I recently built a small WordPress plugin with a very specific objective:
make product videos visible without breaking the page layout or harming performance.
No page builders.
No heavy embeds.
No unnecessary complexity.
The problem
Videos increase trust and conversion, but on WordPress product pages they are often implemented poorly:
- Instagram embeds are heavy
- Video sections disrupt layout flow
- Plugins add too many scripts
- UX becomes intrusive instead of helpful
Clients wanted something straightforward:
- A floating video entry point
- Clear explanatory text (e.g. “See the product in video”)
- Support for Instagram and self-hosted videos
- Full control via WordPress admin
The solution
I built a lightweight floating video balloon plugin for WordPress.
Core features:
- Floating video trigger (balloon-style)
- Opens a modal video player
- Supports:
- Instagram video URLs
- Self-hosted MP4 videos
- Optional informational popup message
- Fully configurable text via admin panel
- No external JS frameworks
The plugin stays out of the way until the user chooses to interact.
Technical decisions
Some deliberate choices made this plugin effective:
- PHP for clean WordPress hooks and settings
- Vanilla JavaScript only
- Scoped CSS to avoid theme conflicts
- No jQuery dependency
- Minimal DOM footprint
Performance and predictability came first.
Why this works
- Videos are accessible without hijacking the layout
- Marketing teams can swap videos without touching code
- Works even if Instagram is removed from the strategy
- Fits product pages, landing pages, and blog posts
It solves one problem — and solves it well.
Takeaway
Good plugins don’t try to do everything.
They:
- Respect performance
- Respect layout
- Respect user attention
This project reinforced that small, focused tools often deliver the biggest UX wins.
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