Recently, I was looking through my YouTube analytics and noticed something interesting. I took my click through rate from 4.6% to 7% from last January to this January. Today, I’m sharing a few things that have helped me develop higher click through rates on my YouTube videos! 

What is a click through rate?

Briefly, an impressions click through rate (CTR) is views per impressions shown. This measures how often viewers watched a video after seeing an impression. An impression happens when YouTube decides to share your video with someone – the thumbnail, a description, or something similar! The CTR is measuring who clicks on the video after seeing something from my video. Since last January, I’ve changed THREE main things on my YouTube videos that I believe have directly impacted my click through rate. 

Better Thumbnails

This one seems pretty obvious, but better thumbnails have helped me increase my click through rate. A thumbnail is one of the biggest reasons someone is going to click on your video versus someone else’s video. With a strong thumbnail, you’ll stand out from other videos similar to yours. I find that having something with a lot of color, bigger fonts, icons, and me looking at the camera have performed well. I noticed a shift in my click through rate in about August, when I started changing my thumbnails. The colors help these thumbnails pop – and making the text bigger and readable is a HUGE help! 

Additionally, I take the time to review analytics on my channel regularly. If I review which videos I currently have that perform well, I can create a thumbnail similar to that one. I also take the time to review what performs well on YouTube in general for a topic. Take a look – do you see a lot of a certain pose? Or are they all using props? It can help inspire me to design a new thumbnail! Remember, you don’t need to re-invent the wheel here (just don’t copy!!).  

Build An Audience

The second tip to increase your click through rate is to build your audience on YouTube. I’m still a small YouTuber, but I do think I’m starting to build a group of people who want to see my videos every week and will click on it when they see it. Over the last year, I’ve gotten really specific with who I’m talking to in my videos. My audience is starting to follow along, look for my videos, and they’re excited when they see a new video.

Create Videos People Want to Watch

The next thing to discuss is that you should create content people want to watch. I know, I know, it sounds obvious… but knowing who you’re talking to and WHAT they want to see is crucial for a higher click through rate. If my videos are hitting the exact pain points people are searching for, they’re going to want to click on my videos. Do you research and see what people need right now that YOU can share and teach about. For me, that’s been a LOT of videos about Instagram Reels. I made sure I did research and created videos about topics that people wanted help with. 

No matter what platform you’re working on, growth comes from knowing your audience and giving them what they want. On YouTube, that means focusing on what people are going to actually click on and creating eye-catching designs for your thumbnails. Like all things in business and life, growth and change will take time, but it is possible! Remember to research, analyze, and use that to develop your content going forward!