video thumbnails in WordPress. Here’s a brief overview of what we will cover:
- How to Add Featured Video Thumbnails Using a Free Plugin
- Common Questions Answered
- Additional Resources 📚: Enhance Your WordPress Site with Video Content
Let’s dive in!
How to Add Featured Video ThumbnailsUsing a Free Plugin
The simplest method to set videos as featured thumbnails is by utilizing the Really Simple Featured Video plugin. This tool allows you to embed videos from popular platforms like YouTube or Vimeo and use them as featured video thumbnails.
This plugin is fully compatible with WooCommerce, displaying the featured video prominently at the top of the product page.
Please note that WooCommerce will only display the featured video on the product page. The featured image thumbnail will still be used in other areas, including your WooCommerce store page.
Begin by installing and activating the Really Simple Featured Video plugin. If you need assistance, please refer to our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Once activated, you will need to adjust a few settings. Start by navigating to Settings » Really Simple Featured Video in your WordPress dashboard.
On this page, you can choose to add featured video thumbnails to posts, pages, and WooCommerce products. The plugin is set to enable the ‘Posts’ option by default.
If you wish to include featured video thumbnails for your WordPress pages and WooCommerce products as well, simply toggle the ‘Pages’ and ‘Products’ options from grey (disabled) to green (enabled).
In the image below, we have activated the featured video option for WooCommerce products, in addition to posts and pages.
After making your selections, click the ‘Save changes’ button.
Next, navigate to the ‘Controls’ tab. Here, you will find a ‘Self-hosted videos’ section where you can set up the configurations for the videos in your WordPress media library.
🧑💻 Pro Tip:While the plugin allows for self-hosted videos, they can consume significant storage and bandwidth, so we advise against it. For more information, please refer to our guide on the drawbacks of uploading videos directly to WordPress.
Next, scroll down to the ‘Embed Videos’ section.
Here, you will find settings for videos embedded from third-party platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo.
When you embed videos from these platforms, Really Simple Featured Video will display the playback controls specific to that platform. For instance, if you embed a YouTube video, users will have access to YouTube’s unique playback features.
Additionally, the ‘Embed videos’ section includes an ‘Autoplay’ toggle that you can activate as well.
By default, the plugin plays videos with sound enabled. To set your videos to mute by default, simply click the ‘Mute sound’ toggle.
You also have the option to set the featured video thumbnails to play in a loop. However, looping videos may irritate some visitors, particularly if the video is brief and contains loud audio.
It’s advisable to enable the ‘Loop’ option only if it enhances the visitor experience in some way. For example, you could create a video showcasing a 360-degree view of a product and set that clip to loop.
After reviewing the various settings, be sure to click the ‘Save Changes’ button.
How to Add Featured Video Thumbnails to Your Posts, Pages, and WooCommerce Products
Once you’ve set up how the plugin will display embedded videos, you’re ready to incorporate featured video thumbnails into your WordPress site.
To get started, simply open the post, page, or WooCommerce product where you wish to add a featured video thumbnail.
If you’re adding a featured video to a post or page, you’ll find the ‘Featured Video’ section in the right-hand menu, located beneath the ‘Discussion’ section.
Looking to add a featured video to a WooCommerce product instead?
In that case, you’ll find the ‘Featured Video’ section located below the ‘Product Gallery’ section.
To use a video from a video hosting platform, simply click on ‘Embed.’
In the new field, paste the URL of the video you wish to embed.
Ensure that you enter the video URL in the correct format. The right-hand menu provides examples for YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion.
For YouTube, the plugin provides the following example URL:https://www.youtube.com/embed/vbLgiRQ0Moo
This means you should usehttps://www.youtube.com/embed/Start with the base URL and append the video ID you wish to embed.
To locate the video ID, open a new tab in your browser and navigate to the YouTube video you want to embed.
Next, check the address bar of your browser. The video ID is the part that follows ‘v=’. In the example image, the video ID is DvbFBxKcORA.
By adding the video ID to the base URL, we obtain the following link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/DvbFBxKcORA
Return to the WordPress block editor tab and paste the URL into the ‘Embed’ field. This will add a featured video thumbnail to your post, allowing you to click either ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’.
You can continue adding featured video thumbnails to additional posts, pages, and WooCommerce products using the same method outlined above.
On your blog archive or similar pages, you’ll notice that WordPress is now displaying the videos as the featured thumbnails for your posts and pages.
When you open any page, post, or WooCommerce product, the featured video will be visible at the top, just like a traditional featured image.
And that’s all there is to it!
You have successfully added featured video thumbnails to your WordPress site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions and answers regarding the addition of featured video thumbnails in WordPress:
Is the Really Simple Featured Video plugin compatible with any WordPress theme?
The plugin works with most WordPress themes, especially those that support featured images. Just make sure your theme is updated for optimal performance.
Does the plugin allow for self-hosted videos?
Yes, it does support self-hosted videos, but we advise against hosting videos directly on WordPress due to possible storage and bandwidth concerns. It’s better to use platforms like YouTube or Vimeo.
Will the featured video thumbnail completely replace the featured image?
The video thumbnail will display in place of the featured image. However, you can still set a different featured image for scenarios where the video may not be suitable, such as in archives or thumbnails.
How can I make sure my video thumbnails are mobile-friendly?
The plugin automatically adjusts video display for responsive themes. Ensure your theme supports responsive design and test it on various devices to provide a seamless user experience.
Can I set my featured videos to autoplay or loop?
You can enable autoplay and looping for your videos in the plugin settings. However, keep in mind the visitor experience, as looping can be disruptive if not implemented thoughtfully.
Further Reading 📚: Enhance Your WordPress Website with Videos
We hope this article has guided you in adding featured video thumbnails to your WordPress site. You may also explore our additional guides on:
- Creating a Video Slider in WordPress
- Optimizing Videos for Your WordPress Website
- Embedding a Facebook Video in WordPress
- Top YouTube Video Gallery Plugins for WordPress
- Comparative Review of the Best Video Editing Software (User-Friendly & Powerful)
- Starting a Video Blog (Vlog) and Monetizing It
- Launching a Successful Podcast
- Using a Video Membership Site to Expand Our Email List
If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.
