How to Embed YouTube Videos on Google Sites
TL;DR:
- Click the Embed icon in your Google Sites editor and paste a YouTube URL
- You don't need a YouTube account to embed public videos
- Resize videos by dragging the corners after inserting them
- Autoplay settings are controlled by your browser, not Google Sites
Adding YouTube videos to your Google Sites page helps break up text and keeps visitors engaged. The process is straightforward once you know where to find the right tools.
Finding the Embed Tool
Open your Google Sites editor and navigate to the page where you want to add the video. On the right-hand side, you'll see the Insert panel with various content options. Look for the "Embed" icon – it looks like angle brackets (<>).
Getting Your Video Ready
You'll need the YouTube video URL. Head to the video on YouTube and copy the web address from your browser's address bar. That's all you need – the full URL from youtube.com/watch?v=… works perfectly.
Some people suggest using YouTube's share button, but copying directly from the address bar is simpler and gives you the same result.
Embedding the Video
Click the Embed icon in your Google Sites editor. A dialog box will appear asking for a URL. Paste your YouTube link and click "Insert". Google Sites will automatically recognise it's a YouTube video and embed it properly.
The video will appear on your page immediately. You can drag the corners to resize it or move it around like any other element on your site.
Positioning and Sizing
Once your video is embedded, you can adjust its size by clicking on it and dragging the corner handles. The video will maintain its aspect ratio, so you don't need to worry about distorting it.
You can also change the alignment using the toolbar that appears when you select the video. Choose left, centre, or right alignment depending on your layout.
What About Autoplay?
Many browsers now block autoplay videos to improve user experience and save bandwidth. Even if you find settings that claim to enable autoplay, most visitors won't see videos start automatically.
This is actually good practice – let people choose when to start watching rather than forcing video playback on them.
Testing Your Embedded Video
Before publishing, use the Preview button to check how your video looks and behaves. Make sure it displays at the right size and fits well with your other content.
Click the play button to confirm the video loads and plays correctly. If something looks off, you can always adjust the size or position back in the editor.
FAQs
Do I need my own YouTube channel to embed videos?
No, you can embed any public YouTube video. You just need the URL from the video you want to show.
Can I control the video size after embedding?
Yes, click on the embedded video and drag the corner handles to resize it. The proportions stay correct automatically.
Will embedded videos slow down my site?
No, YouTube videos don't slow down your Google Sites page. The video content loads from YouTube's servers, not yours.
What if the video gets deleted from YouTube?
Your embedded video will show an error message. You'll need to replace it with a new embed or remove it from your page.
Jargon Buster
Embedding: Displaying content from another website (like YouTube) on your own webpage without hosting the files yourself.
Aspect Ratio: The proportional relationship between a video's width and height. YouTube videos are typically 16:9 format.
URL: The web address of a page or piece of content, starting with https://.
Wrap-up
Embedding YouTube videos on Google Sites takes just a few clicks and can make your content much more engaging. The process is reliable and the videos will display properly across different devices and browsers.
Remember to preview your page before publishing to make sure everything looks right. Once you've embedded a few videos, the process becomes second nature.
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