A new tool is now available as part of the Basic Widget Package for EverWeb 4.3 and later: the YouTube Advanced widget. This widget provides a more efficient, privacy-conscious way to include YouTube videos on your website—without relying on autoplay or immediate third-party requests.

Delay YouTube Video Loading Until Clicked

The primary function of this widget is simple but essential: the YouTube video will not load until the visitor actively clicks the play button. Until that happens, there is no data requested from YouTube’s servers. This provides the following benefits:

• Improved GDPR compliance by avoiding unsolicited third-party requests

• Faster initial page loads, since video content is not fetched until needed

• Reduced tracking by external services, protecting visitor privacy

This makes it especially valuable for websites targeting EU users or anyone concerned with optimizing their web site load speeds and minimizing external dependencies. Instead of loading the video, your custom thumbnail image is shown until your visitor clicks the play button.

Layout and Appearance Integration

The EverWeb Garden YouTube Advanced Widget supports a range of customization options to match your website’s design. These include:

• Custom overlay thumbnail – Define the image that appears before the video is played

• Custom play button – Customize the play button to match your website's design

• Overlay text support – Add a headline or label with your own fonts and styles

• Start and end times – Configure playback to begin and end at specific points in your video

It also supports aspect ratio settings for 16:9, 4:3, square, vertical, or custom layouts, and lets you define maximum width or height for responsive or fixed layouts.

Behavior and YouTube Branding Options

Beyond appearance, the widget offers advanced control of your video player's interface:

• Enable or disable YouTube branding (modest branding setting reduces YouTube logo and branding)

• Enable or disable video looping

• Choose whether the video starts muted

The widget is built with efficiency in mind. All styles are rendered with minimal CSS for faster rendering across devices, including mobile and lower-powered browser

System Requirements and Availability

• Requires EverWeb version 4.3 or later

• Included in the Basic Widget Package, no additional purchase necessary if you own any of our Widget packages

• No external JavaScript required — fully self-contained for EverWeb users

The EverWeb Garden YouTube Advanced widget gives EverWeb users enhanced control over embedded YouTube videos while addressing performance and privacy concerns. It’s ideal for business sites, portfolios, blogs, and landing pages where load speed, design consistency, and visitor privacy are priorities.

To get started, login to your account and check the Basic Widgets page for the download link.

If you are not yet a subscriber to our Widget packages, you can get over 70 powerful EverWeb widgets for one low price by subscribing to our EverWeb Widget library.