7 Top YouTube Thumbnail Preview Tools to Increase Your Clicks

YouTube thumbnail preview tools are your ideal companion when it comes to increasing the number of clicks for your YouTube video.

A YouTube video’s thumbnail is a decisive factor in its success, as it’s the first thing viewers see on the platform. A good thumbnail increases click rates and attracts viewers. It creates the first impression for the video, contains a summary of the content, and is appropriate for the target audience.

Thus, an attractive YouTube thumbnail increases the chances of viewers clicking to watch. Google categorized videos for viewers based on CTR. Google flags videos with low click-through rates as misleading or low-quality content.

Here’s a table with the top YouTube thumbnail preview tools so that you can increase those clicks!

For a more detail take on these YouTube tools, read on, but before you do, are you aware why YouTube thumbnails are so important?

Why are YouTube thumbnails important?

A YouTube thumbnail is important if you want your YouTube channel to be a success; let’s look at some reasons why you should take creating good thumbnails seriously:

• A good YouTube thumbnail is an excellent way to increase rankings on YouTube‘s SEO. It influences how videos are found and preferentially recommended, besides making the audience’s mind positive towards the video.
• The thumbnail is a glimpse of the video’s content that represents what viewers can expect from the video.
• Ultimately, it increases the customer base of the channel. If the video and thumbnail are together, an attractive thumbnail is the deciding factor in attracting viewers.

Furthermore, it adds an extra edge to your YouTube channel promotion, as a well-designed thumbnail shows the professionalism of the content.

Best practices for creating a great YouTube thumbnail 

A thumbnail should match the content of the video well, which should be unique, bold, attention-grabbing, attractive, on-brand, and of high quality. It determines the click rate of the video, so creators have to try to make the best impression the first time they are viewed.

Here are some key points that can make a great YouTube thumbnail:

#1. Size of image

YouTube thumbnails start with the size of the featured image, which should be of appropriate size and dimensions. According to YouTube guidelines, the thumbnail image should be 1280 x 720 pixels with a width of 640 pixels.

The 16:9 ratio is a perfect match for pitching audiences, as it is most commonly used in previews. The thumbnail size may be, at most, the YouTube instructions. The larger size image may move down instead of the smaller size. It ensures that the highest image quality is maintained. A JPG, GIF, BMP, or PNG format of less than 2 MB is required.

#2. Thumbnail background

The strong visuals of thumbnails attract viewers to watch the video. The background that includes the context of the video provides an opportunity to become familiar with the video at first glance. The image must match the main content.

#3. Title text in thumbnail

The text added on the thumbnail gives detailed context about the featured image. The effectiveness of thumbnails becomes more affected because the text communicates with the audience on behalf of the image.

#4. Fonts practice 

The essential factor to keeping the audience engaged is introducing them to the content. It is believed that having the same font style and color for each thumbnail deeply impacts people, which is why branding should be consistent. The font should be clear and easy to read so that the audience sees it the first time they see it. Bold and heavy fonts are also a good choice, but avoid scripted fonts. Furthermore, if you do not have a brand kit already, consider creating a brand kit!

#5. Branded thumbnail template

Branded YouTube thumbnails mean consistency of the same template across all videos. The template reflects the business, whether it is a prominent brand image or a fit for the niche. The presented template attracts the audience and impacts the audience’s mind for future traffic.

#6. Thumbnail as teaser 

Audience trust and reliance on video is the future potential for brand advocacy and growth. Using the right thumbnail per the video content makes them trust the creator. Keep the best part of the video as a thumbnail or set a short teaser without highlighting the best part. These methods create excitement in the viewers’ minds to click on the video.

However, misrepresenting videos on thumbnails is considered clickbait, which reduces brand value. Clickbait can lead to loss of traffic to the video or even the channel getting affected. Thus, it is important to employ the right marketing strategy.

Also read: SEO Blogs and YouTube Channels to Conquer Google Search.

When a video’s traffic drops due to clickbait, YouTube will stop showing videos on recommendation.

Here are some tools that will help you preview YouTube thumbnails to increase your CTR so that you can create compelling videos and get the viewership you deserve.

TubeBuddy

TubeBuddy is an AI-powered tool that analyzes YouTube thumbnails. It helps maximize the click-through rate of the video. The platform that bridges the gap between AI-generated and human-captured thumbnails, where creators analyze all the relevant thumbnails with the help of AI and choose which one will gain audience traction. 

Key Features:

• TubeBuddy’s AI-generated heatmap tool is displayed as a human eye. It analyzes different parts of the thumbnail and mimics the human eye as it is beneficial to figure out which part of the thumbnail needs to be redrawn.
• The thumbnail analyzer compares the old thumbnail with the new one to detect deficient areas. Even a small change to the thumbnail can positively impact traffic.
• TubeBuddy’s AI tool analyzes future click growth potential. Uploading thumbnails to the platform allows them to give an estimated score for click-through rate.

TubeBuddy’s AI is trained as the human eye to capture viewers’ attention on different thumbnail parts.

Thumbnail Checker

Thumbnail Checker is a free user-independent tool to customize video thumbnails and titles. It provides valuable insights on titles that will help drive click-through rates. The platform allows creators to attract audiences with attractive thumbnails. 

Key Features:

• The platform allows users to customize up to 4 thumbnails at a time to see which will perform better.
• The tool’s advanced feature allows comparing thumbnails to competitors. It offers a comparison platform that compares a user’s thumbnail and title to 6 competitors.
• Thumbnail Checker has an A/B testing feature for optimizing multiple thumbnails that allows testing different thumbnail variations. It provides information to increase the CTR and overall performance of the video.

The evaluation tool provided by the platform simplifies reviewing and enhancing thumbnails to optimize them for YouTube’s SEO.

ThumbnailPreview

The ThumbnailPreview tests YouTube’s title and thumbnails against the live data. It compares the context and shows the performance. The platform was developed by a professional YouTuber.

Key Features:

• The software allows viewing and comparing the thumbnail in context to the user’s current YouTube content.
• The pro account provides testing of the thumbnail against trending channels and custom keyword searches.
• It allows archiving tested thumbnails and downloading them.

ThumbnailPreview provides tools to make better decisions for thumbnails and improve CTR.

TestMyThumbnails

TestMyThumbnails is an AI-based thumbnail ranker built after analyzing millions of thumbnails. It helps make data-driven decisions among multiple YouTube thumbnails, Instagram posts, and website banners, which is the decisive factor in click-through rate (CTR) and viewership.

Key Features:

• The thumbnail tester allows you to try multiple thumbnails to determine which will get the most clicks. Ultimately, the focus is on increasing click-through rates.
• The platform’s A/B tester tool helps choose the best thumbnail that matches the video’s content. It is essential to rank videos on SEO and get potential traffic.
• The platform has a Channel Niche Checker tool that shows the percentage of matching channel names among all related channels. 

TestMyThumbnail gives users new and trending video ideas.

Thumblytics

Thumblytics is a thumbnail and title-testing service provider that allows YouTubers to choose the best thumbnails before publishing. It tests competitor’s thumbnails, where users vote for the image. It gives a clear perspective on the issue to help you know where to improve to get traffic.

Key Features:

• Thumblytics executes a mock to test thumbnails and titles. Platforms show uploaded options to hundreds of real people.
• The voted results show a direction for future programs, where users can now choose the one with the most votes and highest CTR.
• The platform allows targeting by respondent location.

The tests do not affect the YouTube channel of users, and they are run externally. 

TuBeast

TuBeast is a web platform and extension for YouTubers with advanced tools and features. It optimizes the channel and integrity of the video for the target audience and brings it to specific-targeted content.

The tool conducts unbiased market research and provides insightful comparisons to other channels that help gain views and traffic. 

Key Features:

• TuBeast uses advanced AI to score thumbnails and provide proven suggestions to improve CTR.
• Users can compare up to 5 thumbnails to determine which is best suited to attract the audience.
• The tool allows you to compare competitors’ thumbnails, increasing your chances of preparing better than others. It also finds competitors for compression by simply adding keywords.
• TuBeast has a unique AI tool that detects issues with overlay text. It scores each identified phrase and verbalizes it based on its design.
• The YouTube thumbnail previewer checks the message’s visibility across different devices and screen sizes. It helps ascertain the credibility of the message the creator is trying to convey.

TuBeast tool’s AI video analyzer optimizes videos from psychological patterns, SEO, and YouTube algorithms.

YouTube Thumbnail Preview

YouTube Thumbnail Preview is a Chrome extension that works as a pop-up window. Viewers must click on the extension when using the YouTube page, which will load the image. The tool redirects to the largest thumbnail by clicking on the image.

Key Features:

• It is one of the most simple and easy-to-use tools to preview thumbnails.
• You just have to add the Chrome extension of the tool, and whenever you want to preview the thumbnail, just click the image.

It is a FREE tool compatible with the Chrome browser and allows viewing thumbnails with a single click.

Final words

The thumbnail concludes by leaving a first impression on the audience. An hour of content will only attract viewers if the thumbnail meets expectations. Every viewer’s expectations differ, but the most common is that the teaser or thumbnail image should summarize the video.

Furthermore, a similar template for all the videos on a channel creates a brand for them, as it becomes the channel’s identity. Thus, your YouTube thumbnails can help make a better brand image, but be sure to use the appropriate YouTube tags!

Various thumbnail checkers and devices are available across the internet, and all those platforms are enhanced by their unique features. Some use AI to test thumbnails, while others use human votes. You can review the tools in the article and choose the one that best suits your needs.

Interested in creating attractive thumbnails? Try these online YouTube thumbnail makers!