Do you know what makes your first impression count in the world of YouTube? It is none other than a catchy YouTube thumbnail. Yes, you heard it right…It is the thumbnail of your video that plays a major role in determining whether your video will be clicked or scrolled past by potential viewers. 

Unfortunately, most viewers are unable to realize the potential of thumbnails in increasing clickbait. What happens resultantly is that they unknowingly end up committing mistakes that harm their thumbnails. Call it inadequacy of knowledge or deliberate ignorance, but this grave mistake cost their content heavily. 

You must now be wondering what are the grave mistakes that most YouTubers commit. And, how can we, as creators, avoid committing such mistakes while designing the Thumbnail of YouTube videos?

Worry not… because in today’s blog, we are going to take a closer look at all the burning questions teasing your mind. We will discuss in detail the common YouTube thumbnail mistakes’ and what you can do to avoid them. 

So, let’s start!

Common YouTube Thumbnail Design Mistakes

Deviation From Ideal YouTube Thumbnail Size

If you ignore the ideal or better say, the correct YouTube thumbnail size, your video will not look professional to your viewers. Under this comes the blurred or stretched thumbnails that deviate from the ideal YouTube thumbnail size of 1280×720, making the image appear distorted when viewed on larger screens. In contrast, well-sized thumbnails allow your content to look sharp and appealing on any device. 

So, how can you avoid committing these mistakes altogether? The best thing you can do is to always stick to YouTube’s guidelines.  You can also go for tools like Canva and Adobe Express to quickly create perfectly sized thumbnails. 

Using Low-Quality Images

If you don’t have a high-resolution image in your thumbnail, people will never want to look at them. As per the study by Shi Dong, there is a very close relationship between thumbnail design, higher engagement, and subsequent video success. Why? Because if your image seems pixelated, it says your video may not be good either. 

So, make sure your images are high-resolution. For that, it is best to use Photoshop or similar tools to make the image clearer. 

Overloading Text

Thumbnails with too much text are too cluttered and unreadable, especially on mobile screens. As 63% of YouTube traffic comes from mobile users, putting too much text in your thumbnail design will make it user-unfriendly. The trick to clear and effective thumbnails is to keep the text brief. It must be no more than five words. Also, go for readable fonts and make sure that they seem to be in contrast with the background for the best impact. 

Avoiding Faces 

Without faces, your thumbnails will appear colder. According to the study, images with human faces get 38% more engagement than those without. Ever wondered why is that so? It is because the use of faces better expresses emotions; thus, they are better in making your content appear relatable and intriguing. That is why prominent YouTubers like Mr.Beast always prefer expressive faces in their thumbnails. Now, how can you leverage emotive faces? It’s simple: use close-up shots with clear and engaging expressions that match your video theme. 

Lack of Branding

Consistent branding in thumbnails is often a missed opportunity by many YouTubers. Remember, if there is no cohesive design language with thumbnails, then you won’t be able to build unique recognition and identity. That is why your channel’s personality should be reflected in your thumbnails, fonts, colors, or logos. Prefer using the same set of colors, text styles, and visual elements to make your videos recognizable by your viewers right away in their feeds. 

Misleading Thumbnails

At first, clickbait thumbnails may receive clicks, but they frequently ruin viewers’ trust and retention. So, in the long term, they do more harm than good. It is because your viewers will feel that you deceived them, and for that reason, they might avoid your channel in the future if your video does not deliver on what your thumbnail promises. 

Instead, I would recommend you make a balance of seeing interesting and real in your thumbnail by ensuring your thumbnail is accurate to the content of your video and concurrently generates interest. 

Cluttered Designs

Thumbnails with more elements lose their focus. Why so? The cluttered design causes confusion to the viewers and they find it difficult to understand the main thought of the video. So, never commit this grave mistake. Rather, use supporting elements sparingly and focus on the primary element. Now, that primary element could be anything: text, object, or a face. Mr.Beast uses this trick of simpler and clearer focal points on simpler designs to make his videos better perform on YouTube screens. 

Skipping A/B Testing

A lot of creators do not test their thumbnails before posting. This leaves them as to which design works the best. However, for confirmed analysis, one needs to test their thumbnails before final posting. As a professional YouTube management agency, UnityFilms knows the importance of A/B testing. That helps us deliver the best results to our clients. We test different designs regularly to see what works best with our targeted audience. To boost your click-through rates by using a data-driven approach. And, we recommend you too to rely upon this approach. 

Final Thoughts

It would not be wrong if I say that your thumbnail is not just an image, but it is an important marketing tool that drives engagement and higher click-through rates. If you start working on optimizing your thumbnail design, you will surely notice a big change in your channel’s performance.

So, contact UnityFilms now to not let the YouTube thumbnail designs‘ common mistakes hold you back.