What Is a Good YouTube Click-Through Rate? YouTube's Own Numbers
YouTube says half of all channels and videos have a click-through rate between 2% and 10%. Your number means little on its own. It matters next to your other videos from the same traffic source.
Most advice on CTR treats it as a score to push up. YouTube's own guidance says something different: the rate falls as a video spreads, it differs by where the thumbnail was shown, and a high rate with short watch time is how YouTube spots clickbait. This page collects what YouTube has published and said on camera. It sits under our log of YouTube algorithm updates.
What is YouTube click-through rate?
YouTube click-through rate is the share of thumbnail impressions that turned into a view. YouTube's Help page on impressions and click-through rate defines it: “Impressions click-through rate measures how often viewers watched a video after seeing a registered impression on YouTube.”
Two limits come with that definition. Not every impression is counted: YouTube names external websites and end screens as examples that are left out. And not every view starts from a thumbnail, so views divided by impressions will not match the CTR that Studio shows.
The 2026 view count change did not touch any of this. YouTube's blog says the way clicks and taps are counted has not changed, and that CTR is still anchored on engaged views. More in views versus engaged views.
What is a good click-through rate on YouTube?
A good click-through rate is one that beats your own other videos from the same traffic source. For a rough sense of the range, YouTube gives one number:
“Half of all channels and videos on YouTube have an impressions CTR that can range between 2% and 10%.”
That leaves the other half outside the range. YouTube adds that new videos, new channels and videos with fewer than 100 views “can see an even wider range”. So 2% to 10% is where the middle sits, not a pass mark.
YouTube's advice on how to judge your own number is direct: “it's best to compare CTRs between videos over the long-term and keep in mind how their traffic sources will affect their CTRs.”
Why does click-through rate fall as a video gets more views?
Click-through rate falls because the video is reaching people who know you less. Your core fans click often. Strangers on Home click less. As YouTube shows the video more widely, the average drops. Todd Beaupré, who leads growth and discovery at YouTube, explained it in a Creator Insider interview on September 1, 2026.
“The more impressions something gets, the broader the audience is reached, and that tends to make those aggregates look lower than if you're only targeting just the core fans.”
The Help page says the same from the other side: “If a video gets a lot of impressions (such as if it appears on the Home Page), it's natural for the CTR to be lower. Videos where most of the impressions are from sources like your channel page may have a higher rate.”
What click-through rate do subscribers have?
Subscribers click about 10% or less of the uploads they see in their subscriptions feed. That figure comes from YouTube, and it is lower than most creators assume.
“Probably all your videos have about maybe a 10% or less click-through rate. That means that even your best videos, 90% of the time your subscribed audience isn't deciding to watch.”
So a 6% CTR in the subscriptions feed is not a sign that subscribers have gone cold. It is close to normal. The longer account is in does YouTube test your video on subscribers first.
What do common click-through rate patterns mean?
Five patterns cover most of what creators see in Studio. Four of the readings come from YouTube's Help page. The fourth row is my own.
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| High CTR, low impressions | The video is being seen by a narrow, loyal audience. YouTube ranks it against every other video those viewers could watch, not against your own. | Do not read it as a win yet. Wait for more impressions. |
| CTR falls as views climb | The video reached a wider audience. YouTube says a lower CTR is natural when a video gets a lot of impressions, such as on Home. | Nothing. This is what growth looks like. |
| High CTR, low average view duration | YouTube's own test for clickbait. The title and thumbnail promised more than the video gave. | Fix the promise or fix the video. |
| Low CTR on Home, normal elsewhere | The packaging works for people who know you and not for strangers. | Rewrite the title for a viewer who has never seen the channel. |
| More views than impressions | Much of the traffic comes from outside YouTube. Those views have no counted impression. | Nothing. CTR only covers views that started from a thumbnail. |
On clickbait, YouTube is blunt: “You can tell if your thumbnail is clickbait if it's getting high CTR but low average view duration and lower than expected Impressions.”
What should you avoid doing with click-through rate data?
YouTube names three mistakes. All three come from reading too much into too little.
Deciding without enough data
“Avoid checking your click-through-rate immediately after uploading.”
Reacting to small changes
“It's common to have small variations in click-through-rate, and isn't cause for immediate action.”
Swapping thumbnails and titles by hand to compare
“Differences in click-through-rate might be due to traffic sources, rather than the title or thumbnail.”
The third one is why YouTube built Test and Compare. It shows your options to split audiences at the same time. See how title and thumbnail testing works in Studio.
Does a higher click-through rate get a video recommended?
Not on its own. A click only shows that the title and thumbnail were attractive. YouTube reads it next to what happened after the click.
“We have to look at many different metrics, because no metric on its own is a good indicator of value. You could look at views, click-through rate, and that will only show you maybe how attractive the thumbnail and the idea were.”
The Help page gives the rule in plain terms: “YouTube will recommend a video to viewers if the video is relevant to them and if the video's average view duration indicates that viewers find it interesting.” For the wider question, read which YouTube metric matters most.
How do you improve your YouTube click-through rate?
Make the title and thumbnail promise something your audience already wants, then keep the promise. Five steps:
- 1
Compare within one traffic source
Open a video's Reach tab and look at CTR for Home on its own. Compare that with your other videos' Home CTR. Mixing sources hides the signal.
- 2
Wait for a real sample
YouTube says new videos and videos under 100 views swing widely. Judge a title after it has had a substantial number of impressions.
- 3
Read CTR next to average view duration
A click that leads to a short watch is worth little. YouTube recommends a video when it is relevant and when its average view duration shows viewers find it interesting.
- 4
Study the packaging of your niche's breakouts
Find the videos in your niche that got several times their channel's usual views. Those titles and thumbnails earned clicks from the audience you want. Note the words and the visual idea they share.
- 5
Test with YouTube's own tool
Test and Compare in Studio shows your options to split audiences at the same time, which removes the traffic source problem. It picks the winner on watch time, not on clicks.
Step four is the one I build OutlierKit for. It finds the breakout videos in a niche so you can read the titles that earned clicks from your audience, and its title review tool gives feedback on a draft. For the patterns to look for, see what outlier videos have in common. For drafting, see the YouTube title generator.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good click-through rate on YouTube?
YouTube says half of all channels and videos have an impressions click-through rate between 2% and 10%. New videos, new channels and videos with fewer than 100 views can fall well outside that range. A good CTR is one that is higher than your own other videos from the same traffic source.
What is impressions click-through rate?
Impressions click-through rate measures how often viewers watched a video after seeing a registered impression on YouTube. It covers only part of your views, because impressions on external websites and end screens are not counted.
Why did my click-through rate go down when my views went up?
The video reached a wider audience. YouTube says that if a video gets a lot of impressions, such as on the Home page, it is natural for the CTR to be lower. Viewers who do not know your channel click less often than your core fans.
Does a high click-through rate make YouTube recommend my video?
Not on its own. YouTube says no single metric is a good indicator of value. It also says clickbait tends to have low average view duration and is therefore less likely to be recommended.
What click-through rate do subscribers have?
Low. YouTube's recommendation lead said in September 2026 that a channel's videos probably get a 10% or lower click-through rate in the subscriptions feed, so even for a best video, subscribers do not choose to watch 90% of the time.
Did the 2026 view count change affect click-through rate?
No. YouTube says the way clicks and taps are counted has not changed, and that click-through rate is still calculated on engaged views.
Do YouTube Shorts have a click-through rate?
Not in the Shorts feed. Viewers swipe through a feed and never see a thumbnail. Studio shows a different number for Shorts: how many chose to view versus swiped away.
Sources and method
Every number and definition on this page comes from YouTube's Help page or the September 2026 interview, read on October 3, 2026. The five steps are my advice, not YouTube's.
Sources
- YouTube Help: Impressions and click-through-rate FAQs: the 2% to 10% range, the three mistakes, the clickbait test
- Creator Insider: YouTube Algorithm 2026: Todd Beaupré, September 1, 2026; each quote links to its moment
- YouTube blog: What are engaged views on YouTube?: CTR is unchanged by the 2026 view count change
Related reading
- YouTube A/B Testing Guide: How Test and Compare works for titles, thumbnails and now whole videos.
- How to Get More Views on YouTube: Reading impressions, click-through rate and retention together.
- Why Are My YouTube Views Down?: Six causes to check in order.
- YouTube Algorithm Updates 2026: Every confirmed change this year, dated and sourced.
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