What is the first thing that visitors to your YouTube channel see? That’s the cover of your videos, telling them what they should expect from watching them. The more engaging and clear it is, the more clicks your videos can get. Therefore, you should learn how to boost YouTube thumbnail click-through rates.
What does that mean? If you want to get more clicks, you should focus on creating eye-catching thumbnails for your videos because this one-shot image is the most essential thing that can change the destiny of your video.
Table of Contents
What Is Click-Through Rate on YouTube?
First, knowing the definition of click-through rate is important to understand how to take advantage of it.
Click-through-rate (CTR) on YouTube is a metric that measures how often viewers watch a video after seeing its thumbnail as a suggestion.
Every YouTube video has different metrics. When people see your YouTube thumbnail or cover, your video gets one impression, and every time they click on the video to watch it, your video will get one click. That’s the simplest way that YouTube metrics work.
By analyzing CTR, content creators, and marketers can gain insights into the appeal and relevance of their videos to their target audience.
Additionally, a high CTR signifies that viewers find your content valuable, which can lead to longer watch times, increased engagement, and potentially higher conversion rates.
Why Is Click-Through Rate on YouTube Important?
Here are some reasons why Click-Through-Rate is important:
- It Helps Measure Engagement. The higher CTR indicates that your title, thumbnail, and content engage your audience.
- CTR Impacts Video Visibility. The number of clicks you get on your video is one of the key factors that YouTube considers while recommending videos to viewers.
- Click-Through-Rate Affects Ad Revenue. YouTubers can make money from the ads displayed on their videos. People should click on their thumbnail to see the video, and the ad is displayed after their click. Therefore, more clicks bring more ad revenue.
- It Guides Content Creation. You should know that it’s your audience that can lead to creating content. By analyzing CTR, you can discover what is more interesting to your audience. This will also help you get more YouTube subscribers by creating content aligned with your audience’s needs and preferences.
How Is Click-Through Rate on YouTube Calculated?
To make it more transparent, let’s see how it is calculated.
YouTube calculates CTR by dividing the number of clicks your video gets by the number of impressions it receives and multiplying it by 100.
Let’s say your video gets 1000 impressions, and 100 people click on it. Your CTR will be:
(100/1000) x 100= %10
Even in the best-case scenario, you will not get as many clicks as the impression. But you can increase it with different strategies.
First, you need to know what factors can affect this number.
CTR is influenced by several factors, such as:
1. YouTube Thumbnails
As the formula shows, the most important factor affecting the Click-Through Rate on YouTube is the video’s thumbnail.
That’s why optimizing YouTube thumbnails is the first thing you should consider while uploading your video on this platform.
2. Video Titles
Undoubtedly, the video’s title can make people click on the video or leave it. Furthermore, a well-optimized title can help people discover your video via search.
Therefore, it is essential to think about keywords, power words, and questions people might ask.
3. Call-to-Action
A call to action (CTA) on YouTube is a message that invites viewers to perform a specific action after watching a video. There are different ways to add a CTA to your YouTube videos.
One of the best ways to add a CTA to your video is in the title or thumbnail. These are the only places your viewer can encounter your CTA before viewing the video. Therefore, create titles that can call your audience to click and view your video.
4. The Content Type and Format
Generally, particular niches tend to attract more clicks on videos. For example, entertainment is usually among the top categories on YouTube. Furthermore, some people call YouTube the most extensive online university due to the number of educational videos on this platform.
However, knowing that the CTR on some categories is usually more doesn’t mean you should make a video on that category. You only need to know what can be a good CTR for your content type and focus on improving it.
5. Video’s Views and Likes
One of the metrics people can see on each video is its views. This is a psychological factor that can impact CTR. If they see a video that has lots of views, it calls them to click on the video to see why others have watched it.
Besides that, the number of likes can also impact your audience’s clicks on the video. More likes indicate that people have found this video interesting. So, visitors to your channel might click on videos with more views or likes.
The good news is that you can easily increase these metrics to help people get engaged with your content. How is it possible?
Buy YouTube views from buyfollowers.com, a social media booster that helps new content creators get more attention on social media. However, it’s better to have a balance between views and likes to prevent any scam.
Meanwhile, whether you buy YouTube likes or views, you can be sure that all the profiles that are added to your video are organic-like. It means they all have profile pictures with recent activities.
We recommend you check this method to increase your chance of getting more clicks on your YouTube videos.
You can also check our case study to see how we could help our client get 600K subscribers on YouTube.
What Is a Good Click-Through-Rate on YouTube?
As mentioned, there is no exact rate for a good CTR because it depends on your niche and how long you are making videos on YouTube. However, based on YouTube’s own report, most videos get between 2-10% CTR. Therefore, this can be what you should think about in general.
Meanwhile, you can evaluate your CTR based on the following table:
| Channels | Average CTR |
| New (One or Two-Week Old) | 2-4% |
| New (Less Than a Year) | 4-6% |
| Established Channels | 10-15% |
The CTR of your video is not visible to the public. Therefore, no one can discover how many clicks you are getting out of the impressions you get. However, some of the top YouTubers sometimes reveal this secret to inspire newcomers to this platform to keep their hopes and try more.
Mr.Beast Tips About Getting More Click-Through-Rate
Mr.Beast is very popular among the YouTubers. He is the highest-paid YouTuber, with over 240 million subscribers and more than 43 billion views on his channel. Let’s check out his YouTube thumbnails and what he has claimed to get the highest click-through rate on YouTube.
Look at the latest videos he has created on YouTube; what do you see on the thumbnails?
- In all his thumbnails, we can see his face showing an emotion.
- All his thumbnails have colors, making you distinguish different objects from the image.
- We can also see how he has taken advantage of AI for social media.
Well, let’s see what are his tips about boosting YouTube thumbnail click-through-rate:
1- Don’t Use Text on Thumbnails
We can rarely see text on Mr.Beast’s thumbnails. He believes that you shouldn’t add text to your thumbnails unless it adds value.
Your audience can see your title under the video; adding the same text to the thumbnail is nonsense. That’s one of the mistakes most YouTubers make.
Therefore, only add text to the thumbnail if it is going to tell something more than your title, and it shouldn’t exceed 2 words.
2- Write Short Titles
Your video title is as crucial as the thumbnail and should be optimized. Mr.Beast usually writes short titles. He suggests to keep the title under 60 characters. However, it might be more difficult to write an optimized title that is short and engaging. But you should be more creative then.
3- Your Current Content Is Important
One thing that is obvious about Mr.Beast is that he is well-known. People have seen several videos and know his content. That’s why he gets more clicks on his videos.
But the critical thing to consider here is that your current video can impact the CTR of your next video because if people find it interesting, they will like to see more from you. Therefore, they are more likely to click on your next video, even without thinking about its thumbnail.
How to Optimize YouTube Thumbnail Click-Through-Rate?
Besides Mr.Beast’s tips on boosting YouTube thumbnail click-through rate, here are general strategies you can follow to optimize YouTube thumbnails to get more clicks.
1. Use the Right Dimensions and Resolution
The first thing to consider while creating a YouTube thumbnail is the image’s dimensions. You should create a rectangular shape image with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Furthermore, the standard YouTube thumbnail resolution is 1280 x 720 pixels. JPG, GIF, or PNG are the accepted formats for YouTube thumbnails.
2. Use Inviting Colors (Red/Yellow/Green)
Colors are so helpful when it comes to creating a YouTube thumbnail because they have a psychological impact on people’s actions.
Vivid colors like red, green, and yellow can invite your audience to take action, which, in this case, is clicking on the video. When checking top YouTubers’ thumbnails, you can see they at least add one of these colors to their thumbnail design.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t use other colors, or you should use all these colors together. It’s better to use these colors to make an object shine on your cover or just to create an inviting atmosphere.
Check out Jake Paul’s video thumbnails to get some inspiration.
Here are some tips that can help you use colors more effectively:
- Consider the mood and feeling of your video content before choosing colors for your thumbnails.
- Choose two or three colors that work well together and can make your audience feel the emotion in your video.
- Think about your background color first. Avoid using colors that blend in with the background.
- Test different colors and combinations and see how they perform.
3. Use Two of More Faces in Your Thumbnails
Faces have emotions, and emotions talk to people. That’s why it’s essential to have at least one face on your thumbnail.
First, faces can build a connection with viewers because faces can create a sense of trust and familiarity. Furthermore, when they see different videos, they will recognize you and feel more like viewing your next videos.
Therefore, having your face on the YouTube thumbnail can boost the click-through rate on YouTube.
DudePerfect is a group of 5 people who are among the top YouTubers, with 60 million subscribers. See how they have taken advantage of using faces on their video thumbnails.
4. Show Strong Emotions
If you want to communicate with your audience, you should show strong emotions or make eye contact.
This strategy is connected with the previous one. Adding just a face to your thumbnail is not enough. Your thumbnail should express a feeling, and that happens when you show strong emotions.
Do you know whose facial expressions are so popular on social media?
Check out Khaby’s YouTube to see how this comedian makes first impressions by creating facial expressions.
5. Use Simple and Eye-catching Designs
Simplicity is the key. Declutter your thumbnail design and use only the necessary elements in it, whether it’s the objects or the colors.
What can you do to make your YouTube thumbnail as simple as possible? Think about the background first because it takes up most of your design. Then, choose the elements and colors.
For example, if you want to emphasize an object in your thumbnail, choose the most vibrant color and add a more soothing or neutral color to the background. This way, you can make that object shine in your design.
6. Create Information Gap on Your Thumbnail
The first impression is so important on YouTube. Your thumbnail should make your audience curious about what’s happening in the video. So, when they look at your thumbnail, they should think about questions like:
- How did that happen?
- What is going on?
- Who is this person?
- What happens next?
- Why is he making that face?
7. Add Text to Thumbnail
Remember Mr. Beast’s tip about not adding text to the thumbnail? Text can be useful on thumbnails; it can provide clarity, context, and appeal to a video. But how do you use it in the best way?
Here are some tips and tricks to help you use texts in a meaningful and valuable way:
- Less is more– don’t write a story on your thumbnail! Just a short-expression or the main information in the video is enough.
- Size matters– harmony between your text, your objects, and the background should exist. Choose the size that is readable on all devices. Avoid using large, all-caps text because it will usually overshadow other objects or make your design cluttered.
- Choose the right color– Use colors that create contrast and harmony with your background and image.
- Text Placement- Position your text strategically in your thumbnail, ensuring it doesn’t cover any important parts of your image or video.
Add numbers- If you are making a series of videos, you can add the number of the episode on the thumbnail. Furthermore, if your video is about making money, adding numbers on the thumbnail can make it more eye-catching.
8. Have Your Own Style
It’s always good to stick to these strategies to boost YouTube thumbnail click-through rate. But you should have your own style, too.
Creating thumbnails for different categories might not always be the same. If you create a style for your thumbnails, your audience can always recognize you, even if you don’t follow all of the mentioned rules.
Check out SSundee video thumbnails, which is one of the famous Minecraft YouTubers in the United States. His thumbnail design is far different than Mr.Beast’s, isn’t it?
When checking his video thumbnails, you can discover what he does. All these cute, colorful characters tell us what his videos are all about, and he is recognized for this style.
What other strategies has he followed on his video thumbnails?
9. A/B Test Different Designs
If you are new on YouTube, you probably don’t know what works well for your channel. Therefore, you should try different thumbnails and compare their performance.
You can also ask your viewers to vote on the thumbnails to see which one is more interesting to them. It may take your time, but it is worth analyzing. The A/B test can help you find your style and get more clicks on your thumbnails.
10. Compare Your Thumbnails with Competitors
It’s essential to keep an eye on your competitors to see what they do to get more views and clicks on YouTube.
However, that doesn’t mean to copy what they do. Since most of their audience is similar to yours, checking your competitors can give you ideas about what is more interesting to your audience.
You should also analyze your own audience by checking YouTube Analytics.
How to Create a Thumbnail Template for YouTube?
You can also create YouTube thumbnail templates using the following thumbnail design tools:
Canva
You can find several free YouTube templates on the Canva app and website. Customizing Canva templates is easier than you think. You can add elements, change colors, and write text on the thumbnails.
Even if you are not a professional designer, Canva helps you create eye-catching YouTube thumbnails.
KapWing
This free online video editing platform allows you to create YouTube thumbnails by choosing a frame from your video and adding text, graphics, and filters.
You don’t need any specific design knowledge while using this too. However, creativity is the key to designing a better YouTube thumbnail.
Capcut
CapCut is a simple and effective tool for designing attractive and effective YouTube thumbnails that can increase your click-through rate and views.
You can create a thumbnail from scratch or use one of the predesigned YouTube thumbnails on Capcut.
Here is the complete guide to making a template with Capcut.
Renderforest
Another tool that can help you design eye-catching YouTube thumbnails is the Renderforest.
This online video maker allows you to choose from a variety of thumbnail templates for different niches and genres and customize them with your own images, text, colors, and fonts.
Bottom Line
Click-through rate is one of the most essential metrics on YouTube that can tell you how well your videos perform and how people are engaged with your content. One of the main factors that can increase this rate is the thumbnail you create for your videos.
Follow the mentioned tips and tricks to create and optimize your YouTube thumbnails and boost CTR.
FAQs
Is 7% a good click-through rate on YouTube?
In general, the average CTR for top and famous YouTubers is between 2 to 10%. Therefore, 7% is considered a good rate. However, you should note that the impressions you get on your videos is also important.
Are there any tools to track the click-through rate of my YouTube videos?
YouTube Analytics is the best tool you can choose to track the CTR of your videos. It’s the official tool provided by YouTube. You can enter the platform and access various metrics and reports about your videos, including CTRs.
Does the length of my YouTube video affect its click-through rate?
Yes, the length of your YouTube video can indeed affect its click-through rate. Generally, shorter videos often have higher click-through rates as they require less of a time commitment from viewers.
Many users are more likely to click on a video that they know won’t take up too much of their time. You should note that the time of your video is visible to your audience.
However, you can add time to your title or thumbnail to grab their attention. For example, the 5-minute crafts channel gets high CTRs because its viewers know what to expect from the video.
