How SmartVideo works
Two lines of code. That’s the entire setup. Add SmartVideo’s script to your site header, place a <smartvideo> tag where you want a video, and our CDN handles delivery, encoding, and optimization automatically. WordPress users get a plugin that makes it even simpler.
How SmartVideo Works
Two lines of code. That’s the entire setup. Add SmartVideo’s script to your site header, place a <smartvideo> tag where you want a video, and our CDN handles delivery, encoding, and optimization automatically. WordPress users get a plugin that makes it even simpler.
The Short Version
Step 1 — Add the script. Copy one line of JavaScript from your SmartVideo dashboard and paste it into your site’s <head> section. (WordPress users: install the SmartVideo plugin instead — it handles this automatically.)
Step 2 — Place your videos. Use the <smartvideo> tag anywhere on your page. Point it at an MP4 file or a Vimeo URL. SmartVideo accepts both.
Step 3 — SmartVideo does the rest. Your video is automatically served through our global CDN (300+ edge locations), encoded to adaptive bitrate for every device, and delivered with a clean, brandless player. No buffering. No ads. No third-party links.
Not Another Video Platform — A Video Delivery Layer
Most video hosting platforms ask you to upload videos to their servers, manage a library, and use their proprietary embed codes. SmartVideo works differently. You keep your videos where they are. SmartVideo doesn’t require you to re-upload or migrate anything. Point a <smartvideo> tag at any video URL — your own server, Google Drive, Dropbox, S3, or Vimeo — and SmartVideo accelerates delivery through its CDN. Your source files stay where they are.
Auto-conversion for Vimeo. Already have Vimeo embeds on your site? Turn on “Auto SmartVideo” and every existing embed gets replaced with the SmartVideo player automatically. No manual editing. No broken links. If you cancel, everything reverts to the original embeds.
What Happens After You Hit Play
Here’s what SmartVideo does that standard embeds don’t: 1. Global CDN routing. When a visitor loads your page, SmartVideo routes the video request to the nearest of 300+ edge servers worldwide. A viewer in Tokyo gets the video from a server in Tokyo, not your origin server in the US. 2. Adaptive bitrate streaming. SmartVideo automatically encodes your video into multiple quality levels and serves the right one based on each viewer’s connection speed and device. No buffering.
3. Preloading and instant start. SmartVideo begins loading the first few seconds of video as soon as the page loads — before the visitor even hits play. Playback starts in under a second. 4. Lightweight player. The SmartVideo player loads asynchronously and doesn’t block page rendering. It weighs a fraction of YouTube’s iframe, which means better Core Web Vitals and faster Largest Contentful Paint (LCP).
Setup by Platform
WordPress (easiest)
Go to Plugins → Add New → search “SmartVideo.” Activate the plugin and enter your Swarmify API key. Enable “Auto SmartVideo” to optimize all videos site-wide. Done. Every video on your site now loads through the CDN. Time: ~2 minutes. No theme edits, no shortcodes.
Shopify
Go to Online Store → Themes → Edit Code. Open theme.liquid and paste the SmartVideo script in the <head> section. Add <smartvideo> tags in any Custom HTML block on your pages. Time: ~5 minutes.
Squarespace
Go to Settings → Advanced → Code Injection → Header. Paste the SmartVideo script. Add <smartvideo> tags inside Code Blocks on your pages. Time: ~5 minutes.
Any HTML Site
Add the script to your <head>. Add <smartvideo> tags in your <body>. Time: ~2 minutes.
What You Get with SmartVideo
Clean, brandless player that matches your site. Responsive design for every device. Adaptive bitrate streaming that adjusts quality in real time. Preloading for sub-second start times. Auto Vimeo conversion with one toggle. Unlimited bandwidth and encoding on every plan, starting at $19/month.
There's a good chance your website visitors are seeing this on your videos...
FAQ
(we get these a lot)
Who is Swarmify? 🐝
Swarmify is a video acceleration company focused on bringing the streaming technologies used by the biggest names in the streaming video industry (Netflix, Hulu) to everyone in a simple package. We offer the world's fastest video at an affordable price to all.
What is SmartVideo? ▶️
SmartVideo is Swarmify's mission realized: the power of Netflix-quality streaming made simple for everyone. The SmartVideo platform includes a professional, modern player making use of our patented network technology providing stall-out free playback at maximum bitrates.
Who is SmartVideo for? 👩
We built SmartVideo with two groups of people in mind: developers looking to build a professional but simple video experience for themselves or their clients and sales-focused small to medium-sized business owners tired of YouTube's branding and recommended videos cluttering their site's video experience and impacting their sales. You can find video hosting case studies on a few of our customers on our blog.
Who is SmartVideo not for? ⛔
SmartVideo is not for you if "free" is your only option. In that case, YouTube is probably still your best bet despite their branding, recommended videos, and purposeful intent of directing your visitors away from your site and onto YouTube.
Why should I choose SmartVideo over YouTube? 🤔
As we said before, YouTube is your best option if you are unable to pay anything for video delivery and don't necessarily need your site to appear professional. However, YouTube is not providing playback on your site free of charge. They are funneling users from your site with recommended videos and capturing your visitor's attention with their logo. If you don't mind losing a steady percentage of visitors and having YouTube's branding on your site, YouTube is a good option.
Can I use this for live video? 📽️
We don't currently support live video with our SmartVideo product. If you would like to be notified when we do add support for it, please email our Support Team and they will put you on the notification list.
I use Vimeo on my site. How do I transition to SmartVideo? 🎓
If you use Vimeo on your site, your workflow is probably something like this:
- Upload to Vimeo
- Grab your embed code from Vimeo
- Place the embed code where you want the video on your site.
Once SmartVideo is installed, you won't need to change your current workflow at all to get a professional video experience on your site. SmartVideo places all your Vimeo embeds into our clutter-free player without any extra work on your part.
How do the auto Vimeo conversions work? ♻️
When you embed a Vimeo video on your site, SmartVideo sees the embed, downloads the file, and re-encodes it. From then on, the video is delivered over our intelligent network, through our player.
What kind of websites can I use SmartVideo on? 💻
SmartVideo works on any site you can add script to the header on. That includes any site you create with WordPress, Squarespace, or Adobe Muse. For WordPress users, we have a WordPress plugin that allows for even easier deployment. If you have any questions regarding the kind of sites we work on, just chat us up!
Do you have any restrictions on content types? 🚫
Swarmify does not have any specific restrictions on acceptable content types. You may use our video delivery for any content that is legally permissible subject to United States law; and for which you have the appropriate rights to use and transmit to your customers.
We are responsive to the DMCA process. Any communication in this regard may be sent to legal@swarmify.com. See our terms and conditions for additional details.
Ready to See the Difference?
SmartVideo was built for site owners who want their videos to load fast, look clean, and work on every device. Set up in minutes — not hours. 14-day free trial. No credit card required.