According to YouTube, half of all channels and videos on YouTube get a click through rate
between 2% and 10 %. However, a higher click through rate is not a true indicator of success.
So what is a good click through rate on YouTube?
In this video, you'll learn what impressions and click through rate mean, how to get a
higher click through rate on your videos, and how to analyze the data in YouTube analytics.
My name is Herman Drost from drostdesigns.com.
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What do impressions mean?
It shows how many times YouTube thumbnails will show up on YouTube.
It somewhere has to be shown for at least one second and 50% of it has to be visible
to viewers.
As soon as you upload a new video, YouTube will show it to relevant audiences based upon
hundreds of signals.
Keep in mind that notifications and traffic from external websites and end screens, is
not counted in impressions data.
If you want to learn how to rank your videos on YouTube search, YouTube suggested, and
Google search, click the link in the card.
You'll discover how to optimize your videos so you'll attract more views and subscribers.
What does click through rate mean?
It shows you what percentage of impressions on YouTube turn into views.
A higher click through rate means that people saw your thumbnail and clicked on.
Impressions that are registered on YouTube analytics come from YouTube search, homepage,
YouTube feeds, which include subscriptions, trending, history and watch later, suggested
results, which is recommendations on the right side of a watch page and videos and playlists.
The impressions that don't appear in YouTube analytics are the ones that come from external
websites, apps, YouTube TV, cards and end screens, videos and email and push notifications,
and videos whose thumbnails have less than 50% visibility or appear in less than one
second.
If you get a high click through rate from YouTube thumbnails, why isn't it an indicator
of success?
Your click through rate is highest right after you upload a video because of your subscribers.
Your subscribers tend to be the most engaged on your channel, so we get the most activity
within the first 24 hours.
What if you get a high click through rate, but a low average view duration?
People are clicking on your thumbnails, but you're not delivering the content that is
promised in the thumbnail.
It could also mean that the image of the thumbnail doesn't relate to the content in your video.
If the content's not relevant, they're not going to watch your video all the way through,
so you have a low average view duration.
What if you get a low click through rate but a high average view duration?
This may mean that your thumbnails and tiles are not getting clicked on, but your videos
are getting distributed to a wider audience than your core followers.
Where do you find out where your core followers are coming from?
Go to YouTube analytics and click on traffic sources.
Look at the tiles that come up in YouTube search and on the home screen.
YouTube search and the home screen generally have a high click through rate because the
searcher has a greater intent to watch the video.
For example, they've been entering their search queries in the YouTube search box.
Keep in mind that half of all channels and videos on YouTube have a click through rate
between 2% and 10%.
It's best to compare the click through rate between videos over the long term rather than
the short term.
If you compare them over the short term, you might only have the click through rate from
YouTube search and YouTube suggested videos.
How can you get a higher click through rate on your thumbnails?
Number One, use complementary colors, select colors that work well together.
For example, if your background is blue, use a white foreground.
Just use two or three colors in your color scheme so to attract people to click on the
thumbnail.
Number two, use bold text.
Use large fonts that really stand out, so the test is easy to read.
Number three, use less text.
You only have a few seconds to motivate your viewer to click on the image to watch your
video.
Just add two or three words to your thumbnail, because of you add more it gets a little busy.
Number four, include your face.
Faces and thumbnails tend to get more clicks than ones that don't.
This is because people are attracted to faces and thumbnails particularly the eyes.
Also, make sure that your face can clearly be seen at a small size thumbnail such as
the one that's on a mobile phone.
Number Five, use expressions.
Try to convey a story in your thumbnail by having an expression on your face.
For example, if your video is about struggling to get YouTube views, you don't have a happy
face in your thumbnail.
Number six, user high resolution.
If you use a high resolution for your thumbnail like 1920 by 1080 pixels, then it will appear
very clear at a small thumbnail size.
Number seven, keep it simple.
You only have a few seconds to make an impression on your viewer and get them to click on your
thumbnail.
Therefore the simpler the better.
Number eight, use a consistent style.
If you're building a brand, you want to use consistent colors across all your channel
art, such as your thumbnails and channel banner.
Having a consistent design on your thumbnails makes it easier for viewers to recognize your
channel when they see your thumbnail on the search engines.
Number nine, split test your thumbnails.
It's easy to fall in love with the design of your thumbnail, but your viewers may not
like the design, therefore it makes sense to split test different thumbnails to see
which one gets the most clicks.
You can easily do this using the AB split test thumbnail feature in TubeBuddy.
It enables you to compare two different thumbnails to see which one works best for your viewers.
You need to upgrade to legend version of TubeBuddy to use this feature, but it's worth it.
Click the link under the description to get 20% off TubeBuddy.
Number 10, avoid a timestamp.
YouTube displays a timestamp on the bottom right-hand corner of your video.
Therefore make sure you don't put a logo image or text in the bottom right-hand corner because
it will be covered up by the timestamp.
A high average view duration means a lot of people are watching your video all the way
through.
If you want to know how to improve the watch time on YouTube videos, click the link in
the card.
You'll learn how to keep your viewers engaged throughout the video.
If you want to know how I identify what you should improve about your channel or videos,
download my free channel evaluation worksheet below and make sure you also subscribe and
check out my related videos.
Thanks for watching and I'll see you in the next video.