Many content creators often get confused when creating a catchy title for their YouTube video. The title is what first grabs the attention of the audience. After that, they decide whether to watch or skip the video. So, it should be well-crafted and give a clear idea of the video.
A strong title can increase clicks and improve the search rankings of your video. That is why it is important to make an optimized and relevant title. But how can you make a good title for your YouTube video? This is what I'll help you learn in this blog. I'll share some strategies for making unique and compelling titles for your YT videos.
Best Strategies to Write a Good YouTube Video Title
The following are the best ways to write a good title for a YouTube video.
Understand the Purpose of Your Title
The title is the first thing that the viewers see when your video appears in the search results or recommendations. It serves multiple purposes:
- Attracts attention - Good title encourages viewers to click on your video.
- Provides clarity - Viewers should understand what your video is about by just reading the title.
- Improves search visibility - YouTube's algorithm detects the words in your title to understand what your video is about. It then recommends it to the audience.
So, to write a good title, you have to understand what purpose your video actually serves. A clear and relevant title helps improve the clicks on your video.
Understand Your Audience
You should clearly understand your audience before writing a title. If your audience is professionals, they might prefer a title that sounds direct, whereas casual viewers might prefer more friendly and creative titles.
For example:
- Casual viewers might search "How to draw a cat step by step."
- Professionals may search "Advanced techniques for drawing realistic cats."
The above example shows how the topic can be framed in different ways. So, after understanding the skill level of your audience, it becomes easier for you to write personalized titles for them.
Include Relevant Keywords
Keywords play an important role in making your video featured in the search results. It is important to find the relevant keywords for your video first. To find keywords, you can use the YouTube search bar. You can type one or two words related to your topic in the search bar. YouTube will show relevant terms related to it, as shown in the image below:
These are the terms that users search for mostly. You can select some relevant terms or keywords from it and use them in your title.
You can also use a dedicated tool for finding relevant keywords for your video, like Google Trends. This allows you to check the popular search terms and trending topics related to your search query.
Source - https://trends.google.com/trends/
The trending search queries provided by such tools can be used naturally in your title to make the viewers even more interested.
Keep Your Title Clear and Concise
Viewers scroll through videos quickly, so your title should be clear and concise to be read at a glance. Lengthy or bulky titles may divert the attention of the viewers. However, you should aim for 50-70 characters. This is ideal for mobile and desktop screens. Concise titles also prevent your message from being cut off in the search results.
The following is a good structure for a YouTube video title:
Action + Topic + Benefit
- Example: "Learn Photoshop in 30 Minutes - Beginner-Friendly Tutorial"
- For a list format video: "5 Easy Exercises to Improve Your Posture"
In the above examples, you can see that they are well-structured and concise. They clearly explain what action is being taken and what benefit viewers will get by watching it. Also, they remain in the 50-70 character count.
Make It Compelling
To make your video title compelling, you have to think first about why someone would click your video and prefer watching it over other videos. For this, you can use the following techniques to add spark and curiosity to your title:
Asking questions
Create curiosity among the viewers by asking a question. This encourages them to click as they would like to see the answer. The video creator successfully uses the question-asking technique to induce curiosity among the viewers.
Using numbers
By using numbers in your title, you can make your video more predictable for users. This gives them a clear idea of the content they are going to watch. A video explaining health tips with a title starting with a numeral allows viewers to get the structure of the video at first glance.
Creating urgency
This motivates the viewers to watch your video immediately. By using time-sensitive phrases, you can create a sense of importance among the viewers. Titles that use urgency, like "Watch This Before Your Next Interview," effectively capture attention.
Highlight the Benefit or Outcome
Viewers want to know what benefit they will get by watching your video. So it is important to write the benefit upfront to get more attention. This can be better explained by the following examples:
- Instead of "Yoga Routine," you can write "Yoga Routine to Relieve Back Pain in 10 Minutes."
- Instead of "Marketing Tips," it is better to write it as "Marketing Tips That Can Double Your Sales in 30 Days."
By clearly mentioning the outcome, you can better help and guide the viewers about the content of the video.
Use Tool Assistance for Idea Generation
Video creators often create multiple videos per week. It sometimes becomes hard for them to come up with a strong title every time. Generating ideas with an online title generator can help them save time and boost creativity.
Source - https://www.summarizer.org/title-generator
These tools can suggest good titles for your given prompt, providing unique title ideas for your YouTube videos. This is how you can get title ideas from such tools and refine them according to your video requirements.
Test Different Variations
Another effective approach is to test different variants of the title. After that, you can check the YouTube analytics. This helps understand which title gets the higher clicks and better engagement. If your video is not performing up to your expectations, you can try:
- Changing the wording
- Adding a number or keyword
- Highlighting a specific benefit
After making the above changes, continue to monitor the performance of your video from time to time and then refine the title based on the performance insights.
Summing Up
A good YouTube video title helps improve the clicks on your video. It should be totally relevant and explain effectively what your video offers. To write a good title, you have to understand your audience, do proper keyword research, and highlight benefits. You can also get help from online tools for getting ideas for your YouTube video titles.
Making changes to the title and checking insights helps you decide what title you should keep. Over time, this approach can help you create titles that get more clicks and engagement.
Remember, your title works hand-in-hand with other elements like YouTube chapters to create a comprehensive viewer experience. By combining compelling titles with well-organized content through chapters, you can maximize both engagement and SEO performance.
Enhance Your Videos with TimeSkip
While a great title draws viewers in, TimeSkip helps keep them engaged by automatically generating AI-powered chapters for your videos. This combination of compelling titles and organized content can significantly boost your video's performance.
FAQs
How long should a YouTube video title be?
Aim for 50-70 characters. This ensures your title displays properly on both mobile and desktop devices without being cut off in search results. Shorter titles are often more impactful and easier to read at a glance.
Should I use clickbait titles?
No. While creating curiosity is good, misleading titles can hurt your channel's reputation and viewer retention. YouTube's algorithm also penalizes videos with high click-through rates but low watch time. Always deliver on what your title promises.
Can I change my video title after publishing?
Yes, you can change your video title at any time through YouTube Studio. In fact, testing different title variations and monitoring performance is a recommended practice. Just make sure any changes still accurately represent your content.
Where should I place keywords in my title?
Place your most important keywords near the beginning of your title. This helps both viewers and YouTube's algorithm quickly understand what your video is about. However, make sure the title still reads naturally and isn't just a string of keywords.
Should every video have numbers in the title?
Not necessarily. Numbers work well for list-based content, tutorials with steps, or videos promising specific results. However, they're not appropriate for all content types. Use numbers when they naturally fit your content and add value for viewers.