With Funding Secured, VidCaster Now Lets You Make One-Click, Custom Video Websites (For Free) – TechCrunch

YouTube has develop into the go-to supply for video distribution and internet hosting, and, so far, the video big has seen tens of tens of millions of channels created, the place customers are importing their video content material in droves — by the second. Professional videographers, beginner smartphone digicam operators, and everybody in between is making the most of the YouTube limelight, a lot of them by way of their channels. Of course, whereas these channels are an excellent place to retailer one’s cache of video, perhaps you wish to create your individual impartial video web site to host your individual movies — to reap the benefits of all these video optimization belongings you possibly can’t get from YouTube.

A startup referred to as VidCaster, which goals to make on-line video publishing painless and worthwhile for particular person customers, small companies and enterprise shoppers alike, not too long ago launched a brand new characteristic that permits YouTubers to just do that — without spending a dime. The on-line video platform has launched a free plan that brings its site-making and video search engine optimization instruments to the YouTube ecosystem to let customers rapidly create their very own branded vacation spot websites.

And the perfect half? VidCaster’s free plan routinely syncs together with your YouTube channel, so past the preliminary setup, no upkeep is required. Videos routinely pop up in your YouTube channel when you’ve uploaded them there, and vice versa.

The startup’s first incarnation was a customized content material workflow answer that was constructed for a neighborhood San Francisco video media property. VidCaster Co-founder and CEO Kieran Farr stated that, after a while, it realized that the video workflow administration instrument they’d created might be become a kind of white label service that might be utilized by all video producers.

Farr stated that by offering SMBs and small video producers with the expertise to handle their video work movement, internet hosting, and search engine optimization, they wish to let video producers get again to specializing in their content material and the artistic elements moderately than coping with technical and workflow logistics.

VidCaster joined 500 Startups’ summer season batch, the place the CEO stated that Dave McClure and firm inspired them to concentrate on their metrics and to think about launching a freemium mannequin to monetize the enterprise.

VidCaster had initially launched with paid plans, like VidCaster Silver (at $39 a month) and Gold (at $99 a month), which provide elevated ranges of storage, bandwidth, and variety of customers. After constructing out their suite of options, the startup has now elected to go freemium with its YouTube plan — in what’s seemingly a reverse trajectory for many startups, which have a tendency to begin with freemium enterprise fashions.

Farr stated that he thinks that Heroku’s method to monetization, making the platform open and accessible with most options out there without spending a dime, is the best way to go. Then, if customers need deeper performance or customization, solely then does it make sense for them to pay. And thus far, it’s been working for shoppers like Zendesk, Twilio, and Airbnb.

Today, VidCaster’s free plan permits customers to decide on a professionally-designed web site theme, add their emblem, and choose customized backgrounds and colours to create a tailor-made search for their movies. And like their paid plans, the brand new free plan contains automated video search engine optimization to direct search outcomes on Google and different engines like google again to a person’s area.

Users of the startup’s free plan can arrange their web site on their very own area identify for $20 a 12 months, although for these customers that wish to put their emblem of their participant, run their very own ads, customise CSS and HTML, and many others., VidCaster is pushing these customers to enroll in their paid plans.

VidCaster’s one-click video web site maker and internet hosting and administration platform has additionally discovered attraction amongst buyers, because the startup is asserting right this moment that it has raised $350,000 in seed funding led by Quest Venture Partners.

The funding is a component of a bigger spherical that the corporate is at present elevating, which seems to incorporate contributions from a number of different angel and enterprise buyers. Farr stated that the corporate will use the brand new capital to rent further builders and push ahead to the purpose the place they will launch a full-fledged API in order that third-parties can begin hacking.

For SMBs, company entrepreneurs and content material producers, VidCaster is a cool different to the trouble of getting to mix separate content material administration companies, like YouTube and WordPress or Brightcove and Custom CMS, for instance. With automated video search engine optimization optimization, YouTube syncing, one-click distribution to a number of video websites, and analytics, VidCaster might be an excellent useful resource for SMBs on the lookout for a fast solution to host their movies in a approach that’s in line with their model.

For extra on VidCaster, check ’em out at home here.