YouTube rolls out thumbnail testing tool to more creators

YouTube has announced the expansion of its 'Test & Compare' feature within YouTube Studio, allowing more users to access thumbnail testing functionality. In addition, the platform has begun testing a similar tool for video titles.

The 'Test & Compare' feature enables creators to upload up to three different thumbnail images for a video. These are then shown evenly to viewers, with YouTube determining the most effective option based on watch time share.

“YouTube will show your chosen thumbnails evenly across your video’s viewers and will select a winning thumbnail based on which one generates the most watch time share,” the company stated. The platform noted that watch time is the key metric used in this process, as it considers it the most reliable indicator for guiding content strategy and improving visibility.

YouTube first revealed plans for thumbnail A/B testing in June 2023, with limited testing among selected creators beginning later that year.

The platform is now extending its experimentation to include video titles. “We’re starting to experiment with a feature that gives creators the ability to test titles as well as thumbnails using our ‘Test & Compare’ feature in Studio. We’re rolling this out to a small percentage of creators at first, but we’ll keep you posted on our plans to expand it to more creators,” YouTube said.

The addition of title testing offers another layer of feedback for creators seeking to refine their content strategies based on user engagement. Both features aim to help users identify combinations of thumbnails and titles that are more likely to result in increased watch time and broader reach.