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"Crafting Captivating Thumbnails A Digital Marketer's Guidebook for 2024"
Crafting Captivating Thumbnails: A Digital Marketer’s Guidebook
The Ultimate Guide to YouTube Thumbnails that Get Views
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Search for any topic on YouTube and you’ll find thousands of videos. How do you decide which of them to watch? Thumbnails play a major role in what viewers decide to click on. They’re often more important than video titles.
Viewers click on thumbnails that both standout and feel relevant to their search. Your task when it comes to creating YouTube thumbnails is to make something that does both of those things while also maintaining your personal style.
- How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
- How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
- YouTube Thumbnail Makers
- How to Make Thumbnails that Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
- Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Part 1: How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
In order to create a custom video thumbnail, you’ll need a program to put it together in. You can use an image editing program like Photoshop if you have one, but if you don’t you can check out these free thumbnail makers.
Here are some examples of popular thumbnail styles.
1. The Classic Thumbnail (Photo or Screenshot)
A photo that shows what happens in your video – whether that means the finished ‘look’ from your makeup tutorial or you posing in front of the landmark you shot your travel vlog in front of – is a great way to let viewers know what to expect. While curiosity can be a big motive behind clicking on a video thumbnail (or anything online), when people have searched for a specific topic they want to be convinced that your video has what they’re looking for.
#1. Choose Your Photo
To start off, either choose a still frame from your video or take a photograph while you’re still set up from your video. A separate photograph is usually a better idea because your video editor might not be able to export a high-quality snapshot, and also because you’re able to choose your facial expression.
Aim to make this shot a close-up or medium close-up and make sure you’re either in the center of the screen or off to one side, as per the ‘rule of thirds’. Many cameras allow you to bring an optional grid up onto your viewfinder. This will divide your screen into three equal segments both vertically and horizontally. Try to make sure your eyes line up with the top line, and if you’re going to be off to one side then make sure you’re on one of the vertical lines. This will ensure your image is visually appealing.
If you want to add text later, it’s a good idea to be off to one side.
Including your face is important for most types of YouTube videos. People are attracted to eye contact and are more likely to click on thumbnails that feature a face. Gamers might choose to use a picture of a video game character instead and it will have the same effect.
Some situations where it isn’t essential to include your face include tech reviews, where viewers will be more interested in seeing the product, and cooking videos where people are looking to be tempted by a yummy food pic.
#2. Add Text and/or Images
This part isn’t essential – in some cases, a photo is enough – but a lot of the thumbnails for the videos ranked highest in YouTube’s search results include either a couple of words of text, a simple graphic (i.e. an emoji), or both.
In some cases you might use text to make it clear what type of video you’ve made, i.e. ‘review’ or ‘tutorial’. It’s best to keep any text you use brief, but you could get a bit more descriptive and write something like ‘fall makeup tutorial’. Three words is probably the most you can get away with. Remember that your text will be shrunk down with the rest of your image; you need to make it big enough to read easily once it’s shrunk, and that means you don’t have a ton of room for text.
You should also avoid fonts that are harder to read. Fonts with a lot of curves can be harder to read, and you want to make sure you choose a color that stands out from your background. Yellow might work against black, but it probably won’t work against the beige wall of your sunny bedroom. Sans serif fonts tend to be best.
Another tactic used in successful thumbnails is to add small graphics, like emojis or small images (i.e. pumpkins for a Halloween video), which are related to your video’s content. As with text, you don’t want to overload your thumbnail with images, but they’re a great way to add something eye-catching that’s a bit different from competing thumbnails.
2. The Emotional Laser (Background + Face Reacting)
One increasingly popular style of YouTube thumbnail is what we’re going to call the ‘Emotional Laser’. It’s bright (like, blindingly bright), it communicates a clear feeling, and it creates high expectations for how exciting the video’s content is going to be.
The three main elements of the Emotional Laser thumbnail are a background (usually bright), your face on the right wearing an over-pronounced expression, and either the thing your expression is in reaction to (i.e. food, a product, the topic of your video in text) or reinforcement of your emotion (i.e an emoji or question marks) on the left.
#1. Ham It Up (Take Your Reaction Photo)
Take a high-quality photograph of yourself conveying strong emotion. Generally, you want to look extremely excited, disgusted, angry, or shocked depending on the theme of the video.
If there’s an object you want to include in your thumbnail, like a product you’ll be talking about, then it’s a good idea to hold it for this photo. Hold it to one side of your head, turn towards it slightly (but not so much that the camera can only see the side of your face) and put on the expression that’s supposed to be a reaction to the object.
It can be a good idea to take this photo in front of a solid color so you can remove the background easily with chroma key.
#2. Choose Your Background
Your background might be scenery, a solid color, or even the room you filmed the video in. Light or bright colors are popular. Make sure there’s nothing that will distract from your expression. If your background is a room, or anything else where there could be things like pictures hanging, you may want to add a blur effect in the next step.
#3. Put It Together
In your thumbnail maker or a program like Photoshop, you’ll need to put your photo and your background together. This will work differently depending on what program you use. If your program has a chroma key tool and your reaction photo was taken against a solid color then you can make that solid color transparent.
What if I don’t have a separate background? If you don’t have a background you want to use, but you still want your reaction to stand out the same way it would if you did, then you can use your photo editor’s blur tool to turn the normal background of your photo into something you can pop-out from.
#4. Add Extras (Text, Emojis, etc.)
If instead of an object you plan to fill the other side of your thumbnail with text, question marks, emojis, or some other graphic element then now is the time to add it.
Part 2: How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
When you upload a new video to YouTube, you will see a Custom thumbnail option under Video thumbnails after your upload is complete.
If you want to add a custom thumbnail to a video that’s already up, that’s easy too.
- Go to your Video Manager in the Creator Studio.
- Find the video you want to change the thumbnail for and click Edit next to it.
- Click Custom thumbnail on the right of the preview screen.
- Upload your thumbnail and click Save changes.
Remember when you’re uploading custom thumbnails that you need to use a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and that your file size has to be under 2MB.
YouTube recommends that thumbnail images have a resolution of 1280x720px, and you cannot upload an image with a width of less than 640 pixels.
Make sure that all of your thumbnails adhere to YouTube’s Community guidelines. Anything sexually suggestive, violent, or otherwise graphic could result in your video being age-restricted.
Part 3: YouTube Thumbnail Makers
You don’t have to go out and buy a photo editor like Photoshop to make custom video thumbnails (although it’s a good thing to use if you already have it). Here are two free online programs you can use instead:
Canva is an intuitive option with templates for Thumbnails, Channel Art, and other social media graphics. There are stock photos and graphics provided, but not all of them are free (paid options cost $1 each). Canva’s templates do tend to include paid resources, so you may want to use them mostly for their layouts or as inspiration and replace everything they provide with your own images.
Generally, using Canva is as easy as dragging and dropping things where you want them. You’ll be able to set the dimensions for your project so the image you export is a perfect size. Adding text and changing the size, font, or color is easy too.
Adobe Spark also has templates for channel art, and it’s also very easy to use. The first time you use it helpful notes will pop up to guide you through the process. Using templates is especially simple because you just click on the elements in the pre-made thumbnail and replace them with your own photos/text.
You can make changes to the colors in your Spark thumbnail easily by selecting a new color scheme or filter. You can even toggle through layouts easily. When you choose a new layout, Spark will rearrange all the pieces of your current thumbnail to align with the new layout so you can quickly see what it looks like instead of having to rebuild.
Click to check more YouTube thumbnail makers
Part 4: How to Make Thumbnails That Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
Here are the top 10 best practices for creating effective YouTube thumbnails:
#1. Show What Your Video Is About
Being mysterious and clickbaity can get you views, if you’re already big. For small YouTubers, it pays off to be clear about your video’s topic. You want people to click who want to watch the actual content of your video. Even if you manage to get some clicks by being mysterious, you’ll probably end up with low viewer retention because people are clicking away when they realize your video isn’t what they were looking for. That will make YouTube’s algorithm rank your video lower, and then even fewer people will find it.
If your video is a product review, show the product in the thumbnail and maybe even write ‘review’ on it. If your video is a makeup tutorial, show your face with the finished makeup and maybe even include pictures of the products you used. People want to know what they’re clicking on before they click.
#2. Use a Consistent Layout
As you grow, you’ll want people to be able to see one of your thumbnails and instantly know it’s yours. Building a recognizable brand is about consistency. Try to stick with one basic layout for all of your videos. You can still customize every individual thumbnail by using different facial expressions and different graphics, but try to use similar backgrounds, fonts, and general layouts (i.e. you to the right of the thumbnails, text to the left) over and over.
#3. Use Your Face
Why should people want to watch your videos? If the answer is ‘because I can teach them to create delicious food’ or ‘because they want to learn about the latest iPhone’ then your thumbnail should include that food or that iPhone.
If part of the reason people want to watch your videos is you – your personality and your sense of humor – then you should be in your thumbnail.
Viewers who are on YouTube because they like seeing a creator’s personality like to feel the presence of that personality in the video thumbnail, and eye contact naturally draws attention and clicks.
#4. Add Small Graphics
Adding small graphics, like emojis or hearts, to your thumbnail can help you stand out in a couple different ways. First, if they’re being compared to thumbnails that are just screenshots from the video, your thumbnails will look a lot more polished. Second, they’ll add a splash of color which can draw eyes to your video in a search where other thumbnails are not using those same colors.
#5. Your Text Should Be Huge
Your thumbnail will end up being a fraction of the size it is while you’re creating it in your thumbnail maker, and that means that any text you use will end up being shrunk down. You could probably type a six-word sentence in a size 18 font and have it look fine while you’re making your thumbnail, but after you upload it there’s no way people will be able to read it at a glance.
Aim for a huge font size, and 3 words or less (so your thumbnail doesn’t end up looking crowded).
#6. Check Out The Competition
Type your video’s title or topic into the search engine on YouTube and look at the thumbnails for the videos that come up. These are your competition. You want to make a thumbnail that is similar enough to what comes up that viewers know it’s on the same topic, but different enough that it stands out.
Generally, if most of the thumbnails have the same layout, you’ll want to mimic that layout. Where you can break from the crowd is in the colors, fonts, and graphics you use.
Part 5: Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Whether or not you upload a custom thumbnail to YouTube, YouTube’s A.I will choose what it thinks are the 3 juiciest seconds of your video (you cannot choose for yourself) and play them as a GIF-like animation when people mouseover your video thumbnails.
As of now, this only works in the Google Chrome desktop browser. Videos have to be at least 30 seconds long to get moving thumbnails.
Alright, now that you know everything about YouTube thumbnails, go make one! Tell us in the comments what you’re going to do to make your video thumbnails stand out.
Touch Up YouTube Videos with Effects & Elements in Filmora
As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface. Download the free trial version and get started now.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Search for any topic on YouTube and you’ll find thousands of videos. How do you decide which of them to watch? Thumbnails play a major role in what viewers decide to click on. They’re often more important than video titles.
Viewers click on thumbnails that both standout and feel relevant to their search. Your task when it comes to creating YouTube thumbnails is to make something that does both of those things while also maintaining your personal style.
- How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
- How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
- YouTube Thumbnail Makers
- How to Make Thumbnails that Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
- Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Part 1: How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
In order to create a custom video thumbnail, you’ll need a program to put it together in. You can use an image editing program like Photoshop if you have one, but if you don’t you can check out these free thumbnail makers.
Here are some examples of popular thumbnail styles.
1. The Classic Thumbnail (Photo or Screenshot)
A photo that shows what happens in your video – whether that means the finished ‘look’ from your makeup tutorial or you posing in front of the landmark you shot your travel vlog in front of – is a great way to let viewers know what to expect. While curiosity can be a big motive behind clicking on a video thumbnail (or anything online), when people have searched for a specific topic they want to be convinced that your video has what they’re looking for.
#1. Choose Your Photo
To start off, either choose a still frame from your video or take a photograph while you’re still set up from your video. A separate photograph is usually a better idea because your video editor might not be able to export a high-quality snapshot, and also because you’re able to choose your facial expression.
Aim to make this shot a close-up or medium close-up and make sure you’re either in the center of the screen or off to one side, as per the ‘rule of thirds’. Many cameras allow you to bring an optional grid up onto your viewfinder. This will divide your screen into three equal segments both vertically and horizontally. Try to make sure your eyes line up with the top line, and if you’re going to be off to one side then make sure you’re on one of the vertical lines. This will ensure your image is visually appealing.
If you want to add text later, it’s a good idea to be off to one side.
Including your face is important for most types of YouTube videos. People are attracted to eye contact and are more likely to click on thumbnails that feature a face. Gamers might choose to use a picture of a video game character instead and it will have the same effect.
Some situations where it isn’t essential to include your face include tech reviews, where viewers will be more interested in seeing the product, and cooking videos where people are looking to be tempted by a yummy food pic.
#2. Add Text and/or Images
This part isn’t essential – in some cases, a photo is enough – but a lot of the thumbnails for the videos ranked highest in YouTube’s search results include either a couple of words of text, a simple graphic (i.e. an emoji), or both.
In some cases you might use text to make it clear what type of video you’ve made, i.e. ‘review’ or ‘tutorial’. It’s best to keep any text you use brief, but you could get a bit more descriptive and write something like ‘fall makeup tutorial’. Three words is probably the most you can get away with. Remember that your text will be shrunk down with the rest of your image; you need to make it big enough to read easily once it’s shrunk, and that means you don’t have a ton of room for text.
You should also avoid fonts that are harder to read. Fonts with a lot of curves can be harder to read, and you want to make sure you choose a color that stands out from your background. Yellow might work against black, but it probably won’t work against the beige wall of your sunny bedroom. Sans serif fonts tend to be best.
Another tactic used in successful thumbnails is to add small graphics, like emojis or small images (i.e. pumpkins for a Halloween video), which are related to your video’s content. As with text, you don’t want to overload your thumbnail with images, but they’re a great way to add something eye-catching that’s a bit different from competing thumbnails.
2. The Emotional Laser (Background + Face Reacting)
One increasingly popular style of YouTube thumbnail is what we’re going to call the ‘Emotional Laser’. It’s bright (like, blindingly bright), it communicates a clear feeling, and it creates high expectations for how exciting the video’s content is going to be.
The three main elements of the Emotional Laser thumbnail are a background (usually bright), your face on the right wearing an over-pronounced expression, and either the thing your expression is in reaction to (i.e. food, a product, the topic of your video in text) or reinforcement of your emotion (i.e an emoji or question marks) on the left.
#1. Ham It Up (Take Your Reaction Photo)
Take a high-quality photograph of yourself conveying strong emotion. Generally, you want to look extremely excited, disgusted, angry, or shocked depending on the theme of the video.
If there’s an object you want to include in your thumbnail, like a product you’ll be talking about, then it’s a good idea to hold it for this photo. Hold it to one side of your head, turn towards it slightly (but not so much that the camera can only see the side of your face) and put on the expression that’s supposed to be a reaction to the object.
It can be a good idea to take this photo in front of a solid color so you can remove the background easily with chroma key.
#2. Choose Your Background
Your background might be scenery, a solid color, or even the room you filmed the video in. Light or bright colors are popular. Make sure there’s nothing that will distract from your expression. If your background is a room, or anything else where there could be things like pictures hanging, you may want to add a blur effect in the next step.
#3. Put It Together
In your thumbnail maker or a program like Photoshop, you’ll need to put your photo and your background together. This will work differently depending on what program you use. If your program has a chroma key tool and your reaction photo was taken against a solid color then you can make that solid color transparent.
What if I don’t have a separate background? If you don’t have a background you want to use, but you still want your reaction to stand out the same way it would if you did, then you can use your photo editor’s blur tool to turn the normal background of your photo into something you can pop-out from.
#4. Add Extras (Text, Emojis, etc.)
If instead of an object you plan to fill the other side of your thumbnail with text, question marks, emojis, or some other graphic element then now is the time to add it.
Part 2: How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
When you upload a new video to YouTube, you will see a Custom thumbnail option under Video thumbnails after your upload is complete.
If you want to add a custom thumbnail to a video that’s already up, that’s easy too.
- Go to your Video Manager in the Creator Studio.
- Find the video you want to change the thumbnail for and click Edit next to it.
- Click Custom thumbnail on the right of the preview screen.
- Upload your thumbnail and click Save changes.
Remember when you’re uploading custom thumbnails that you need to use a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and that your file size has to be under 2MB.
YouTube recommends that thumbnail images have a resolution of 1280x720px, and you cannot upload an image with a width of less than 640 pixels.
Make sure that all of your thumbnails adhere to YouTube’s Community guidelines. Anything sexually suggestive, violent, or otherwise graphic could result in your video being age-restricted.
Part 3: YouTube Thumbnail Makers
You don’t have to go out and buy a photo editor like Photoshop to make custom video thumbnails (although it’s a good thing to use if you already have it). Here are two free online programs you can use instead:
Canva is an intuitive option with templates for Thumbnails, Channel Art, and other social media graphics. There are stock photos and graphics provided, but not all of them are free (paid options cost $1 each). Canva’s templates do tend to include paid resources, so you may want to use them mostly for their layouts or as inspiration and replace everything they provide with your own images.
Generally, using Canva is as easy as dragging and dropping things where you want them. You’ll be able to set the dimensions for your project so the image you export is a perfect size. Adding text and changing the size, font, or color is easy too.
Adobe Spark also has templates for channel art, and it’s also very easy to use. The first time you use it helpful notes will pop up to guide you through the process. Using templates is especially simple because you just click on the elements in the pre-made thumbnail and replace them with your own photos/text.
You can make changes to the colors in your Spark thumbnail easily by selecting a new color scheme or filter. You can even toggle through layouts easily. When you choose a new layout, Spark will rearrange all the pieces of your current thumbnail to align with the new layout so you can quickly see what it looks like instead of having to rebuild.
Click to check more YouTube thumbnail makers
Part 4: How to Make Thumbnails That Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
Here are the top 10 best practices for creating effective YouTube thumbnails:
#1. Show What Your Video Is About
Being mysterious and clickbaity can get you views, if you’re already big. For small YouTubers, it pays off to be clear about your video’s topic. You want people to click who want to watch the actual content of your video. Even if you manage to get some clicks by being mysterious, you’ll probably end up with low viewer retention because people are clicking away when they realize your video isn’t what they were looking for. That will make YouTube’s algorithm rank your video lower, and then even fewer people will find it.
If your video is a product review, show the product in the thumbnail and maybe even write ‘review’ on it. If your video is a makeup tutorial, show your face with the finished makeup and maybe even include pictures of the products you used. People want to know what they’re clicking on before they click.
#2. Use a Consistent Layout
As you grow, you’ll want people to be able to see one of your thumbnails and instantly know it’s yours. Building a recognizable brand is about consistency. Try to stick with one basic layout for all of your videos. You can still customize every individual thumbnail by using different facial expressions and different graphics, but try to use similar backgrounds, fonts, and general layouts (i.e. you to the right of the thumbnails, text to the left) over and over.
#3. Use Your Face
Why should people want to watch your videos? If the answer is ‘because I can teach them to create delicious food’ or ‘because they want to learn about the latest iPhone’ then your thumbnail should include that food or that iPhone.
If part of the reason people want to watch your videos is you – your personality and your sense of humor – then you should be in your thumbnail.
Viewers who are on YouTube because they like seeing a creator’s personality like to feel the presence of that personality in the video thumbnail, and eye contact naturally draws attention and clicks.
#4. Add Small Graphics
Adding small graphics, like emojis or hearts, to your thumbnail can help you stand out in a couple different ways. First, if they’re being compared to thumbnails that are just screenshots from the video, your thumbnails will look a lot more polished. Second, they’ll add a splash of color which can draw eyes to your video in a search where other thumbnails are not using those same colors.
#5. Your Text Should Be Huge
Your thumbnail will end up being a fraction of the size it is while you’re creating it in your thumbnail maker, and that means that any text you use will end up being shrunk down. You could probably type a six-word sentence in a size 18 font and have it look fine while you’re making your thumbnail, but after you upload it there’s no way people will be able to read it at a glance.
Aim for a huge font size, and 3 words or less (so your thumbnail doesn’t end up looking crowded).
#6. Check Out The Competition
Type your video’s title or topic into the search engine on YouTube and look at the thumbnails for the videos that come up. These are your competition. You want to make a thumbnail that is similar enough to what comes up that viewers know it’s on the same topic, but different enough that it stands out.
Generally, if most of the thumbnails have the same layout, you’ll want to mimic that layout. Where you can break from the crowd is in the colors, fonts, and graphics you use.
Part 5: Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Whether or not you upload a custom thumbnail to YouTube, YouTube’s A.I will choose what it thinks are the 3 juiciest seconds of your video (you cannot choose for yourself) and play them as a GIF-like animation when people mouseover your video thumbnails.
As of now, this only works in the Google Chrome desktop browser. Videos have to be at least 30 seconds long to get moving thumbnails.
Alright, now that you know everything about YouTube thumbnails, go make one! Tell us in the comments what you’re going to do to make your video thumbnails stand out.
Touch Up YouTube Videos with Effects & Elements in Filmora
As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface. Download the free trial version and get started now.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Search for any topic on YouTube and you’ll find thousands of videos. How do you decide which of them to watch? Thumbnails play a major role in what viewers decide to click on. They’re often more important than video titles.
Viewers click on thumbnails that both standout and feel relevant to their search. Your task when it comes to creating YouTube thumbnails is to make something that does both of those things while also maintaining your personal style.
- How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
- How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
- YouTube Thumbnail Makers
- How to Make Thumbnails that Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
- Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Part 1: How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
In order to create a custom video thumbnail, you’ll need a program to put it together in. You can use an image editing program like Photoshop if you have one, but if you don’t you can check out these free thumbnail makers.
Here are some examples of popular thumbnail styles.
1. The Classic Thumbnail (Photo or Screenshot)
A photo that shows what happens in your video – whether that means the finished ‘look’ from your makeup tutorial or you posing in front of the landmark you shot your travel vlog in front of – is a great way to let viewers know what to expect. While curiosity can be a big motive behind clicking on a video thumbnail (or anything online), when people have searched for a specific topic they want to be convinced that your video has what they’re looking for.
#1. Choose Your Photo
To start off, either choose a still frame from your video or take a photograph while you’re still set up from your video. A separate photograph is usually a better idea because your video editor might not be able to export a high-quality snapshot, and also because you’re able to choose your facial expression.
Aim to make this shot a close-up or medium close-up and make sure you’re either in the center of the screen or off to one side, as per the ‘rule of thirds’. Many cameras allow you to bring an optional grid up onto your viewfinder. This will divide your screen into three equal segments both vertically and horizontally. Try to make sure your eyes line up with the top line, and if you’re going to be off to one side then make sure you’re on one of the vertical lines. This will ensure your image is visually appealing.
If you want to add text later, it’s a good idea to be off to one side.
Including your face is important for most types of YouTube videos. People are attracted to eye contact and are more likely to click on thumbnails that feature a face. Gamers might choose to use a picture of a video game character instead and it will have the same effect.
Some situations where it isn’t essential to include your face include tech reviews, where viewers will be more interested in seeing the product, and cooking videos where people are looking to be tempted by a yummy food pic.
#2. Add Text and/or Images
This part isn’t essential – in some cases, a photo is enough – but a lot of the thumbnails for the videos ranked highest in YouTube’s search results include either a couple of words of text, a simple graphic (i.e. an emoji), or both.
In some cases you might use text to make it clear what type of video you’ve made, i.e. ‘review’ or ‘tutorial’. It’s best to keep any text you use brief, but you could get a bit more descriptive and write something like ‘fall makeup tutorial’. Three words is probably the most you can get away with. Remember that your text will be shrunk down with the rest of your image; you need to make it big enough to read easily once it’s shrunk, and that means you don’t have a ton of room for text.
You should also avoid fonts that are harder to read. Fonts with a lot of curves can be harder to read, and you want to make sure you choose a color that stands out from your background. Yellow might work against black, but it probably won’t work against the beige wall of your sunny bedroom. Sans serif fonts tend to be best.
Another tactic used in successful thumbnails is to add small graphics, like emojis or small images (i.e. pumpkins for a Halloween video), which are related to your video’s content. As with text, you don’t want to overload your thumbnail with images, but they’re a great way to add something eye-catching that’s a bit different from competing thumbnails.
2. The Emotional Laser (Background + Face Reacting)
One increasingly popular style of YouTube thumbnail is what we’re going to call the ‘Emotional Laser’. It’s bright (like, blindingly bright), it communicates a clear feeling, and it creates high expectations for how exciting the video’s content is going to be.
The three main elements of the Emotional Laser thumbnail are a background (usually bright), your face on the right wearing an over-pronounced expression, and either the thing your expression is in reaction to (i.e. food, a product, the topic of your video in text) or reinforcement of your emotion (i.e an emoji or question marks) on the left.
#1. Ham It Up (Take Your Reaction Photo)
Take a high-quality photograph of yourself conveying strong emotion. Generally, you want to look extremely excited, disgusted, angry, or shocked depending on the theme of the video.
If there’s an object you want to include in your thumbnail, like a product you’ll be talking about, then it’s a good idea to hold it for this photo. Hold it to one side of your head, turn towards it slightly (but not so much that the camera can only see the side of your face) and put on the expression that’s supposed to be a reaction to the object.
It can be a good idea to take this photo in front of a solid color so you can remove the background easily with chroma key.
#2. Choose Your Background
Your background might be scenery, a solid color, or even the room you filmed the video in. Light or bright colors are popular. Make sure there’s nothing that will distract from your expression. If your background is a room, or anything else where there could be things like pictures hanging, you may want to add a blur effect in the next step.
#3. Put It Together
In your thumbnail maker or a program like Photoshop, you’ll need to put your photo and your background together. This will work differently depending on what program you use. If your program has a chroma key tool and your reaction photo was taken against a solid color then you can make that solid color transparent.
What if I don’t have a separate background? If you don’t have a background you want to use, but you still want your reaction to stand out the same way it would if you did, then you can use your photo editor’s blur tool to turn the normal background of your photo into something you can pop-out from.
#4. Add Extras (Text, Emojis, etc.)
If instead of an object you plan to fill the other side of your thumbnail with text, question marks, emojis, or some other graphic element then now is the time to add it.
Part 2: How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
When you upload a new video to YouTube, you will see a Custom thumbnail option under Video thumbnails after your upload is complete.
If you want to add a custom thumbnail to a video that’s already up, that’s easy too.
- Go to your Video Manager in the Creator Studio.
- Find the video you want to change the thumbnail for and click Edit next to it.
- Click Custom thumbnail on the right of the preview screen.
- Upload your thumbnail and click Save changes.
Remember when you’re uploading custom thumbnails that you need to use a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and that your file size has to be under 2MB.
YouTube recommends that thumbnail images have a resolution of 1280x720px, and you cannot upload an image with a width of less than 640 pixels.
Make sure that all of your thumbnails adhere to YouTube’s Community guidelines. Anything sexually suggestive, violent, or otherwise graphic could result in your video being age-restricted.
Part 3: YouTube Thumbnail Makers
You don’t have to go out and buy a photo editor like Photoshop to make custom video thumbnails (although it’s a good thing to use if you already have it). Here are two free online programs you can use instead:
Canva is an intuitive option with templates for Thumbnails, Channel Art, and other social media graphics. There are stock photos and graphics provided, but not all of them are free (paid options cost $1 each). Canva’s templates do tend to include paid resources, so you may want to use them mostly for their layouts or as inspiration and replace everything they provide with your own images.
Generally, using Canva is as easy as dragging and dropping things where you want them. You’ll be able to set the dimensions for your project so the image you export is a perfect size. Adding text and changing the size, font, or color is easy too.
Adobe Spark also has templates for channel art, and it’s also very easy to use. The first time you use it helpful notes will pop up to guide you through the process. Using templates is especially simple because you just click on the elements in the pre-made thumbnail and replace them with your own photos/text.
You can make changes to the colors in your Spark thumbnail easily by selecting a new color scheme or filter. You can even toggle through layouts easily. When you choose a new layout, Spark will rearrange all the pieces of your current thumbnail to align with the new layout so you can quickly see what it looks like instead of having to rebuild.
Click to check more YouTube thumbnail makers
Part 4: How to Make Thumbnails That Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
Here are the top 10 best practices for creating effective YouTube thumbnails:
#1. Show What Your Video Is About
Being mysterious and clickbaity can get you views, if you’re already big. For small YouTubers, it pays off to be clear about your video’s topic. You want people to click who want to watch the actual content of your video. Even if you manage to get some clicks by being mysterious, you’ll probably end up with low viewer retention because people are clicking away when they realize your video isn’t what they were looking for. That will make YouTube’s algorithm rank your video lower, and then even fewer people will find it.
If your video is a product review, show the product in the thumbnail and maybe even write ‘review’ on it. If your video is a makeup tutorial, show your face with the finished makeup and maybe even include pictures of the products you used. People want to know what they’re clicking on before they click.
#2. Use a Consistent Layout
As you grow, you’ll want people to be able to see one of your thumbnails and instantly know it’s yours. Building a recognizable brand is about consistency. Try to stick with one basic layout for all of your videos. You can still customize every individual thumbnail by using different facial expressions and different graphics, but try to use similar backgrounds, fonts, and general layouts (i.e. you to the right of the thumbnails, text to the left) over and over.
#3. Use Your Face
Why should people want to watch your videos? If the answer is ‘because I can teach them to create delicious food’ or ‘because they want to learn about the latest iPhone’ then your thumbnail should include that food or that iPhone.
If part of the reason people want to watch your videos is you – your personality and your sense of humor – then you should be in your thumbnail.
Viewers who are on YouTube because they like seeing a creator’s personality like to feel the presence of that personality in the video thumbnail, and eye contact naturally draws attention and clicks.
#4. Add Small Graphics
Adding small graphics, like emojis or hearts, to your thumbnail can help you stand out in a couple different ways. First, if they’re being compared to thumbnails that are just screenshots from the video, your thumbnails will look a lot more polished. Second, they’ll add a splash of color which can draw eyes to your video in a search where other thumbnails are not using those same colors.
#5. Your Text Should Be Huge
Your thumbnail will end up being a fraction of the size it is while you’re creating it in your thumbnail maker, and that means that any text you use will end up being shrunk down. You could probably type a six-word sentence in a size 18 font and have it look fine while you’re making your thumbnail, but after you upload it there’s no way people will be able to read it at a glance.
Aim for a huge font size, and 3 words or less (so your thumbnail doesn’t end up looking crowded).
#6. Check Out The Competition
Type your video’s title or topic into the search engine on YouTube and look at the thumbnails for the videos that come up. These are your competition. You want to make a thumbnail that is similar enough to what comes up that viewers know it’s on the same topic, but different enough that it stands out.
Generally, if most of the thumbnails have the same layout, you’ll want to mimic that layout. Where you can break from the crowd is in the colors, fonts, and graphics you use.
Part 5: Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Whether or not you upload a custom thumbnail to YouTube, YouTube’s A.I will choose what it thinks are the 3 juiciest seconds of your video (you cannot choose for yourself) and play them as a GIF-like animation when people mouseover your video thumbnails.
As of now, this only works in the Google Chrome desktop browser. Videos have to be at least 30 seconds long to get moving thumbnails.
Alright, now that you know everything about YouTube thumbnails, go make one! Tell us in the comments what you’re going to do to make your video thumbnails stand out.
Touch Up YouTube Videos with Effects & Elements in Filmora
As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface. Download the free trial version and get started now.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Search for any topic on YouTube and you’ll find thousands of videos. How do you decide which of them to watch? Thumbnails play a major role in what viewers decide to click on. They’re often more important than video titles.
Viewers click on thumbnails that both standout and feel relevant to their search. Your task when it comes to creating YouTube thumbnails is to make something that does both of those things while also maintaining your personal style.
- How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
- How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
- YouTube Thumbnail Makers
- How to Make Thumbnails that Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
- Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Part 1: How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
In order to create a custom video thumbnail, you’ll need a program to put it together in. You can use an image editing program like Photoshop if you have one, but if you don’t you can check out these free thumbnail makers.
Here are some examples of popular thumbnail styles.
1. The Classic Thumbnail (Photo or Screenshot)
A photo that shows what happens in your video – whether that means the finished ‘look’ from your makeup tutorial or you posing in front of the landmark you shot your travel vlog in front of – is a great way to let viewers know what to expect. While curiosity can be a big motive behind clicking on a video thumbnail (or anything online), when people have searched for a specific topic they want to be convinced that your video has what they’re looking for.
#1. Choose Your Photo
To start off, either choose a still frame from your video or take a photograph while you’re still set up from your video. A separate photograph is usually a better idea because your video editor might not be able to export a high-quality snapshot, and also because you’re able to choose your facial expression.
Aim to make this shot a close-up or medium close-up and make sure you’re either in the center of the screen or off to one side, as per the ‘rule of thirds’. Many cameras allow you to bring an optional grid up onto your viewfinder. This will divide your screen into three equal segments both vertically and horizontally. Try to make sure your eyes line up with the top line, and if you’re going to be off to one side then make sure you’re on one of the vertical lines. This will ensure your image is visually appealing.
If you want to add text later, it’s a good idea to be off to one side.
Including your face is important for most types of YouTube videos. People are attracted to eye contact and are more likely to click on thumbnails that feature a face. Gamers might choose to use a picture of a video game character instead and it will have the same effect.
Some situations where it isn’t essential to include your face include tech reviews, where viewers will be more interested in seeing the product, and cooking videos where people are looking to be tempted by a yummy food pic.
#2. Add Text and/or Images
This part isn’t essential – in some cases, a photo is enough – but a lot of the thumbnails for the videos ranked highest in YouTube’s search results include either a couple of words of text, a simple graphic (i.e. an emoji), or both.
In some cases you might use text to make it clear what type of video you’ve made, i.e. ‘review’ or ‘tutorial’. It’s best to keep any text you use brief, but you could get a bit more descriptive and write something like ‘fall makeup tutorial’. Three words is probably the most you can get away with. Remember that your text will be shrunk down with the rest of your image; you need to make it big enough to read easily once it’s shrunk, and that means you don’t have a ton of room for text.
You should also avoid fonts that are harder to read. Fonts with a lot of curves can be harder to read, and you want to make sure you choose a color that stands out from your background. Yellow might work against black, but it probably won’t work against the beige wall of your sunny bedroom. Sans serif fonts tend to be best.
Another tactic used in successful thumbnails is to add small graphics, like emojis or small images (i.e. pumpkins for a Halloween video), which are related to your video’s content. As with text, you don’t want to overload your thumbnail with images, but they’re a great way to add something eye-catching that’s a bit different from competing thumbnails.
2. The Emotional Laser (Background + Face Reacting)
One increasingly popular style of YouTube thumbnail is what we’re going to call the ‘Emotional Laser’. It’s bright (like, blindingly bright), it communicates a clear feeling, and it creates high expectations for how exciting the video’s content is going to be.
The three main elements of the Emotional Laser thumbnail are a background (usually bright), your face on the right wearing an over-pronounced expression, and either the thing your expression is in reaction to (i.e. food, a product, the topic of your video in text) or reinforcement of your emotion (i.e an emoji or question marks) on the left.
#1. Ham It Up (Take Your Reaction Photo)
Take a high-quality photograph of yourself conveying strong emotion. Generally, you want to look extremely excited, disgusted, angry, or shocked depending on the theme of the video.
If there’s an object you want to include in your thumbnail, like a product you’ll be talking about, then it’s a good idea to hold it for this photo. Hold it to one side of your head, turn towards it slightly (but not so much that the camera can only see the side of your face) and put on the expression that’s supposed to be a reaction to the object.
It can be a good idea to take this photo in front of a solid color so you can remove the background easily with chroma key.
#2. Choose Your Background
Your background might be scenery, a solid color, or even the room you filmed the video in. Light or bright colors are popular. Make sure there’s nothing that will distract from your expression. If your background is a room, or anything else where there could be things like pictures hanging, you may want to add a blur effect in the next step.
#3. Put It Together
In your thumbnail maker or a program like Photoshop, you’ll need to put your photo and your background together. This will work differently depending on what program you use. If your program has a chroma key tool and your reaction photo was taken against a solid color then you can make that solid color transparent.
What if I don’t have a separate background? If you don’t have a background you want to use, but you still want your reaction to stand out the same way it would if you did, then you can use your photo editor’s blur tool to turn the normal background of your photo into something you can pop-out from.
#4. Add Extras (Text, Emojis, etc.)
If instead of an object you plan to fill the other side of your thumbnail with text, question marks, emojis, or some other graphic element then now is the time to add it.
Part 2: How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
When you upload a new video to YouTube, you will see a Custom thumbnail option under Video thumbnails after your upload is complete.
If you want to add a custom thumbnail to a video that’s already up, that’s easy too.
- Go to your Video Manager in the Creator Studio.
- Find the video you want to change the thumbnail for and click Edit next to it.
- Click Custom thumbnail on the right of the preview screen.
- Upload your thumbnail and click Save changes.
Remember when you’re uploading custom thumbnails that you need to use a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and that your file size has to be under 2MB.
YouTube recommends that thumbnail images have a resolution of 1280x720px, and you cannot upload an image with a width of less than 640 pixels.
Make sure that all of your thumbnails adhere to YouTube’s Community guidelines. Anything sexually suggestive, violent, or otherwise graphic could result in your video being age-restricted.
Part 3: YouTube Thumbnail Makers
You don’t have to go out and buy a photo editor like Photoshop to make custom video thumbnails (although it’s a good thing to use if you already have it). Here are two free online programs you can use instead:
Canva is an intuitive option with templates for Thumbnails, Channel Art, and other social media graphics. There are stock photos and graphics provided, but not all of them are free (paid options cost $1 each). Canva’s templates do tend to include paid resources, so you may want to use them mostly for their layouts or as inspiration and replace everything they provide with your own images.
Generally, using Canva is as easy as dragging and dropping things where you want them. You’ll be able to set the dimensions for your project so the image you export is a perfect size. Adding text and changing the size, font, or color is easy too.
Adobe Spark also has templates for channel art, and it’s also very easy to use. The first time you use it helpful notes will pop up to guide you through the process. Using templates is especially simple because you just click on the elements in the pre-made thumbnail and replace them with your own photos/text.
You can make changes to the colors in your Spark thumbnail easily by selecting a new color scheme or filter. You can even toggle through layouts easily. When you choose a new layout, Spark will rearrange all the pieces of your current thumbnail to align with the new layout so you can quickly see what it looks like instead of having to rebuild.
Click to check more YouTube thumbnail makers
Part 4: How to Make Thumbnails That Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
Here are the top 10 best practices for creating effective YouTube thumbnails:
#1. Show What Your Video Is About
Being mysterious and clickbaity can get you views, if you’re already big. For small YouTubers, it pays off to be clear about your video’s topic. You want people to click who want to watch the actual content of your video. Even if you manage to get some clicks by being mysterious, you’ll probably end up with low viewer retention because people are clicking away when they realize your video isn’t what they were looking for. That will make YouTube’s algorithm rank your video lower, and then even fewer people will find it.
If your video is a product review, show the product in the thumbnail and maybe even write ‘review’ on it. If your video is a makeup tutorial, show your face with the finished makeup and maybe even include pictures of the products you used. People want to know what they’re clicking on before they click.
#2. Use a Consistent Layout
As you grow, you’ll want people to be able to see one of your thumbnails and instantly know it’s yours. Building a recognizable brand is about consistency. Try to stick with one basic layout for all of your videos. You can still customize every individual thumbnail by using different facial expressions and different graphics, but try to use similar backgrounds, fonts, and general layouts (i.e. you to the right of the thumbnails, text to the left) over and over.
#3. Use Your Face
Why should people want to watch your videos? If the answer is ‘because I can teach them to create delicious food’ or ‘because they want to learn about the latest iPhone’ then your thumbnail should include that food or that iPhone.
If part of the reason people want to watch your videos is you – your personality and your sense of humor – then you should be in your thumbnail.
Viewers who are on YouTube because they like seeing a creator’s personality like to feel the presence of that personality in the video thumbnail, and eye contact naturally draws attention and clicks.
#4. Add Small Graphics
Adding small graphics, like emojis or hearts, to your thumbnail can help you stand out in a couple different ways. First, if they’re being compared to thumbnails that are just screenshots from the video, your thumbnails will look a lot more polished. Second, they’ll add a splash of color which can draw eyes to your video in a search where other thumbnails are not using those same colors.
#5. Your Text Should Be Huge
Your thumbnail will end up being a fraction of the size it is while you’re creating it in your thumbnail maker, and that means that any text you use will end up being shrunk down. You could probably type a six-word sentence in a size 18 font and have it look fine while you’re making your thumbnail, but after you upload it there’s no way people will be able to read it at a glance.
Aim for a huge font size, and 3 words or less (so your thumbnail doesn’t end up looking crowded).
#6. Check Out The Competition
Type your video’s title or topic into the search engine on YouTube and look at the thumbnails for the videos that come up. These are your competition. You want to make a thumbnail that is similar enough to what comes up that viewers know it’s on the same topic, but different enough that it stands out.
Generally, if most of the thumbnails have the same layout, you’ll want to mimic that layout. Where you can break from the crowd is in the colors, fonts, and graphics you use.
Part 5: Animated YouTube Thumbnails
Whether or not you upload a custom thumbnail to YouTube, YouTube’s A.I will choose what it thinks are the 3 juiciest seconds of your video (you cannot choose for yourself) and play them as a GIF-like animation when people mouseover your video thumbnails.
As of now, this only works in the Google Chrome desktop browser. Videos have to be at least 30 seconds long to get moving thumbnails.
Alright, now that you know everything about YouTube thumbnails, go make one! Tell us in the comments what you’re going to do to make your video thumbnails stand out.
Touch Up YouTube Videos with Effects & Elements in Filmora
As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface. Download the free trial version and get started now.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Gain Traction with Effective Video Descriptions and Tagging
How to Optimize YouTube Tags/Title/Description for More Views
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Making awesome video content is just the first hurdle to overcome. Getting people to watch them is the next and a much bigger obstacle in your path. Just as a blogger must work hard to get people to read their blog, so a YouTuber needs to find ways to get more views on their videos.
For any piece of content on the internet, discoverability is key to exposure. After all, nobody will watch your video or read your blog if they can’t find it, right? A blogger would do this by lacing their content with SEO - search engine optimization. But how can a YouTuber do the same? The answer lies in something known as YouTube tags optimization. In this article, we will let you know how to add, edit and optimize YouTube tags easily for more views, and some tips on YouTube title and description.
Quick Jump Menu
- What are YouTube tags and why they are so important
- How to come up with YouTube tags and optimize them
- How to Tag YouTube and Add Title, Description
- How to Improve YouTube video Metadata: Tags, Title, Description
- Tips for Tagging YouTube and Writing Title, Description
Before we get started, I want to recommend the best video editing software for YouTubers - Wondershare Filmora , an easy to use while powerful video editor that allows you not only to cut, split, crop, resize, reverse your videos, but also offers you multiple video effects specially designed for Fashion, Beauty, Gaming, Travel, Education, etc. Check the video to know more fantastic features:
Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )
Part 1: What are YouTube tags and why they are so important
YouTube tags are used when you upload a video on YouTube. You need to specify the type of video. In other words, you need to describe your video with keywords. But you might think about why you need to add these words. YouTube can’t figure out what my videos are about? Unfortunately, YouTube can’t though its algorithm is much more advanced than before.
You must know the competition between videos is furious since 500 hours of video per minute are uploaded on YouTube . In this case, it is important to let the YouTube algorithm know your video by adding related tags to have a higher ranking. So the better tags we choose, the higher chance to rank in the top 1, which means you will get more views!
Using YouTube meta tags wisely can broaden your reach and help new people discover your content. However, don’t be tempted to insert irrelevant tags just because you know they are high traffic. You will be found out and penalized as a result. Just as you did with your description, research your keywords, place the most important ones first and use as many as you can.
What are the three YouTube tag types?
YouTube has three different types of tags and each of them has a specific purpose. The tags are-
Specific – The specific tag types are keywords-oriented. These keywords specifically pertain to the content of your video. In this tag type, the particular video is highlighted with the keyword tags. Often while typing the keywords in your mind, YouTube suggests phrases and keywords according to the content of your video. You may apply the suggestions and also add more general or common versions of the same keywords.
Compound – The compound tags are usually using more than two words. Many a time it is seen that users prefer tagging the complete title of the video. If you are using your video title as the compound tag, ensure that you do not include the prepositions like or, as, and, etc. This is because YouTube allows just 500 characters in the title and ignore the prepositions. It is always advised to use all the 500 characters YouTube has allowed without wasting the characters on prepositions as it will automatically be ignored.
Generic – The generic tags are the ones that describe the entire video in one or two words. These tags are used in all the videos of yours. These tags are used across your channel for all the videos you post. It is important to have such general constant tags.
Part 2: How to add YouTube tags and optimize them
The more relevant tags you add, the better it is. The best part is YouTube doesn’t restrict the number of tags but adding all is not possible and adding something irrelevant doesn’t make sense. So, your YouTube video tags must be the smart ones for more views. Educated tagging is what is required.
1. Brand-Specific Tags Addition - Every business wants their brand name to show up in the search results on YouTube and Google. Self-referencing your video or tagging your brand name in a number of variations is a smart way of letting others know your brand.
2. Using YouTube Auto Suggest – Play with the search option on YouTube and check out the YouTube suggestions when you search. Try to recognize the common videos that pop up while searching for something important and relevant to yours. Try searching for random keywords according to your YouTube search experience.
3. Use the YouTube Keyword Search Tool – Lastly, you may use the YouTube keyword suggestion tool. It helps you to extract the relevant keywords from the videos of your competitors and create suggestions according to the basic term provided by you.
4. Use Specific Tags - After using tools, you need to narrow down your tags specifically, like tags “learn 3D paper cutting”. The search volume may not be huge, but these kinds of tags can let YouTube know your video very well. Give it a try!
5. Check competitor’s Tags - When you check tags from other brands, it is not suggested to copy them all. What you need to do is find what you are missing and try to cover that area. However, only third-party tools can help you do that. In the market, VidIQ is highly used. It has a free version. Most of all data including tags can be found for higher views.
YouTube Tags Bonus Tips
Here you can learn some tips when optimizing tags. You can use singular and plural tags. Sometimes remember to add some misspelling tags because users tend to mistype some words, so it’s better to cover this kind of tag. You can get more information on misspelled words . More tips are listed below.
- Build on what you learned in your keyword research and use high traffic keywords as tags
- Use as many tags as possible, but without being spammy
- Build related playlists using particular tags
- Be generic; ‘big’, ‘funny’ and ‘sweet’ are fine, but ‘luscious’, ‘delightful’ and ‘splendid’ don’t make the best tags
- Put the most important tags first
- Mix single word tags with ‘long tail’ tags, e.g. ‘how to’
Part 3: How to Tag YouTube and Add Title, Description
For a New Video
- Step 1. The first thing you need to do is to sign in to your YouTube account .
- Step 2. Then click the Upload button that’s found on the top right corner of the window.
- Step 3. Then select the video that you want to upload. You will be asked to add a title, description, and tags.
- Step 4. After uploading, you can still edit the YouTube title, description, and tags.
For a Published Video
There are times when you want to change the title, description or tag of an already published video. The good news is that YouTube allows you to re-edit them whenever you want to.
- Step 1. Log into your YouTube account
- Step 2. Click the account name found at the top right-hand corner of the screen. Then you will have a dropdown menu. Select Video Manager to show a list of your uploaded videos.
- Step 3. Click the Edit button that’s found right next to the video that you want to modify. In the Video Information, you can now change the title, description or any of the tags. Click on the Save Changes button when you are done.
Part 4: How to Improve YouTube Video Title and Description
Metadata on YouTube is where both the viewers and the platform itself can find out what your video is all about. It helps people search for your video, helps YouTube to categorize it correctly and, when done well, can broaden the reach of your content. YouTube meta consists of three main parts: tags, title and description. Here’s how you can use each of these three elements to create powerful metadata for your video:
1. Title
YouTube titles play a big part in the ranking factors for search. That means you’ve got to think about what the people most likely to want to see your video will type into the search bar, as well as the words that accurately describe your video.
For example, if you have a clip of your cat Fluffy climbing a tree, calling your video ‘Fluffy climbs a tree’ is not the best idea. Nobody knows who Fluffy is; it could be your rabbit, dog, daughter or feather duster for all the YouTube community knows, and nobody is going to be searching for it.
A better title would be ‘cat climbs a tree, but you could even improve on that. How about ‘funny cat climbs a tree’, which would capture all those people looking for funny cat videos. Or, even better, ‘funny Persian cat climbs a tree’, also capturing those people who adore Persian cats.
You can see how building awesome YouTube titles can happen organically like this, but it’s also worth doing your homework too. We have collected a handful of YouTube Keyword tools for you to improve your YouTube meta, so check out the suggestions and work forwards from there.
Best practices
- Research your keywords and include high traffic keywords at the start of the title
- Keep titles under 70 characters
- Branding, episode number, and other non-essential info should be at the end of the title
- Review your YouTube titles from time to time and update with new keywords as search trends change
- Avoid clickbait titles or misleading titles as this will affect your view time and subsequently your ranking in search
2. Description
Your description is a much longer piece of YouTube meta, so you can really go to town with your YouTube keywords here. You’ve got up to 5,000 characters to fill in, and we strongly advise that you aim to use every single one. This really is a golden opportunity, not only to get people motivated to watch all of your video, but also to be indexed correctly through well researched YouTube keywords.
You may have noticed that, on the search page itself, only a small part of the description actually shows up; 120 characters of it to be precise. This doesn’t affect indexing, but it does mean you have to plan your YouTube description carefully to really hook people into clicking through from just the first sentence or two.
Best practices
- Make the first sentence or two compelling and captivating to get people to click
- Research the best YouTube keywords to use to ensure your video is correctly indexed
- At the end of your YouTube description, include a call to action to direct viewers on what to do next (subscribe, click through to the website, look at a product, watch more videos, etc.)
- If your video is long, consider placing time codes in your description to help users jump to their areas of interest
- Add links to products showcased, your social channels, or website as you wish
- Don’t forget to credit any music you’ve used here
Part 5: Tips for Tagging YouTube and Writing Title, Description
So, now we’ve got the basics down, let’s move on to some top tips for getting your metadata just right:
- 1. Do not spam
Irrelevant keywords will not do you any favors in the long run. Using a popular search term such as ‘funny cat’ when actually it’s a video of you unboxing your product will simply irritate your viewers. You’ll get more views, but for shorter durations, and that will hurt not only your ranking but also your reputation. The people you want to draw in with your YouTube meta should be those who are genuinely interested in your videos, as these are the people who will share, comment and interact with you.
- 2. Don’t put tags in the description
YouTube has given you a place to put your tags, and that’s not in the description area of your meta. Placing tags in the description area is known as tag stuffing and can lead to videos being removed or penalized.
- 3. Update regularly
YouTube meta is not a static thing. Trends change, search statistics fluctuate, and the needs of your viewers alter as time goes on. For this reason, you should look to update your meta from time to time, at least once every six months or so. Re-research your keywords and optimize for today’s trending search terms.
You May Also Like: YouTube SEO Complete Guide
Conclusion
Take some time to perfect your meta on YouTube and see how many more views it helps you get. Let us know if you have any other tips for developing powerful metadata, and how optimizing your meta has worked for you!
Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Making awesome video content is just the first hurdle to overcome. Getting people to watch them is the next and a much bigger obstacle in your path. Just as a blogger must work hard to get people to read their blog, so a YouTuber needs to find ways to get more views on their videos.
For any piece of content on the internet, discoverability is key to exposure. After all, nobody will watch your video or read your blog if they can’t find it, right? A blogger would do this by lacing their content with SEO - search engine optimization. But how can a YouTuber do the same? The answer lies in something known as YouTube tags optimization. In this article, we will let you know how to add, edit and optimize YouTube tags easily for more views, and some tips on YouTube title and description.
Quick Jump Menu
- What are YouTube tags and why they are so important
- How to come up with YouTube tags and optimize them
- How to Tag YouTube and Add Title, Description
- How to Improve YouTube video Metadata: Tags, Title, Description
- Tips for Tagging YouTube and Writing Title, Description
Before we get started, I want to recommend the best video editing software for YouTubers - Wondershare Filmora , an easy to use while powerful video editor that allows you not only to cut, split, crop, resize, reverse your videos, but also offers you multiple video effects specially designed for Fashion, Beauty, Gaming, Travel, Education, etc. Check the video to know more fantastic features:
Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )
Part 1: What are YouTube tags and why they are so important
YouTube tags are used when you upload a video on YouTube. You need to specify the type of video. In other words, you need to describe your video with keywords. But you might think about why you need to add these words. YouTube can’t figure out what my videos are about? Unfortunately, YouTube can’t though its algorithm is much more advanced than before.
You must know the competition between videos is furious since 500 hours of video per minute are uploaded on YouTube . In this case, it is important to let the YouTube algorithm know your video by adding related tags to have a higher ranking. So the better tags we choose, the higher chance to rank in the top 1, which means you will get more views!
Using YouTube meta tags wisely can broaden your reach and help new people discover your content. However, don’t be tempted to insert irrelevant tags just because you know they are high traffic. You will be found out and penalized as a result. Just as you did with your description, research your keywords, place the most important ones first and use as many as you can.
What are the three YouTube tag types?
YouTube has three different types of tags and each of them has a specific purpose. The tags are-
Specific – The specific tag types are keywords-oriented. These keywords specifically pertain to the content of your video. In this tag type, the particular video is highlighted with the keyword tags. Often while typing the keywords in your mind, YouTube suggests phrases and keywords according to the content of your video. You may apply the suggestions and also add more general or common versions of the same keywords.
Compound – The compound tags are usually using more than two words. Many a time it is seen that users prefer tagging the complete title of the video. If you are using your video title as the compound tag, ensure that you do not include the prepositions like or, as, and, etc. This is because YouTube allows just 500 characters in the title and ignore the prepositions. It is always advised to use all the 500 characters YouTube has allowed without wasting the characters on prepositions as it will automatically be ignored.
Generic – The generic tags are the ones that describe the entire video in one or two words. These tags are used in all the videos of yours. These tags are used across your channel for all the videos you post. It is important to have such general constant tags.
Part 2: How to add YouTube tags and optimize them
The more relevant tags you add, the better it is. The best part is YouTube doesn’t restrict the number of tags but adding all is not possible and adding something irrelevant doesn’t make sense. So, your YouTube video tags must be the smart ones for more views. Educated tagging is what is required.
1. Brand-Specific Tags Addition - Every business wants their brand name to show up in the search results on YouTube and Google. Self-referencing your video or tagging your brand name in a number of variations is a smart way of letting others know your brand.
2. Using YouTube Auto Suggest – Play with the search option on YouTube and check out the YouTube suggestions when you search. Try to recognize the common videos that pop up while searching for something important and relevant to yours. Try searching for random keywords according to your YouTube search experience.
3. Use the YouTube Keyword Search Tool – Lastly, you may use the YouTube keyword suggestion tool. It helps you to extract the relevant keywords from the videos of your competitors and create suggestions according to the basic term provided by you.
4. Use Specific Tags - After using tools, you need to narrow down your tags specifically, like tags “learn 3D paper cutting”. The search volume may not be huge, but these kinds of tags can let YouTube know your video very well. Give it a try!
5. Check competitor’s Tags - When you check tags from other brands, it is not suggested to copy them all. What you need to do is find what you are missing and try to cover that area. However, only third-party tools can help you do that. In the market, VidIQ is highly used. It has a free version. Most of all data including tags can be found for higher views.
YouTube Tags Bonus Tips
Here you can learn some tips when optimizing tags. You can use singular and plural tags. Sometimes remember to add some misspelling tags because users tend to mistype some words, so it’s better to cover this kind of tag. You can get more information on misspelled words . More tips are listed below.
- Build on what you learned in your keyword research and use high traffic keywords as tags
- Use as many tags as possible, but without being spammy
- Build related playlists using particular tags
- Be generic; ‘big’, ‘funny’ and ‘sweet’ are fine, but ‘luscious’, ‘delightful’ and ‘splendid’ don’t make the best tags
- Put the most important tags first
- Mix single word tags with ‘long tail’ tags, e.g. ‘how to’
Part 3: How to Tag YouTube and Add Title, Description
For a New Video
- Step 1. The first thing you need to do is to sign in to your YouTube account .
- Step 2. Then click the Upload button that’s found on the top right corner of the window.
- Step 3. Then select the video that you want to upload. You will be asked to add a title, description, and tags.
- Step 4. After uploading, you can still edit the YouTube title, description, and tags.
For a Published Video
There are times when you want to change the title, description or tag of an already published video. The good news is that YouTube allows you to re-edit them whenever you want to.
- Step 1. Log into your YouTube account
- Step 2. Click the account name found at the top right-hand corner of the screen. Then you will have a dropdown menu. Select Video Manager to show a list of your uploaded videos.
- Step 3. Click the Edit button that’s found right next to the video that you want to modify. In the Video Information, you can now change the title, description or any of the tags. Click on the Save Changes button when you are done.
Part 4: How to Improve YouTube Video Title and Description
Metadata on YouTube is where both the viewers and the platform itself can find out what your video is all about. It helps people search for your video, helps YouTube to categorize it correctly and, when done well, can broaden the reach of your content. YouTube meta consists of three main parts: tags, title and description. Here’s how you can use each of these three elements to create powerful metadata for your video:
1. Title
YouTube titles play a big part in the ranking factors for search. That means you’ve got to think about what the people most likely to want to see your video will type into the search bar, as well as the words that accurately describe your video.
For example, if you have a clip of your cat Fluffy climbing a tree, calling your video ‘Fluffy climbs a tree’ is not the best idea. Nobody knows who Fluffy is; it could be your rabbit, dog, daughter or feather duster for all the YouTube community knows, and nobody is going to be searching for it.
A better title would be ‘cat climbs a tree, but you could even improve on that. How about ‘funny cat climbs a tree’, which would capture all those people looking for funny cat videos. Or, even better, ‘funny Persian cat climbs a tree’, also capturing those people who adore Persian cats.
You can see how building awesome YouTube titles can happen organically like this, but it’s also worth doing your homework too. We have collected a handful of YouTube Keyword tools for you to improve your YouTube meta, so check out the suggestions and work forwards from there.
Best practices
- Research your keywords and include high traffic keywords at the start of the title
- Keep titles under 70 characters
- Branding, episode number, and other non-essential info should be at the end of the title
- Review your YouTube titles from time to time and update with new keywords as search trends change
- Avoid clickbait titles or misleading titles as this will affect your view time and subsequently your ranking in search
2. Description
Your description is a much longer piece of YouTube meta, so you can really go to town with your YouTube keywords here. You’ve got up to 5,000 characters to fill in, and we strongly advise that you aim to use every single one. This really is a golden opportunity, not only to get people motivated to watch all of your video, but also to be indexed correctly through well researched YouTube keywords.
You may have noticed that, on the search page itself, only a small part of the description actually shows up; 120 characters of it to be precise. This doesn’t affect indexing, but it does mean you have to plan your YouTube description carefully to really hook people into clicking through from just the first sentence or two.
Best practices
- Make the first sentence or two compelling and captivating to get people to click
- Research the best YouTube keywords to use to ensure your video is correctly indexed
- At the end of your YouTube description, include a call to action to direct viewers on what to do next (subscribe, click through to the website, look at a product, watch more videos, etc.)
- If your video is long, consider placing time codes in your description to help users jump to their areas of interest
- Add links to products showcased, your social channels, or website as you wish
- Don’t forget to credit any music you’ve used here
Part 5: Tips for Tagging YouTube and Writing Title, Description
So, now we’ve got the basics down, let’s move on to some top tips for getting your metadata just right:
- 1. Do not spam
Irrelevant keywords will not do you any favors in the long run. Using a popular search term such as ‘funny cat’ when actually it’s a video of you unboxing your product will simply irritate your viewers. You’ll get more views, but for shorter durations, and that will hurt not only your ranking but also your reputation. The people you want to draw in with your YouTube meta should be those who are genuinely interested in your videos, as these are the people who will share, comment and interact with you.
- 2. Don’t put tags in the description
YouTube has given you a place to put your tags, and that’s not in the description area of your meta. Placing tags in the description area is known as tag stuffing and can lead to videos being removed or penalized.
- 3. Update regularly
YouTube meta is not a static thing. Trends change, search statistics fluctuate, and the needs of your viewers alter as time goes on. For this reason, you should look to update your meta from time to time, at least once every six months or so. Re-research your keywords and optimize for today’s trending search terms.
You May Also Like: YouTube SEO Complete Guide
Conclusion
Take some time to perfect your meta on YouTube and see how many more views it helps you get. Let us know if you have any other tips for developing powerful metadata, and how optimizing your meta has worked for you!
Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Making awesome video content is just the first hurdle to overcome. Getting people to watch them is the next and a much bigger obstacle in your path. Just as a blogger must work hard to get people to read their blog, so a YouTuber needs to find ways to get more views on their videos.
For any piece of content on the internet, discoverability is key to exposure. After all, nobody will watch your video or read your blog if they can’t find it, right? A blogger would do this by lacing their content with SEO - search engine optimization. But how can a YouTuber do the same? The answer lies in something known as YouTube tags optimization. In this article, we will let you know how to add, edit and optimize YouTube tags easily for more views, and some tips on YouTube title and description.
Quick Jump Menu
- What are YouTube tags and why they are so important
- How to come up with YouTube tags and optimize them
- How to Tag YouTube and Add Title, Description
- How to Improve YouTube video Metadata: Tags, Title, Description
- Tips for Tagging YouTube and Writing Title, Description
Before we get started, I want to recommend the best video editing software for YouTubers - Wondershare Filmora , an easy to use while powerful video editor that allows you not only to cut, split, crop, resize, reverse your videos, but also offers you multiple video effects specially designed for Fashion, Beauty, Gaming, Travel, Education, etc. Check the video to know more fantastic features:
Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )
Part 1: What are YouTube tags and why they are so important
YouTube tags are used when you upload a video on YouTube. You need to specify the type of video. In other words, you need to describe your video with keywords. But you might think about why you need to add these words. YouTube can’t figure out what my videos are about? Unfortunately, YouTube can’t though its algorithm is much more advanced than before.
You must know the competition between videos is furious since 500 hours of video per minute are uploaded on YouTube . In this case, it is important to let the YouTube algorithm know your video by adding related tags to have a higher ranking. So the better tags we choose, the higher chance to rank in the top 1, which means you will get more views!
Using YouTube meta tags wisely can broaden your reach and help new people discover your content. However, don’t be tempted to insert irrelevant tags just because you know they are high traffic. You will be found out and penalized as a result. Just as you did with your description, research your keywords, place the most important ones first and use as many as you can.
What are the three YouTube tag types?
YouTube has three different types of tags and each of them has a specific purpose. The tags are-
Specific – The specific tag types are keywords-oriented. These keywords specifically pertain to the content of your video. In this tag type, the particular video is highlighted with the keyword tags. Often while typing the keywords in your mind, YouTube suggests phrases and keywords according to the content of your video. You may apply the suggestions and also add more general or common versions of the same keywords.
Compound – The compound tags are usually using more than two words. Many a time it is seen that users prefer tagging the complete title of the video. If you are using your video title as the compound tag, ensure that you do not include the prepositions like or, as, and, etc. This is because YouTube allows just 500 characters in the title and ignore the prepositions. It is always advised to use all the 500 characters YouTube has allowed without wasting the characters on prepositions as it will automatically be ignored.
Generic – The generic tags are the ones that describe the entire video in one or two words. These tags are used in all the videos of yours. These tags are used across your channel for all the videos you post. It is important to have such general constant tags.
Part 2: How to add YouTube tags and optimize them
The more relevant tags you add, the better it is. The best part is YouTube doesn’t restrict the number of tags but adding all is not possible and adding something irrelevant doesn’t make sense. So, your YouTube video tags must be the smart ones for more views. Educated tagging is what is required.
1. Brand-Specific Tags Addition - Every business wants their brand name to show up in the search results on YouTube and Google. Self-referencing your video or tagging your brand name in a number of variations is a smart way of letting others know your brand.
2. Using YouTube Auto Suggest – Play with the search option on YouTube and check out the YouTube suggestions when you search. Try to recognize the common videos that pop up while searching for something important and relevant to yours. Try searching for random keywords according to your YouTube search experience.
3. Use the YouTube Keyword Search Tool – Lastly, you may use the YouTube keyword suggestion tool. It helps you to extract the relevant keywords from the videos of your competitors and create suggestions according to the basic term provided by you.
4. Use Specific Tags - After using tools, you need to narrow down your tags specifically, like tags “learn 3D paper cutting”. The search volume may not be huge, but these kinds of tags can let YouTube know your video very well. Give it a try!
5. Check competitor’s Tags - When you check tags from other brands, it is not suggested to copy them all. What you need to do is find what you are missing and try to cover that area. However, only third-party tools can help you do that. In the market, VidIQ is highly used. It has a free version. Most of all data including tags can be found for higher views.
YouTube Tags Bonus Tips
Here you can learn some tips when optimizing tags. You can use singular and plural tags. Sometimes remember to add some misspelling tags because users tend to mistype some words, so it’s better to cover this kind of tag. You can get more information on misspelled words . More tips are listed below.
- Build on what you learned in your keyword research and use high traffic keywords as tags
- Use as many tags as possible, but without being spammy
- Build related playlists using particular tags
- Be generic; ‘big’, ‘funny’ and ‘sweet’ are fine, but ‘luscious’, ‘delightful’ and ‘splendid’ don’t make the best tags
- Put the most important tags first
- Mix single word tags with ‘long tail’ tags, e.g. ‘how to’
Part 3: How to Tag YouTube and Add Title, Description
For a New Video
- Step 1. The first thing you need to do is to sign in to your YouTube account .
- Step 2. Then click the Upload button that’s found on the top right corner of the window.
- Step 3. Then select the video that you want to upload. You will be asked to add a title, description, and tags.
- Step 4. After uploading, you can still edit the YouTube title, description, and tags.
For a Published Video
There are times when you want to change the title, description or tag of an already published video. The good news is that YouTube allows you to re-edit them whenever you want to.
- Step 1. Log into your YouTube account
- Step 2. Click the account name found at the top right-hand corner of the screen. Then you will have a dropdown menu. Select Video Manager to show a list of your uploaded videos.
- Step 3. Click the Edit button that’s found right next to the video that you want to modify. In the Video Information, you can now change the title, description or any of the tags. Click on the Save Changes button when you are done.
Part 4: How to Improve YouTube Video Title and Description
Metadata on YouTube is where both the viewers and the platform itself can find out what your video is all about. It helps people search for your video, helps YouTube to categorize it correctly and, when done well, can broaden the reach of your content. YouTube meta consists of three main parts: tags, title and description. Here’s how you can use each of these three elements to create powerful metadata for your video:
1. Title
YouTube titles play a big part in the ranking factors for search. That means you’ve got to think about what the people most likely to want to see your video will type into the search bar, as well as the words that accurately describe your video.
For example, if you have a clip of your cat Fluffy climbing a tree, calling your video ‘Fluffy climbs a tree’ is not the best idea. Nobody knows who Fluffy is; it could be your rabbit, dog, daughter or feather duster for all the YouTube community knows, and nobody is going to be searching for it.
A better title would be ‘cat climbs a tree, but you could even improve on that. How about ‘funny cat climbs a tree’, which would capture all those people looking for funny cat videos. Or, even better, ‘funny Persian cat climbs a tree’, also capturing those people who adore Persian cats.
You can see how building awesome YouTube titles can happen organically like this, but it’s also worth doing your homework too. We have collected a handful of YouTube Keyword tools for you to improve your YouTube meta, so check out the suggestions and work forwards from there.
Best practices
- Research your keywords and include high traffic keywords at the start of the title
- Keep titles under 70 characters
- Branding, episode number, and other non-essential info should be at the end of the title
- Review your YouTube titles from time to time and update with new keywords as search trends change
- Avoid clickbait titles or misleading titles as this will affect your view time and subsequently your ranking in search
2. Description
Your description is a much longer piece of YouTube meta, so you can really go to town with your YouTube keywords here. You’ve got up to 5,000 characters to fill in, and we strongly advise that you aim to use every single one. This really is a golden opportunity, not only to get people motivated to watch all of your video, but also to be indexed correctly through well researched YouTube keywords.
You may have noticed that, on the search page itself, only a small part of the description actually shows up; 120 characters of it to be precise. This doesn’t affect indexing, but it does mean you have to plan your YouTube description carefully to really hook people into clicking through from just the first sentence or two.
Best practices
- Make the first sentence or two compelling and captivating to get people to click
- Research the best YouTube keywords to use to ensure your video is correctly indexed
- At the end of your YouTube description, include a call to action to direct viewers on what to do next (subscribe, click through to the website, look at a product, watch more videos, etc.)
- If your video is long, consider placing time codes in your description to help users jump to their areas of interest
- Add links to products showcased, your social channels, or website as you wish
- Don’t forget to credit any music you’ve used here
Part 5: Tips for Tagging YouTube and Writing Title, Description
So, now we’ve got the basics down, let’s move on to some top tips for getting your metadata just right:
- 1. Do not spam
Irrelevant keywords will not do you any favors in the long run. Using a popular search term such as ‘funny cat’ when actually it’s a video of you unboxing your product will simply irritate your viewers. You’ll get more views, but for shorter durations, and that will hurt not only your ranking but also your reputation. The people you want to draw in with your YouTube meta should be those who are genuinely interested in your videos, as these are the people who will share, comment and interact with you.
- 2. Don’t put tags in the description
YouTube has given you a place to put your tags, and that’s not in the description area of your meta. Placing tags in the description area is known as tag stuffing and can lead to videos being removed or penalized.
- 3. Update regularly
YouTube meta is not a static thing. Trends change, search statistics fluctuate, and the needs of your viewers alter as time goes on. For this reason, you should look to update your meta from time to time, at least once every six months or so. Re-research your keywords and optimize for today’s trending search terms.
You May Also Like: YouTube SEO Complete Guide
Conclusion
Take some time to perfect your meta on YouTube and see how many more views it helps you get. Let us know if you have any other tips for developing powerful metadata, and how optimizing your meta has worked for you!
Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Making awesome video content is just the first hurdle to overcome. Getting people to watch them is the next and a much bigger obstacle in your path. Just as a blogger must work hard to get people to read their blog, so a YouTuber needs to find ways to get more views on their videos.
For any piece of content on the internet, discoverability is key to exposure. After all, nobody will watch your video or read your blog if they can’t find it, right? A blogger would do this by lacing their content with SEO - search engine optimization. But how can a YouTuber do the same? The answer lies in something known as YouTube tags optimization. In this article, we will let you know how to add, edit and optimize YouTube tags easily for more views, and some tips on YouTube title and description.
Quick Jump Menu
- What are YouTube tags and why they are so important
- How to come up with YouTube tags and optimize them
- How to Tag YouTube and Add Title, Description
- How to Improve YouTube video Metadata: Tags, Title, Description
- Tips for Tagging YouTube and Writing Title, Description
Before we get started, I want to recommend the best video editing software for YouTubers - Wondershare Filmora , an easy to use while powerful video editor that allows you not only to cut, split, crop, resize, reverse your videos, but also offers you multiple video effects specially designed for Fashion, Beauty, Gaming, Travel, Education, etc. Check the video to know more fantastic features:
Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )
Part 1: What are YouTube tags and why they are so important
YouTube tags are used when you upload a video on YouTube. You need to specify the type of video. In other words, you need to describe your video with keywords. But you might think about why you need to add these words. YouTube can’t figure out what my videos are about? Unfortunately, YouTube can’t though its algorithm is much more advanced than before.
You must know the competition between videos is furious since 500 hours of video per minute are uploaded on YouTube . In this case, it is important to let the YouTube algorithm know your video by adding related tags to have a higher ranking. So the better tags we choose, the higher chance to rank in the top 1, which means you will get more views!
Using YouTube meta tags wisely can broaden your reach and help new people discover your content. However, don’t be tempted to insert irrelevant tags just because you know they are high traffic. You will be found out and penalized as a result. Just as you did with your description, research your keywords, place the most important ones first and use as many as you can.
What are the three YouTube tag types?
YouTube has three different types of tags and each of them has a specific purpose. The tags are-
Specific – The specific tag types are keywords-oriented. These keywords specifically pertain to the content of your video. In this tag type, the particular video is highlighted with the keyword tags. Often while typing the keywords in your mind, YouTube suggests phrases and keywords according to the content of your video. You may apply the suggestions and also add more general or common versions of the same keywords.
Compound – The compound tags are usually using more than two words. Many a time it is seen that users prefer tagging the complete title of the video. If you are using your video title as the compound tag, ensure that you do not include the prepositions like or, as, and, etc. This is because YouTube allows just 500 characters in the title and ignore the prepositions. It is always advised to use all the 500 characters YouTube has allowed without wasting the characters on prepositions as it will automatically be ignored.
Generic – The generic tags are the ones that describe the entire video in one or two words. These tags are used in all the videos of yours. These tags are used across your channel for all the videos you post. It is important to have such general constant tags.
Part 2: How to add YouTube tags and optimize them
The more relevant tags you add, the better it is. The best part is YouTube doesn’t restrict the number of tags but adding all is not possible and adding something irrelevant doesn’t make sense. So, your YouTube video tags must be the smart ones for more views. Educated tagging is what is required.
1. Brand-Specific Tags Addition - Every business wants their brand name to show up in the search results on YouTube and Google. Self-referencing your video or tagging your brand name in a number of variations is a smart way of letting others know your brand.
2. Using YouTube Auto Suggest – Play with the search option on YouTube and check out the YouTube suggestions when you search. Try to recognize the common videos that pop up while searching for something important and relevant to yours. Try searching for random keywords according to your YouTube search experience.
3. Use the YouTube Keyword Search Tool – Lastly, you may use the YouTube keyword suggestion tool. It helps you to extract the relevant keywords from the videos of your competitors and create suggestions according to the basic term provided by you.
4. Use Specific Tags - After using tools, you need to narrow down your tags specifically, like tags “learn 3D paper cutting”. The search volume may not be huge, but these kinds of tags can let YouTube know your video very well. Give it a try!
5. Check competitor’s Tags - When you check tags from other brands, it is not suggested to copy them all. What you need to do is find what you are missing and try to cover that area. However, only third-party tools can help you do that. In the market, VidIQ is highly used. It has a free version. Most of all data including tags can be found for higher views.
YouTube Tags Bonus Tips
Here you can learn some tips when optimizing tags. You can use singular and plural tags. Sometimes remember to add some misspelling tags because users tend to mistype some words, so it’s better to cover this kind of tag. You can get more information on misspelled words . More tips are listed below.
- Build on what you learned in your keyword research and use high traffic keywords as tags
- Use as many tags as possible, but without being spammy
- Build related playlists using particular tags
- Be generic; ‘big’, ‘funny’ and ‘sweet’ are fine, but ‘luscious’, ‘delightful’ and ‘splendid’ don’t make the best tags
- Put the most important tags first
- Mix single word tags with ‘long tail’ tags, e.g. ‘how to’
Part 3: How to Tag YouTube and Add Title, Description
For a New Video
- Step 1. The first thing you need to do is to sign in to your YouTube account .
- Step 2. Then click the Upload button that’s found on the top right corner of the window.
- Step 3. Then select the video that you want to upload. You will be asked to add a title, description, and tags.
- Step 4. After uploading, you can still edit the YouTube title, description, and tags.
For a Published Video
There are times when you want to change the title, description or tag of an already published video. The good news is that YouTube allows you to re-edit them whenever you want to.
- Step 1. Log into your YouTube account
- Step 2. Click the account name found at the top right-hand corner of the screen. Then you will have a dropdown menu. Select Video Manager to show a list of your uploaded videos.
- Step 3. Click the Edit button that’s found right next to the video that you want to modify. In the Video Information, you can now change the title, description or any of the tags. Click on the Save Changes button when you are done.
Part 4: How to Improve YouTube Video Title and Description
Metadata on YouTube is where both the viewers and the platform itself can find out what your video is all about. It helps people search for your video, helps YouTube to categorize it correctly and, when done well, can broaden the reach of your content. YouTube meta consists of three main parts: tags, title and description. Here’s how you can use each of these three elements to create powerful metadata for your video:
1. Title
YouTube titles play a big part in the ranking factors for search. That means you’ve got to think about what the people most likely to want to see your video will type into the search bar, as well as the words that accurately describe your video.
For example, if you have a clip of your cat Fluffy climbing a tree, calling your video ‘Fluffy climbs a tree’ is not the best idea. Nobody knows who Fluffy is; it could be your rabbit, dog, daughter or feather duster for all the YouTube community knows, and nobody is going to be searching for it.
A better title would be ‘cat climbs a tree, but you could even improve on that. How about ‘funny cat climbs a tree’, which would capture all those people looking for funny cat videos. Or, even better, ‘funny Persian cat climbs a tree’, also capturing those people who adore Persian cats.
You can see how building awesome YouTube titles can happen organically like this, but it’s also worth doing your homework too. We have collected a handful of YouTube Keyword tools for you to improve your YouTube meta, so check out the suggestions and work forwards from there.
Best practices
- Research your keywords and include high traffic keywords at the start of the title
- Keep titles under 70 characters
- Branding, episode number, and other non-essential info should be at the end of the title
- Review your YouTube titles from time to time and update with new keywords as search trends change
- Avoid clickbait titles or misleading titles as this will affect your view time and subsequently your ranking in search
2. Description
Your description is a much longer piece of YouTube meta, so you can really go to town with your YouTube keywords here. You’ve got up to 5,000 characters to fill in, and we strongly advise that you aim to use every single one. This really is a golden opportunity, not only to get people motivated to watch all of your video, but also to be indexed correctly through well researched YouTube keywords.
You may have noticed that, on the search page itself, only a small part of the description actually shows up; 120 characters of it to be precise. This doesn’t affect indexing, but it does mean you have to plan your YouTube description carefully to really hook people into clicking through from just the first sentence or two.
Best practices
- Make the first sentence or two compelling and captivating to get people to click
- Research the best YouTube keywords to use to ensure your video is correctly indexed
- At the end of your YouTube description, include a call to action to direct viewers on what to do next (subscribe, click through to the website, look at a product, watch more videos, etc.)
- If your video is long, consider placing time codes in your description to help users jump to their areas of interest
- Add links to products showcased, your social channels, or website as you wish
- Don’t forget to credit any music you’ve used here
Part 5: Tips for Tagging YouTube and Writing Title, Description
So, now we’ve got the basics down, let’s move on to some top tips for getting your metadata just right:
- 1. Do not spam
Irrelevant keywords will not do you any favors in the long run. Using a popular search term such as ‘funny cat’ when actually it’s a video of you unboxing your product will simply irritate your viewers. You’ll get more views, but for shorter durations, and that will hurt not only your ranking but also your reputation. The people you want to draw in with your YouTube meta should be those who are genuinely interested in your videos, as these are the people who will share, comment and interact with you.
- 2. Don’t put tags in the description
YouTube has given you a place to put your tags, and that’s not in the description area of your meta. Placing tags in the description area is known as tag stuffing and can lead to videos being removed or penalized.
- 3. Update regularly
YouTube meta is not a static thing. Trends change, search statistics fluctuate, and the needs of your viewers alter as time goes on. For this reason, you should look to update your meta from time to time, at least once every six months or so. Re-research your keywords and optimize for today’s trending search terms.
You May Also Like: YouTube SEO Complete Guide
Conclusion
Take some time to perfect your meta on YouTube and see how many more views it helps you get. Let us know if you have any other tips for developing powerful metadata, and how optimizing your meta has worked for you!
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Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
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- Title: "Crafting Captivating Thumbnails A Digital Marketer's Guidebook for 2024"
- Author: Steven
- Created at : 2024-05-25 18:59:54
- Updated at : 2024-05-26 18:59:54
- Link: https://youtube-clips.techidaily.com/crafting-captivating-thumbnails-a-digital-marketers-guidebook-for-2024/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
