What is the "Preview in Search Results" feature?
Thumbnails are more important now than they have ever been on YouTube! The YouTube algorithm is designed with the viewer in mind, so videos that gain higher retention rates are shown to even more people. So, it is vital to attract viewers with a powerful thumbnail that accurately reflects the content of the video and complements the title.
The ‘Preview in Search Results’ feature in the vidIQ Extension allows you to preview how your video will appear in YouTube’s search results before you publish or update it. This feature helps you make informed decisions to optimize your titles and thumbnails, ensuring your videos look appealing in search results and have a higher chance of capturing viewers’ attention.
How to Get Started with "Preview in Search Results"?
This feature is available within the vidIQ extension (click here to download it). After downloading the vidIQ extension, you will see the Preview in Search Results feature:
Upload page: While uploading a new video on YouTube, you will see the option to optimize your video details using vidIQ’s ‘Preview in Search Results’ tool.
Edit Page: If you’re editing an existing video, click on the ‘Details’ tab inside YouTube Studio. You will find the ‘Preview in Search Results’ option in the vidIQ extension panel.
How ‘Preview in Search Results’ Works
After clicking the ‘Preview in Search Results’ button, a window will open, showing the search results for the specific term or keyword you’ve entered. This preview helps you understand how your video will appear alongside other videos that rank for the same term.
Here are the main areas you’ll interact with:
Search Term Input: Type in the keyword or phrase you want your video to rank for in YouTube’s search bar. This could be a specific video title or a broader search term related to your content.
Home Screen Results: After entering your keyword, vidIQ will display a home page results page, showing your video alongside others. This gives you an idea of how your video will compete in terms of visibility.
Compare against competitors Toggle: When switched, it displays videos that your Competitors have published specifically instead of other videos. The toggle is only available in the Home Screen results.
Search Results: After entering your keyword, vidIQ will display a search results page, showing your video alongside others. This gives you an idea of how your video will compete in terms of visibility.
Highlight search term Toggle: When switched, it highlights the keywords or search terms you entered in both your videos and the other videos’ titles. The toggle is only available in the Search results.
PC, Tablet, and Mobile View: Switch between the PC, Tablet, and Mobile version of the YouTube Home page and Search page, ensuring your thumbnail looks appealing on smaller screens.
Thumbnail Preview: The thumbnail will be displayed in the preview results, allowing you to assess how well it stands out against others in the same niche.
Title & Description Preview: Your current video title and description will be shown next to competing videos, helping you determine if any adjustments are necessary for better optimization.
Light/Dark Mode Toggle: Switch between YouTube’s light and dark modes to ensure your thumbnail and title are visible and impactful in both settings.
Once you’ve previewed your video, you might want to adjust its title, thumbnail, or description to ensure it performs better in search results. This can be done directly from the ‘Preview in Search Results’ window, where you can save changes to the video directly by clicking on "Add changes to videos":
Additional Thumbnail Tools:
The Preview in Search Results feature doesn’t just stand alone—it’s seamlessly integrated into several vidIQ tools to enhance your video optimization workflow.
Note that while this feature visually represents how your video might look in search results, it does not guarantee that it will rank precisely as displayed. YouTube’s algorithm considers various factors, such as viewer engagement and watch time, which will affect your video’s final placement in search results
Ready to see how your video stands out? Try the Preview in Search Results feature during your next upload or edit session. If you want to explore more vidIQ features within YouTube Studio's upload/edit flow, follow this link.