Embed YouTube Block – Fast Loading Videos, Shorts & Playlists vs Contests by Rewards Fuel

The default embed block for YouTube videos sucks. It slows down your site. The more videos on the page the more it slow. This single-block plugin fixes that. Why this block is better than the default one: Instead of loading the entire iframe, only the video thumbnail is loaded, resulting in significant performance improvements Ability to play multiple different videos as a custom playlist or input a playlist ID to play the whole playlist Ability to use a custom image as the video thumbnail Ability to set a custom aspect ratio value for displaying any kind of YouTube videos Ability to loop continuously once it finishes playing Ability to show related videos from the same channel as the initial video Automatically load the video title as the caption The same UI as the default core/embed, and you can use the video title as the caption of the block with one click It can be transformed from/to the core embed block. Automatically convert all default core embed YouTube blocks to this block with one line of code. This plugin also provides a PHP API for developers to render a YouTube video URL as this block; or to automatically transform core/embed YouTube videos into this block. The simplest example is: better_youtube_embed_block_render_block( ['url' => 'https://youtu.be/paSXmpHU9K4'] ); The example with all the parameters is: better_youtube_embed_block_render_block( [ 'url' => 'https://youtu.be/paSXmpHU9K4', 'aspectRatio' => '16/9', 'isMaxResThumbnail' => false, 'thumbnailFormat' => 'jpg', 'caption' => 'My awesome video', 'caption_kses' => false, 'customThumbnail' => 'https://example.com/bg.jpg', 'settings' => ['loop' => 1, 'rel' => 0], 'echo' => false, ] ); To automatically transform all core/embed YouTube videos on your site to this block, you need to put the following code to the wp-config.php file or your theme/plugin: define('BYEB_SPEED_UP_YOUTUBE_VIDEOS', true); or add_filter( 'byeb_speed_up_youtube_videos', '__return_true' ); On iOS, browsers like Safari and Chrome require two clicks to play videos. If you want to allow users to play videos with a single click, you need to add the following code to the wp-config.php file or your theme/plugin: define('BYEB_FORCE_IFRAME_ON_UNSUPPORTED_BROWSERS', true); Please check out this page to see how fast it helps. The page contains around 30 embedded YouTube videos but they don’t slow down the page. If this plugin is useful for you, please do a quick review and rate it on WordPress.org to help us spread the word. I would very much appreciate it. Please check out my other plugins if you’re interested: Content Blocks Builder – Build custom layouts and blocks visually in the Block Editor without needing a code editor, using only core blocks and native Gutenberg features. Meta Field Block – A single block to display custom fields in the Block Editor without coding. It supports ACF, MetaBox, WooCommerce, meta, rest field, shortcode and more. Works everywhere: in the Site Editor (FSE), the Block Editor, inside Query Loop, WooCommerce Product Collection, Term Query blocks, and even in template files. SVG Block – A block to display SVG images as blocks. Useful for images, icons, dividers, and buttons. It allows you to upload SVG images and load them into the icon library. Icon separator – A tiny block just like the core/separator block but with the ability to add an icon. Breadcrumb Block – A simple breadcrumb trail block that supports JSON-LD structured data and is compatible with WooCommerce. Block Enhancements – Adds practical features to blocks like icons, box shadows, transforms, etc. Counting Number Block – A block to display numbers with a counting effect The plugin is developed using @wordpress/create-block.

Contests by Rewards Fuel connects your WordPress site to the Rewards Fuel platform. Use this plugin to embed live contests on any post or page. Create contests, entry methods, prizes, and rules in the Rewards Fuel web dashboard — the plugin handles connection and embedding. What this plugin does Connect your site with an API key from Account → WordPress Integration in the dashboard View your contests inside WordPress admin → Rewards Fuel Copy a shortcode or use the Rewards Fuel Contest Gutenberg block Embed the contest widget on posts, pages, and most themes Link out to the dashboard to edit contests, view stats, and pick winners What you build in Rewards Fuel (not inside WordPress) Contest schedule, rules, prizes, and appearance Entry methods (social actions, newsletter signup, questions, referrals, and more — by plan) Hosted contest page at r-f.page or embed on your own site Statistics, CSV export, winner selection, and prize claim flow Popular entry methods Available entry methods depend on your plan. Examples include: Click to enter — simple one-click entry Newsletter signup — collect email addresses (with optional confirmation for newsletter entries) Refer a friend — bonus entries when friends enter via a share link Answer a question — collect feedback or quiz answers Visit a URL — drive traffic to a landing page Code word — entrants enter a secret phrase Social actions — Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, LinkedIn, Discord, Telegram, Twitch, and more (link-based actions; availability varies by plan) Email list member — allow pre-approved emails on your contest list to enter File upload — photo or document submissions Platform features (dashboard) Physical and digital prizes — upload digital prize files; winners claim online Geo restrictions — block selected countries from entering Bot protection — optional Cloudflare Turnstile per contest Custom appearance — colors, fonts, backgrounds, and widget wording 11 widget languages — English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese Contest statistics — entries, methods, countries, traffic, referrers, device breakdown, and entrant summaries CSV export — download confirmed entrants from the dashboard Winner tools — random or manual winner selection; optional auto-pick and winner notification emails when the contest ends Scheduled draws — weekly, daily, or end-of-contest prize draws while live Copy a contest — duplicate setup for your next campaign Embed on WordPress After connecting your API key, embed any contest with: [rewardsfuel id="YOUR_CONTEST_REF"] Legacy shortcodes still work: [rf_contest id="123"] Or add the Rewards Fuel Contest block in the block editor. Pricing Rewards Fuel offers a free tier plus paid plans with more entry methods and stats. All paid plans include unlimited contests and entries. See current pricing at rewardsfuel.com/pricing. Get started Create a free account Create a contest in the dashboard Generate an API key under Account → WordPress Integration In WordPress: Rewards Fuel → Your account → paste your key Copy the shortcode from Rewards Fuel → Contests into any post or page Questions? Email [email protected]. Translations Widget copy supports 11 languages (configured per contest in the dashboard). The WordPress plugin admin UI is English.