Leverage Timestamps: Tactics to Skyrocket Video Views

How to Add Timestamps YouTube Video?

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

YouTube has more than 2 billion logged-in monthly users as of now. Every year, this number keeps increasing more and more since now this platform is available in 80 different languages. Be it marketers or corporate creators, everybody is moving towards the platform to present their content to the audience. Thanks to the prominence of this platform amongst the users, it can attract an enormous amount of traffic from all over the globe.

Video marketers, in these times, are trying to make use of this popularity for promoting their brands and products. YouTube Timestamp is also one such tool of this platform that helps you gain recognition and attention from your viewers.

In this article, we will be helping you learn about what Timestamp is, how to add Timestamps to your YouTube videos, and much more.

• Part 1: YouTube Timestamp Introduction
• Part 2: Adding Timestamps to YouTube Video on Desktop
• Part 3: Adding Timestamps to YouTube Videos on Mobile
• part 4: Benefits of Adding Timestamps to YouTube Videos
• Part 5: Tips for Adding Timestamps to YouTube Videos

Part 1: What is a YouTube Timestamp?

A YouTube Timestamp is one of the ‘key moments’ features of Google. It is the best method to link your user to a specific moment of your video. It is very often noticed that people keep skipping the content, as they cannot find what they have been looking for.

In such cases, you can prefer adding the YouTube video Timestamps to improve the retention of the viewers for a longer time. What is more interesting about it is that you can also provide a reference in minutes and seconds of the video.

Part 2: How to Add Timestamps to YouTube Video on Desktop?

A very few YouTube videos at present have Timestamps in them. It usually is due to the reason that majority of people are not aware of it. Or, in some other cases, they are still wondering, ‘how to add Timestamps to YouTube video.’

In detail, let us tell you how you can add these timestamps to your videos on Desktop.

1. Log in to your YouTube and move to the ‘Description’ section on the video.
2. For linking a specific part to timestamp, begin by typing the time in the format minutes:seconds.

1. Then add your keyword to the specific video segment and click on ‘Save.’
2. Reload the published video and then check the ‘Description’ section once again and update it accordingly.

That is it, and you are done with adding Timestamps to a YouTube video!

Note: you need to add 0:00 at the beginning of the timestamps so that they can show up. And you may need to add 3 or more timestamps, and each should last 10 seconds or longer.

Part 3: How to Add Timestamps to YouTube Videos on Mobile?

So, when it is about adding the timestamps on mobile, things are a bit different for sure! However, we have done a thorough research and managed to get a step-by-step tutorial to add these timestamps to YouTube videos on the mobile app.

1. Log in to the YouTube Studio app on your mobile.
2. Click on the ‘Menu’ icon, which is present in the upper left corner of the screen.
3. Select the video and press on the video where you want to add timestamps.
4. Click on the pencil icon, which is present on the topmost right corner of the screen and then add timestamps in the description!

Format - The time is indicated by t=, which is followed by the number of seconds you want the video to start playing from. t= 2m46s is an example of a Timestamp. If the URL of the video contains a question mark (?) at the end, then, in that case, use the ampersand (&) before the time stamp. Example - &t=2m46ss!

Note - Make sure the initial timestamp is “0:00 Start” to activate the YouTube Chapters function. To use YouTube Chapters, you need to add at least three chapters to a video, with each chapter lasting at least ten seconds.

Part 4: Why Should You Add Timestamps to YouTube Videos?

A few reasons why YouTube Timestamps are a must for you to try are mentioned below. Make sure that you go through them!

• Increased SEO Opportunities

The use of YouTube Timestamps can be regarded as a very useful SEO video hack. The ranking of YouTube videos is completely based on the watch time and retention of the audience. Hence, when a user clicks on the Timestamp, YouTube will log this as two views. The initial click counts as the first view. Next will be the second view, which is the Timestamped moment of the video. This 2-on-1 benefit helps in increasing the video ranking.

Now, it is time for all the YouTube creators to switch to this feature for higher rankings. This will take off in 2021, particularly amongst the mobile phone users, since now even Google supports Timestamp hyperlinks. Timestamps will become increasingly important for YouTubers in the coming year.

• User Experience Enhanced

Jumbling for a specific part of a video can be annoying for the user, and they might end up closing it. Anyone would not certainly want to watch the entire 15 minutes of video for nugget-sized information. Hence, using Timestamps is indeed a benefit for you. With this feature, you can now overcome this issue and get a huge victory of an increase in the count of viewers.

• Perk for the Mobile Users

Google has started rewarding the Timestamps for the YouTube videos. It appears to be paying attention to the Timestamps on the videos and then linking to each chapter or header in the YouTube description.

Part 5: Should I Add Timestamps to All YouTube Videos?

Almost every video put up on the internet is designed so as to get optimized as per the SEO trends. Google has mentioned it clearly that “how-to videos which have multiple steps, should have Timestamps .” However, the truth is that every video which is long and has multiple pointers or steps in it should have the YouTube Timestamps in it.

From product reviews to the help tutorials, can reap benefits from this feature of YouTube. This is something you should think about before you start adding chapters to your video.

Conclusion

One of the most effective methods to boost visibility about your brand or product is to create entertaining content online. Using Timestamps in your videos, you may enhance the ranking of your video, enhance the viewer experience, and develop long-term partnerships with a larger audience. You can certainly try experimenting with YouTube at any point in your video and see what happens.

Comment below with your opinions on the results of this new feature and how you feel it impacts your business.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

YouTube has more than 2 billion logged-in monthly users as of now. Every year, this number keeps increasing more and more since now this platform is available in 80 different languages. Be it marketers or corporate creators, everybody is moving towards the platform to present their content to the audience. Thanks to the prominence of this platform amongst the users, it can attract an enormous amount of traffic from all over the globe.

Video marketers, in these times, are trying to make use of this popularity for promoting their brands and products. YouTube Timestamp is also one such tool of this platform that helps you gain recognition and attention from your viewers.

In this article, we will be helping you learn about what Timestamp is, how to add Timestamps to your YouTube videos, and much more.

• Part 1: YouTube Timestamp Introduction
• Part 2: Adding Timestamps to YouTube Video on Desktop
• Part 3: Adding Timestamps to YouTube Videos on Mobile
• part 4: Benefits of Adding Timestamps to YouTube Videos
• Part 5: Tips for Adding Timestamps to YouTube Videos

Part 1: What is a YouTube Timestamp?

A YouTube Timestamp is one of the ‘key moments’ features of Google. It is the best method to link your user to a specific moment of your video. It is very often noticed that people keep skipping the content, as they cannot find what they have been looking for.

In such cases, you can prefer adding the YouTube video Timestamps to improve the retention of the viewers for a longer time. What is more interesting about it is that you can also provide a reference in minutes and seconds of the video.

Part 2: How to Add Timestamps to YouTube Video on Desktop?

A very few YouTube videos at present have Timestamps in them. It usually is due to the reason that majority of people are not aware of it. Or, in some other cases, they are still wondering, ‘how to add Timestamps to YouTube video.’

In detail, let us tell you how you can add these timestamps to your videos on Desktop.

1. Log in to your YouTube and move to the ‘Description’ section on the video.
2. For linking a specific part to timestamp, begin by typing the time in the format minutes:seconds.

1. Then add your keyword to the specific video segment and click on ‘Save.’
2. Reload the published video and then check the ‘Description’ section once again and update it accordingly.

That is it, and you are done with adding Timestamps to a YouTube video!

Note: you need to add 0:00 at the beginning of the timestamps so that they can show up. And you may need to add 3 or more timestamps, and each should last 10 seconds or longer.

Part 3: How to Add Timestamps to YouTube Videos on Mobile?

So, when it is about adding the timestamps on mobile, things are a bit different for sure! However, we have done a thorough research and managed to get a step-by-step tutorial to add these timestamps to YouTube videos on the mobile app.

1. Log in to the YouTube Studio app on your mobile.
2. Click on the ‘Menu’ icon, which is present in the upper left corner of the screen.
3. Select the video and press on the video where you want to add timestamps.
4. Click on the pencil icon, which is present on the topmost right corner of the screen and then add timestamps in the description!

Format - The time is indicated by t=, which is followed by the number of seconds you want the video to start playing from. t= 2m46s is an example of a Timestamp. If the URL of the video contains a question mark (?) at the end, then, in that case, use the ampersand (&) before the time stamp. Example - &t=2m46ss!

Note - Make sure the initial timestamp is “0:00 Start” to activate the YouTube Chapters function. To use YouTube Chapters, you need to add at least three chapters to a video, with each chapter lasting at least ten seconds.

Part 4: Why Should You Add Timestamps to YouTube Videos?

A few reasons why YouTube Timestamps are a must for you to try are mentioned below. Make sure that you go through them!

• Increased SEO Opportunities

The use of YouTube Timestamps can be regarded as a very useful SEO video hack. The ranking of YouTube videos is completely based on the watch time and retention of the audience. Hence, when a user clicks on the Timestamp, YouTube will log this as two views. The initial click counts as the first view. Next will be the second view, which is the Timestamped moment of the video. This 2-on-1 benefit helps in increasing the video ranking.

Now, it is time for all the YouTube creators to switch to this feature for higher rankings. This will take off in 2021, particularly amongst the mobile phone users, since now even Google supports Timestamp hyperlinks. Timestamps will become increasingly important for YouTubers in the coming year.

• User Experience Enhanced

Jumbling for a specific part of a video can be annoying for the user, and they might end up closing it. Anyone would not certainly want to watch the entire 15 minutes of video for nugget-sized information. Hence, using Timestamps is indeed a benefit for you. With this feature, you can now overcome this issue and get a huge victory of an increase in the count of viewers.

• Perk for the Mobile Users

Google has started rewarding the Timestamps for the YouTube videos. It appears to be paying attention to the Timestamps on the videos and then linking to each chapter or header in the YouTube description.

Part 5: Should I Add Timestamps to All YouTube Videos?

Almost every video put up on the internet is designed so as to get optimized as per the SEO trends. Google has mentioned it clearly that “how-to videos which have multiple steps, should have Timestamps .” However, the truth is that every video which is long and has multiple pointers or steps in it should have the YouTube Timestamps in it.

From product reviews to the help tutorials, can reap benefits from this feature of YouTube. This is something you should think about before you start adding chapters to your video.

Conclusion

One of the most effective methods to boost visibility about your brand or product is to create entertaining content online. Using Timestamps in your videos, you may enhance the ranking of your video, enhance the viewer experience, and develop long-term partnerships with a larger audience. You can certainly try experimenting with YouTube at any point in your video and see what happens.

Comment below with your opinions on the results of this new feature and how you feel it impacts your business.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

YouTube has more than 2 billion logged-in monthly users as of now. Every year, this number keeps increasing more and more since now this platform is available in 80 different languages. Be it marketers or corporate creators, everybody is moving towards the platform to present their content to the audience. Thanks to the prominence of this platform amongst the users, it can attract an enormous amount of traffic from all over the globe.

Video marketers, in these times, are trying to make use of this popularity for promoting their brands and products. YouTube Timestamp is also one such tool of this platform that helps you gain recognition and attention from your viewers.

In this article, we will be helping you learn about what Timestamp is, how to add Timestamps to your YouTube videos, and much more.

• Part 1: YouTube Timestamp Introduction
• Part 2: Adding Timestamps to YouTube Video on Desktop
• Part 3: Adding Timestamps to YouTube Videos on Mobile
• part 4: Benefits of Adding Timestamps to YouTube Videos
• Part 5: Tips for Adding Timestamps to YouTube Videos

Part 1: What is a YouTube Timestamp?

A YouTube Timestamp is one of the ‘key moments’ features of Google. It is the best method to link your user to a specific moment of your video. It is very often noticed that people keep skipping the content, as they cannot find what they have been looking for.

In such cases, you can prefer adding the YouTube video Timestamps to improve the retention of the viewers for a longer time. What is more interesting about it is that you can also provide a reference in minutes and seconds of the video.

Part 2: How to Add Timestamps to YouTube Video on Desktop?

A very few YouTube videos at present have Timestamps in them. It usually is due to the reason that majority of people are not aware of it. Or, in some other cases, they are still wondering, ‘how to add Timestamps to YouTube video.’

In detail, let us tell you how you can add these timestamps to your videos on Desktop.

1. Log in to your YouTube and move to the ‘Description’ section on the video.
2. For linking a specific part to timestamp, begin by typing the time in the format minutes:seconds.

1. Then add your keyword to the specific video segment and click on ‘Save.’
2. Reload the published video and then check the ‘Description’ section once again and update it accordingly.

That is it, and you are done with adding Timestamps to a YouTube video!

Note: you need to add 0:00 at the beginning of the timestamps so that they can show up. And you may need to add 3 or more timestamps, and each should last 10 seconds or longer.

Part 3: How to Add Timestamps to YouTube Videos on Mobile?

So, when it is about adding the timestamps on mobile, things are a bit different for sure! However, we have done a thorough research and managed to get a step-by-step tutorial to add these timestamps to YouTube videos on the mobile app.

1. Log in to the YouTube Studio app on your mobile.
2. Click on the ‘Menu’ icon, which is present in the upper left corner of the screen.
3. Select the video and press on the video where you want to add timestamps.
4. Click on the pencil icon, which is present on the topmost right corner of the screen and then add timestamps in the description!

Format - The time is indicated by t=, which is followed by the number of seconds you want the video to start playing from. t= 2m46s is an example of a Timestamp. If the URL of the video contains a question mark (?) at the end, then, in that case, use the ampersand (&) before the time stamp. Example - &t=2m46ss!

Note - Make sure the initial timestamp is “0:00 Start” to activate the YouTube Chapters function. To use YouTube Chapters, you need to add at least three chapters to a video, with each chapter lasting at least ten seconds.

Part 4: Why Should You Add Timestamps to YouTube Videos?

A few reasons why YouTube Timestamps are a must for you to try are mentioned below. Make sure that you go through them!

• Increased SEO Opportunities

The use of YouTube Timestamps can be regarded as a very useful SEO video hack. The ranking of YouTube videos is completely based on the watch time and retention of the audience. Hence, when a user clicks on the Timestamp, YouTube will log this as two views. The initial click counts as the first view. Next will be the second view, which is the Timestamped moment of the video. This 2-on-1 benefit helps in increasing the video ranking.

Now, it is time for all the YouTube creators to switch to this feature for higher rankings. This will take off in 2021, particularly amongst the mobile phone users, since now even Google supports Timestamp hyperlinks. Timestamps will become increasingly important for YouTubers in the coming year.

• User Experience Enhanced

Jumbling for a specific part of a video can be annoying for the user, and they might end up closing it. Anyone would not certainly want to watch the entire 15 minutes of video for nugget-sized information. Hence, using Timestamps is indeed a benefit for you. With this feature, you can now overcome this issue and get a huge victory of an increase in the count of viewers.

• Perk for the Mobile Users

Google has started rewarding the Timestamps for the YouTube videos. It appears to be paying attention to the Timestamps on the videos and then linking to each chapter or header in the YouTube description.

Part 5: Should I Add Timestamps to All YouTube Videos?

Almost every video put up on the internet is designed so as to get optimized as per the SEO trends. Google has mentioned it clearly that “how-to videos which have multiple steps, should have Timestamps .” However, the truth is that every video which is long and has multiple pointers or steps in it should have the YouTube Timestamps in it.

From product reviews to the help tutorials, can reap benefits from this feature of YouTube. This is something you should think about before you start adding chapters to your video.

Conclusion

One of the most effective methods to boost visibility about your brand or product is to create entertaining content online. Using Timestamps in your videos, you may enhance the ranking of your video, enhance the viewer experience, and develop long-term partnerships with a larger audience. You can certainly try experimenting with YouTube at any point in your video and see what happens.

Comment below with your opinions on the results of this new feature and how you feel it impacts your business.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

YouTube has more than 2 billion logged-in monthly users as of now. Every year, this number keeps increasing more and more since now this platform is available in 80 different languages. Be it marketers or corporate creators, everybody is moving towards the platform to present their content to the audience. Thanks to the prominence of this platform amongst the users, it can attract an enormous amount of traffic from all over the globe.

Video marketers, in these times, are trying to make use of this popularity for promoting their brands and products. YouTube Timestamp is also one such tool of this platform that helps you gain recognition and attention from your viewers.

In this article, we will be helping you learn about what Timestamp is, how to add Timestamps to your YouTube videos, and much more.

• Part 1: YouTube Timestamp Introduction
• Part 2: Adding Timestamps to YouTube Video on Desktop
• Part 3: Adding Timestamps to YouTube Videos on Mobile
• part 4: Benefits of Adding Timestamps to YouTube Videos
• Part 5: Tips for Adding Timestamps to YouTube Videos

Part 1: What is a YouTube Timestamp?

A YouTube Timestamp is one of the ‘key moments’ features of Google. It is the best method to link your user to a specific moment of your video. It is very often noticed that people keep skipping the content, as they cannot find what they have been looking for.

In such cases, you can prefer adding the YouTube video Timestamps to improve the retention of the viewers for a longer time. What is more interesting about it is that you can also provide a reference in minutes and seconds of the video.

Part 2: How to Add Timestamps to YouTube Video on Desktop?

A very few YouTube videos at present have Timestamps in them. It usually is due to the reason that majority of people are not aware of it. Or, in some other cases, they are still wondering, ‘how to add Timestamps to YouTube video.’

In detail, let us tell you how you can add these timestamps to your videos on Desktop.

1. Log in to your YouTube and move to the ‘Description’ section on the video.
2. For linking a specific part to timestamp, begin by typing the time in the format minutes:seconds.

1. Then add your keyword to the specific video segment and click on ‘Save.’
2. Reload the published video and then check the ‘Description’ section once again and update it accordingly.

That is it, and you are done with adding Timestamps to a YouTube video!

Note: you need to add 0:00 at the beginning of the timestamps so that they can show up. And you may need to add 3 or more timestamps, and each should last 10 seconds or longer.

Part 3: How to Add Timestamps to YouTube Videos on Mobile?

So, when it is about adding the timestamps on mobile, things are a bit different for sure! However, we have done a thorough research and managed to get a step-by-step tutorial to add these timestamps to YouTube videos on the mobile app.

1. Log in to the YouTube Studio app on your mobile.
2. Click on the ‘Menu’ icon, which is present in the upper left corner of the screen.
3. Select the video and press on the video where you want to add timestamps.
4. Click on the pencil icon, which is present on the topmost right corner of the screen and then add timestamps in the description!

Format - The time is indicated by t=, which is followed by the number of seconds you want the video to start playing from. t= 2m46s is an example of a Timestamp. If the URL of the video contains a question mark (?) at the end, then, in that case, use the ampersand (&) before the time stamp. Example - &t=2m46ss!

Note - Make sure the initial timestamp is “0:00 Start” to activate the YouTube Chapters function. To use YouTube Chapters, you need to add at least three chapters to a video, with each chapter lasting at least ten seconds.

Part 4: Why Should You Add Timestamps to YouTube Videos?

A few reasons why YouTube Timestamps are a must for you to try are mentioned below. Make sure that you go through them!

• Increased SEO Opportunities

The use of YouTube Timestamps can be regarded as a very useful SEO video hack. The ranking of YouTube videos is completely based on the watch time and retention of the audience. Hence, when a user clicks on the Timestamp, YouTube will log this as two views. The initial click counts as the first view. Next will be the second view, which is the Timestamped moment of the video. This 2-on-1 benefit helps in increasing the video ranking.

Now, it is time for all the YouTube creators to switch to this feature for higher rankings. This will take off in 2021, particularly amongst the mobile phone users, since now even Google supports Timestamp hyperlinks. Timestamps will become increasingly important for YouTubers in the coming year.

• User Experience Enhanced

Jumbling for a specific part of a video can be annoying for the user, and they might end up closing it. Anyone would not certainly want to watch the entire 15 minutes of video for nugget-sized information. Hence, using Timestamps is indeed a benefit for you. With this feature, you can now overcome this issue and get a huge victory of an increase in the count of viewers.

• Perk for the Mobile Users

Google has started rewarding the Timestamps for the YouTube videos. It appears to be paying attention to the Timestamps on the videos and then linking to each chapter or header in the YouTube description.

Part 5: Should I Add Timestamps to All YouTube Videos?

Almost every video put up on the internet is designed so as to get optimized as per the SEO trends. Google has mentioned it clearly that “how-to videos which have multiple steps, should have Timestamps .” However, the truth is that every video which is long and has multiple pointers or steps in it should have the YouTube Timestamps in it.

From product reviews to the help tutorials, can reap benefits from this feature of YouTube. This is something you should think about before you start adding chapters to your video.

Conclusion

One of the most effective methods to boost visibility about your brand or product is to create entertaining content online. Using Timestamps in your videos, you may enhance the ranking of your video, enhance the viewer experience, and develop long-term partnerships with a larger audience. You can certainly try experimenting with YouTube at any point in your video and see what happens.

Comment below with your opinions on the results of this new feature and how you feel it impacts your business.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Increasing Video Visibility with Engaging Youtube Images

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett