Whether you’re an experienced YouTube marketer, just getting your YouTube channel started, or you’re savvy enough to know that there are things you aren’t sure whether to implement or not, one thing is certain is that you are well aware of the power of YouTube to reach your audience.
And, to optimize your content and grow your channel, there are some tips and tricks you may need to learn about that you can incorporate with your videos on the platform to increase your reach and be better engaged with your audience.
Once you create compelling content and high-quality videos that are engaging and able to capture your audience’s attention, you’ll want them to take action, either subscribing or heading to a landing page somewhere.
Look, it’s no secret that growing and getting traction on YouTube can take a while, but there is a little trick you can use to accelerate your channel’s growth through a tool that YouTube provides, known as end cards.
Optimizing your call to action for your videos may be more important than the content itself, but one highly impactful tweak you can use is YouTube end cards.
YouTube end cards are essential as they provide a way for you to further engage with your audience because they serve as a way to redirect your viewers toward the next step you want them to take.
Before we dive too deep into whether you want to keep your YouTube end cards or disable them altogether, let’s define end cards and why they may be beneficial for your videos, channels, and outcome objectives.
What Are YouTube End Cards?
If you’ve ever watched a video all the way through, chances are you’ve come across YouTube end cards.
They are a graphic or something else at the end of the video that catches your viewer’s attention and makes them want to take action.
What’s more, these YouTube end cards engage the viewer with interactive visual elements that you place at the end of your videos.
These end cards serve to promote your other videos, channels, or websites through engaging links, clickable buttons, or thumbnails to give you more ability to direct your audience to subscribe.
YouTube content creators can utilize end cards by showcasing related content on your channels or simply inviting viewers to subscribe with a button.
While end cards may seem like a no-brainer, there are limitations.
For example, end cards will only appear in the last 5-20 seconds of your video, so if you can’t capture viewers to the end, they won’t come across them.
Also, there are specific requirements around the size and format. Also, removing them from the YouTube platform can be extremely difficult once you add an end card.
Benefits Of Keeping YouTube End Cards In Your Videos
When you create content, it’s typically with a desired outcome you want the viewer to take after consuming your video.
With end cards, you’re utilizing an invaluable tool to engage your audience and help direct their actions, increasing viewer retention and driving more traffic to the channel.
Simply put, the purpose of these end cards is to keep viewers consuming your content throughout your channel, getting them to subscribe and continue to explore related videos or playlists you may have on your channels, leading to more viewer retention and watch time on your channel.
When you utilize the end cards, you provide a link that users can easily click to guide them to your end goal.
Additionally, you can utilize end cards to promote new or related content, further increasing viewer retention, engagement, improving your number of likes, shares, and watch times. These are all critical criteria for the YouTube algorithm to determine relevancy scores.
How End Cards Can Improve User Engagement And Navigation
As you can see, having end cards on your YouTube videos is a great way to entice your audience and improve engagement and navigation through your channels.
One simple way is through incorporating thumbnails at the end that are embedded to guide your viewers to other relevant content you may have, landing pages, merch shops, and a subscribe button.
By providing an easy-to-click link or button, you’re providing your viewers with more content and a way to navigate your channel easily.
Further, using call-to-action buttons on end cards will also enhance viewer engagement by prompting viewers to take the specific action that you want, like watching other videos or buying something.
By making it easy to direct your viewer’s next actions, you increase the likelihood of them subscribing and staying on your channel longer.
To utilize end cards effectively, you’ll need to ensure you have well-designed video titles that you will include in your end cards.
So, now that you understand the value they provide, let’s turn our attention to whether you should keep or disable your YouTube end cards.
The Argument On Keeping YouTube End Cards Enabled
- Promoting Other Content: One of the benefits of end cards is you can drive traffic from one video to others on your channel or with your playlist. When you have your end cards enabled, you can better highlight and showcase related videos and promote your channel or even your products while also increasing watch time, which can boost the growth of your channel.
- Increased Subscriptions For Channel Growth: When you have YouTube end cards, you can include a subscribe button, making it easy for your audience and viewers to subscribe to your channel with just a click. By including this feature, you can steadily grow your subscriber base while increasing the visibility of your content.
- Driving Traffic To External Websites: A third reason for keeping your end cards enabled is that if you are ultimately trying to drive traffic to a website or blog, you can easily redirect viewers to increase your traffic and improve your conversions.
The Argument To Disabling YouTube End Cards
- Minimizing Distractions: If a viewer is looking for a specific video, sometimes, end cards can be distracting, especially if they want to exit. By disabling the end cards, you’ll provide viewers with a cleaner viewing experience, which allows your audience to focus solely on the specific video and content.
- A Way To Avoid Oversaturation: When you add a bunch of elements, even with a YouTube end card, you’re creating a lot of distractions that could also become oversaturated for your viewers, which can be extremely off-putting. Disabling your end cards will create a smoother watching experience and a more streamlined video experience for viewers.
- Keeping Eyeballs On One Video: Since the objective of a tool like end cards is to drive the viewer toward a desired action, encouraging viewers to navigate away from the current video increases the potential for decreased watch time and engagement. However, when you disable the end cards, viewers are encouraged and inclined to continue watching a specific video, which helps with increased engagement.
At the end of the day, the decision to keep or disable YouTube end cards is up to your specific outcome objectives and overall content strategy.
There are a ton of benefits that can come from utilizing this tool, so if you’re on the fence or unsure, one thing to consider is to run tests on similar content with one video having its end cards and one with them disabled to see what converts best for your channel.
At Raffiti Media, we specialize in providing full-service YouTube management services for businesses of all sizes to succeed on the platform.
So if you’re interested in maximizing your reach and growth potential, Raffiti Media is here to help you achieve your goals. From strategy implementation to even creating high-quality, converting videos for your channels, Raffiti Media provides YouTubers with the tools to succeed.
Check us out and book your FREE one-on-one strategy session today.
