Do you want to maximize the views to your videos?
In the video below, you’ll learn how to master YouTube’s test and compare feature in minutes.
Here’s what you’ll learn…
How it works,
The eligibility requirements,
How to use it to get the best results
How to read the test results
Pros and cons of using the thumbnail test and compare feature.
How It Works
– Click on content in YouTube studio
– select the video that you wish to test.
Testing is only available for public long form videos and the testing begins once you publish the video.
– Hover over your thumbnail, then click on options.
– Select test and compare. You can upload up to 3 images to learn which one viewers prefer.
YouTube will show you 3 thumbnails evenly across your videos audience, then select your winning thumbnail, based on which one generates the most watch time share.
Here are my 3 images for this video. YouTube will see which thumbnail performs the best.
Wait up to 2 weeks for the results.
Viewers will see the winning thumbnail because YouTube automatically updates your video when the test is done.
Later, I’ll show you the test results and the pros and cons of using this test and compare feature.
What if you don’t have the feature yet?
Here are the eligibility requirements to use the test and compare feature.
- It’s currently only available on computers through the YouTube studio, so you can’t use it for Shorts thumbnails.
- You need to enable advanced features to be eligible.
Here’s how to check if you have advanced features enabled.
– Click on settings,
– click on channel,
– click on feature eligibility.
Make sure you have advanced features enabled.
Here are all the options you get with advanced features,
including test and compare different thumbnails.
– You can test thumbnails on public long form videos and even podcasts.
– You cannot test thumbnails if your videos are made for kids, mature audiences or are set to private, therefore, make sure your videos are set to public to use this feature.
– When your test results are ready, they’ll be available in your YouTube studio.
You can view them by going to your content page, then selecting the video where you’ve run the test. Hover over the details page. Hover over the 3 dots that are on your thumbnail where it says options. Click on that. Click “view test report”.
You can also view your results in analytics.
– Click on analytics,
– click on the reach tab and here are your thumbnail test results.
– I could redo the test by uploading 3 different thumbnails or just choose the
best thumbnail that I think performs the best.
– Keep in mind, you can test a new video or run the test on an existing video. It’s up to you.
Here’s my test and compare report that tested these 3 different thumbnails.
- Thumbnail 1 got 32.4%, watch time share.
- Thumbnail 2 got 45% watch time share,
- Thumbnail 3 got 22.6 watch time share.
Because the test results were so close to each other, YouTube says the test finished
without a conclusive result, so they chose the first thumbnail.
If there’s a statistically significant result, you see the winner label, YouTube will
automatically update your video to this winner.
If you see a preferred label, it means results were not statistically significant, but there was a thumbnail that performed slightly better.
If there’s no clear winner out of the 3 thumbnails that you’ve uploaded to your video, as in my case, YouTube will select the first thumbnail and show it to your audience.
The winning results may take up to a few days or 2 weeks to be finalized.
How’s the winning thumbnail selected?
YouTube selects the thumbnail that generated the highest share of your videos watch time. Watch time refers to how long your viewers were engaged on your video. The longer the better.
Why didn’t my video have a clear winner?
Here are 3 reasons why YouTube didn’t select a clear winner.
- There was minimal difference between thumbnails. There was not much difference in design between the 3 thumbnails, so there’s not a measurable impact on the video performance. To remedy this, upload thumbnails that have very different designs. For example, you can upload a thumbnail with a face and one without a face.
You can also try different backgrounds and colors. - Not enough impressions. If your video doesn’t generate a sufficient amount of impressions, then you may not receive a clear winner. If it gets a higher number of views, it’s more likely that a winner will be selected.
Why is watch time share used?
A great thumbnail doesn’t just get viewers to click. It also helps viewers understand what the video is about so they can make an informed decision about what to watch. When selecting a thumbnail based upon watch time share, the winning thumbnail gets viewers to both click and to stay to watch the video.
Pros & Cons of Thumbnail Test & Compare Tool
Pro
Free and as available to all creators.
Con
It takes longer to upload 3 different thumbnails.
Pro
YouTube will select a winning thumbnail.
Cons
If your video doesn’t get a high number of impressions, YouTube won’t select a clear winner.
If the designs are similar across all 3 thumbnails, you may not get a clear winner.
Pro
Easily upload thumbnails from your computer.
Cons
This feature is currently only available on computers through YouTube Studio.
You cannot test thumbnails on videos that are set made for kids, mature audiences, or set to private.
Pro
The more your thumbnails differ or get a high number of impressions, the faster your thumbnail test will finish.
Con
The winning results may take a few days or up to two weeks to be finalized.
Pro
Evaluating winning thumbnails by watch time share will best support creators growth.
Con
3rd party tools like TubeBuddy often optimize solely for click-through rate, which may determine a different winning thumbnail than measuring for watch time share.
My recommendation
- Use this test and compare feature from YouTube since it’s free and available to everyone.
- When you upload 3 thumbnails that have different designs. YouTube will select the winning thumbnail that’s generated the highest share of video watch time.
- By selecting the thumbnail based upon watch time share, your winning thumbnail is the one that gets viewers to click and to stay and watch your video.
Watch this video on “5 game changing tips that will increase your click-through rate: #3 will shock you!
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