Broadcasting live video content on your WordPress site is an effective method to engage your audience in real time.
By embedding a YouTube live stream, your visitors can watch events, webinars, and special broadcasts directly on your website, enhancing user interaction and broadening your audience reach.
At CanadaCreate, we understand that YouTube is a vital platform for driving substantial traffic. That’s why we have launched our own channel and consistently upload videos to draw more visitors to our blog. This approach has significantly increased our reach and allowed us to connect with a wider audience.
In this article, we will guide you through the process of easily embedding a YouTube live stream into your WordPress site.
Benefits of Embedding YouTube Live Streams in WordPress
Live streaming enables you to transmit live video or audio content online, allowing users to view the video in real time.
Incorporating a YouTube live stream into your WordPress website is a fantastic way to engage with your audience and attract more users.
It can also enhance user engagement by providing opportunities for interaction with site visitors.
A YouTube live stream can improve your website’s SEO and draw more traffic. Research indicates that blog posts featuring at least one video receive approximately 83% more visitors compared to those without any videos.
Let’s explore how to seamlessly embed a YouTube live stream into your WordPress site.
Embedding a YouTube Live Stream in WordPress: A Comprehensive Guide
The simplest method to embed a YouTube live stream is by utilizing the Smash Balloon YouTube Feed Pro plugin.
This is the top-rated WordPress YouTube plugin available, enabling you to effortlessly embed YouTube videos and live streams on your website.
Begin by installing and activating the YouTube Feed Pro plugin. For detailed instructions, refer to our beginner’s guide on installing a WordPress plugin.
Important Note: There is also a free version of YouTube Feed, but it does not include the Live Stream feature.
After activation, navigate to the YouTube Feed » Settings section in the WordPress admin sidebar. Here, you will need to input your license key and click the ‘Activate’ button.
You can find this information in your account on the Smash Balloon website.
Next, go to the YouTube Feeds » All Feeds section in the WordPress dashboard.
From this page, click the ‘Add New’ button located at the top.
This action will bring up the ‘Select Feed Type’ prompt on your screen.
To proceed, choose the ‘Live Streams’ option and click the ‘Next’ button.
Next, connect YouTube Feed Pro to your YouTube account by providing your YouTube API key.
If you already possess an API key, simply copy it and paste it into the ‘Enter API Key’ field, then click the ‘Add’ button.
Generate a YouTube API Key
If you do not have an API key yet, visit the Google Cloud Console and log in with your Google account.
After logging in, click the ‘Select a project’ button located at the top.
A popup window will appear, displaying all the projects you have created.
Click on the ‘New Project’ button in the top right corner.
You will be directed to the ‘New Project’ page, where you can start by entering a name for your project. Choose a name that will help you easily recognize it.
Next, select an ‘Organization’ and its location from the dropdown menu. You can opt for ‘No Organization’ and then click the ‘Create’ button to proceed.
Once the project is created, you will be taken to the project dashboard.
From this dashboard, click on the ‘+ Enable APIs And Services’ button in the top menu.
You will be redirected to the API Library page, which displays various Google services for which you can create APIs and utilize in your projects.
Begin by searching for ‘YouTube Data API v3’ in the search bar.
When the ‘YouTube Data API v3’ result appears, simply click on it.
You will be taken to a new screen where you must click the ‘Enable’ button to activate your YouTube API key.
This will direct you to the ‘API/Service Details’ page.
From this page, click the ‘Create Credentials’ button at the top.
Next, you will be taken to a new page where you should check the box next to the ‘Public Data’ option.
Afterward, click the ‘Next’ button to create your API.
Your API Key will be generated and displayed on the page.
Simply copy this key and click the ‘Done’ button.
Now, return to the WordPress dashboard.
Paste the API key into the ‘API Key Required’ box, then click the ‘Add’ button to proceed.
Integrate the YouTube Live Stream into Your WordPress Website
After adding your YouTube API key, you will be redirected to the ‘Select Feed Type’ page.
From here, select the ‘Live Stream’ option again, then click the ‘Next’ button.
This will take you to the ‘Add Channel ID For Live Stream’ page.
Now, visit the YouTube channel that features your live-stream videos.
To begin, copy the text that appears after ‘/channel/’ or ‘/user/’ in the URL at the top of the page.
Then, return to the WordPress dashboard and paste the code into the ‘Add Channel ID for Livestream’ field.
After that, click the ‘Connect’ button to link your YouTube channel with WordPress.
Once the channel is successfully connected, click the ‘Next’ button to proceed.
Personalize Your YouTube Feed
Now that your YouTube live stream feed is set up, you can customize it. Smash Balloon’s YouTube Feed Pro provides a variety of display options.
First, select a template on the ‘Start with a template’ page. You can choose from Default, Carousel, Cards, List, Gallery, or Grid layouts.
After making your selection, click the ‘Next’ button.
Once you do that, an editing screen will appear showing a preview of your YouTube feed on the right and customization settings in the left menu.
Here, you can begin by expanding the ‘Feed Layout’ panel.
On this screen, you can toggle between different layouts.
You may also have the option to adjust additional settings based on your selected layout.
Next, click on the ‘Color Scheme’ panel.
By default, YouTube Feed Pro adopts the color scheme of your WordPress theme. However, you can choose a ‘Light’ or ‘Dark’ color scheme for your video feed.
You can create a custom color scheme by selecting the ‘Custom’ option and adjusting the background, text, and link colors using the available controls.
To add a header to your YouTube feed, navigate to the ‘Header’ panel and toggle the ‘Enable’ switch to turn on the header.
You can switch between standard and text header styles using the controls. Selecting the ‘Text’ option allows you to modify the text size and color.
You can personalize the video player’s appearance by accessing the ‘Videos’ panel.
In this panel, you’ll find a variety of options.
To adjust the video layout and specific properties, go to the ‘Video Style’ settings panel.
Here, you can choose the video layout, background color, and border style.
Next, open the ‘Edit Individual Elements’ panel. Check the boxes next to the elements you want to display alongside the YouTube live-stream videos.
You can choose to show or hide the Play icon, video title, live stream countdown, descriptions, and other elements.
Next, navigate to the ‘Hover State’ settings. Here, you can select the specific elements that will appear when users hover their mouse over the YouTube video.
You can choose from various elements, including the video title, description, upload date, view count, and more.
Then, go to the ‘Video Player Experience’ section.
You can now adjust the aspect ratio of the video player. Additionally, you can decide whether the video should play automatically or wait for the visitor to click the play button.
After customizing the individual video elements, proceed to the ‘Load More Button’ section.
In the ‘Load More Button’ settings, toggle the switch to ‘Enable.’ This will show additional video suggestions after the livestream ends.
You can also customize the background color, hover state, and text options from the settings in the left panel.
Next, go to the ‘Subscribe Button’ section and toggle the switch to ‘Enable’ if you wish to activate the YouTube subscribe button.
You can also modify the button’s color, text, and hover state in the settings.
After customizing the YouTube live feed, you can preview its appearance on desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones. Just click the various buttons in the upper-right corner to see how the feed looks on different devices.
Make sure to click the ‘Save’ button at the top to ensure your changes are saved.
How to Embed the YouTube Live Stream on a WordPress Page
The next step is to embed your YouTube live feed into a WordPress page. Start by clicking the ‘Embed’ button at the top.
This action will open the ‘Embed Feed’ prompt. To proceed, click the ‘Add to a Page’ button.
A popup will display a list of all the WordPress pages on your site.
Select the page where you want to embed the YouTube live stream and click the ‘Add’ button.
The chosen page will now open in the block editor.
From here, click the ‘Add Block’ (+) button in the top left corner and search for the ‘Feeds for YouTube’ block.
Once you locate it, add the block to your page by clicking on it.
Remember to click the ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ button to save your changes or make them live.
This is how the YouTube live feed appears on our demo website.
Add a YouTube Live Feed as a Widget
You can easily add a YouTube live feed to the sidebar of your WordPress site using a widget.
To get started, navigate to theAppearance » Widgetssection from the admin sidebar.
Click the ‘Add Block’ (+) button located in the top left corner and search for the Feeds for YouTube block.
Select the block to add it to your widget area.
Remember to click the ‘Update’ button to save your changes.
This is how the YouTube live feed appears in the sidebar of our demo website.
How to Add a YouTube Live Stream in the Full Site Editor
If you are using a block-based theme, this method will work for you.
First, go to theAppearance » Editorsection from the admin sidebar to open the site editor.
Next, click the ‘Add Block (+)’ button at the top and find the Feeds for YouTube block.
You can then drag and drop the block to your desired location on the page to display the YouTube feed.
Once you’re finished, be sure to click the ‘Save’ button to implement your changes.
Here’s a preview of the live streams featured on our demo website.
Bonus: How to Embed a YouTube Playlist in WordPress
In addition to live streams, you can also embed YouTube playlists on your WordPress site using the Smash Balloon YouTube Feed plugin.
This playlist can help capture users’ attention, enhance engagement, and lower bounce rates.
To embed a YouTube playlist, navigate to the YouTube Feeds » All Feeds page and click the ‘Add New’ button. This will take you to a new screen where you need to select the ‘Playlist’ option as the feed type.
Next, connect your YouTube account to Smash Balloon by entering the API key from the Google Console.
Then, open the YouTube playlist you wish to embed and copy its ID from the URL. This ID is typically a string of letters and numbers found after the ‘=’ symbol in the URL.
Now, go to your WordPress dashboard, paste the playlist ID into the ‘Add Source’ field, and click the ‘Next’ button.
Once completed, Smash Balloon’s feed editor will appear, allowing you to customize the appearance of the playlist to fit your preferences.
You have successfully added your YouTube playlist. For further instructions, check out our tutorial on embedding a YouTube playlist in WordPress.
We trust this guide has assisted you in embedding YouTube live streams into your WordPress site. Additionally, you might find our tutorial on embedding SoundCloud in WordPress posts using oEmbed and our guide on integrating a Discord widget into WordPress helpful.
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