YouTube CTR Calculator
Work out your impressions click-through rate from YouTube Studio, see where it sits against YouTube's own range, and how many more views a stronger thumbnail would bring from the same impressions.
Impressions click-through rate
4.0%
1,000 views from 25,000 impressions. That is inside the 2–10% range where YouTube says half of all channels and videos sit.
Shaded: the 2–10% range where half of all channels and videos sit, according to YouTube Help.
What a stronger thumbnail could add
About +500 more views from the same 25,000 impressions.
A simple what-if at the same impressions. In reality YouTube may show a video more often when people click it, and CTR usually drops a little as a video reaches viewers who don't know your channel yet.
How to calculate your YouTube CTR
- 1
Open Reach in YouTube Studio
Go to Analytics → Reach for your channel or a single video, and pick the same date range you want to look at.
- 2
Enter two numbers
Type the impressions and the views from impressions shown in the Reach funnel. The calculator works out the click-through rate instantly.
- 3
Try the what-if
Move the slider to see how many more views the same impressions would bring at a higher CTR — the gain a stronger thumbnail and title are worth.
What YouTube counts as an impression
From YouTube's help center: a thumbnail shown for more than one second, with at least half of it on screen.
Counted
- YouTube on computers, TVs, game consoles, Android, iPhone and iPad
- YouTube search
- The YouTube homepage (including autoplay)
- Feeds: subscriptions, trending, history, Watch later
- Up next recommendations
- Playlists
Not counted
- External websites and apps, including embeds
- The YouTube mobile website
- The YouTube Kids and YouTube Music apps
- Cards and end screens inside the video player
- Emails and notifications
- Thumbnails less than 50% visible or shown for less than a second
The thumbnail is the part of the click you control most. Test yours in the feed or read what makes a thumbnail clickable.
YouTube CTR FAQ
What is a good CTR on YouTube?
YouTube says half of all channels and videos have an impressions click-through rate between 2% and 10%. What is good for you depends on your niche, your audience and where the impressions come from, so compare a video with your own similar videos rather than with other channels.
How is YouTube CTR calculated?
Impressions click-through rate is views from impressions divided by impressions. It only counts views that come from thumbnails YouTube showed on YouTube itself, so dividing your total views by impressions usually gives a different number.
What counts as an impression?
YouTube counts an impression when a thumbnail is shown for more than one second with at least 50% of it visible on screen — on the homepage, in search, in feeds, in up next and in playlists. Embeds, the mobile website, end screens and notifications are not counted.
Why is my CTR going down?
Often because the video is doing well: as YouTube shows it to more people who don't know your channel yet, impressions grow faster than clicks and CTR dips. Look at views and watch time alongside CTR, and compare similar time periods.
How do I improve my click-through rate?
Make the thumbnail and title promise one clear thing together: one strong subject, high contrast, three to five words that add to the title, and nothing important in the bottom-right corner. Then test two or three versions with YouTube Studio's Test & compare.
Raise your CTR with a stronger thumbnail
Describe your video and ThumbMagic designs thumbnail options to test — one subject, big lettering, made for the feed. Your first one is free.
More free thumbnail tools
- YouTube Thumbnail TesterPreview your thumbnail in the home feed, on a phone, in search and in the up-next list. Compare up to three options and check size, ratio, file size and contrast.
- YouTube Thumbnail ResizerResize any image to 3840×2160, 1920×1080, 1280×720 under 2 MB, Shorts or social sizes. Drag to choose the crop, or fit it without cropping.
- YouTube Thumbnail CompressorShrink a thumbnail under YouTube's 2 MB phone limit, or any size you choose, at the highest quality that fits. Compare before and after.
- YouTube Thumbnail Safe Zone CheckerSee where YouTube puts the video length, the progress bar and its buttons over your thumbnail, so your text and faces stay visible.