Embedding Media on Your Website
Want to add media to your website (embedding) but don't know where to start? Here's a quick guide to get you off the ground!
Putting media on your website is the best way to get your message across. The act of putting media on your website is called embedding, and in this guide we’ll show you how to get it done right.
Pre-Embedding
Once you’ve uploaded and customized your media, you’re ready to go ahead and embed. Huzzah!
Fun fact: even after you embed an episode on your website, you can make changes to it in Customize. Those changes will automatically apply anywhere your media is embedded. If you want to use different customizations across multiple embeds of the same media, you can make multiple copies of the media or use advanced embed options in your embed codes.
Generate an Embed Code
An embed code is a snippet of code that you can use to add content (like a video!) to a web page.
To generate an embed code for your media, start by clicking the Embed & Share button from your Media Page. That will open the Embed & Share screen, where you can choose your embed code type and fine-tune it for your page.
There are two main types of Wistia embed codes: Inline embeds and Popover embeds. Read on to learn more about both!
Inline Embeds
From A Project
Inline embeds will place the player directly on the page, inline with the rest of your content. Here’s an example “Standard” inline embed:
This is what a standard inline embed code looks like:
<script src="//fast.wistia.com/embed/medias/j38ihh83m5.jsonp" async></script>
<script src="//fast.wistia.com/assets/external/E-v1.js" async></script>
<div class="wistia_embed wistia_async_j38ihh83m5" style="height:349px;width:620px"> </div>
Feel free to grab that embed code to try it out, or go to your Wistia account and get an inline embed code for you own video or audio episode!
From A Channel
If you’re sharing a Channel, the process is basically the same as for a Project, but you’ll access the embed codes in a slightly different way. First you’ll want to navigate to the Channel preview page by clicking the Edit/Preview Channel button
Once you’re on the Channel preview page, click on over to the Share tab on the left hand side of the page. You’ll see several options which are preset to generate an inline embed code!
Fallback (iframe) Embed
In A Project
If you need to use an iframe to embed your episode, look no further than our fallback option:
An iframe is an HTML component that acts like a window into another webpage and will allow you to embed your Wistia media onto your site. Although we highly recommend going with our Standard Inline Embed code, the iframe is a reliable option if you can’t include JavaScript on your website.
Think of it like a Subaru Impreza: simple, reliable, and if you ask us, a pretty nice way to get from point A to point B.
Here’s an example of a fallback inline embed code:
<iframe src="//fast.wistia.net/embed/iframe/avk9twrrbn" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" class="wistia_embed" name="wistia_embed" allowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen width="620" height="349"></iframe>
<script src="//fast.wistia.net/assets/external/E-v1.js" async></script>
In A Channel
At this time we do not have iframe embed codes available for Channels!
Popover Embeds
In A Project
Popover embed codes make your medias pop over the rest of your content instead of playing inline.
You can launch a popover media with either a text link or thumbnail image. When clicked, that link will open a lightbox with your media inside. Here’s an example of a popover embed using the thumbnail option:
And here’s the popover embed code behind that media:
<script src="//fast.wistia.com/embed/medias/pukozq6xf0.jsonp" async></script>
<script src="//fast.wistia.com/assets/external/E-v1.js" async></script>
<span class="wistia_embed wistia_async_pukozq6xf0 popover=true popoverAnimateThumbnail=true" style="display:inline-block;height:169px;width:300px"> </span>
Copy and paste that into your website to give it a try! Be sure to read the section on Responsive Design with Popover Embeds as well.
In A Channel
Creating a Popover is as quick as breaking a few eggs and mixing in some flour and milk! Make sure to preheat the oven to 400 degrees and, wait, wrong kind of Popover.
Okay, now that I’ve had a snack, navigate to the share menu in your Channel preview page. Find the Embed Type option (second option down) and select Popover from the options listed. Once you’ve made that selection, the embed code at the bottom of the menu will update to reflect that selection!
Embedding Responsively
Responsive media looks great on all screen sizes. Responsiveness works a bit differently for inline embeds and popover embeds, so let’s dig into both separately here 👇.
Responsive Design with Inline Embeds
Inline embed codes are responsive by default, meaning that your media will automatically resize itself to the width of its container. Hooray!
With a responsive embed, you will never need to manually adjust the dimensions of your embed code. If the player isn’t quite the right size, try adjusting the width of its parent container on your webpage first. If you get stuck, just reach out to our Customer Happiness team!
If you need to set the player to specific dimensions though and don’t want it to be responsive at all, just switch to the Fixed Size option and choose a width or height. The dimension you don’t adjust will automatically change to maintain the aspect ratio of your media.
Here’s an example of a responsive embed to play with:
<script src="//fast.wistia.com/embed/medias/j38ihh83m5.jsonp" async></script>
<script src="//fast.wistia.com/assets/external/E-v1.js" async></script>
<div class="wistia_responsive_padding" style="padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;">
<div class="wistia_responsive_wrapper" style="height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;top:0;width:100%;">
<div class="wistia_embed wistia_async_j38ihh83m5 seo=false videoFoam=true" style="height:100%;width:100%"> </div></div></div>
Responsive Design with Popover Embeds
With popover embeds, there are two separate things to consider:
- The responsiveness of the thumbnail image (unless you’re using a text link).
- The responsiveness of the media itself, when it’s “popped over” the page.
The thumbnail of a popover embed is not responsive by default. But if you want it responsive, that’s as easy as clicking the “Responsive” checkbox:
That’s all it takes to make the thumbnail responsive. Wahoo!
The media component of a popover embed _is_ responsive by default. Since the media “pops” over the rest of the page, it doesn’t have to worry about bumping into anything else. It will automatically fill up most of the page, leaving some comfortable space between the media and the edges of the browser window.
Media SEO
Media SEO is a set of tools and processes to help search engines identify and index your media. Wistia’s Standard embed codes are automatically SEO-friendly, and they’ll help people find your media on your website – not someone else’s.
Check out the Video SEO help page for more detail 🔍 and tips on getting Video SEO done right.
Email Campaign Link
Email is a great way to share your media and re-engage with your growing audience. And Wistia’s email marketing tools make it easy! See the Email Marketing page for details.
Protecting Your Embeds
Want to make sure your media can only be played on your website (and of course, within your Wistia account)? Check out Domain Restrictions for that. For more information on keeping your media secure, see the Security guide.
Embedded Video Stats
Now that your media is embedded on your webpage, you can use Wistia’s analytics to see how your viewers are interacting with the content.
Troubleshooting Embed Issues
Embedding can be tough! If you’re stuck, check out the Embed Troubleshooting documentation.
If something seems fishy on Wistia’s side of things, you can always check out our Status Page for more information about what might be going on. Still no luck? Contact us. We’d be more than happy to help you out!