YouTube certainly does not have the best quality video out there (not by a longshot), but if you want to post a video for viral distribution and search optimization, you have to upload your video to it. Anybody who has uploaded a few videos to YouTube knows that the thumbnails YouTube picks for you can be quite lame.

As far as video search optimization goes, the thumbnail (the still image they see before your movie runs) is an extremely important tool in compelling people to click on your video. It’s no different that choosing the magazine with the better cover at a newsstand.

Most other video serving sites let’s you pick your own image…not YouTube. YouTube generates three seemingly random thumbnails to chose from. However, after a lot of debate about how they choose the thumbnail, “thecro” did a simple, smart experiment to end the debate. Thumbnails on YouTube are generated at the frame exactly 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 throughout the movie. See 32 second test vid to see how he solve the puzzle.

So now you know the secret to YouTube’s puzzle. Use smartly and responsibly. I have a feeling that many, many savvy/seedy folks are already starting to put 1 frame of a sexy woman at the exact center point of the video. That is actually classified as subliminal advertising and is illegal on broadcast/cable TV. That’s a whole ‘nother story.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwCVqhzvRXA&eurl=http://www.squidoo.com/youtubeframe[/youtube]

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6 Responses to “Getting the right thumbnail on YouTube”

  1. zahir seo4growth 20. Feb, 2008 at 10:24 am #

    Came across your initial post SE journal. Never realised you could tweak the video that way. Thanks for that.

    Reply
  2. Jenn 29. Feb, 2008 at 9:15 pm #

    Hey there,

    Thanks for the helpful post.

    For some reason, using iMovie, I am not able to get my still image exactly in the middle – how do I determine where the middle is with IMovie? Anybody have success with theirs?

    Thanks,
    Jenn Lawlor

    Reply
  3. LineAce 03. Apr, 2008 at 9:55 am #

    This story sounds convincingly! I agree with you in this case.

    Reply
  4. Graham Green 21. Jun, 2008 at 9:55 pm #

    It seems to be the frame just before the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 mark….

    Reply
  5. Youtube downloader 22. Jul, 2008 at 8:18 am #

    Thumbnails on YouTube are generated at the frame exactly 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 throughout the movie.
    Very usefrul!

    Reply
  6. Brickfilming 17. May, 2009 at 11:57 am #

    This does not work anymore..

    Google have put in a random generator to stop thumbnail picking..

    Reply

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