Knowledgebase

Using Video on Your Website (Firstserv Guide)

Adding video content—such as testimonials, tutorials, or promotional material—is a great way to enhance your website and engage visitors.

Can I Host Videos on Firstserv Hosting?

On Firstserv shared hosting plans (including Cloud, Premium, and Business):

• ❌ Direct video hosting or streaming is not permitted

This is due to the high resource demands that video content places on shared servers.

Recommended Solution: Use Video Platforms

Instead of hosting videos directly, we recommend:

• ✅ Hosting your videos on platforms such as:

  • YouTube
  • Vimeo

• ✅ Embedding the video into your website

This approach provides:

• Better performance and reliability
• Reduced server load
• Built-in playback optimisation for all devices

When Can I Host Videos Directly?

If you need to:

• Host large video files
• Stream video content
• Provide video downloads

✅ You can do so on:

• VPS hosting
• Dedicated servers

(Subject to Firstserv’s Terms and Acceptable Use Policy.)

Embedding Videos in Your Website

Most modern CMS platforms (e.g. WordPress, Joomla, Drupal) support video embedding:

• Directly within the editor, or
• Via plugins or modules

✅ This is usually the easiest method.

Manual Video Embedding

If you prefer to embed videos manually, follow the steps below.

Embed a YouTube Video

1. Go to the video on YouTube
2. Click Share below the video
3. Select Embed
4. Copy the iframe code provided

Example:

1. Paste the code into your website where you want the video to appear

Embed a Vimeo Video

1. Open the video on Vimeo
2. Click Share
3. Copy the embed code provided

Example:

1. Paste it into your webpage

Customisation Options

Both platforms offer additional options such as:

• Autoplay
• Player controls
• Video size and layout

✅ These can be adjusted before copying or by editing the embed code.

Best Practices

• ✅ Use external platforms for video hosting
• ✅ Optimise placement for performance (avoid too many videos per page)
• ✅ Ensure videos load responsively on mobile devices
• ✅ Use lazy loading where possible

Summary

• Video hosting isn’t available on shared Firstserv hosting
• Use platforms like YouTube or Vimeo instead
• Embed videos easily into your site
• Upgrade to VPS or dedicated hosting if direct streaming is required

If you need help embedding videos or choosing the right hosting solution, the Firstserv support team is always happy to assist.