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Why YouTube Thumbnails are Important for my Video?

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YouTube Thumbnails attracts viewers to click on your video and grab people’s attention.

Youtube Thumbnails are images that can work wonders when increasing your views whether they’re on the organic results page, suggested videos section, or appearing on social media. Have your thumbnail be a visual correspondent to your title and description to boost your video views.

In order to engage your audience, adding Youtube thumbnails images are necessary. This is important because the potential viewer will have an idea of what your video is about before reading any content or title. When you upload a video, YouTube let you customize your image. It will pull 3 images from your video, however the best option is to create your own thumbnail.

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What are YouTube Thumbnails? 

Youtube thumbnails allows the viewer to have a glimpse of your video and a few images in your channel. This is good when viewers are browsing on youtube and see something interesting enough to click on it.

YouTube thumbnails are like book covers and they are a representations of your video content designed to awake curiosity. A good image can help you to attract a lot of views, but a bad one will make sure your video stays unnoticed.

“Thumbnails are usually the first thing viewers see when they find one of your videos, and 90% of the best-performing videos on YouTube have custom thumbnails.”

YouTube

What size should YouTube thumbnails be? Use this YouTube thumbnail template.

It must be 1280 pixels by 720 pixels. This resolution is important in order for the image to have great quality. It can be uploaded in different formats such as GIF, PNG or JPG.

YouTube Video Thumbnail Size and Template
YouTube Video Thumbnail Size and Template

What are the best thumbnails apps?

Canva, Snappa, Fotojet, Adobe Spark, Pixlr and PicMonkey

YouTube Thumbnail makers and editors
YouTube Thumbnail makers and editors

Need all the ranking factors to get more views and subscribers on YouTube? Download the full guide below.

Great Thumbnail Design Examples from Brian Deans YouTube channel
Great Thumbnail Design Examples from Brian Deans YouTube channel

Fundamental components for an effective thumbnail design

1. Visuals you can’t ignore

Visuals are what grab our attention. People will quickly scan videos that are very interesting and attractive. It is for that reason that the thumbnail needs to be able to communicate what is your video about on Youtube, visually and without delay.

2. Relevancy is vital

Because thumbnails are the first thing a viewer sees, make sure to use your primary keyword in there. This will help the viewers to see which video on youtube is relevant and related to their search. 

3. Give a clear value proposition

Tell the searcher why they should watch your video. What value will they receive and what makes your video better than the rest? This is the “why” behind your call to action.

4. Make the Ask

Include a clear Call to action (CTA). “Click here”, “Watch now”, “Learn how” etc.

5. Use images of faces

Advertisers have used this tactic for decades. It is based on two factors. The first one, is about a study of a specific group of cells in our brains that is triggered when we see a face. The second, is based on the psychological effect, called pareidolia, where humans look for faces in everyday objects such as clouds, toast and the moon. 

Great use of faces in YouTube thumbnail design from Driver51s YouTube channel
Great use of faces in YouTube thumbnail design from Driver51s YouTube channel

6. Overall design

Use high-quality images that feature readable and engaging fonts and facial-closeups. Grab attention with bright, complementary colors and an artfully eye-catching arrangement of your products. 

Need all the ranking factors to get more views and subscribers on YouTube? Download the full guide below.

Download 9 ways to get more views, subscribers and action on your YouTube videos

Getting more views and subscribers on YouTube is all about understanding what the YouTube algorithm and what users are looking for. Thankfully, YouTube has a wide variety of factors in its algorithm to decide which videos are the best and to make visible in its search results.

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