Essential Tips for YouTube Thumbnail Size

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YouTube serves as one of the best entertaining platforms worldwide. It is high time to work on the width and height of the YouTube thumbnail when you try to upload videos for your channels at the YouTube space. The thumbnail plays a vital role that appears as a cover page for your videos. The aspect ratio of this page should meet the guidelines of YouTube for a successful upload.

In this article, you will get valuable insights on the best size of YouTube thumbnail and the respective changes you can make on this factor to enhance visibility. Here, you will study the role of the YouTube thumbnail and the methods to edit its dimensions to ensure the proper reach of the expected audience globally. Research on the best formats of YouTube Thumbnails and design them accordingly to fit perfectly at the allotted space in the online platform.

In this article

01 [What are YouTube Thumbnails?](#Part 1)

02 [Width and Height of YouTube Thumbnail](#Part 2)

03 [How to Make a Thumbnail on YouTube](#Part 3)

04 [What happens if YouTube thumbnails are 1920x1080](#Part 4)

05 [YouTube thumbnail formats](#Part 5)

Part 1 What are YouTube Thumbnails?

The YouTube Thumbnail is the first image that appears in your video. When you create a video for your YouTube channel, it is essential to insert the thumbnail that describes the content of your video. Based on the thumbnail image, the viewers will get an idea about your uploaded video. This thumbnail plays a vital role in triggering the audience to make a click at your video. Design an attractive thumbnail with a meaningful message that inspires the audience quickly. It aids in increasing the subscribers for your channel. It helps you in the better reach of your audience.

While creating a thumbnail image, do not forget to use a reliable editor to make the picture impressive. Work on every detail on your thumbnail image and add possible effects on it for meaningful results. The YouTube Thumbnail reveals the idea about the video and acts as a deciding factor for the viewers whether to click it or not. This thumbnail image takes a greater part in the success of your video and helps in boosting your followers globally.

Part 2 Width and Height of YouTube Thumbnail

There are restricted guidelines while designing the YouTube Thumbnail. The width and height of the YouTube thumbnail are important while designing it using a sophisticated program. As per the instructions of YouTube thumbnail, the image sizes must be 1280*720 pixels and the minimum width is 640 pixels. The ideal aspect ratio is 16:9. Only if you meet these requirements, you can successfully upload the thumbnail in your videos and publish it in your YouTube channel flawlessly. Scale down the thumbnail images with incredible applications without compromising the quality factors. Edit the images accordingly without disturbing the resolution of the picture. Use efficient programs to edit the YouTube thumbnail images as per your needs.

Part 3 How to Make a Thumbnail on YouTube

To edit the YouTube Thumbnail images, the Filmora app serves the best. It is a prestigious product from Wondershare and offers a simple interface for the users to work efficiently on the media files. Many YouTubers prefer this program because of its attractive features and comfortable usage. With the help of this app, you can edit videos and images like a pro and bring a professional impact on the files. It helps you to unleash your imagination and work beyond limitations efficiently. Create impressive videos without limits and bring an astonishing impact on the media files using this program.

The stunning features of the Filmora application

• An excellent toolbox that provides the basic edits like trim, crop, resize and rotate on the images
• Add desired filter effects on the media to acquire impressive results.
• Change the background of your image using the Green Screen feature
• Insert titles and edit the motion elements based on the needs.
• Customize the colors on the images with the help of jaw-dropping color combinations provided by this awesome tool.

These are the remarkable functionalities of the Filmora app and you can discover a lot when you make a try on this tool. Every YouTuber adopts Filmora to edit the videos optimally to engage their subscribers without any compromises.

Wondershare Filmora

Get started easily with Filmora’s powerful performance, intuitive interface, and countless effects!

Try It Free Try It Free Try It Free Learn More about Filmora>

To edit the YouTube Thumbnail using the Filmora application

Step1 Install the app and import the image

Download the program from its official webpage according to your system OS and install it. Then, add the image into the app timeline by tapping the Import media option.

Step2 Resize the image

Drag and drop the uploaded image into the timeline and tap the ‘Export’ button. Here, you will find resizing attributes like Resolution and size. Tap the Settings option and edit these values according to YouTube Thumbnail and click the Export button again to save the edited file at the desired storage location.

Apart from resizing, you can crop, trim, rotate the images as per your needs using this app. It is a reliable platform that assists to create an impressive impact on the media files. You can edit the videos and reshape them based on the requirements in no time. The Filmora offers a complete solution for audio and video file edits and aids you in creating enlightening media files for your needs.

Part 4 What happens if YouTube thumbnails are 1920x1080

The thumbnail images get pixelated and appear unclear on your YouTube channel. The clarity of the image is affected by uploading image sizes that are not advised by the YouTube guidelines. The video thumbnails on YouTube are crucial to reaching the target audience. It is good to stick to the prescribed width and height of YouTube Thumbnails to avoid unnecessary issues. Due to the dimension mismatch, the pixel elements distort giving out unpleasant images on the screen. To be successful as a YouTuber, it is high time to follow the thumbnail image measurements to avoid the blurred images on your uploaded videos. The distorted thumbnail image reduces the click counts thereby affecting your reputation as a YouTuber.

Part 5 YouTube thumbnail formats

The YouTube thumbnail format are JPG, GIF or PNG. The compatible size limit is up to 2MB. The advised aspect ratio is 16:9. The thumbnail fits aptly with the provided space when you stick to this format without any excuses. For perfect results, you must abide by the YouTube thumbnail dimensions and upload it on time to engage your subscribers. You will face upload issues if you try to include videos in different file formats. It leads to compatibility problems. It is a wise practice to abide by the YouTube standards to avoid unnecessary problems. Before uploading your videos for the YouTube channel, check whether the file format, resolution and dimensions meet the values as per the recommendations. If you find any controversies, then immediately use a reliable app to edit the images according to your needs and directly upload them to the desired platform effortlessly.

Wondershare Filmora

Get started easily with Filmora’s powerful performance, intuitive interface, and countless effects!

Try It Free Try It Free Try It Free Learn More >

Conclusion

Thus, this article has valuable insights into the width and height of YouTube Thumbnails. If you are a newbie YouTuber, then this article will help you how to create an efficient YouTube Thumbnail for your videos and the role of thumbnail in attracting the audience for your channel. Use the Filmora app and edit the media files efficiently to abide by the guidelines of YouTube. Filmora acts as a powerful tool to meet your media files edit needs and aids in the flawless upload of YouTube videos without any issues. Choose Filmora and enjoy the essence of posting insightful videos at the YouTube platform impressing your subscribers around the globe precisely. Connect with this article to create an efficient YouTube Thumbnail for your requirements using the Filmora video editor program.

Try It Free Try It Free

YouTube serves as one of the best entertaining platforms worldwide. It is high time to work on the width and height of the YouTube thumbnail when you try to upload videos for your channels at the YouTube space. The thumbnail plays a vital role that appears as a cover page for your videos. The aspect ratio of this page should meet the guidelines of YouTube for a successful upload.

In this article, you will get valuable insights on the best size of YouTube thumbnail and the respective changes you can make on this factor to enhance visibility. Here, you will study the role of the YouTube thumbnail and the methods to edit its dimensions to ensure the proper reach of the expected audience globally. Research on the best formats of YouTube Thumbnails and design them accordingly to fit perfectly at the allotted space in the online platform.

In this article

01 [What are YouTube Thumbnails?](#Part 1)

02 [Width and Height of YouTube Thumbnail](#Part 2)

03 [How to Make a Thumbnail on YouTube](#Part 3)

04 [What happens if YouTube thumbnails are 1920x1080](#Part 4)

05 [YouTube thumbnail formats](#Part 5)

Part 1 What are YouTube Thumbnails?

The YouTube Thumbnail is the first image that appears in your video. When you create a video for your YouTube channel, it is essential to insert the thumbnail that describes the content of your video. Based on the thumbnail image, the viewers will get an idea about your uploaded video. This thumbnail plays a vital role in triggering the audience to make a click at your video. Design an attractive thumbnail with a meaningful message that inspires the audience quickly. It aids in increasing the subscribers for your channel. It helps you in the better reach of your audience.

While creating a thumbnail image, do not forget to use a reliable editor to make the picture impressive. Work on every detail on your thumbnail image and add possible effects on it for meaningful results. The YouTube Thumbnail reveals the idea about the video and acts as a deciding factor for the viewers whether to click it or not. This thumbnail image takes a greater part in the success of your video and helps in boosting your followers globally.

Part 2 Width and Height of YouTube Thumbnail

There are restricted guidelines while designing the YouTube Thumbnail. The width and height of the YouTube thumbnail are important while designing it using a sophisticated program. As per the instructions of YouTube thumbnail, the image sizes must be 1280*720 pixels and the minimum width is 640 pixels. The ideal aspect ratio is 16:9. Only if you meet these requirements, you can successfully upload the thumbnail in your videos and publish it in your YouTube channel flawlessly. Scale down the thumbnail images with incredible applications without compromising the quality factors. Edit the images accordingly without disturbing the resolution of the picture. Use efficient programs to edit the YouTube thumbnail images as per your needs.

Part 3 How to Make a Thumbnail on YouTube

To edit the YouTube Thumbnail images, the Filmora app serves the best. It is a prestigious product from Wondershare and offers a simple interface for the users to work efficiently on the media files. Many YouTubers prefer this program because of its attractive features and comfortable usage. With the help of this app, you can edit videos and images like a pro and bring a professional impact on the files. It helps you to unleash your imagination and work beyond limitations efficiently. Create impressive videos without limits and bring an astonishing impact on the media files using this program.

The stunning features of the Filmora application

• An excellent toolbox that provides the basic edits like trim, crop, resize and rotate on the images
• Add desired filter effects on the media to acquire impressive results.
• Change the background of your image using the Green Screen feature
• Insert titles and edit the motion elements based on the needs.
• Customize the colors on the images with the help of jaw-dropping color combinations provided by this awesome tool.

These are the remarkable functionalities of the Filmora app and you can discover a lot when you make a try on this tool. Every YouTuber adopts Filmora to edit the videos optimally to engage their subscribers without any compromises.

Wondershare Filmora

Get started easily with Filmora’s powerful performance, intuitive interface, and countless effects!

Try It Free Try It Free Try It Free Learn More about Filmora>

To edit the YouTube Thumbnail using the Filmora application

Step1 Install the app and import the image

Download the program from its official webpage according to your system OS and install it. Then, add the image into the app timeline by tapping the Import media option.

Step2 Resize the image

Drag and drop the uploaded image into the timeline and tap the ‘Export’ button. Here, you will find resizing attributes like Resolution and size. Tap the Settings option and edit these values according to YouTube Thumbnail and click the Export button again to save the edited file at the desired storage location.

Apart from resizing, you can crop, trim, rotate the images as per your needs using this app. It is a reliable platform that assists to create an impressive impact on the media files. You can edit the videos and reshape them based on the requirements in no time. The Filmora offers a complete solution for audio and video file edits and aids you in creating enlightening media files for your needs.

Part 4 What happens if YouTube thumbnails are 1920x1080

The thumbnail images get pixelated and appear unclear on your YouTube channel. The clarity of the image is affected by uploading image sizes that are not advised by the YouTube guidelines. The video thumbnails on YouTube are crucial to reaching the target audience. It is good to stick to the prescribed width and height of YouTube Thumbnails to avoid unnecessary issues. Due to the dimension mismatch, the pixel elements distort giving out unpleasant images on the screen. To be successful as a YouTuber, it is high time to follow the thumbnail image measurements to avoid the blurred images on your uploaded videos. The distorted thumbnail image reduces the click counts thereby affecting your reputation as a YouTuber.

Part 5 YouTube thumbnail formats

The YouTube thumbnail format are JPG, GIF or PNG. The compatible size limit is up to 2MB. The advised aspect ratio is 16:9. The thumbnail fits aptly with the provided space when you stick to this format without any excuses. For perfect results, you must abide by the YouTube thumbnail dimensions and upload it on time to engage your subscribers. You will face upload issues if you try to include videos in different file formats. It leads to compatibility problems. It is a wise practice to abide by the YouTube standards to avoid unnecessary problems. Before uploading your videos for the YouTube channel, check whether the file format, resolution and dimensions meet the values as per the recommendations. If you find any controversies, then immediately use a reliable app to edit the images according to your needs and directly upload them to the desired platform effortlessly.

Wondershare Filmora

Get started easily with Filmora’s powerful performance, intuitive interface, and countless effects!

Try It Free Try It Free Try It Free Learn More >

Conclusion

Thus, this article has valuable insights into the width and height of YouTube Thumbnails. If you are a newbie YouTuber, then this article will help you how to create an efficient YouTube Thumbnail for your videos and the role of thumbnail in attracting the audience for your channel. Use the Filmora app and edit the media files efficiently to abide by the guidelines of YouTube. Filmora acts as a powerful tool to meet your media files edit needs and aids in the flawless upload of YouTube videos without any issues. Choose Filmora and enjoy the essence of posting insightful videos at the YouTube platform impressing your subscribers around the globe precisely. Connect with this article to create an efficient YouTube Thumbnail for your requirements using the Filmora video editor program.

Try It Free Try It Free

YouTube serves as one of the best entertaining platforms worldwide. It is high time to work on the width and height of the YouTube thumbnail when you try to upload videos for your channels at the YouTube space. The thumbnail plays a vital role that appears as a cover page for your videos. The aspect ratio of this page should meet the guidelines of YouTube for a successful upload.

In this article, you will get valuable insights on the best size of YouTube thumbnail and the respective changes you can make on this factor to enhance visibility. Here, you will study the role of the YouTube thumbnail and the methods to edit its dimensions to ensure the proper reach of the expected audience globally. Research on the best formats of YouTube Thumbnails and design them accordingly to fit perfectly at the allotted space in the online platform.

In this article

01 [What are YouTube Thumbnails?](#Part 1)

02 [Width and Height of YouTube Thumbnail](#Part 2)

03 [How to Make a Thumbnail on YouTube](#Part 3)

04 [What happens if YouTube thumbnails are 1920x1080](#Part 4)

05 [YouTube thumbnail formats](#Part 5)

Part 1 What are YouTube Thumbnails?

The YouTube Thumbnail is the first image that appears in your video. When you create a video for your YouTube channel, it is essential to insert the thumbnail that describes the content of your video. Based on the thumbnail image, the viewers will get an idea about your uploaded video. This thumbnail plays a vital role in triggering the audience to make a click at your video. Design an attractive thumbnail with a meaningful message that inspires the audience quickly. It aids in increasing the subscribers for your channel. It helps you in the better reach of your audience.

While creating a thumbnail image, do not forget to use a reliable editor to make the picture impressive. Work on every detail on your thumbnail image and add possible effects on it for meaningful results. The YouTube Thumbnail reveals the idea about the video and acts as a deciding factor for the viewers whether to click it or not. This thumbnail image takes a greater part in the success of your video and helps in boosting your followers globally.

Part 2 Width and Height of YouTube Thumbnail

There are restricted guidelines while designing the YouTube Thumbnail. The width and height of the YouTube thumbnail are important while designing it using a sophisticated program. As per the instructions of YouTube thumbnail, the image sizes must be 1280*720 pixels and the minimum width is 640 pixels. The ideal aspect ratio is 16:9. Only if you meet these requirements, you can successfully upload the thumbnail in your videos and publish it in your YouTube channel flawlessly. Scale down the thumbnail images with incredible applications without compromising the quality factors. Edit the images accordingly without disturbing the resolution of the picture. Use efficient programs to edit the YouTube thumbnail images as per your needs.

Part 3 How to Make a Thumbnail on YouTube

To edit the YouTube Thumbnail images, the Filmora app serves the best. It is a prestigious product from Wondershare and offers a simple interface for the users to work efficiently on the media files. Many YouTubers prefer this program because of its attractive features and comfortable usage. With the help of this app, you can edit videos and images like a pro and bring a professional impact on the files. It helps you to unleash your imagination and work beyond limitations efficiently. Create impressive videos without limits and bring an astonishing impact on the media files using this program.

The stunning features of the Filmora application

• An excellent toolbox that provides the basic edits like trim, crop, resize and rotate on the images
• Add desired filter effects on the media to acquire impressive results.
• Change the background of your image using the Green Screen feature
• Insert titles and edit the motion elements based on the needs.
• Customize the colors on the images with the help of jaw-dropping color combinations provided by this awesome tool.

These are the remarkable functionalities of the Filmora app and you can discover a lot when you make a try on this tool. Every YouTuber adopts Filmora to edit the videos optimally to engage their subscribers without any compromises.

Wondershare Filmora

Get started easily with Filmora’s powerful performance, intuitive interface, and countless effects!

Try It Free Try It Free Try It Free Learn More about Filmora>

To edit the YouTube Thumbnail using the Filmora application

Step1 Install the app and import the image

Download the program from its official webpage according to your system OS and install it. Then, add the image into the app timeline by tapping the Import media option.

Step2 Resize the image

Drag and drop the uploaded image into the timeline and tap the ‘Export’ button. Here, you will find resizing attributes like Resolution and size. Tap the Settings option and edit these values according to YouTube Thumbnail and click the Export button again to save the edited file at the desired storage location.

Apart from resizing, you can crop, trim, rotate the images as per your needs using this app. It is a reliable platform that assists to create an impressive impact on the media files. You can edit the videos and reshape them based on the requirements in no time. The Filmora offers a complete solution for audio and video file edits and aids you in creating enlightening media files for your needs.

Part 4 What happens if YouTube thumbnails are 1920x1080

The thumbnail images get pixelated and appear unclear on your YouTube channel. The clarity of the image is affected by uploading image sizes that are not advised by the YouTube guidelines. The video thumbnails on YouTube are crucial to reaching the target audience. It is good to stick to the prescribed width and height of YouTube Thumbnails to avoid unnecessary issues. Due to the dimension mismatch, the pixel elements distort giving out unpleasant images on the screen. To be successful as a YouTuber, it is high time to follow the thumbnail image measurements to avoid the blurred images on your uploaded videos. The distorted thumbnail image reduces the click counts thereby affecting your reputation as a YouTuber.

Part 5 YouTube thumbnail formats

The YouTube thumbnail format are JPG, GIF or PNG. The compatible size limit is up to 2MB. The advised aspect ratio is 16:9. The thumbnail fits aptly with the provided space when you stick to this format without any excuses. For perfect results, you must abide by the YouTube thumbnail dimensions and upload it on time to engage your subscribers. You will face upload issues if you try to include videos in different file formats. It leads to compatibility problems. It is a wise practice to abide by the YouTube standards to avoid unnecessary problems. Before uploading your videos for the YouTube channel, check whether the file format, resolution and dimensions meet the values as per the recommendations. If you find any controversies, then immediately use a reliable app to edit the images according to your needs and directly upload them to the desired platform effortlessly.

Wondershare Filmora

Get started easily with Filmora’s powerful performance, intuitive interface, and countless effects!

Try It Free Try It Free Try It Free Learn More >

Conclusion

Thus, this article has valuable insights into the width and height of YouTube Thumbnails. If you are a newbie YouTuber, then this article will help you how to create an efficient YouTube Thumbnail for your videos and the role of thumbnail in attracting the audience for your channel. Use the Filmora app and edit the media files efficiently to abide by the guidelines of YouTube. Filmora acts as a powerful tool to meet your media files edit needs and aids in the flawless upload of YouTube videos without any issues. Choose Filmora and enjoy the essence of posting insightful videos at the YouTube platform impressing your subscribers around the globe precisely. Connect with this article to create an efficient YouTube Thumbnail for your requirements using the Filmora video editor program.

Try It Free Try It Free

YouTube serves as one of the best entertaining platforms worldwide. It is high time to work on the width and height of the YouTube thumbnail when you try to upload videos for your channels at the YouTube space. The thumbnail plays a vital role that appears as a cover page for your videos. The aspect ratio of this page should meet the guidelines of YouTube for a successful upload.

In this article, you will get valuable insights on the best size of YouTube thumbnail and the respective changes you can make on this factor to enhance visibility. Here, you will study the role of the YouTube thumbnail and the methods to edit its dimensions to ensure the proper reach of the expected audience globally. Research on the best formats of YouTube Thumbnails and design them accordingly to fit perfectly at the allotted space in the online platform.

In this article

01 [What are YouTube Thumbnails?](#Part 1)

02 [Width and Height of YouTube Thumbnail](#Part 2)

03 [How to Make a Thumbnail on YouTube](#Part 3)

04 [What happens if YouTube thumbnails are 1920x1080](#Part 4)

05 [YouTube thumbnail formats](#Part 5)

Part 1 What are YouTube Thumbnails?

The YouTube Thumbnail is the first image that appears in your video. When you create a video for your YouTube channel, it is essential to insert the thumbnail that describes the content of your video. Based on the thumbnail image, the viewers will get an idea about your uploaded video. This thumbnail plays a vital role in triggering the audience to make a click at your video. Design an attractive thumbnail with a meaningful message that inspires the audience quickly. It aids in increasing the subscribers for your channel. It helps you in the better reach of your audience.

While creating a thumbnail image, do not forget to use a reliable editor to make the picture impressive. Work on every detail on your thumbnail image and add possible effects on it for meaningful results. The YouTube Thumbnail reveals the idea about the video and acts as a deciding factor for the viewers whether to click it or not. This thumbnail image takes a greater part in the success of your video and helps in boosting your followers globally.

Part 2 Width and Height of YouTube Thumbnail

There are restricted guidelines while designing the YouTube Thumbnail. The width and height of the YouTube thumbnail are important while designing it using a sophisticated program. As per the instructions of YouTube thumbnail, the image sizes must be 1280*720 pixels and the minimum width is 640 pixels. The ideal aspect ratio is 16:9. Only if you meet these requirements, you can successfully upload the thumbnail in your videos and publish it in your YouTube channel flawlessly. Scale down the thumbnail images with incredible applications without compromising the quality factors. Edit the images accordingly without disturbing the resolution of the picture. Use efficient programs to edit the YouTube thumbnail images as per your needs.

Part 3 How to Make a Thumbnail on YouTube

To edit the YouTube Thumbnail images, the Filmora app serves the best. It is a prestigious product from Wondershare and offers a simple interface for the users to work efficiently on the media files. Many YouTubers prefer this program because of its attractive features and comfortable usage. With the help of this app, you can edit videos and images like a pro and bring a professional impact on the files. It helps you to unleash your imagination and work beyond limitations efficiently. Create impressive videos without limits and bring an astonishing impact on the media files using this program.

The stunning features of the Filmora application

• An excellent toolbox that provides the basic edits like trim, crop, resize and rotate on the images
• Add desired filter effects on the media to acquire impressive results.
• Change the background of your image using the Green Screen feature
• Insert titles and edit the motion elements based on the needs.
• Customize the colors on the images with the help of jaw-dropping color combinations provided by this awesome tool.

These are the remarkable functionalities of the Filmora app and you can discover a lot when you make a try on this tool. Every YouTuber adopts Filmora to edit the videos optimally to engage their subscribers without any compromises.

Wondershare Filmora

Get started easily with Filmora’s powerful performance, intuitive interface, and countless effects!

Try It Free Try It Free Try It Free Learn More about Filmora>

To edit the YouTube Thumbnail using the Filmora application

Step1 Install the app and import the image

Download the program from its official webpage according to your system OS and install it. Then, add the image into the app timeline by tapping the Import media option.

Step2 Resize the image

Drag and drop the uploaded image into the timeline and tap the ‘Export’ button. Here, you will find resizing attributes like Resolution and size. Tap the Settings option and edit these values according to YouTube Thumbnail and click the Export button again to save the edited file at the desired storage location.

Apart from resizing, you can crop, trim, rotate the images as per your needs using this app. It is a reliable platform that assists to create an impressive impact on the media files. You can edit the videos and reshape them based on the requirements in no time. The Filmora offers a complete solution for audio and video file edits and aids you in creating enlightening media files for your needs.

Part 4 What happens if YouTube thumbnails are 1920x1080

The thumbnail images get pixelated and appear unclear on your YouTube channel. The clarity of the image is affected by uploading image sizes that are not advised by the YouTube guidelines. The video thumbnails on YouTube are crucial to reaching the target audience. It is good to stick to the prescribed width and height of YouTube Thumbnails to avoid unnecessary issues. Due to the dimension mismatch, the pixel elements distort giving out unpleasant images on the screen. To be successful as a YouTuber, it is high time to follow the thumbnail image measurements to avoid the blurred images on your uploaded videos. The distorted thumbnail image reduces the click counts thereby affecting your reputation as a YouTuber.

Part 5 YouTube thumbnail formats

The YouTube thumbnail format are JPG, GIF or PNG. The compatible size limit is up to 2MB. The advised aspect ratio is 16:9. The thumbnail fits aptly with the provided space when you stick to this format without any excuses. For perfect results, you must abide by the YouTube thumbnail dimensions and upload it on time to engage your subscribers. You will face upload issues if you try to include videos in different file formats. It leads to compatibility problems. It is a wise practice to abide by the YouTube standards to avoid unnecessary problems. Before uploading your videos for the YouTube channel, check whether the file format, resolution and dimensions meet the values as per the recommendations. If you find any controversies, then immediately use a reliable app to edit the images according to your needs and directly upload them to the desired platform effortlessly.

Wondershare Filmora

Get started easily with Filmora’s powerful performance, intuitive interface, and countless effects!

Try It Free Try It Free Try It Free Learn More >

Conclusion

Thus, this article has valuable insights into the width and height of YouTube Thumbnails. If you are a newbie YouTuber, then this article will help you how to create an efficient YouTube Thumbnail for your videos and the role of thumbnail in attracting the audience for your channel. Use the Filmora app and edit the media files efficiently to abide by the guidelines of YouTube. Filmora acts as a powerful tool to meet your media files edit needs and aids in the flawless upload of YouTube videos without any issues. Choose Filmora and enjoy the essence of posting insightful videos at the YouTube platform impressing your subscribers around the globe precisely. Connect with this article to create an efficient YouTube Thumbnail for your requirements using the Filmora video editor program.

5 Tips to Get More Views with YouTube Optimization

5 Tips to Get More Views with YouTube Optimization [Free Checklist]

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

We all want our videos to get a lot of views, and in turn, lead to more subscribers. In order to do so, we have to prepare it for success. If you are hoping to optimize a video after it has already been published to YouTube, then you aren’t going to get the best result, because much of optimization is done before the video is even shot.a

In this article, we will give youa checklist , which you should have with you at the very beginning of creating a YouTube video: the ideation stage. As you go through your process, check off each task. By doing so, you can ensure that you have given the video the best chance to rank high and be discovered.

How to Optimize Your Video to Rank Higher on YouTube?

1. Keep Your Audience’s Attention
2. Do Keyword Research
3. Engage Your Audience
4. Upload YouTube Video in Proper Length

1. Keep Your Audience’s Attention:

Even though your view count is going up, it doesn’t mean your audience is watching your video. And if they are not, then YouTube is going to consider your video less valuable and therefore, lowering its rank.

Audience Retention is an important metric to keep an eye on after every video you’ve published.

Before you start your next project, take a look back at the Audience Retention of your previous videos.

1. Enter YouTube Studio in your channel
2. Access to Analytics
3. Select the video you want to review
4. Click into engagement
5. See where a dip in watch time

What is Good Audience Retention?

If you want to see how your Audience Retention is performing, the Average Percentage Viewed will give you a broad perspective. The higher the percentage, the more people are watching your entire video.

If you get above 60% Average Percentage Viewed, you should feel very proud. In our modern world with our short attention span, that is considered good retention.

In the example above, we see that on average, a viewer will only see 44% of the video. For the video below, we see that it only has 30% of the video viewed. Overall, the first video is performing better.

There is also a dip that happens at the beginning in the second example, which indicates that viewers are skipping forward and about 20% then deciding it’s not worth continuing. It’s good data to help you improve your introduction and the hook.

If there is important information that you are presenting at a given point and in the Audience Retention you see that only a small percentage of your viewers actually see it, then for the next video, you might want to position the details in a different point in the video.

How to Improve Audience Retention

Here are a few ways you can retain your audience’s attention if you noticed a drop in viewership:

- Film a hook (introduce your video to let the audience know what to expect)

- Add b-roll (having supplemental footage to cut to makes your video more interesting to watch)

- Have a co-host (Having someone on screen gives the video more dynamic interactions)

- Edit out the unimportant stuff

- Write a conclusion (having a conclusion prepared will allow you to transition from the content of the video to the call to action without the audience even knowing) See this example by PolyMatter below and notice how seamless their ending is.

If you have a video that is doing a good job retaining the audience, then replicate it. If there isn’t, keep experimenting with new structures. Improving audience retention is not simply important for your ranking, but it will affirm that you are building quality videos.

Knowing how to structure your video will allow you to be strategic as you build out your content.

2. Do Keyword Research:

Many viewers find YouTube videos via search, and if you aren’t using the appropriate keywords, then YouTube won’t be able to identify your content and display it for your viewers.

Where Do Keywords Appear on YouTube?

- Title: Have keywords at the beginning of the title and limit them up to approximately 60 characters so it appears in full in search.

- Tags: Include 10-15 tags from general keywords to more specific.

- Descriptions: Put important information and keywords at the beginning of the description so both searcher and the search engine understands what the video is about.

Why Keywords Matter

keyword arrangement is an integral part of YouTube optimization because the robots behind YouTube don’t associate the value of the actual video content with what the viewer is actually seeking. You should pay attention to the relevance of keywords.

Even when you add closed captions, it doesn’t mean the best keywords are present to the Youtube search engine when we speak.

That is why it is important to know your audience and what words and phrases they are going to use to search for your video.

Here is how you can see what keywords were used to find your video:

1. Enter YouTube Studio in your channel
2. Access Analytics
3. Select Reach
4. Click into Traffic Source
5. Click Traffic Source: YouTube Search

If you want to find some new keywords for your upcoming video, you will need to do some research.

1. Enter Keywords You Want to Rank for In YouTube Search: This allows you to see what the most popular phrases are in the YouTube search engine.

2. Study the Competitors: See which videos are ranking high for your search term. Use a tool called VidIQ to see the keywords that the top videos are performing.

3. Search for Related Keywords and Evaluate Relevancy: A tool called Ubersuggest can help you find related keywords and allow you to identify the search volume, cost per click (aka CPC is used for determining the budget for paid search), and the competitiveness of the word or phrase.

Search volume: The number of searches with that particular keyword. The higher the number the more popular it is. You should aim to use keywords with a high search volume.

Keyword competition score: This score is usually indicated by a number and it represents how difficult it is for a keyword to rank due to other pages already ranking for that word or phrase. You want to find a keyword with a low competition score.

Pro tip: The best combination is high search volume and low competition score. But if you can’t get that perfect mix, go for the low competitive score, as it will give you a better chance to rank, even if it isn’t searched as often.

4. Come Up With Content Related to Those Keywords: To come up with topic ideas around a keyword, you can use a tool called Answer the Public , which gives you all the most popular questions searched online.

3. Engage Your Audience:

It’s been highly discussed on forums all over the Internet, and there appears to be a strong correlation between YouTube video ranking and the number of likes, dislikes, and comments the video received.

While YouTube itself might not be using the number of likes and comments to determine where your video rank, having high engagement allows your video to be discovered through other means.

Here is an example of how it would work:

- A YouTuber with 100,000 subscribers views your video and likes it

- Then your video might be visible to a fraction of those 100,000 subscribers.

- Boom! Domino effect!

- More people will see your video and like it, increasing your network of viewers and your watch time, which is one of the main factors that YouTube takes into consideration.

Get engagements with a call to action:

- Don’t be afraid to ask for an engagement at the beginning of the video to avoid fall off on retention.

- Encourage them to leave a comment or start a discussion by asking a question at the end of your video.

- Monitor comments and responds to them so you can build a relationship with your audience over time.

It’s all about creating a community and that is what YouTube encourages.

4. Upload YouTube Video in Proper Length:

YouTube puts a lot of weight on watch time, and in addition to that, it puts more weight on session watch time.

Session watch time is counted when people watch your video and then continue to watch others, it doesn’t have to be your own. The more time people spend watching YouTube videos, as a result of your content, the more likely YouTube will increase your ranking.

Since YouTube puts importance on time spent watching videos, the length of your video will play a key role.

If you have 5 videos and all of them are a minute long, a 100% watch through will only get you 5 minutes total.

However, if you have 1 video that is 20 minutes, and an average viewer only watches half of it, then you have an average watch time of over 10 minutes. That’s more than double what your five short videos can do. This longer video is worth more. However, if that 20-minute video is really boring and people drop off in the first minute, then it’s not any better than 1 of the 5 short videos.

If your format allows, go for a longer video instead of a shorter one. But the most important thing is that you can keep people watching your videos: so use end screen and playlist links to keep them engaged.

End screen: Pick related videos for your audience, so they know exactly what they should watch next. You can even create a background template for your end screens .

Playlist: If you have multiple videos that fit a specific topic, add them to a playlist so the viewer can enjoy them all in one viewing.

Key Takeaways:

1. Use Audience Retention to better understand how to structure your video for the best results.
2. Perform Keyword Research to find the keywords that your competitors are using and your audience is searching for.
3. Increasing Subscribers gets your video in front of more people the moment it is published.
4. Encourage Comments and respond to establish a relationship with your viewers.
5. Ensure that Viewers Continue Watching videos on YouTube after they finish watching yours.

Other Things That Affects Your YouTube Ranking

Except for the above-mentioned factors, there are also other issues that affect the ranking of your YouTube video. YouTube has stated that the number of subscribers doesn’t play a key role in your video ranking.

For example, if a YouTuber has a million subscribers and then overnight they lose 100 thousand, a video they had ranking number 1 will still be ranked number 1.

However, the number of subscribers has a lot of indirect effects on your channel.

- Subscribers know the moment your video is published

- Subscribers will watch your video in the first week (YouTube will rank your video higher if they see a lift in the first week of publishing)

- YouTube put a higher value on subscribers than views and social shares, because it’s harder to fake subscribers

Growing subscribers take time and effort, and even though it shouldn’t be your main focus, there are tactics you can do to gain more subscribers .

Don’t miss a chance to optimize your YouTube video, download, and print out this checklist for your next video project. For more information on SEO(Search Engine Optimization) on YouTube, you can also read the following article.

How to Fast Rank Video Higher with Video SEO >>

10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools to Use with Bonus Tips>>

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Wondershare Filmora. It provides special effects, stock photo & video, sound library, etc., which will definitely enhance your productivity and helps to make money by making videos much accessible.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

We all want our videos to get a lot of views, and in turn, lead to more subscribers. In order to do so, we have to prepare it for success. If you are hoping to optimize a video after it has already been published to YouTube, then you aren’t going to get the best result, because much of optimization is done before the video is even shot.a

In this article, we will give youa checklist , which you should have with you at the very beginning of creating a YouTube video: the ideation stage. As you go through your process, check off each task. By doing so, you can ensure that you have given the video the best chance to rank high and be discovered.

How to Optimize Your Video to Rank Higher on YouTube?

1. Keep Your Audience’s Attention
2. Do Keyword Research
3. Engage Your Audience
4. Upload YouTube Video in Proper Length

1. Keep Your Audience’s Attention:

Even though your view count is going up, it doesn’t mean your audience is watching your video. And if they are not, then YouTube is going to consider your video less valuable and therefore, lowering its rank.

Audience Retention is an important metric to keep an eye on after every video you’ve published.

Before you start your next project, take a look back at the Audience Retention of your previous videos.

1. Enter YouTube Studio in your channel
2. Access to Analytics
3. Select the video you want to review
4. Click into engagement
5. See where a dip in watch time

What is Good Audience Retention?

If you want to see how your Audience Retention is performing, the Average Percentage Viewed will give you a broad perspective. The higher the percentage, the more people are watching your entire video.

If you get above 60% Average Percentage Viewed, you should feel very proud. In our modern world with our short attention span, that is considered good retention.

In the example above, we see that on average, a viewer will only see 44% of the video. For the video below, we see that it only has 30% of the video viewed. Overall, the first video is performing better.

There is also a dip that happens at the beginning in the second example, which indicates that viewers are skipping forward and about 20% then deciding it’s not worth continuing. It’s good data to help you improve your introduction and the hook.

If there is important information that you are presenting at a given point and in the Audience Retention you see that only a small percentage of your viewers actually see it, then for the next video, you might want to position the details in a different point in the video.

How to Improve Audience Retention

Here are a few ways you can retain your audience’s attention if you noticed a drop in viewership:

- Film a hook (introduce your video to let the audience know what to expect)

- Add b-roll (having supplemental footage to cut to makes your video more interesting to watch)

- Have a co-host (Having someone on screen gives the video more dynamic interactions)

- Edit out the unimportant stuff

- Write a conclusion (having a conclusion prepared will allow you to transition from the content of the video to the call to action without the audience even knowing) See this example by PolyMatter below and notice how seamless their ending is.

If you have a video that is doing a good job retaining the audience, then replicate it. If there isn’t, keep experimenting with new structures. Improving audience retention is not simply important for your ranking, but it will affirm that you are building quality videos.

Knowing how to structure your video will allow you to be strategic as you build out your content.

2. Do Keyword Research:

Many viewers find YouTube videos via search, and if you aren’t using the appropriate keywords, then YouTube won’t be able to identify your content and display it for your viewers.

Where Do Keywords Appear on YouTube?

- Title: Have keywords at the beginning of the title and limit them up to approximately 60 characters so it appears in full in search.

- Tags: Include 10-15 tags from general keywords to more specific.

- Descriptions: Put important information and keywords at the beginning of the description so both searcher and the search engine understands what the video is about.

Why Keywords Matter

keyword arrangement is an integral part of YouTube optimization because the robots behind YouTube don’t associate the value of the actual video content with what the viewer is actually seeking. You should pay attention to the relevance of keywords.

Even when you add closed captions, it doesn’t mean the best keywords are present to the Youtube search engine when we speak.

That is why it is important to know your audience and what words and phrases they are going to use to search for your video.

Here is how you can see what keywords were used to find your video:

1. Enter YouTube Studio in your channel
2. Access Analytics
3. Select Reach
4. Click into Traffic Source
5. Click Traffic Source: YouTube Search

If you want to find some new keywords for your upcoming video, you will need to do some research.

1. Enter Keywords You Want to Rank for In YouTube Search: This allows you to see what the most popular phrases are in the YouTube search engine.

2. Study the Competitors: See which videos are ranking high for your search term. Use a tool called VidIQ to see the keywords that the top videos are performing.

3. Search for Related Keywords and Evaluate Relevancy: A tool called Ubersuggest can help you find related keywords and allow you to identify the search volume, cost per click (aka CPC is used for determining the budget for paid search), and the competitiveness of the word or phrase.

Search volume: The number of searches with that particular keyword. The higher the number the more popular it is. You should aim to use keywords with a high search volume.

Keyword competition score: This score is usually indicated by a number and it represents how difficult it is for a keyword to rank due to other pages already ranking for that word or phrase. You want to find a keyword with a low competition score.

Pro tip: The best combination is high search volume and low competition score. But if you can’t get that perfect mix, go for the low competitive score, as it will give you a better chance to rank, even if it isn’t searched as often.

4. Come Up With Content Related to Those Keywords: To come up with topic ideas around a keyword, you can use a tool called Answer the Public , which gives you all the most popular questions searched online.

3. Engage Your Audience:

It’s been highly discussed on forums all over the Internet, and there appears to be a strong correlation between YouTube video ranking and the number of likes, dislikes, and comments the video received.

While YouTube itself might not be using the number of likes and comments to determine where your video rank, having high engagement allows your video to be discovered through other means.

Here is an example of how it would work:

- A YouTuber with 100,000 subscribers views your video and likes it

- Then your video might be visible to a fraction of those 100,000 subscribers.

- Boom! Domino effect!

- More people will see your video and like it, increasing your network of viewers and your watch time, which is one of the main factors that YouTube takes into consideration.

Get engagements with a call to action:

- Don’t be afraid to ask for an engagement at the beginning of the video to avoid fall off on retention.

- Encourage them to leave a comment or start a discussion by asking a question at the end of your video.

- Monitor comments and responds to them so you can build a relationship with your audience over time.

It’s all about creating a community and that is what YouTube encourages.

4. Upload YouTube Video in Proper Length:

YouTube puts a lot of weight on watch time, and in addition to that, it puts more weight on session watch time.

Session watch time is counted when people watch your video and then continue to watch others, it doesn’t have to be your own. The more time people spend watching YouTube videos, as a result of your content, the more likely YouTube will increase your ranking.

Since YouTube puts importance on time spent watching videos, the length of your video will play a key role.

If you have 5 videos and all of them are a minute long, a 100% watch through will only get you 5 minutes total.

However, if you have 1 video that is 20 minutes, and an average viewer only watches half of it, then you have an average watch time of over 10 minutes. That’s more than double what your five short videos can do. This longer video is worth more. However, if that 20-minute video is really boring and people drop off in the first minute, then it’s not any better than 1 of the 5 short videos.

If your format allows, go for a longer video instead of a shorter one. But the most important thing is that you can keep people watching your videos: so use end screen and playlist links to keep them engaged.

End screen: Pick related videos for your audience, so they know exactly what they should watch next. You can even create a background template for your end screens .

Playlist: If you have multiple videos that fit a specific topic, add them to a playlist so the viewer can enjoy them all in one viewing.

Key Takeaways:

1. Use Audience Retention to better understand how to structure your video for the best results.
2. Perform Keyword Research to find the keywords that your competitors are using and your audience is searching for.
3. Increasing Subscribers gets your video in front of more people the moment it is published.
4. Encourage Comments and respond to establish a relationship with your viewers.
5. Ensure that Viewers Continue Watching videos on YouTube after they finish watching yours.

Other Things That Affects Your YouTube Ranking

Except for the above-mentioned factors, there are also other issues that affect the ranking of your YouTube video. YouTube has stated that the number of subscribers doesn’t play a key role in your video ranking.

For example, if a YouTuber has a million subscribers and then overnight they lose 100 thousand, a video they had ranking number 1 will still be ranked number 1.

However, the number of subscribers has a lot of indirect effects on your channel.

- Subscribers know the moment your video is published

- Subscribers will watch your video in the first week (YouTube will rank your video higher if they see a lift in the first week of publishing)

- YouTube put a higher value on subscribers than views and social shares, because it’s harder to fake subscribers

Growing subscribers take time and effort, and even though it shouldn’t be your main focus, there are tactics you can do to gain more subscribers .

Don’t miss a chance to optimize your YouTube video, download, and print out this checklist for your next video project. For more information on SEO(Search Engine Optimization) on YouTube, you can also read the following article.

How to Fast Rank Video Higher with Video SEO >>

10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools to Use with Bonus Tips>>

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Wondershare Filmora. It provides special effects, stock photo & video, sound library, etc., which will definitely enhance your productivity and helps to make money by making videos much accessible.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

We all want our videos to get a lot of views, and in turn, lead to more subscribers. In order to do so, we have to prepare it for success. If you are hoping to optimize a video after it has already been published to YouTube, then you aren’t going to get the best result, because much of optimization is done before the video is even shot.a

In this article, we will give youa checklist , which you should have with you at the very beginning of creating a YouTube video: the ideation stage. As you go through your process, check off each task. By doing so, you can ensure that you have given the video the best chance to rank high and be discovered.

How to Optimize Your Video to Rank Higher on YouTube?

1. Keep Your Audience’s Attention
2. Do Keyword Research
3. Engage Your Audience
4. Upload YouTube Video in Proper Length

1. Keep Your Audience’s Attention:

Even though your view count is going up, it doesn’t mean your audience is watching your video. And if they are not, then YouTube is going to consider your video less valuable and therefore, lowering its rank.

Audience Retention is an important metric to keep an eye on after every video you’ve published.

Before you start your next project, take a look back at the Audience Retention of your previous videos.

1. Enter YouTube Studio in your channel
2. Access to Analytics
3. Select the video you want to review
4. Click into engagement
5. See where a dip in watch time

What is Good Audience Retention?

If you want to see how your Audience Retention is performing, the Average Percentage Viewed will give you a broad perspective. The higher the percentage, the more people are watching your entire video.

If you get above 60% Average Percentage Viewed, you should feel very proud. In our modern world with our short attention span, that is considered good retention.

In the example above, we see that on average, a viewer will only see 44% of the video. For the video below, we see that it only has 30% of the video viewed. Overall, the first video is performing better.

There is also a dip that happens at the beginning in the second example, which indicates that viewers are skipping forward and about 20% then deciding it’s not worth continuing. It’s good data to help you improve your introduction and the hook.

If there is important information that you are presenting at a given point and in the Audience Retention you see that only a small percentage of your viewers actually see it, then for the next video, you might want to position the details in a different point in the video.

How to Improve Audience Retention

Here are a few ways you can retain your audience’s attention if you noticed a drop in viewership:

- Film a hook (introduce your video to let the audience know what to expect)

- Add b-roll (having supplemental footage to cut to makes your video more interesting to watch)

- Have a co-host (Having someone on screen gives the video more dynamic interactions)

- Edit out the unimportant stuff

- Write a conclusion (having a conclusion prepared will allow you to transition from the content of the video to the call to action without the audience even knowing) See this example by PolyMatter below and notice how seamless their ending is.

If you have a video that is doing a good job retaining the audience, then replicate it. If there isn’t, keep experimenting with new structures. Improving audience retention is not simply important for your ranking, but it will affirm that you are building quality videos.

Knowing how to structure your video will allow you to be strategic as you build out your content.

2. Do Keyword Research:

Many viewers find YouTube videos via search, and if you aren’t using the appropriate keywords, then YouTube won’t be able to identify your content and display it for your viewers.

Where Do Keywords Appear on YouTube?

- Title: Have keywords at the beginning of the title and limit them up to approximately 60 characters so it appears in full in search.

- Tags: Include 10-15 tags from general keywords to more specific.

- Descriptions: Put important information and keywords at the beginning of the description so both searcher and the search engine understands what the video is about.

Why Keywords Matter

keyword arrangement is an integral part of YouTube optimization because the robots behind YouTube don’t associate the value of the actual video content with what the viewer is actually seeking. You should pay attention to the relevance of keywords.

Even when you add closed captions, it doesn’t mean the best keywords are present to the Youtube search engine when we speak.

That is why it is important to know your audience and what words and phrases they are going to use to search for your video.

Here is how you can see what keywords were used to find your video:

1. Enter YouTube Studio in your channel
2. Access Analytics
3. Select Reach
4. Click into Traffic Source
5. Click Traffic Source: YouTube Search

If you want to find some new keywords for your upcoming video, you will need to do some research.

1. Enter Keywords You Want to Rank for In YouTube Search: This allows you to see what the most popular phrases are in the YouTube search engine.

2. Study the Competitors: See which videos are ranking high for your search term. Use a tool called VidIQ to see the keywords that the top videos are performing.

3. Search for Related Keywords and Evaluate Relevancy: A tool called Ubersuggest can help you find related keywords and allow you to identify the search volume, cost per click (aka CPC is used for determining the budget for paid search), and the competitiveness of the word or phrase.

Search volume: The number of searches with that particular keyword. The higher the number the more popular it is. You should aim to use keywords with a high search volume.

Keyword competition score: This score is usually indicated by a number and it represents how difficult it is for a keyword to rank due to other pages already ranking for that word or phrase. You want to find a keyword with a low competition score.

Pro tip: The best combination is high search volume and low competition score. But if you can’t get that perfect mix, go for the low competitive score, as it will give you a better chance to rank, even if it isn’t searched as often.

4. Come Up With Content Related to Those Keywords: To come up with topic ideas around a keyword, you can use a tool called Answer the Public , which gives you all the most popular questions searched online.

3. Engage Your Audience:

It’s been highly discussed on forums all over the Internet, and there appears to be a strong correlation between YouTube video ranking and the number of likes, dislikes, and comments the video received.

While YouTube itself might not be using the number of likes and comments to determine where your video rank, having high engagement allows your video to be discovered through other means.

Here is an example of how it would work:

- A YouTuber with 100,000 subscribers views your video and likes it

- Then your video might be visible to a fraction of those 100,000 subscribers.

- Boom! Domino effect!

- More people will see your video and like it, increasing your network of viewers and your watch time, which is one of the main factors that YouTube takes into consideration.

Get engagements with a call to action:

- Don’t be afraid to ask for an engagement at the beginning of the video to avoid fall off on retention.

- Encourage them to leave a comment or start a discussion by asking a question at the end of your video.

- Monitor comments and responds to them so you can build a relationship with your audience over time.

It’s all about creating a community and that is what YouTube encourages.

4. Upload YouTube Video in Proper Length:

YouTube puts a lot of weight on watch time, and in addition to that, it puts more weight on session watch time.

Session watch time is counted when people watch your video and then continue to watch others, it doesn’t have to be your own. The more time people spend watching YouTube videos, as a result of your content, the more likely YouTube will increase your ranking.

Since YouTube puts importance on time spent watching videos, the length of your video will play a key role.

If you have 5 videos and all of them are a minute long, a 100% watch through will only get you 5 minutes total.

However, if you have 1 video that is 20 minutes, and an average viewer only watches half of it, then you have an average watch time of over 10 minutes. That’s more than double what your five short videos can do. This longer video is worth more. However, if that 20-minute video is really boring and people drop off in the first minute, then it’s not any better than 1 of the 5 short videos.

If your format allows, go for a longer video instead of a shorter one. But the most important thing is that you can keep people watching your videos: so use end screen and playlist links to keep them engaged.

End screen: Pick related videos for your audience, so they know exactly what they should watch next. You can even create a background template for your end screens .

Playlist: If you have multiple videos that fit a specific topic, add them to a playlist so the viewer can enjoy them all in one viewing.

Key Takeaways:

1. Use Audience Retention to better understand how to structure your video for the best results.
2. Perform Keyword Research to find the keywords that your competitors are using and your audience is searching for.
3. Increasing Subscribers gets your video in front of more people the moment it is published.
4. Encourage Comments and respond to establish a relationship with your viewers.
5. Ensure that Viewers Continue Watching videos on YouTube after they finish watching yours.

Other Things That Affects Your YouTube Ranking

Except for the above-mentioned factors, there are also other issues that affect the ranking of your YouTube video. YouTube has stated that the number of subscribers doesn’t play a key role in your video ranking.

For example, if a YouTuber has a million subscribers and then overnight they lose 100 thousand, a video they had ranking number 1 will still be ranked number 1.

However, the number of subscribers has a lot of indirect effects on your channel.

- Subscribers know the moment your video is published

- Subscribers will watch your video in the first week (YouTube will rank your video higher if they see a lift in the first week of publishing)

- YouTube put a higher value on subscribers than views and social shares, because it’s harder to fake subscribers

Growing subscribers take time and effort, and even though it shouldn’t be your main focus, there are tactics you can do to gain more subscribers .

Don’t miss a chance to optimize your YouTube video, download, and print out this checklist for your next video project. For more information on SEO(Search Engine Optimization) on YouTube, you can also read the following article.

How to Fast Rank Video Higher with Video SEO >>

10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools to Use with Bonus Tips>>

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Wondershare Filmora. It provides special effects, stock photo & video, sound library, etc., which will definitely enhance your productivity and helps to make money by making videos much accessible.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

We all want our videos to get a lot of views, and in turn, lead to more subscribers. In order to do so, we have to prepare it for success. If you are hoping to optimize a video after it has already been published to YouTube, then you aren’t going to get the best result, because much of optimization is done before the video is even shot.a

In this article, we will give youa checklist , which you should have with you at the very beginning of creating a YouTube video: the ideation stage. As you go through your process, check off each task. By doing so, you can ensure that you have given the video the best chance to rank high and be discovered.

How to Optimize Your Video to Rank Higher on YouTube?

1. Keep Your Audience’s Attention
2. Do Keyword Research
3. Engage Your Audience
4. Upload YouTube Video in Proper Length

1. Keep Your Audience’s Attention:

Even though your view count is going up, it doesn’t mean your audience is watching your video. And if they are not, then YouTube is going to consider your video less valuable and therefore, lowering its rank.

Audience Retention is an important metric to keep an eye on after every video you’ve published.

Before you start your next project, take a look back at the Audience Retention of your previous videos.

1. Enter YouTube Studio in your channel
2. Access to Analytics
3. Select the video you want to review
4. Click into engagement
5. See where a dip in watch time

What is Good Audience Retention?

If you want to see how your Audience Retention is performing, the Average Percentage Viewed will give you a broad perspective. The higher the percentage, the more people are watching your entire video.

If you get above 60% Average Percentage Viewed, you should feel very proud. In our modern world with our short attention span, that is considered good retention.

In the example above, we see that on average, a viewer will only see 44% of the video. For the video below, we see that it only has 30% of the video viewed. Overall, the first video is performing better.

There is also a dip that happens at the beginning in the second example, which indicates that viewers are skipping forward and about 20% then deciding it’s not worth continuing. It’s good data to help you improve your introduction and the hook.

If there is important information that you are presenting at a given point and in the Audience Retention you see that only a small percentage of your viewers actually see it, then for the next video, you might want to position the details in a different point in the video.

How to Improve Audience Retention

Here are a few ways you can retain your audience’s attention if you noticed a drop in viewership:

- Film a hook (introduce your video to let the audience know what to expect)

- Add b-roll (having supplemental footage to cut to makes your video more interesting to watch)

- Have a co-host (Having someone on screen gives the video more dynamic interactions)

- Edit out the unimportant stuff

- Write a conclusion (having a conclusion prepared will allow you to transition from the content of the video to the call to action without the audience even knowing) See this example by PolyMatter below and notice how seamless their ending is.

If you have a video that is doing a good job retaining the audience, then replicate it. If there isn’t, keep experimenting with new structures. Improving audience retention is not simply important for your ranking, but it will affirm that you are building quality videos.

Knowing how to structure your video will allow you to be strategic as you build out your content.

2. Do Keyword Research:

Many viewers find YouTube videos via search, and if you aren’t using the appropriate keywords, then YouTube won’t be able to identify your content and display it for your viewers.

Where Do Keywords Appear on YouTube?

- Title: Have keywords at the beginning of the title and limit them up to approximately 60 characters so it appears in full in search.

- Tags: Include 10-15 tags from general keywords to more specific.

- Descriptions: Put important information and keywords at the beginning of the description so both searcher and the search engine understands what the video is about.

Why Keywords Matter

keyword arrangement is an integral part of YouTube optimization because the robots behind YouTube don’t associate the value of the actual video content with what the viewer is actually seeking. You should pay attention to the relevance of keywords.

Even when you add closed captions, it doesn’t mean the best keywords are present to the Youtube search engine when we speak.

That is why it is important to know your audience and what words and phrases they are going to use to search for your video.

Here is how you can see what keywords were used to find your video:

1. Enter YouTube Studio in your channel
2. Access Analytics
3. Select Reach
4. Click into Traffic Source
5. Click Traffic Source: YouTube Search

If you want to find some new keywords for your upcoming video, you will need to do some research.

1. Enter Keywords You Want to Rank for In YouTube Search: This allows you to see what the most popular phrases are in the YouTube search engine.

2. Study the Competitors: See which videos are ranking high for your search term. Use a tool called VidIQ to see the keywords that the top videos are performing.

3. Search for Related Keywords and Evaluate Relevancy: A tool called Ubersuggest can help you find related keywords and allow you to identify the search volume, cost per click (aka CPC is used for determining the budget for paid search), and the competitiveness of the word or phrase.

Search volume: The number of searches with that particular keyword. The higher the number the more popular it is. You should aim to use keywords with a high search volume.

Keyword competition score: This score is usually indicated by a number and it represents how difficult it is for a keyword to rank due to other pages already ranking for that word or phrase. You want to find a keyword with a low competition score.

Pro tip: The best combination is high search volume and low competition score. But if you can’t get that perfect mix, go for the low competitive score, as it will give you a better chance to rank, even if it isn’t searched as often.

4. Come Up With Content Related to Those Keywords: To come up with topic ideas around a keyword, you can use a tool called Answer the Public , which gives you all the most popular questions searched online.

3. Engage Your Audience:

It’s been highly discussed on forums all over the Internet, and there appears to be a strong correlation between YouTube video ranking and the number of likes, dislikes, and comments the video received.

While YouTube itself might not be using the number of likes and comments to determine where your video rank, having high engagement allows your video to be discovered through other means.

Here is an example of how it would work:

- A YouTuber with 100,000 subscribers views your video and likes it

- Then your video might be visible to a fraction of those 100,000 subscribers.

- Boom! Domino effect!

- More people will see your video and like it, increasing your network of viewers and your watch time, which is one of the main factors that YouTube takes into consideration.

Get engagements with a call to action:

- Don’t be afraid to ask for an engagement at the beginning of the video to avoid fall off on retention.

- Encourage them to leave a comment or start a discussion by asking a question at the end of your video.

- Monitor comments and responds to them so you can build a relationship with your audience over time.

It’s all about creating a community and that is what YouTube encourages.

4. Upload YouTube Video in Proper Length:

YouTube puts a lot of weight on watch time, and in addition to that, it puts more weight on session watch time.

Session watch time is counted when people watch your video and then continue to watch others, it doesn’t have to be your own. The more time people spend watching YouTube videos, as a result of your content, the more likely YouTube will increase your ranking.

Since YouTube puts importance on time spent watching videos, the length of your video will play a key role.

If you have 5 videos and all of them are a minute long, a 100% watch through will only get you 5 minutes total.

However, if you have 1 video that is 20 minutes, and an average viewer only watches half of it, then you have an average watch time of over 10 minutes. That’s more than double what your five short videos can do. This longer video is worth more. However, if that 20-minute video is really boring and people drop off in the first minute, then it’s not any better than 1 of the 5 short videos.

If your format allows, go for a longer video instead of a shorter one. But the most important thing is that you can keep people watching your videos: so use end screen and playlist links to keep them engaged.

End screen: Pick related videos for your audience, so they know exactly what they should watch next. You can even create a background template for your end screens .

Playlist: If you have multiple videos that fit a specific topic, add them to a playlist so the viewer can enjoy them all in one viewing.

Key Takeaways:

1. Use Audience Retention to better understand how to structure your video for the best results.
2. Perform Keyword Research to find the keywords that your competitors are using and your audience is searching for.
3. Increasing Subscribers gets your video in front of more people the moment it is published.
4. Encourage Comments and respond to establish a relationship with your viewers.
5. Ensure that Viewers Continue Watching videos on YouTube after they finish watching yours.

Other Things That Affects Your YouTube Ranking

Except for the above-mentioned factors, there are also other issues that affect the ranking of your YouTube video. YouTube has stated that the number of subscribers doesn’t play a key role in your video ranking.

For example, if a YouTuber has a million subscribers and then overnight they lose 100 thousand, a video they had ranking number 1 will still be ranked number 1.

However, the number of subscribers has a lot of indirect effects on your channel.

- Subscribers know the moment your video is published

- Subscribers will watch your video in the first week (YouTube will rank your video higher if they see a lift in the first week of publishing)

- YouTube put a higher value on subscribers than views and social shares, because it’s harder to fake subscribers

Growing subscribers take time and effort, and even though it shouldn’t be your main focus, there are tactics you can do to gain more subscribers .

Don’t miss a chance to optimize your YouTube video, download, and print out this checklist for your next video project. For more information on SEO(Search Engine Optimization) on YouTube, you can also read the following article.

How to Fast Rank Video Higher with Video SEO >>

10 Best YouTube Keyword Tools to Use with Bonus Tips>>

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Wondershare Filmora. It provides special effects, stock photo & video, sound library, etc., which will definitely enhance your productivity and helps to make money by making videos much accessible.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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