How to remove related videos on embedded youtube videos in Squarespace

If you're incorporating YouTube videos into your Squarespace website, particularly for educational purposes or to cross-promote social content, you've likely encountered a common challenge. After your video finishes playing, YouTube automatically displays 'related videos.' These videos often revolve around similar topics and come from various creators across the platform.

While this feature is perfectly acceptable when you're casually using YouTube for entertainment, it can become quite vexing when you're sharing business-related content. As a business owner, the last thing you want is for YouTube to divert your potential leads to other content, potentially even to your competitors!

While it may be impossible to completely eliminate these related videos, there's a solution to ensure that your content takes center stage. Let's explore how to address this issue and showcase only related videos from your channel.

Here are the Process 

• Start by Going to the YouTube video you want to share.

• Click on the "embed" icon provided by YouTube.

• To acquire the embed code, click on "copy" located in the bottom right corner.

• On your Squarespace website, navigate to the specific page where you intend to embed the video.

• Add an embed block to your page and position it according to your preferred location for the video.

• Within the "embed as" options, you'll have a choice between "link" and "code snippet."

• While it may seem simpler to paste the YouTube video URL in the "link" section, we will opt for "code snippet" to give us more control over the embedded video and ensure that only related videos from our YouTube channel are showcased.

• Click on "embed data."

• Paste the YouTube embed code into the provided space.

• In the code, insert "?rel=0" after the URL (prior to the quotation marks).

• Return to the previous screen.

• Enable the "custom featured image" toggle.

These steps will help you embed your YouTube video on your Squarespace website while ensuring that only related videos from your channel are displayed.

Add a thumbnail image to your content.

This step is crucial! When you use the embed block to add a YouTube video, Squarespace sometimes struggles with scaling it correctly. You might notice that as you adjust the screen size, the video doesn't adapt, making it non-responsive – not an ideal situation!

However, there's a simple solution.

• By uploading a Custom Featured Image, Squarespace will make the video scale responsively, just like it does when you add a video via a link.

• You have the flexibility to upload various types of content in this section, whether it's a regular image or a custom thumbnail like the ones you use on

  YouTube (Canva is great for creating these!). A friendly reminder, the recommended specs for a YouTube thumbnail are 1280px by 720px.

Once you've uploaded this image, you're all set!

Don't forget to hit "Save" in the top left corner to save your changes.

While this trick doesn't completely eliminate related videos at the end of your embedded YouTube video, it significantly increases the chances of your audience sticking around on your channel instead of wandering off to someone else's.

FAQs About Removing Related Videos on Embedded YouTube Videos in Squarespace

1. Does the rel=0 parameter still work in 2025?

Yes, the rel=0 parameter works, but it limits related videos to the same channel instead of removing them entirely. This helps maintain relevance and reduces distractions for your viewers.

2. Can I remove all YouTube branding from embedded videos?

No, YouTube branding cannot be completely removed from free accounts. However, premium video hosting platforms like Vimeo or Wistia offer options for branding customization and ad-free playback.

3. Are there better alternatives to YouTube for embedding videos in Squarespace?

Yes, Vimeo and Wistia are excellent alternatives for embedding videos. They offer ad-free playback, greater branding control, and higher customization options compared to YouTube.

4. Can I control autoplay and video size in the embed code?

Yes, you can customize autoplay and video dimensions by modifying the embed code. For example, add autoplay=1 to enable autoplay or adjust the width and height attributes to set the video size.

5. Will removing related videos affect my YouTube channel’s performance?

No, adding rel=0 does not impact your YouTube channel’s visibility or performance. It only modifies the playback behavior on your website.