44% of YouTube users watch embedded videos. To be clear, that is not 44% of the site’s total views as NewTeeVee points out, but still nearly half of users are watching videos from other sites, blogs, social media profiles, etc.
With this information, it makes perfect sense to make as many YouTube features as accessible as possible right from these embedded videos. This should only keep users engaged with YouTube for longer periods of time. In a move that probably should’ve happened much earlier, YouTube has now decided to incorporate more features into the embedded videos. As discussed on the YouTube blog, these new features include:
– High-quality start images (thumbnails) – Before you press play on embedded YouTube videos, the thumbnails for the video will be presented in high-quality. We’re pleased with the results – let us know if you agree.
– Search in embeddable player – At the close of an embedded video, along with the usual recommended videos and URLs, a search box will appear. Not only will you be able search from within the embedded player, you will be able to watch videos through the same window. That’s right, you can search all of YouTube from the comfort of your favorite blog, news, or humor page.
– Integrated video annotations – Annotations enable video producers to incorporate text information into their videos, create choose your own adventure-style stories or add links to any YouTube video. People watching videos through the embedded player can now join the fun.
– Integrated closed captions – Back in August we started allowing video creators to add captions to their videos. Closed Captions are now available in embedded videos.
The search box availability in the videos is the feature I think is truly overdue for the reasons I mentioned above. There’s no telling how many more videos will be viewed as a direct result of this.
YouTube needs to do everything in its power to stay competitive in the online video industry. It’s already got the tremendous brand power behind it. It needs to continue to add convenient features to stay on top of its game as more competitors arise (like MTVMusic.com for example). Offering full-length films will be a great addition as well.
