Many people ask us how to add a video slider to a WordPress site. If visitors leave your site quickly, it might be because it looks dull or is poorly designed. Adding video sliders can make your site more engaging and keep visitors interested.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to create a video slider in WordPress easily.
Why Use a Video Slider in WordPress?
A lot of WordPress users find it hard to make their websites stand out and keep visitors interested. Video sliders can help with this.
While images are good, videos are even better at making your website more engaging. First impressions are important and can determine whether a visitor stays or leaves. Videos can showcase product demos, reviews, or other promotional content.
For example, a real estate website can show virtual property tours, and travel websites can display hotel recommendations and travel experiences.
A video slider shows only videos, not static images.
Here are some ways to use video sliders for your business:
- Show short testimonials from happy customers.
- Share detailed case studies.
- Show product or service reviews.
- Demonstrate different product features and how they work.
Now, let’s learn how to create video sliders in WordPress to engage your audience.
Adding a Video Slider to Your WordPress Site
The easiest way to add video sliders to your site is by using a plugin.
We recommend using Soliloquy, the best WordPress slider plugin. Unlike many other slider plugins, Soliloquy is fast and won’t slow down your site. It supports YouTube, Vimeo, and Wistia, so you can add video URLs easily.
Soliloquy is mobile responsive, meaning it works on all devices and screen sizes. It allows you to add different types of slides, including videos, images, and content.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Video Slider
- Install and Activate Soliloquy Plugin
- Install the Soliloquy plugin. If you need help, refer to our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
- Note: We use the Soliloquy Pro plugin for its advanced features like built-in support for YouTube, Vimeo, and Wistia.
- Create a New Video Slider
- Go to
Soliloquy » Add New. - Give your slider a title.
- Click on ‘Select Files from Other Sources’.
- Go to
- Add Videos to Your Slider
- A pop-up will appear. Click on ‘Insert Video Slide’.
- Fill in the details: title, video URL, caption, and alt text.
- Provide a placeholder image in the Image URL field. This image shows when the video isn’t playing and helps improve site performance.
- In the Video URL field, add the URL from your media library or a video hosting site like YouTube.
- Add More Video Slides
- To add another video, click on the ‘Add Another Video Slide’ button.
- Repeat the process for all the videos you want to add.
- Once done, click the ‘Insert into Slider’ button.
- Customize Your Slider
- Go to the ‘Configuration’ tab to adjust settings like slide dimensions and slider position.
- Decide if you want videos to autoplay. Note that autoplay can slow down page speed.
- Optimize for Mobile
- Go to the ‘Mobile’ tab to create mobile-friendly slider images and show captions.
- Publish Your Slider
- Click the ‘Publish’ button in the right-side panel.
Displaying the Video Slider on Your Site
To add your slider to a post or page:
- Create or edit a post/page.
- In the WordPress editor, click the ‘+’ button and add the Soliloquy block.
- Select your video slider from the Soliloquy widget.
- Click ‘Publish’ or ‘Update’.
If you are using the classic WordPress editor, copy the shortcode from the Soliloquy page and insert it into your content.
Adding a Featured Content Slider
Besides video sliders, you can add a featured content slider to your WordPress pages to showcase your best posts, products, reviews, portfolio items, or popular categories.
Install the ‘Featured Content Addon’ in Soliloquy. Then, add the content, links, and descriptions as you did with the video slider.
For more details, refer to our blog post on how to add a featured content slider in WordPress.
