=== Youtube Video Search ===
Contributors: mauriya
Donate link: https://www.paypal.me/ryanmahato
Tags: youtube, video search, gutenberg block, video gallery, creator tools
Requires at least: 6.4
Tested up to: 7.0
Requires PHP: 8.0
Stable tag: 3.2.3
License: GPLv2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
A searchable YouTube video wall for your site. Prioritize your own channel, place it via block or widget, with SEO-ready video markup built in.
== Description ==
**Live Demo →**
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qISHmLKOdNE
**Youtube Video Search turns any page on your site into a live YouTube search engine** — with your own channel's videos front and center.
Type a keyword, get real thumbnails, view counts, and a click-to-play embedded player that queues up the rest of the results as a playlist. No page reload, no leaving your site.
It was built with one audience in mind: **YouTube creators, video bloggers, course/membership sites, and media or review sites** who want visitors to discover their video content without bouncing over to youtube.com — and without a dozen manually-embedded iframes to maintain.
= Why creators use it =
* **Your channel comes first.** Add your channel(s) once. Every search checks your channel for matches before anyone sees a public result — or restrict search to your channel only, with one checkbox. Either way, your content is what visitors find.
* **Drop it in anywhere, no code required.** A Gutenberg block, a classic widget, a shortcode, or a template tag — pick whichever fits how you build. All four are the exact same search box under the hood, so behavior never differs between them.
* **It actually helps your SEO**, not just your visitors. Your latest uploads are rendered as real, crawlable links directly in the page's HTML on page load — not hidden behind a search box that only JavaScript can fill in. Every video listing carries schema.org VideoObject structured data (the same markup Google uses for video rich results), and a machine-readable JSON feed of your channel is available for your own tools or AI integrations.
* **Modern, mobile-first design.** A responsive card grid, automatic dark mode, and a fluid video player that looks right from a phone to a widescreen monitor — no theme-specific CSS fighting required.
* **Your API key never leaves your server.** Every YouTube Data API request is proxied through your own site; visitors' browsers never see your key, unlike plugins that print it straight into page JavaScript.
= Features =
* Gutenberg block — search, insert, done. Live preview in the editor.
* Classic widget for any sidebar/footer widget area.
* `[youtubesearch]` shortcode with optional heading/placeholder attributes.
* `ytps_render_search()` template tag for theme developers.
* Multiple instances on one page (e.g. widget + block together) work independently, out of the box.
* Configure one or more of your own channels; matched videos are shown first, or exclusively, your choice.
* Server-rendered, crawlable "latest videos" grid + schema.org JSON-LD for SEO — no JavaScript required for search engines to see real content.
* A cached JSON REST feed of your channel's videos (`/wp-json/ytps/v1/videos`) for your own tooling or AI agents.
* Real-time search suggestions, debounced search-as-you-type, keyboard accessible.
* Modern, mobile-responsive card grid with automatic dark mode.
* Works with or without an API key configured (shows a friendly notice to visitors instead of breaking).
* No third-party CDN dependencies (no Bootstrap, no external jQuery) — uses WordPress core's own bundled scripts.
= Requirements =
* WordPress 6.4+
* PHP 8.0+
* A free YouTube Data API v3 key from Google Cloud Console (the plugin installs and displays fine without one; search itself needs a key)
== Installation ==
= Quick start =
1. Upload the plugin to `/wp-content/plugins/`, or install it through the Plugins screen in your dashboard.
2. Activate the plugin.
3. Go to **Settings → Youtube API Setting**.
4. Enter a YouTube Data API v3 key. Don't have one? Click the "Get a free API key" link on that page — it takes about two minutes in Google Cloud Console (enable the "YouTube Data API v3", then create an API key under Credentials).
5. (Recommended for creators) Enter your channel — a `@handle`, a full channel URL, or a channel name — and choose whether your channel's videos should be shown first alongside public results, or exclusively.
6. Place the search box using whichever method fits your workflow:
* **Block editor:** click **+**, search "YouTube Video Search", insert.
* **Widget:** **Appearance → Widgets**, add "YouTube Video Search" to any widget area.
* **Shortcode:** paste `[youtubesearch]` into any post, page, or text widget.
* **Theme file:** add `` to a template.
Full copy-paste snippets and SEO tips are also available right on the Settings → Youtube API Setting screen after activation, under "How to Use This Plugin."
= Getting an API key (step by step) =
1. Go to [Google Cloud Console](https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials).
2. Create a project (or select an existing one).
3. Go to **APIs & Services → Library**, search for "YouTube Data API v3", and click **Enable**.
4. Go to **APIs & Services → Credentials**, click **Create Credentials → API key**.
5. Copy the key and paste it into Settings → Youtube API Setting on your site.
The free tier covers most small-to-medium sites comfortably; the plugin batches API calls (search + statistics in as few requests as possible, cached where it makes sense) to keep quota use efficient.
== Growing your channel with this plugin ==
A few ways creators get the most out of a searchable video wall:
* **Give it a real page.** Create a "Videos" or "Watch" page, add the block, link to it from your main navigation. That's a page search engines can actually index and rank — a bare embed on your homepage isn't.
* **Prioritize your channel, don't restrict it (usually).** Leaving "Channel Restriction" unchecked means a visitor searching a topic in your niche sees your videos first, with relevant public results as a fallback — better for discovery than an empty result set when your channel hasn't covered that exact keyword yet.
* **Use headings.** Every placement method accepts an optional heading ("Watch Our Tutorials," "Search Our Recipes," etc.) — it renders as a real on-page `