Elevating Your YouTube Presence with Effective Tags

How to Use YouTube Cards and Annotations?

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube Annotations and Cards are both tools for linking viewers to your other videos or to off-YouTube webpages. Two of the major differences between them are:

Annotations are not clickable on mobile devices.

You cannot choose the size or positioning of Cards.

This article will teach you about both Cards and Annotations and discuss the best uses for each of them.

Part 1: Annotations

Annotations are messages that float overtop of your videos in the YouTube player. Usually, annotations are clickable and take users to other content created by you.

Section 1: Types of Annotations

There are five types of YouTube annotations:

Notes are colored boxes placed over the top of your videos.

Speech Bubbles look like dialogue boxes in a comic strip. They have tails that you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation.

Spotlights have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a viewer’s cursor hovers over top of these annotations.

Labels are like spotlights except that viewers do not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

Any of these annotations can be used to link viewers to other videos, or as subscribe links. You can also add a simple Title to your video through the Annotations menu.

Section 2: How to Use Annotations

*Note: the above video mentions Pause annotations, which are no longer available.

Here are two of the best uses for annotations:

Clickable End Cards / Outros

One of the best ways you can use spotlight annotations is to create clickable end cards for your videos.

When your video finishes playing the YouTube player will display a selection of suggested videos that might direct viewers away from your channel. You can keep more of these viewers watching your content by creating your own ‘suggested videos’ card and putting it at the end of your videos.

Put thumbnails of two or three of your other videos on your end card, or use ‘picture-in-picture’ to actually imbed footage from them. Then, after you upload your video, go in and place clickable spotlight annotations over top of your video thumbnails.

This is one use for annotations that cannot be duplicated with cards.

Promoting Your Videos

You should not wait until the end of your video to start linking viewers to other content. Many viewers will click away before they see your end card because your video is not exactly what they were looking for. By placing note or speech bubble annotations occasionally throughout your videos you can catch some of these people before they click off of your channel.

This works especially well if you link to videos on similar subjects to the one you are annotating.

Instead of just linking to another video of yours, try to link to that video on a playlist. Once a viewer is on a playlist your videos will auto-play after each other, which is good for both your view count and watch time.

You can also use the newer YouTube Cards for this, but Annotations might still be a better choice because viewers only need to click once vs. twice for Cards.

Try both and see which performs best for your channel. It might be in your best interest to keep on using both as they target different audiences – Cards are clickable on mobile devices, for example, but Annotations are not.

Part 2: YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are newer than annotations and a lot of people believe they will one day replace Annotations. While there are benefits to Cards – like embedding images to represent your links – you cannot choose the shape, size, or placement of them. This means they have limited uses.

When viewers click on a Card they are shown additional information and a thumbnail representing the page they will be taken to if they choose to click again. This extra step could be either help viewers decide to click your links or give them a second chance to decide they would rather not.

Section 1: When to Use Cards

A linked Annotation is simply a call to action viewers can click on. A Card is a call to action as well, but instead of taking the viewer directly to where its link leads when it is clicked a Card opens up into a larger version of itself with a thumbnail image.

Crowdfunding pages (Patreon is a great choice for video creators), charity fundraising pages, and merchandise stores are all examples of links that benefit from the format of YouTube Cards.

When you link a viewer to a non-YouTube page you break up their session time, which negatively impacts your watch time and SEO ranking. You want to make sure that the viewers you are directing away from YouTube are the ones most likely to convert after they leave. By ‘convert’ we mean to contribute to your Patreon campaign, donate to the charity you are promoting, or buy some of your merchandise.

Giving viewers more information and a thumbnail through a Card can help ensure the most interested viewers are the ones clicking your links.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube Annotations and Cards are both tools for linking viewers to your other videos or to off-YouTube webpages. Two of the major differences between them are:

Annotations are not clickable on mobile devices.

You cannot choose the size or positioning of Cards.

This article will teach you about both Cards and Annotations and discuss the best uses for each of them.

Part 1: Annotations

Annotations are messages that float overtop of your videos in the YouTube player. Usually, annotations are clickable and take users to other content created by you.

Section 1: Types of Annotations

There are five types of YouTube annotations:

Notes are colored boxes placed over the top of your videos.

Speech Bubbles look like dialogue boxes in a comic strip. They have tails that you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation.

Spotlights have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a viewer’s cursor hovers over top of these annotations.

Labels are like spotlights except that viewers do not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

Any of these annotations can be used to link viewers to other videos, or as subscribe links. You can also add a simple Title to your video through the Annotations menu.

Section 2: How to Use Annotations

*Note: the above video mentions Pause annotations, which are no longer available.

Here are two of the best uses for annotations:

Clickable End Cards / Outros

One of the best ways you can use spotlight annotations is to create clickable end cards for your videos.

When your video finishes playing the YouTube player will display a selection of suggested videos that might direct viewers away from your channel. You can keep more of these viewers watching your content by creating your own ‘suggested videos’ card and putting it at the end of your videos.

Put thumbnails of two or three of your other videos on your end card, or use ‘picture-in-picture’ to actually imbed footage from them. Then, after you upload your video, go in and place clickable spotlight annotations over top of your video thumbnails.

This is one use for annotations that cannot be duplicated with cards.

Promoting Your Videos

You should not wait until the end of your video to start linking viewers to other content. Many viewers will click away before they see your end card because your video is not exactly what they were looking for. By placing note or speech bubble annotations occasionally throughout your videos you can catch some of these people before they click off of your channel.

This works especially well if you link to videos on similar subjects to the one you are annotating.

Instead of just linking to another video of yours, try to link to that video on a playlist. Once a viewer is on a playlist your videos will auto-play after each other, which is good for both your view count and watch time.

You can also use the newer YouTube Cards for this, but Annotations might still be a better choice because viewers only need to click once vs. twice for Cards.

Try both and see which performs best for your channel. It might be in your best interest to keep on using both as they target different audiences – Cards are clickable on mobile devices, for example, but Annotations are not.

Part 2: YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are newer than annotations and a lot of people believe they will one day replace Annotations. While there are benefits to Cards – like embedding images to represent your links – you cannot choose the shape, size, or placement of them. This means they have limited uses.

When viewers click on a Card they are shown additional information and a thumbnail representing the page they will be taken to if they choose to click again. This extra step could be either help viewers decide to click your links or give them a second chance to decide they would rather not.

Section 1: When to Use Cards

A linked Annotation is simply a call to action viewers can click on. A Card is a call to action as well, but instead of taking the viewer directly to where its link leads when it is clicked a Card opens up into a larger version of itself with a thumbnail image.

Crowdfunding pages (Patreon is a great choice for video creators), charity fundraising pages, and merchandise stores are all examples of links that benefit from the format of YouTube Cards.

When you link a viewer to a non-YouTube page you break up their session time, which negatively impacts your watch time and SEO ranking. You want to make sure that the viewers you are directing away from YouTube are the ones most likely to convert after they leave. By ‘convert’ we mean to contribute to your Patreon campaign, donate to the charity you are promoting, or buy some of your merchandise.

Giving viewers more information and a thumbnail through a Card can help ensure the most interested viewers are the ones clicking your links.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube Annotations and Cards are both tools for linking viewers to your other videos or to off-YouTube webpages. Two of the major differences between them are:

Annotations are not clickable on mobile devices.

You cannot choose the size or positioning of Cards.

This article will teach you about both Cards and Annotations and discuss the best uses for each of them.

Part 1: Annotations

Annotations are messages that float overtop of your videos in the YouTube player. Usually, annotations are clickable and take users to other content created by you.

Section 1: Types of Annotations

There are five types of YouTube annotations:

Notes are colored boxes placed over the top of your videos.

Speech Bubbles look like dialogue boxes in a comic strip. They have tails that you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation.

Spotlights have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a viewer’s cursor hovers over top of these annotations.

Labels are like spotlights except that viewers do not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

Any of these annotations can be used to link viewers to other videos, or as subscribe links. You can also add a simple Title to your video through the Annotations menu.

Section 2: How to Use Annotations

*Note: the above video mentions Pause annotations, which are no longer available.

Here are two of the best uses for annotations:

Clickable End Cards / Outros

One of the best ways you can use spotlight annotations is to create clickable end cards for your videos.

When your video finishes playing the YouTube player will display a selection of suggested videos that might direct viewers away from your channel. You can keep more of these viewers watching your content by creating your own ‘suggested videos’ card and putting it at the end of your videos.

Put thumbnails of two or three of your other videos on your end card, or use ‘picture-in-picture’ to actually imbed footage from them. Then, after you upload your video, go in and place clickable spotlight annotations over top of your video thumbnails.

This is one use for annotations that cannot be duplicated with cards.

Promoting Your Videos

You should not wait until the end of your video to start linking viewers to other content. Many viewers will click away before they see your end card because your video is not exactly what they were looking for. By placing note or speech bubble annotations occasionally throughout your videos you can catch some of these people before they click off of your channel.

This works especially well if you link to videos on similar subjects to the one you are annotating.

Instead of just linking to another video of yours, try to link to that video on a playlist. Once a viewer is on a playlist your videos will auto-play after each other, which is good for both your view count and watch time.

You can also use the newer YouTube Cards for this, but Annotations might still be a better choice because viewers only need to click once vs. twice for Cards.

Try both and see which performs best for your channel. It might be in your best interest to keep on using both as they target different audiences – Cards are clickable on mobile devices, for example, but Annotations are not.

Part 2: YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are newer than annotations and a lot of people believe they will one day replace Annotations. While there are benefits to Cards – like embedding images to represent your links – you cannot choose the shape, size, or placement of them. This means they have limited uses.

When viewers click on a Card they are shown additional information and a thumbnail representing the page they will be taken to if they choose to click again. This extra step could be either help viewers decide to click your links or give them a second chance to decide they would rather not.

Section 1: When to Use Cards

A linked Annotation is simply a call to action viewers can click on. A Card is a call to action as well, but instead of taking the viewer directly to where its link leads when it is clicked a Card opens up into a larger version of itself with a thumbnail image.

Crowdfunding pages (Patreon is a great choice for video creators), charity fundraising pages, and merchandise stores are all examples of links that benefit from the format of YouTube Cards.

When you link a viewer to a non-YouTube page you break up their session time, which negatively impacts your watch time and SEO ranking. You want to make sure that the viewers you are directing away from YouTube are the ones most likely to convert after they leave. By ‘convert’ we mean to contribute to your Patreon campaign, donate to the charity you are promoting, or buy some of your merchandise.

Giving viewers more information and a thumbnail through a Card can help ensure the most interested viewers are the ones clicking your links.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube Annotations and Cards are both tools for linking viewers to your other videos or to off-YouTube webpages. Two of the major differences between them are:

Annotations are not clickable on mobile devices.

You cannot choose the size or positioning of Cards.

This article will teach you about both Cards and Annotations and discuss the best uses for each of them.

Part 1: Annotations

Annotations are messages that float overtop of your videos in the YouTube player. Usually, annotations are clickable and take users to other content created by you.

Section 1: Types of Annotations

There are five types of YouTube annotations:

Notes are colored boxes placed over the top of your videos.

Speech Bubbles look like dialogue boxes in a comic strip. They have tails that you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation.

Spotlights have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a viewer’s cursor hovers over top of these annotations.

Labels are like spotlights except that viewers do not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

Any of these annotations can be used to link viewers to other videos, or as subscribe links. You can also add a simple Title to your video through the Annotations menu.

Section 2: How to Use Annotations

*Note: the above video mentions Pause annotations, which are no longer available.

Here are two of the best uses for annotations:

Clickable End Cards / Outros

One of the best ways you can use spotlight annotations is to create clickable end cards for your videos.

When your video finishes playing the YouTube player will display a selection of suggested videos that might direct viewers away from your channel. You can keep more of these viewers watching your content by creating your own ‘suggested videos’ card and putting it at the end of your videos.

Put thumbnails of two or three of your other videos on your end card, or use ‘picture-in-picture’ to actually imbed footage from them. Then, after you upload your video, go in and place clickable spotlight annotations over top of your video thumbnails.

This is one use for annotations that cannot be duplicated with cards.

Promoting Your Videos

You should not wait until the end of your video to start linking viewers to other content. Many viewers will click away before they see your end card because your video is not exactly what they were looking for. By placing note or speech bubble annotations occasionally throughout your videos you can catch some of these people before they click off of your channel.

This works especially well if you link to videos on similar subjects to the one you are annotating.

Instead of just linking to another video of yours, try to link to that video on a playlist. Once a viewer is on a playlist your videos will auto-play after each other, which is good for both your view count and watch time.

You can also use the newer YouTube Cards for this, but Annotations might still be a better choice because viewers only need to click once vs. twice for Cards.

Try both and see which performs best for your channel. It might be in your best interest to keep on using both as they target different audiences – Cards are clickable on mobile devices, for example, but Annotations are not.

Part 2: YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are newer than annotations and a lot of people believe they will one day replace Annotations. While there are benefits to Cards – like embedding images to represent your links – you cannot choose the shape, size, or placement of them. This means they have limited uses.

When viewers click on a Card they are shown additional information and a thumbnail representing the page they will be taken to if they choose to click again. This extra step could be either help viewers decide to click your links or give them a second chance to decide they would rather not.

Section 1: When to Use Cards

A linked Annotation is simply a call to action viewers can click on. A Card is a call to action as well, but instead of taking the viewer directly to where its link leads when it is clicked a Card opens up into a larger version of itself with a thumbnail image.

Crowdfunding pages (Patreon is a great choice for video creators), charity fundraising pages, and merchandise stores are all examples of links that benefit from the format of YouTube Cards.

When you link a viewer to a non-YouTube page you break up their session time, which negatively impacts your watch time and SEO ranking. You want to make sure that the viewers you are directing away from YouTube are the ones most likely to convert after they leave. By ‘convert’ we mean to contribute to your Patreon campaign, donate to the charity you are promoting, or buy some of your merchandise.

Giving viewers more information and a thumbnail through a Card can help ensure the most interested viewers are the ones clicking your links.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Vimeo and YouTube: The Ultimate Showdown

Vimeo vs YouTube: Which is Better?

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Lots of people nowadays use videos to share with people all around the world. Two of the main platforms are YouTube and Vimeo. This article tells you the difference between both so that you can decide which the best platform is for you. Whether you are a marketer, video producer or gamer you will find the information useful to find your target audience easily.

Also read:

Full Review of Vimeo

Vimeo Basic, Vimeo Plus or Vimeo Pro: Which is Right for You?

Please watch the video below for more information:

Detailed View of YouTube and Vimeo

1 Communities

YouTube: When it comes to users YouTube comes out on top with over a billion views each and every month. You are able to interact with your viewers by using the comments and people are able to follow you so that they are notified of new videos and comments. As there is already a huge following on YouTube it’s easy to get a good following if you have great content. It’s harder to control public content which is a downside to using YouTube and there is very little customer support. With the comments being moderated rarely it can cause a distraction from your video. Businesses tend to internally block YouTube video’s which means you won’t get the viewings from people on their lunch breaks.

Vimeo: With higher quality content and no advertisements video owners can quickly build a valid following and gain comments from people that are contributing high value information. You have more detailed analytics which makes it easier to see where you are going wrong should you not have the following you want and you are able to use your own domain. With Google owning YouTube you are unlikely to get the same exposure you would, however the followers tend to be valid giving you a real idea of where you are going right or wrong. Because of the higher quality followers you are less likely to get negative or abusive comments when you use Vimeo, however it is a paid subscription with each tier giving you more space to upload.

2 Membership

YouTube: YouTube on the other hand is free for all to use because the main focus is getting their equity through advertisements. There is however the option to take out a subscription which is known as YouTube Red. This lets you watch as many video’s as you want without having to view the ads and also gets you the ability to download so you don’t have to go online to view your favourite videos, a music app and original programming facilities.

Vimeo: There are 4 different membership options with Vimeo allowing you to tailor it to your needs; there is the basic, plus, pro and business. The higher the cost, the greater level of support and storage capacity you will get. There is a free membership available but you will only be able to use up to 500MB each week.

3 Advertising

YouTube: What makes YouTube free is the fact they get their money from the advertisements they put not only on their sites but before video’s that people have to watch a set amount of seconds for before they can view their video of choice. This is great news if you are a marketer as it will allow you to reach out to viewers on video’s that are relevant to your brand/product/service, however for those that are viewing the sheer amount of ads can be off-putting.

Vimeo: As a paid subscription service and even the limited free package, you won’t have to view or show viewers ads, which means that your videos are more likely to be seen in their entirety not abandoned due to advertisements.

4 Updating video

YouTube: If you upload videos to YouTube you do not have the same benefits as the only way to amend a video is to take it down, delete it and re-upload a new one. This unfortunately takes with it any statistics such as views that you have gained. If you do choose YouTube for your videos then do make sure you check everything vigorously before you upload it as there’s no way to change it.

Vimeo: Occasionally an uploaded video may need some changes made. This could be due to changes to the offer you have or you have noticed something else that needs amending. With Vimeo if you need to update a video you can do so without losing the statistics it has already gained, which is great news if you notice an error later down the line or need to add or take something away.

Conclusion

When it comes down to making the final decision between using YouTube or Vimeo you will need to look at the type of audience you want to attract. With Vimeo you are more likely to attract creators and film makers, whereas with YouTube you will have a bigger audience to target which gives you a better chance of a higher rank on search engines.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Lots of people nowadays use videos to share with people all around the world. Two of the main platforms are YouTube and Vimeo. This article tells you the difference between both so that you can decide which the best platform is for you. Whether you are a marketer, video producer or gamer you will find the information useful to find your target audience easily.

Also read:

Full Review of Vimeo

Vimeo Basic, Vimeo Plus or Vimeo Pro: Which is Right for You?

Please watch the video below for more information:

Detailed View of YouTube and Vimeo

1 Communities

YouTube: When it comes to users YouTube comes out on top with over a billion views each and every month. You are able to interact with your viewers by using the comments and people are able to follow you so that they are notified of new videos and comments. As there is already a huge following on YouTube it’s easy to get a good following if you have great content. It’s harder to control public content which is a downside to using YouTube and there is very little customer support. With the comments being moderated rarely it can cause a distraction from your video. Businesses tend to internally block YouTube video’s which means you won’t get the viewings from people on their lunch breaks.

Vimeo: With higher quality content and no advertisements video owners can quickly build a valid following and gain comments from people that are contributing high value information. You have more detailed analytics which makes it easier to see where you are going wrong should you not have the following you want and you are able to use your own domain. With Google owning YouTube you are unlikely to get the same exposure you would, however the followers tend to be valid giving you a real idea of where you are going right or wrong. Because of the higher quality followers you are less likely to get negative or abusive comments when you use Vimeo, however it is a paid subscription with each tier giving you more space to upload.

2 Membership

YouTube: YouTube on the other hand is free for all to use because the main focus is getting their equity through advertisements. There is however the option to take out a subscription which is known as YouTube Red. This lets you watch as many video’s as you want without having to view the ads and also gets you the ability to download so you don’t have to go online to view your favourite videos, a music app and original programming facilities.

Vimeo: There are 4 different membership options with Vimeo allowing you to tailor it to your needs; there is the basic, plus, pro and business. The higher the cost, the greater level of support and storage capacity you will get. There is a free membership available but you will only be able to use up to 500MB each week.

3 Advertising

YouTube: What makes YouTube free is the fact they get their money from the advertisements they put not only on their sites but before video’s that people have to watch a set amount of seconds for before they can view their video of choice. This is great news if you are a marketer as it will allow you to reach out to viewers on video’s that are relevant to your brand/product/service, however for those that are viewing the sheer amount of ads can be off-putting.

Vimeo: As a paid subscription service and even the limited free package, you won’t have to view or show viewers ads, which means that your videos are more likely to be seen in their entirety not abandoned due to advertisements.

4 Updating video

YouTube: If you upload videos to YouTube you do not have the same benefits as the only way to amend a video is to take it down, delete it and re-upload a new one. This unfortunately takes with it any statistics such as views that you have gained. If you do choose YouTube for your videos then do make sure you check everything vigorously before you upload it as there’s no way to change it.

Vimeo: Occasionally an uploaded video may need some changes made. This could be due to changes to the offer you have or you have noticed something else that needs amending. With Vimeo if you need to update a video you can do so without losing the statistics it has already gained, which is great news if you notice an error later down the line or need to add or take something away.

Conclusion

When it comes down to making the final decision between using YouTube or Vimeo you will need to look at the type of audience you want to attract. With Vimeo you are more likely to attract creators and film makers, whereas with YouTube you will have a bigger audience to target which gives you a better chance of a higher rank on search engines.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Lots of people nowadays use videos to share with people all around the world. Two of the main platforms are YouTube and Vimeo. This article tells you the difference between both so that you can decide which the best platform is for you. Whether you are a marketer, video producer or gamer you will find the information useful to find your target audience easily.

Also read:

Full Review of Vimeo

Vimeo Basic, Vimeo Plus or Vimeo Pro: Which is Right for You?

Please watch the video below for more information:

Detailed View of YouTube and Vimeo

1 Communities

YouTube: When it comes to users YouTube comes out on top with over a billion views each and every month. You are able to interact with your viewers by using the comments and people are able to follow you so that they are notified of new videos and comments. As there is already a huge following on YouTube it’s easy to get a good following if you have great content. It’s harder to control public content which is a downside to using YouTube and there is very little customer support. With the comments being moderated rarely it can cause a distraction from your video. Businesses tend to internally block YouTube video’s which means you won’t get the viewings from people on their lunch breaks.

Vimeo: With higher quality content and no advertisements video owners can quickly build a valid following and gain comments from people that are contributing high value information. You have more detailed analytics which makes it easier to see where you are going wrong should you not have the following you want and you are able to use your own domain. With Google owning YouTube you are unlikely to get the same exposure you would, however the followers tend to be valid giving you a real idea of where you are going right or wrong. Because of the higher quality followers you are less likely to get negative or abusive comments when you use Vimeo, however it is a paid subscription with each tier giving you more space to upload.

2 Membership

YouTube: YouTube on the other hand is free for all to use because the main focus is getting their equity through advertisements. There is however the option to take out a subscription which is known as YouTube Red. This lets you watch as many video’s as you want without having to view the ads and also gets you the ability to download so you don’t have to go online to view your favourite videos, a music app and original programming facilities.

Vimeo: There are 4 different membership options with Vimeo allowing you to tailor it to your needs; there is the basic, plus, pro and business. The higher the cost, the greater level of support and storage capacity you will get. There is a free membership available but you will only be able to use up to 500MB each week.

3 Advertising

YouTube: What makes YouTube free is the fact they get their money from the advertisements they put not only on their sites but before video’s that people have to watch a set amount of seconds for before they can view their video of choice. This is great news if you are a marketer as it will allow you to reach out to viewers on video’s that are relevant to your brand/product/service, however for those that are viewing the sheer amount of ads can be off-putting.

Vimeo: As a paid subscription service and even the limited free package, you won’t have to view or show viewers ads, which means that your videos are more likely to be seen in their entirety not abandoned due to advertisements.

4 Updating video

YouTube: If you upload videos to YouTube you do not have the same benefits as the only way to amend a video is to take it down, delete it and re-upload a new one. This unfortunately takes with it any statistics such as views that you have gained. If you do choose YouTube for your videos then do make sure you check everything vigorously before you upload it as there’s no way to change it.

Vimeo: Occasionally an uploaded video may need some changes made. This could be due to changes to the offer you have or you have noticed something else that needs amending. With Vimeo if you need to update a video you can do so without losing the statistics it has already gained, which is great news if you notice an error later down the line or need to add or take something away.

Conclusion

When it comes down to making the final decision between using YouTube or Vimeo you will need to look at the type of audience you want to attract. With Vimeo you are more likely to attract creators and film makers, whereas with YouTube you will have a bigger audience to target which gives you a better chance of a higher rank on search engines.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Lots of people nowadays use videos to share with people all around the world. Two of the main platforms are YouTube and Vimeo. This article tells you the difference between both so that you can decide which the best platform is for you. Whether you are a marketer, video producer or gamer you will find the information useful to find your target audience easily.

Also read:

Full Review of Vimeo

Vimeo Basic, Vimeo Plus or Vimeo Pro: Which is Right for You?

Please watch the video below for more information:

## Detailed View of YouTube and Vimeo

1 Communities

YouTube: When it comes to users YouTube comes out on top with over a billion views each and every month. You are able to interact with your viewers by using the comments and people are able to follow you so that they are notified of new videos and comments. As there is already a huge following on YouTube it’s easy to get a good following if you have great content. It’s harder to control public content which is a downside to using YouTube and there is very little customer support. With the comments being moderated rarely it can cause a distraction from your video. Businesses tend to internally block YouTube video’s which means you won’t get the viewings from people on their lunch breaks.

Vimeo: With higher quality content and no advertisements video owners can quickly build a valid following and gain comments from people that are contributing high value information. You have more detailed analytics which makes it easier to see where you are going wrong should you not have the following you want and you are able to use your own domain. With Google owning YouTube you are unlikely to get the same exposure you would, however the followers tend to be valid giving you a real idea of where you are going right or wrong. Because of the higher quality followers you are less likely to get negative or abusive comments when you use Vimeo, however it is a paid subscription with each tier giving you more space to upload.

2 Membership

YouTube: YouTube on the other hand is free for all to use because the main focus is getting their equity through advertisements. There is however the option to take out a subscription which is known as YouTube Red. This lets you watch as many video’s as you want without having to view the ads and also gets you the ability to download so you don’t have to go online to view your favourite videos, a music app and original programming facilities.

Vimeo: There are 4 different membership options with Vimeo allowing you to tailor it to your needs; there is the basic, plus, pro and business. The higher the cost, the greater level of support and storage capacity you will get. There is a free membership available but you will only be able to use up to 500MB each week.

3 Advertising

YouTube: What makes YouTube free is the fact they get their money from the advertisements they put not only on their sites but before video’s that people have to watch a set amount of seconds for before they can view their video of choice. This is great news if you are a marketer as it will allow you to reach out to viewers on video’s that are relevant to your brand/product/service, however for those that are viewing the sheer amount of ads can be off-putting.

Vimeo: As a paid subscription service and even the limited free package, you won’t have to view or show viewers ads, which means that your videos are more likely to be seen in their entirety not abandoned due to advertisements.

4 Updating video

YouTube: If you upload videos to YouTube you do not have the same benefits as the only way to amend a video is to take it down, delete it and re-upload a new one. This unfortunately takes with it any statistics such as views that you have gained. If you do choose YouTube for your videos then do make sure you check everything vigorously before you upload it as there’s no way to change it.

Vimeo: Occasionally an uploaded video may need some changes made. This could be due to changes to the offer you have or you have noticed something else that needs amending. With Vimeo if you need to update a video you can do so without losing the statistics it has already gained, which is great news if you notice an error later down the line or need to add or take something away.

Conclusion

When it comes down to making the final decision between using YouTube or Vimeo you will need to look at the type of audience you want to attract. With Vimeo you are more likely to attract creators and film makers, whereas with YouTube you will have a bigger audience to target which gives you a better chance of a higher rank on search engines.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison