Online Courses are important media assets that need to be hosted on a secure platform.

Online courses are becoming extremely popular due to the flexibility and convenience they offer. Countless platforms can help you to create and sell your online courses. The challenge is to find the right one. The platform you choose can make a difference in the value you provide your students. Some of the key factors you need to consider when making a choice of platform are ease of use, features, security, analytics, and support.

Key factors to consider for an online course platform

An online course platform allows you to design, market, and host your online courses. Each course platform usually has its own unique selling points. However, there are some universal factors to consider when choosing an online course platform.

1. User experience

• Responsive design and mobile-friendliness are essential for a good user experience. Students should be able to receive quality video content at speed no matter where they watch from or what device or browser they use.
• When you create online courses, the course structure and delivery can affect the user experience. Can students watch one video after another and progress in a linear way through course content without getting lost?
• Are students able to easily navigate and find what they need? If the search is hard and they find it difficult to navigate around course content, it will detract from the learning experience.
• Can you structure your courses into units or modules? For example, video chaptering divides videos into manageable sections. Students can access what they need without having to watch a whole video.

2. Customization options

If your courses are clearly your own and align with your branding, you can create a strong brand identity. It will help to give your course authority and credibility. Customization options may include being able to use your own design, logo, colors, and fonts.

Using a private video hosting platform allows you to embed videos on your own website without all the disadvantages of hosting them yourself. If you host them yourself you are likely to have bandwidth, storage, and technical difficulties. The option to customize your courses and video player means they will fit seamlessly on your website and reinforce your brand identity.

3. Content security

Privacy and security are of utmost importance when it comes to creating, hosting and selling online courses. You must be able to offer students privacy and protection of their confidential information. This requires you to comply with various data protection regulations.

It is also possible for unauthorized users to steal your course content and distribute it without your consent. If a course contains confidential company information, unauthorized access to it could have severe consequences. The platform you use should offer various security measures such as encryption, two-factor authentication, right-click protection, domain lock, and watermarking to stop this from happening.

4. Engagement tools

• Does the platform offer the option for you to use multimedia, including video, audio, and images? Using text alone is not as engaging and can result in less retention of material. Studies show that using videos in online courses offers the most engagement and retention.
• Are there a variety of interactive features to create active rather than passive learning? These features may include annotations, quizzes, polls, and subtitles. Annotations can offer further information without interrupting the flow of a video. Quizzes after a lesson allow you to assess a student’s progress. Polls can help you to get student feedback. Subtitles increase accessibility to your online courses.
• Are you able to set up a discussion forum? This gives your students the opportunity to share ideas and tips. You can also answer questions, provide feedback, etc.

5. Integrations

Integrations you should look for are those with software systems you already use. This may be with email marketing software, video conferencing tools, or CRM systems. A learning management system (LMS) isn’t built specifically for hosting videos like a private video hosting platform. If you can integrate a video hosting platform and an LMS, it will help if you host online courses that consist mainly of videos.

6. Scalability

You may only have plans to launch one course for a handful of students. But if this works out, you may want to increase your number of courses and what you have to offer in the future. Check whether a platform offers the option to scale if you should choose to do so.

7. Support and Resources

Online course platforms typically offer various types of support including email, phone, and live chat support. They usually have comprehensive tutorials, documentation, and FAQs to address common queries and provide self-help resources. Platforms may also have community forums where users can interact, share insights, and receive assistance from peers.

Top Platforms for Hosting Online Courses

1. Cincopa

Cincopa offers multimedia management and high-speed video hosting. It is easy to customize templates to create galleries for your courses and you can also customize the HTML5 video player. The platform has many useful marketing and community engagement tools. You can integrate with other software such as your LMS to streamline your workflows. One of the main advantages is the advanced security measures it offers to protect your online course content and prevent unauthorized access. Advanced analytics provide you with actionable insights that can help you to improve your course performance.

2. Teachable

Teachable has a user-friendly interface, course creation tools, built-in marketing features, and integrated payment options. You can build a website and create sales pages for launching your course. You can choose to use subscriptions or a one-time fee for your course. A native email marketing tool lets you filter and message students when they enroll or complete a course. A disadvantage is that it only has three design templates and customization options are limited.

3. Udemy

Udemy is a good platform for launching your first course. It has a wide reach and a large user base. Course creation tools and promotional features are some of its advantages. To create a paid course on Udemy, you first have to apply to become a premium instructor. On approval, you can follow some easy steps to help you create your first course. All your courses need at least 30 minutes of video and five lectures. You can add quizzes, assignments, and discussion prompts. A disadvantage is that it takes a significant revenue share of your course sales.

4. Thinkific

Thinkific has a user-friendly interface and many customizable add-ons. It offers course creation templates pre-populated with sample content. You can manage your course curriculum with drag-and-drop content editing tools. You can customize courses to match your brand. Payment options are integrated and you can offer different options at checkout. It is free to build one course for unlimited students. However, the free plan doesn’t include advanced features or offer many community engagement tools.

Conclusion

Cincopa is a top private video hosting platform for creating and selling online courses. It allows you to upload videos, audio, and text and gives you complete control over your customizing your online courses. It offers top-notch security features, integration with software you already use, and advanced analytics.

A free 30-day trial of Cincopa will allow you to explore and ascertain whether it’s the right choice for hosting your online courses.