The Ultimate Guide to Adding Live Video on Your Website: Why & How to Do It

Between algorithm shifts and meeting your audiences where they are, the only constant in this digital world is your website. It's hard to find a brand or creator today who doesn't tout the importance of building engagement through their websites, yet many seem stumped by how to do it.

One way is to add live video on website.

For starters, it's much more engaging than a static webpage. Plus, you can deliver an on-brand live streaming experience to your audience while connecting with them in real-time. Think of a live product demo, webinar, workshop, or event streamed on your home page. What power!

In this guide, we'll walk you through the basics of live videos and the steps to set up or embed a live video on your website to experience benefits like improved traffic, better branding, enhanced live streaming experience, and more.

So, what is a Live Video?

A live video or live stream is a broadcast of a video feed in real-time on the internet. It’s pretty similar to a live sportscast or news telecast. The only difference is – anyone can live stream to build and engage an audience in real-time.

What are the Benefits of a Live Video?

One telling data point from the HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing Trends 2022: Over 70% of marketers believe that live videos/streaming is the most effective social content format.

Source: HubSpot State of Inbound Marketing Trends 2022

Given this reality, it's about time you added virtual or hybrid events to your marketing strategy.

Live videos don't just create a sense of immediacy but also help brands stand out and attract more audience attention. They are also exceedingly interactive and give viewers a more humanized and authentic experience by allowing them to react to your video in real time. As they get to ask you questions or even comment live as you broadcast, it builds immense trust and rapport that's hard to do through any other video format. 

Reasons to Add Live Video on Website

Marketers, brands, and creators often face headwinds when engaging their target audiences through live streams on third-party apps. Besides losing traffic to third-party live streaming platforms, marketers also have to follow the platforms' arbitrary content guidelines.

Fortunately, you can address the crisis and stay one step ahead of live streaming platforms by adding videos to your website.

Here's why adding live video on your website is essential to spur shorter-term audience engagement and longer-term value:

Create Custom, High-Quality Streams  

Professional-looking live streams should be on every marketer's radar. So, consider creating various high-end custom live experiences using a platform like Sequel.

Besides giving you greater control over the branding of your live streams, you can also leverage added features like a countdown, chat, Q&A, polls, etc., to ensure a reliable and high-quality stream. Think of it as the gold standard for delivering an optimal viewing experience to your audience on your website.

Ease-of-use

Imagine going live on a platform like Zoom, Facebook, etc. Your viewers may need to download apps or even log in to watch the live videos.

Now, when you add live video on website, you take it to a platform that's easily accessible by your audience. So, your viewers will be where you want them to be (your website) – without the hassles of links, apps, or log-ins.

Drive & Retain Website Traffic + Improved SEO Results

Hosting your live events on platforms like YouTube means risking the chance of losing them to a competitor. You can blame YouTube's recommendation feature, which may take your potential customers to competitors' channels after your live video is over.

However, adding a live video to your website keeps your viewers on your platform. You control what they see and when. For instance, you can create a dedicated landing page for all your virtual events.

The more views, the higher the user engagement on your website. And with video and text on your website, you also improve your website ranks on search results.

Better Monetization

Avoiding the possible limitations offered by a third-party's revenue options becomes easier when you stream your live events directly on your website. You can monetize your content the way you want and keep up with the shifting digital tides like a pro.

A Single Location for All Live Videos

How does having different links for all your live videos impact your brand's value? It doesn't add to it.

So, instead of keeping your live streams scattered across different platforms or having separate links on one platform, provide a single location for all your live events, i.e., a dedicated webpage on your website.

Greater Control

Imagine losing all your saved live video content due to a glitch or mistake. Third-party apps are very stringent, and some even have arbitrary content rules. They can delete not just your video but ban or block your channel or page for diverse reasons. Now, this can adversely affect your and your audience's experience.

So, worry less about losing all your valuable live content due to a third-party violation. Embed live videos to your website and enjoy greater control over the content you share.

Quick Live Support

Third-party platforms like YouTube, Facebook, etc., may not offer instant live support when running a live event or video. To address this gap, you can embed live video on website using a tool like Sequel.

From 24/7 live event support through a hotline to technical troubleshooting resources, when you embed Sequel live stages on your website, you get the peace of mind you deserve to create unforgettable live experiences for your audience.

How To Add A Live Video On Website?

Adding live video on website is easy if you know the right steps to set up based on your website. Here's how you can embed Sequel live stages on different websites:

WordPress

Step 1:  Download and install the Sequel Plugin for WordPress.

Step 2: Go to your Sequel Admin Dashboard, and click the live video you want to embed.

Then, click "Embed" and copy the shortcode from the WordPress section.

Step 3: Now, on your WordPress site, select the "+" icon anywhere on your site.

Then, search for the Shortcode element. 

Step 4: Paste the shortcode you copied in Step 2 and paste it into the empty shortcode field.

Step 5: Select the "Preview" tab in the top-right to view your embedded live video.

Alternatively, you can select "Update" to view your live page.

Step 6: To add a Custom CSS class for changing the height of the embedded Sequel component, go to WordPress Admin, select "Appearance," and then "Additional CSS" on the left menu.

Step 7: You can now paste this code into the Additional CSS box and click Save:

That's how easy it is to add live video to your WordPress website.

WIX

Step 1: Go to your Sequel live video, and click "Embed Info".

Now, copy the embed code under the WIX integration.

Step 2: Then, on your WIX page builder, go to the "Embed HTML" tab in the elements menu and add a custom HTML widget.

Step 3: Click "Enter Code".

Step 4: Choose "Code" from the options and paste the HTML snippet you copied in Step 1.

Step 5: Once done, click "Update".

Step 6: You can now expand the widget you've just added by dragging it to the entire width of your page. It's recommended to deliver an optimal viewing experience to your audience.

Pro Tip: Ensure that the widget's height is about 90% of your site's viewport.

And, there you have it. Your live video will then be added to your WIX website. Just save and refresh your page!

Squarespace

Step 1: Go to your Sequel Admin Dashboard and select the live video you want to embed on your Squarespace website.

Then, click on Embed Info.

Step 2: Now, copy the HTML Embed Code.

Step 3: Go to your Squarespace page builder and click "Code" in the elements menu.

This will add a custom HTML block.

Step 4: Ensure that "Display Source" is disabled and select HTML from the dropdown.

Step 5: Next, paste the HTML snippet you copied in Step 2.

Note: In Edit Mode, Squarespace displays a "Script Disabled" message. However, the Sequel live video will automatically populate onto the webpage once you click Done.

Step 6: Click the pencil icon to expand the Virtual Stage or Networking Hub on your webpage by editing the section height and content width.

Pro Tip: For the best results, set both section height and width to M or L.

Step 7: Click "Done" and "Save".

You have now successfully added your Sequel live video to your Squarespace website!

Webflow

Step 1: From your Sequel Admin Dashboard, go to the live video you want to embed, and click "Embed Info".

Step 2: Copy the HTML embed code.

Step 3: Go to your Webflow editor.

Add an HTML block by clicking "Embed" from the "Add Elements" menu.

Step 4: Paste the HTML embed code copied in Step 2 into the Custom Code box.

Step 5: Click "Save & Close".

Your Sequel live video is now added to your Webflow website. Save and refresh the page, and you'll be all set to start hosting an excellent live experience.

Other Website Builders

Adding your Sequel live video to any other website is a breeze.

Step 1: Go to your Sequel Admin Dashboard and select the live video you want to embed.

Then, click on Embed Info.

Step 2: Copy the HTML embed code.

Step 3: Go to your website builder.

Then, click "Embed a Widget", "Embed Custom HTML", "Custom Code", "Code" or similar to add a custom HTML widget.

Step 4: Paste the HTML code you copied in Step 2 into the HTML widget box.

Step 5: Save the changes and expand the widget to the entire width of your page to deliver an optimal viewing experience to your audience.

Finally, save and refresh the page. You'll now be able to see your live video on your website!

Final Thoughts

Adding a live video to your website gets easier with the right tool.

Here at Sequel, we think it's time to get more serious about delivering live experiences directly from the website. We offer features that help you use live videos strategically and build customer confidence.

Developers and marketers, go ahead and orchestrate a balanced mix of live videos and on-brand elements with Sequel. Book a demo to learn how adding live video on website can benefit your brand in this quickly-changing digital world.

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