Getting more clicks (CTR) is the #1 way to grow your channel. With A/B testing, you can compare different thumbnail and title options to scientifically see which ones your audience prefers. Stop guessing—start testing!
What Is A/B Testing for YouTube?
- Show two versions (A and B) of a thumbnail or title to your viewers to see which gets the better response.
- Some YouTube partners have built-in experiments in YouTube Studio. Most creators use tools like TubeBuddy or vidIQ for easy A/B testing.
What Can You Test?
- Thumbnails: Colors, images, text, expressions, layout.
- Titles: Wording, order, length, power words.
How to Run an A/B Test
- Create two different versions of your thumbnail or title.
- Use an A/B tool to randomly rotate them for real viewers.
- Monitor metrics: Click-through rate (CTR), watch time, average view duration.
- Pick a winner after at least a few hundred impressions, then update your video permanently with the top performer.
What to Do After Testing
- Apply learnings to future uploads (colors, words, topics that get more clicks).
- Don’t change both thumbnail and title at once unless you split test separately!
Need A/B test ideas?
Our creative team helps design, run, and analyze custom thumbnail tests for YouTubers. Request a performance review!
Turn data into more views.
Read more: designing clickable thumbnails and crafting killer titles.
Grow My CTR