By the end of 2019, video content will account for 80% of total internet traffic. If you have not yet begun to think about how the video fits into your long-term marketing strategy, now is the time to take it seriously.

Before embarking on creating a video, it's important to think about where to put them. YouTube is obviously the biggest video hosting platform on the internet, but it may not be the best choice for any business. To help you find the best answer for the unique needs of your company, we've compared YouTube directly with the smaller, more Vimeo market platform, through several factors.

Below, read the advantages and disadvantages of each platform and decide on the one that suits you most.

Number of users

-YouTube-

There is no real competition here.

YouTube controls an audience of over one billion users - about one-third of the population using the internet. Vimeo's 240 million monthly viewers and 35 million registered users seem insignificant compared to YouTube. To reach the maximum number of users, select YouTube.

SEO optimization

-YouTube-

YouTube in this segment leaves Vimeo far behind.

YouTube is the second-largest search engine on the Internet, right after its parent company, Google. If you are planning to make a video adapted to a specific keyword (eg "Make a video for Youtube"), your video must be uploaded to YouTube. Not only will it appear in search results directly on YouTube, but Google also seems to favor YouTube videos in relation to those posted on other platforms.

Mobile version

-YouTube-

More than half of all YouTube video views come from a mobile phone, and the YouTube mobile app absolutely dominates in mobile streaming - surpassing even great competitors like Netflix. Videos posted on Vimeo and YouTube are optimized for mobile devices, but YouTube offers more opportunities for discovering and accessing mobile devices.

Costs

-YouTube-

YouTube is free - even for businesses. Vimeo operates on several pricing options, ranging from a free basic plan to a $ 50 package a month to businesses.

Support

-Vimeo-

With its paid packages, Vimeo offers several levels of technical support that could be of great help to businesses that operate without video content experts. YouTube offers a lot of (quite uncomplicated) free documentation about assistance and access to support, but if you are looking for a better approach, personalized support on-demand paid Vimeo is a better option.

Space

-YouTube-

YouTube offers unlimited, free storage for all accounts, while Vimeo offers several storage options on its servers. The basic, free Vimeo account gives you 500MB of memory per week. With its highest level, a $ 50 / monthly package, you can set a 5TB total without weekly restraints.

Pre-roll ads

-Vimeo-

If you place your videos on YouTube, there are good chances that a pre-roll ad will appear before them, which has the potential to prevent some viewers from staying on your video. Vimeo currently does not allow ads and it seems that this policy will not change in the near future.

Advertising campaigns

-YouTube-

If you are considering running your own ads on a video platform, YouTube is a real hit (as we have already mentioned, you can not buy ad space on Vimeo, even if you want, because it does not allow it.)

YouTube offers an advanced, customized platform for ads, as well as personalized support ("YouTube Advertising Expert") when you spend $ 10 a day on your ads.

Community

-Vimeo-

The number of users is not the most appropriate factor. With such a large audience on YouTube, the environment is naturally more competitive. It's easier for your video to affect thousands more if you do not plan to tag it somewhere on YouTube. Vimeo's smaller, more community-targeted platform can be a better option if you hope to touch an existing creative niche or appear on the page selected by the editor of this platform.

Advanced Privacy Options

-Vimeo-

Both YouTube and Vimeo provide you with the ability to upload videos to private or public (the default YouTube setting is public), but Vimeo offers several tweaked, specific privacy options if it serves your interests. You can add your password protection to your videos, share videos with people who follow your account or even hide from the Vimeo.com community - which could be useful if you plan to embed the video on your site and want to be visible just in one place.

Statistics

-YouTube-

YouTube gets this win because all of their analysts - from basic statistics, such as views on more advanced options - are completely free. Vimeo also offers powerful analytic performance evaluation tools, but you will have to pay for access to everything, except basic statistics.

So, for which platform to decide?

The decision largely depends on what exactly you want to achieve with your videos.

If you are looking for a creative community where you can connect with other video creators and gain visibility in a niche, Vimeo is a better place to start sharing content. If you have business goals that largely revolve around search and ad optimization, YouTube is your best option.