Thumbnail images for popular YouTube videos tend to be colorful, to feature human faces, and to contain text, according to recent research from Best SEO Companies.

The report was based on analysis of the thumbnails for the 740 most popular YouTube videos to date in 2020.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of the thumbnails examined featured a human face, and 88% were colorful.

Some 70% of the thumbnails contained a title or explanatory text.

Category insights 

Thumbnails for the most popular news-related YouTube videos tended to feature negative emotions such as anger, contempt, disgust, or fear, the analysis found.

Thumbnails for the most popular home and living videos tended to feature sadness.

 

About the research: The report was based on analysis of the thumbnails for the 740 most popular YouTube videos to date in 2020.

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The Anatomy of a Popular YouTube Thumbnail Image

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Ayaz Nanji

Ayaz Nanji is a writer, editor, and a content strategist. He is a co-founder of ICW Media and a research writer for MarketingProfs. He has worked for Google/YouTube, the Travel Channel, and the New York Times.

LinkedIn: Ayaz Nanji

Twitter: @ayaznanji

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