{"id":33891,"date":"2026-09-23T16:19:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T16:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/optimise-youtube-video\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T16:19:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T16:19:06","slug":"optimise-youtube-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/optimise-youtube-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Optimise your YouTube video: 7 practical tips"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Optimising your YouTube video starts with what your viewer wants to know or see. Choose one clear topic and make your title, thumbnail and opening footage support it. Put useful information at the top of your description and make your video easy to follow. Start with one existing video. Change one element at a time so you can better compare what happens after your adjustment.<\/p>\n<p>Below, you\u2019ll learn how to approach this, from choosing your topic to comparing your results.<\/p>\n<nav aria-label=\"Table of contents\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#onderwerp\">1. Choose one clear topic for your YouTube video<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#titel\">2. Tell viewers in your YouTube title what you show<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#thumbnail\">3. Create a YouTube thumbnail that matches your title<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#beschrijving\">4. Put the key information at the top of your YouTube description<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#tags\">5. Choose YouTube tags and hashtags that suit your video<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#wegwijzers\">6. Use chapters and playlists with your YouTube video<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#testen\">7. Compare your YouTube title and thumbnail step by step<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<h2 id=\"onderwerp\">1. Choose one clear topic for your YouTube video<\/h2>\n<p>Complete this sentence for yourself: \u201cAfter this video, the viewer can or knows\u2026\u201d Can\u2019t do it? First choose which part of your topic you want to show. Caring for plants is broad, for example. A video about a drooping peace lily makes it clearer what the viewer can expect.<\/p>\n<p>Suppose you\u2019re making a video about repairing a bike tyre. The viewer mainly wants to know how to find and seal the puncture. Start with that problem, not with a long explanation about your bike. We use the fictional video below as an example.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Write down the question your video answers.<\/li>\n<li>Check that your footage and explanation really provide the answer.<\/li>\n<li>Briefly show at the beginning what the viewer will learn or see.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Want to remove unnecessary sections from your footage first? Read how to <a href=\"https:\/\/volgers-kopen.io\/youtube-video-monteren\/\">edit a YouTube video<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Not sure where to begin? YouTube\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/youtube\/answer\/11908409?hl=nl\">basic guide to optimising videos<\/a> recommends first focusing on titles, descriptions and thumbnails.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"titel\">2. Tell viewers in your YouTube title what you show<\/h2>\n<p>A good title tells people what they will get from your video. Choose words your viewer would use themselves. Put the main topic first if it reads naturally. You don\u2019t need to repeat the same search term.<\/p>\n<p>For the fictional video about a bike tyre, you could compare these titles:<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">Title<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">What the viewer knows<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>You really need to see this!<\/td>\n<td>Nothing about the topic.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Repairing a bike tyre: from finding the puncture to inflating it<\/td>\n<td>Which problem you solve and which steps you show.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Repairing a bike tyre without tyre levers<\/td>\n<td>Which particular approach you show. This title only fits if you actually show that approach.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Make your title precise, but don\u2019t promise more than your video shows. For example, don\u2019t say that something can be done in two minutes if that isn\u2019t clear from your video. A question in your title can spark curiosity, as long as your video provides the answer.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"thumbnail\">3. Create a YouTube thumbnail that matches your title<\/h2>\n<p>A thumbnail is the small preview image for your video. Choose an image that quickly shows what the video is about. For the bike tyre, for example, show hands near the puncture. That is clearer than an entire shed full of equipment.<\/p>\n<p>Make your title and image complement each other. The title explains the topic, while the image shows something concrete. The entire title therefore doesn\u2019t need to appear on the image as well.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Choose one clear subject in the image.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure it stands out clearly against the background.<\/li>\n<li>View your design at a small size, such as on a mobile.<\/li>\n<li>Only add text if it explains something and remains easy to read.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t show a result that doesn\u2019t appear in the video.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Want to view your image and title together? Also use <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/youtube\/answer\/12340300?hl=en\">YouTube\u2019s official tips for thumbnails and titles<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"beschrijving\">4. Put the key information at the top of your YouTube description<\/h2>\n<p>Start your description with what you show and who it is useful for. Information about yourself can go underneath. Don\u2019t make viewers search through a list of links first to discover what the video is about.<\/p>\n<p>For the fictional bike tyre video, you could write:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>I show you how to find and repair a puncture in your bike tyre. You\u2019ll see how to prepare the area, apply the patch and check the tyre again.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Below that, add information related to this video:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The equipment you use, such as a pump and a repair kit.<\/li>\n<li>An addition or correction to your explanation.<\/li>\n<li>Links to something you mention in the video.<\/li>\n<li>A chapter structure if your video has clear sections.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Include your topic in an ordinary sentence. A list of words such as \u201crepairing a bike tyre, repairing a tyre, repairing a punctured tyre\u201d provides no extra explanation. Even with YouTube SEO, making your video easier to find through search, the focus here is on clearly describing what you show.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"tags\">5. Choose YouTube tags and hashtags that suit your video<\/h2>\n<p>Tags are individual keywords for your video. Hashtags are words with a hash, such as #bikerepair. Spend less time on these than on your title, image and description. Tags and hashtags are not the main solution for low view counts.<\/p>\n<p>Ask yourself about each word: if someone searches for this, will they get what they expect? If not, leave it out. A popular name or trend unrelated to your video creates the wrong expectation.<\/p>\n<p>For the example video, words about bike tyres and repairs are suitable. A hashtag such as #viral says nothing about the content. A long string of almost identical hashtags adds little either.<\/p>\n<p>So choose only words that genuinely relate to your video. This helps you avoid unnecessary repetition and misleading keywords. It is not a guarantee of a higher position in search results.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"wegwijzers\">6. Use chapters and playlists with your YouTube video<\/h2>\n<p>Make it easy to find a section again or choose a suitable next video. Chapters, playlists and end screens can help.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Chapters:<\/strong> Divide a longer explanation into recognisable sections, such as \u201cFind the puncture\u201d, \u201cRepair the tyre\u201d and \u201cCheck the tyre\u201d. Watch your video again and note where each section begins.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Playlists, also called playlists:<\/strong> Group videos about the same topic together. A list about basic bike maintenance is clearer than a list with all your uploads mixed together.<\/li>\n<li><strong>End screens:<\/strong> Offer a suitable next step at the end of your video, if this option is available. With the bike tyre video, for example, you could refer to a video about checking your bike brakes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Does your short video have only one topic? Then you don\u2019t need to add an extra structure. Can\u2019t use an option? Mention a suitable next video in your explanation and add the link to your description.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"testen\">7. Compare your YouTube title and thumbnail step by step<\/h2>\n<p>First change either your title or your thumbnail. If you change both at once, you can\u2019t tell which adjustment may have helped. Keep your old version and record your new version with the date of the change.<\/p>\n<p>Then don\u2019t look only at the number of views. The click through rate shows what proportion of measured impressions resulted in a view. An impression is one time your thumbnail was shown within that measurement. The number of impressions is therefore not the same as the number of different people.<\/p>\n<p>In this fictional calculation example, we only count views that came from the measured impressions. Divide that number of views by the number of impressions and multiply the result by 100.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th scope=\"col\">Period<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Impressions<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Views from those impressions<\/th>\n<th scope=\"col\">Click through rate<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Before the change<\/td>\n<td>1.000<\/td>\n<td>40<\/td>\n<td>40 \u00f7 1.000 \u00d7 100 = 4%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>After the change<\/td>\n<td>1.000<\/td>\n<td>50<\/td>\n<td>50 \u00f7 1.000 \u00d7 100 = 5%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The click through rate increases from 4% to 5%. That is an increase of 1 percentage point. This may indicate that your adjustment helped, but it does not prove that the new version will always work better. In the second period, different people may have watched your video.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, preferably compare periods of equal length. Also look at how people found your video. A period with many viewers from search cannot simply be compared with a period in which mostly returning viewers watched.<\/p>\n<p>Also check how long people keep watching and where they stop. Are you getting more clicks, but are people watching for much less time? Investigate whether your title or image promises more than your video delivers. When there are few impressions, a few clicks can already change the percentage significantly.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t need to delete your video to try a different title or thumbnail. Want to remove it for another reason? First read the explanation about <a href=\"https:\/\/volgers-kopen.io\/youtube-video-verwijderen\/\">deleting a YouTube video<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Now choose one video whose title or image does not yet clearly show what it is about. Adjust that element and note what you want to compare afterwards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Improve your YouTube video with 7 practical tips for your title, thumbnail, description and more. Also learn how to compare changes meaningfully.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-allgemein"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33891"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33891\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/folnova.com\/en-au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}