YouTube boasts a total user count of 1.3 billion people. Yet the ratio of channels that
actively upload, to viewers-only, is hugely dominated by those just using the platform for viewing content. To the masses, what goes on behind closed
doors is foreign. Whilst the majority of users subscribe to their favourite channels, receive notifications when they upload etc. it always
takes one video to draw these subscribers in. So I suppose YouTube's million-dollar question is 'What makes people watch a video?'
Whilst YouTube is predominantly used for vlog content from full-time YouTubers, a business can use the platform to increase traffic to their site, as well
as just grow their channel with informational videos and tutorials, depending on their respective industries. Either way, everyone wants to know
how to catch a viewer's eye. So what is the secret?
The use of custom thumbnails can be the make or break when attempting to increase channel traffic and view count. So, what is a custom thumbnail?
If you take a look at the above image, you can see the top video, a trailer on Website Success' YouTube channel has a thumbnail featuring text which creates a professional look and feel to the video.
Below this is a video from Wall Street Journal's channel which features
a freeze frame from some point in the video. The risk with this is when you select a thumbnail to use, YouTube provides you with 3 different
freeze frames from random times throughout the video and if one of these isn't appropriate, it can ruin the video.
Here at Website Success, we offer video services which include the optimisation of YouTube videos, in addition to Custom Thumbnail designs. We also offer
Website Development and Digital Marketing and have
our in-house design team Mack Creative. If you're interested in any of our services
be sure to get in touch here or call us on 01243888555.