Creating Clickable Titles for YouTube Videos
A good video title will generate interest and intrigue viewers without sounding too generic.
Titles and thumbnails come at the forefront to greet audiences on YouTube.
They’re the trigger to define users’ actions, whether to click and watch your video or pass and scroll through it.
Creating titles for YouTube videos may sound simple, but, in fact, it isn’t.
It requires experience and some best practices to create enticing and clickable titles.
If you’re struggling to create titles for YouTube videos, keep reading to explore some tips we’ve curated below.
Related: YouTube for Business — The Essentials For an Effective YouTube Strategy
#1. Use the Right Keywords for YouTube Search
Keywords are key to making your titles and video performance powerful.
They are also vital to improve the discoverability of your video content on YouTube’s search engine.
You can simply create a phrase keyword tailored to your content.
It’s better to make your keyword in a phrase of two or three words.
You can also use keyword generators like Semrush and Ahrefs to find the most potential ones.
Also, consider using YouTube extensions like TubeBuddy with various features to help you enhance your content performance.
#2. Use Numbers and Hashtags When Necessary
Numbers can be an eye-catching element of your video title.
A study reveals that numbers are powerful as people are most likely to associate them with facts.
Internet users typically don’t read all the words in your titles. Instead, they tend to scan.
Numbers can easily stand out and grab people’s attention, resulting in higher clicks and view rates.
Related: 8 Ideas To Make Your Youtube Channel More Appealing
#3. Add Emotive Words
Emotive words intend to evoke an emotional reaction from the reader.
They are commonly strong and influencing adjectives that can impress internet users.
Some examples of emotive words are best-selling, practical, easy, luxurious, etc.
Incorporate emotive words that resonate with your content.
For example, you can use the word ‘profitable’ for business geeks or ‘effective’ for tips lovers.
Emotive words help people make subconscious decisions to click your video.
#4. Make Your Titles and Thumbnail in Harmony
Titles and thumbnails work hand in hand.
Your video thumbnail must represent the title and video content.
You can include your picture and other supporting visuals like illustrations and graphics to make your thumbnail attractive.
If you add an emotive word to your title, ensure the thumbnail conveys and relates to it.
#5. Stay Under the Character Limit and
Consider making your video title short and straightforward.
YouTube allows you to create 100-character-long titles, but using them all isn’t the best practice.
You can make your title around 60–70 characters so viewers can read the full title.
Longer than that, it will appear as a truncated title.
#7. Using Hashtags in Your Video Title
Like numbers, hashtags are also an attention-grabber element.
But more importantly, hashtags help YouTube to recommend your content to relevant audiences.
You can add hashtags directly to your video title or add them in the provided section.
#8. Avoid Clickbait Titles
Clickbait titles may drive high click rates on your videos, but you will fail to build trust with audiences.
You may generate good results today but face an instant and dramatic drop in your video metrics.
YouTube also discourages content creators from creating clickbait content, including titles.
On its support page, YouTube prevents people from posting content using misleading metadata or thumbnails.
If YouTube finds your channel to violate the policy, your account may get suspended.
Related: What’s Legal and What’s Illegal to Use in YouTube Videos
YouTube video titles aren’t only vital for attracting viewers and helping your content be more discoverable.
Incorporating keyword-friendly titles and relevant thumbnails can enhance your video SEO, resulting in a better rank on YouTube’s search engine.
Also, focus on providing valuable and entertaining content and avoid misleading metadata to build credibility and loyal subscribers.
