How To Increase Click-Through Rate On YouTube

Learn about YouTube Click-Through Rates and how it affects your channel performance and discover 9 tips on how to increase click-through rate on YouTube.

If you are a YouTube video content creator looking to increase your click-through rate on your videos, then this article was written for you.

It can be frustrating when you expend so much energy and resources, but the results do not match the efforts.

Every YouTuber’s dream is to have that kind of click-through rate that puts a smile on their face, a pat on their back and sends them smiling to the bank.

Well, at least, that’s a dream every single content creator on the YouTube space has had or has.

However, this is far from the reality for many YouTube video content creators.

And it’s not always because their videos are just not that good. 

Many times, there are certain things that we may neglect to do, out of ignorance or just plain thoughtlessness.

This article is written to make sure that you don’t get those terribly low click-through rates anymore.

When you read this and put to use all you learn from this article, you can be sure to see a great increase in your YouTube click-through rate.

Here’s what we will be considering in this article: 

Let’s increase those click-through rates, shall we?

What Is YouTube Click-Through Rate?

How To Increase Click-Through Rate On YouTube

Before we begin to talk about strategies and ways to increase your click-through rates, let’s first understand, what are click-through rates?

To be specific, what is the YouTube click-through rate?

Click-through rate is the number of clicks divided by the number of thumbnail impressions, or how many times your thumbnail is seen on YouTube.

If for instance, your thumbnail is viewed 1000 times on YouTube and 100 people click on it, your click-through rate is 10%.

This is the meaning of the YouTube click-through rate.

How Do I Increase My Click-through Rate?

Increasing click-through rates is very essential and some of the ways to do so include creating eye-catching thumbnails, doing keyword research, writing appealing titles, writing compelling descriptions, experimenting with thumbnails, improving average watch time, trying different CTAs, growing the following, and using YouTube cards. 

1. Create Eye-Catching Thumbnails

How To Increase Click-Through Rate On YouTube

Always go for the eye-catching thumbnails, and make sure that they are not only eye-catching but are also relevant to your videos. 

Make sure that the thumbnails include or carry your brand colors and also have pictures that are related to your video. 

It’s a secret many YouTubers do not know, but the click-through rates are majorly impacted by the thumbnail of the video.

What this means to you is that poor thumbnails = a poor click-through rate.

It is super important to have thumbnails with the right color schemes and appropriate fonts as this can go a long way in getting you more clicks.

Humans are visual-oriented creatures and our eyes pretty much decide what we are going to follow through or ignore.

We are drawn to pretty imagery, so it is important to give a good deal of attention to your thumbnails.

Work with your graphic designer to come up with a template that allows you to be able to insert your own attention-grabbing text and image.

You can also consider using a human face in your thumbnails as this has been proven to create a human connection and increase YouTube click-through rates.

Remember that your thumbnail is going to be tiny, so you must do everything within your power to make it grab attention,

Use copy text that attracts the viewer’s curiosity.

 You can ask questions or call out things people think to be true but suggest that they are wrong.

In a nutshell, keep it simple, and use bright colors. 

Make sure to add only about 2 to 3 words to your thumbnails, and ensure that it is something that your audience is looking for.

2. Do Keyword Research

How To Increase Click-Through Rate On YouTube

The next place to consider is the type of keywords you’re using

You want to make sure that you present your titles in a way that makes people want to click on them and this means you will have to do some keyword research.

You can use tools like Ubersuggest and it is absolutely free. 

 It’s a tool that tracks search terms on Google and can also be very useful on YouTube.

Plus, it’s super easy to use, all you need to do is type in the topic or title you are searching for and it will show you the number of monthly searches and other keyword ideas, as well as how competitive your keywords are and the top-ranking items for that particular search.

You can also use TubeBuddy which has free and paid plans. 

Every YouTube video creator should have this tool.

This tool has a great keyword planer, so just like Ubersuggest, when you type in your keyword ideas, it shows you the search volume, the competitiveness, how well-optimized competing videos are, and other related keyword ideas.

3. Write Appealing Video Titles

How To Increase Click-Through Rate On YouTube

When it comes to your titles, you need to keep them short and let them keep the viewer guessing

Your title has to be appealing and interesting to your audience for them to click on it.

This is why you need to go for something that is sharp and straight to point. 

Nobody wants to spend their time reading a complicated headline that is difficult to understand, not when there are lots of different videos to choose from.

Also, be descriptive as much as possible. 

Writing a short video title does not mean you should be vague with your title. 

Try as much as possible to not be repetitive

This will not work for your title as it comes off as poor and boring. 

It’s important to stay fresh. 

Another thing to note is what is of interest to your audience per time. 

People look for a certain or specific type of content per time. 

They put out specific types of topics to find new information. 

You must ensure that you know what your target audience is interested in, as well as their distinctive interests.

4. Write Compelling Descriptions

How To Increase Click-Through Rate On YouTube

This is another way to increase your click-through rate. 

Your description answers the question of what your audience wants to get from your video

The description helps your viewers to know what your video is about and gives them enough reason to want to click it.

It also serves as a call to action for your viewers and increases the searchability of your video content.

You can also make use of video tags as this serves the purpose of increasing the searchability of your video content.

Asides from your thumbnail, title, and description, you need to add a subtitle to your menu of how you can improve your YouTube click-through rate. 

If you are targeting a worldwide audience, then having a subtitle is a critical thing. 

Do this with the understanding that you are catering to the needs of an international audience. 

5. Experiment With Different Thumbnails

How To Increase Click-Through Rate On YouTube

There is always room to experiment and there’s nothing to lose by trying. 

Note this: the higher the number of people who click on your video title or thumbnail, the higher you will rank in a given search and this in itself will eventually boost your YouTube Click through rates.

So, we advise that you go ahead and try out different combinations of titles and video thumbnails and while you’re at it, observe what works best for you.

6. Improve Average Watch Time

How To Increase Click-Through Rate On YouTube

Most YouTube Video creators do not know this, but increased watch time has proven to be effective in increasing your click-through rates. 

How does this work? 

Simple, when you increase your watch time, you also increase your chances of getting featured in the recommendation section and this in itself has the potential to increase your click-through rates.

Also, you can go with making longer videos as they tend to hook your audience with a certain surprise element waiting to be revealed at the end of the video.

You also have to beware (again) of your thumbnails. 

If it is not compelling, then please, do not use it. 

The same thing goes for your titles and descriptions.

Increase your average watch time and watch them stay glued till the end. 

And that means you need to make sure your videos are interesting and fun to watch. 

It should be worth the data spent and the time.

7. Try Different CTAs And Monitor The Result

How To Increase Click-Through Rate On YouTube

It’s also okay to test the different CTAs (Call to Actions) and observe or monitor the results.

This means that even though you are limited to 10 characters per call to action, there’s no rule that says you cannot pr you should not try out different call to actions.

You could end with a “Order now,” or “Click here Now.” 

Whatever you need them to do now.

This can help you stay on track with your click-through rates performance and helps you know what is working and what isn’t.

8. Grow Your Following

How To Increase Click-Through Rate On YouTube

Now, this is as important as your CTR itself. 

Nobody supports you better than the people who believe in you and in what you do. 

If you want to increase your click-through rates and project your video making it visible and everywhere on YouTube, then you need to get yourself a loyal fanbase, a loyal following.

This begins with the littlest basics as consistency. 

You cannot afford to be a dabbler. 

You should have one focus and stay on it

If you talk about fashion tips today and math tricks tomorrow, you will not get the followership you are looking for. 

Why? 

This is because the fashion freaks will not be excited about your math tricks, neither will the math lovers be freaked out about your fashion tips. 

Very little chance of that.

It is important to zero in on you niche in order to build and attract your YouTube target audience.

When you focus on a particular topic, you will begin to get a higher Click-through rate, this is because now you have the attention of a specific market.

The secret is to pick an area and then narrow it down to something even more specific.

Overtime when you stay on that sub-niche long enough, and have built a following, then you can go ahead and introduce and promote a more general content to them.

Quick one: when you do zoom in on your niche and narrow down, you will get a few views at first, but don’t worry, this simply means you are getting focused viewers and this will help you attain higher click through rates as well as achieve higher rankings in YouTube search.

9. Use YouTube Cards To Boost Engagement

How To Increase Click-Through Rate On YouTube

Have you been maximizing your YouTube cards? 

YouTube cards are a very interactive feature of the platform and they enable you as a creator to maintain a high level of retention of viewers as well as guiding them towards a video you would love them to see. 

This could be for the purpose of getting them to better understand a specific or particular segment in the video.

You can use these cards to increase your click-through rates too. 

They are easy to access; all you viewers need to do is click the “I” that appears on the top-right corner of the video.

You can try this and monitor the results you get in your click-through rates while at it.

Conclusion

That’s all that you needed to know about increasing your YouTube Click-through rates.

We hope you have found this article helpful.

Let us know in the comments!

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