On January 27, 2015, YouTube removed the ability to embed videos using anything other than iFrames. Previously, embedding videos could be done using object tags, which allowed for improved chances of an embedded YouTube video being crawled and indexed by Google.
With this functionality removed, the use of Schema markup and video sitemaps has become increasingly important. The removal of the object embed feature could be Google’s attempt at forcing video marketers to be more technologically capable. Videos embedded using iFrames are historically unlikely to be indexed by Google. They are basically forcing any website using YouTube embeds to really know their stuff in order to get those videos indexed on their personal page.
This added difficulty could also be Google’s way of further strengthening their hold on the online video market. With fewer YouTube videos showing up in search on third party websites, YouTube continues to attract the bulk of video traffic from search engines.
