Concerning trend amongst SEO content creators on Youtube

[Jamaica0007]

There has been a trend in the SEO world of late that while probably being too late to nip in the bud, still needs to be discussed.

For a couple of reasons, there could be special and unknown ranking factor as to why this behavior is so prevalent in the SEO world and if so it is something I certainly want to be aware of.

Second, if there are no ranking factors involved regarding this concerning behavior then it may be worth trying to get a binding resolution through the United Nations to try and prevent it from spreading or more than it has already spread.

First I want to present exhibit A
As can be seen here in a random group of Youtube videos, we have ordinary people going about their ordinary business in a range of different images that demonstrate a range of natural emotions. Genuine and not staged.

Now I present exhibit B

Is there some sort of marketing advantage to making the most punchable face possible? It has the opposite effect on me in that I will sometimes click on their videos in spite of their thumbnails which range from staged and unnaturally gormless all the way through to just looking like a muppet.
The pointing into thin air while a minor irritation on its own, when coupled with a silly face is on the same level as when one of your ear buds got caught on something and was unexpectedly and violently ripped out (before the days of bluetooth of course)

 

[Ryuzaki]

This isn’t SEO-specific. People actually call it “the YouTube face”. People naturally look at faces, so having them on the thumbnail helps visibility. Emotion helps create intrigue, which boosts CTR. So, dummies went overboard making “soy face” and all that. Been going on for years now.

Interestingly, Mr. Beast split test his recently and came to the conclusion that the viewers are done with this trend. He’s been removing the “open gaping mouth” and other dumb faces from his thumbnail catalog as the CTR is better without it now.

But for an early adopter I suppose it was working well. Like all things, the masses ruin it and we “evolve” horizontally to the next thing.

 

[Jamaica0007]

Just goes to show that whatever the topic especially when it comes to behavior, someone is an expert and has probably conducted a full study on it.

Hopefully it does die off along with that thing they do on Facebook news articles where they circle something in red which naturally gets your interest only to read the article and find out the thing in the red circle had nothing to do with the story.

I would think that probably also worked at the start and no longer does. I force myself to not read any article that has a red circle in the thumbnail no matter how interesting it looks because it has caught me out that many times.

As far as having faces in the thumbnail that is actually something I almost require these days at least for the actual channel. There are so many faceless AI YouTube channels popping up that the only ones I tend to trust now are ones that have a face and a human being behind it.

The whole AI thing for me where it is acceptable and even encouraged to produce 100% AI blog articles an YouTube videos as in people are not even ashamed they are doing it, it blows my mind.
Using the excuse that Google does not penalize AI content if it is good is like saying there is nothing wrong with cheap no name coffee if it tastes good while leaving out the fact that it always tastes like shit.

Aside from a SEO/Blogging point of view and just from a search engine user I am getting more and more annoyed each day at the dilution of actual helpful articles online while wasting time getting a quarter the way in before I see something like

"Widgets are popular because many people like widgets and it is crucial if you are going to sell widgets that you sell as many as you can if you want to make more profit than if you do not sell enough widgets. This is because selling less widgets means making less profit so lets delve in together and attack this as a team"

I hope that they find a way to eliminate this junk soon.

 

[Poplanu]

Interestingly, Mr. Beast split test his recently and came to the conclusion that the viewers are done with this trend. He’s been removing the “open gaping mouth” and other dumb faces from his thumbnail catalog as the CTR is better without it now.

Haha this is legit some of the best news I've read in a long time, I hate those thumbnails and use an extension to block them so I only see vid titles

 

[Prose]

I hate those thumbnails and use an extension to block them so I only see vid titles

I used to hide all the content creators that made those "soy faces". It just made my blood boil.

 

[Poplanu]

Okay I'm calling it - there's very little alpha on YouTube and watching it / subscribing to channels does more harm than good. It's good for targeted learning when you have a specific question in mind, or learning to use a specific software, etc. But subscribing to channels and watching their videos when they drop is a waste of life and anyone who takes themselves and their time/attention seriously will not do it. YouTube is low-quality entertainment, there are better things to read/watch.

 

[Jamaica0007]

Okay I'm calling it - there's very little alpha on YouTube and watching it / subscribing to channels does more harm than good. It's good for targeted learning when you have a specific question in mind, or learning to use a specific software, etc. But subscribing to channels and watching their videos when they drop is a waste of life and anyone who takes themselves and their time/attention seriously will not do it. YouTube is low-quality entertainment, there are better things to read/watch.

I am going to have to go ahead and disagree on this. As an example, I have Prime, Netflix and Youtube Premium and I used to watch those shows where they would restore a car, something like Rust Valley Restorations and then I found a bunch of channels on YouTube of dudes who just restore cars in their own garage and it is a billion times more interesting (+/-)

Far more authentic and they do not try and integrate the personality of the people doing the restorations. The fact it is not a polished product that has obviously been manicured with large budgets is what draws me to them. Not only that, their personalities will naturally flow through anyway and it is not Hollywood levels of bullshit.

Without getting into world events it also allows us to obtain alternative factual news that the big media organizations are suppressing. I am not talking about conspiracies etc but actual factual news that somehow does not make it to western news.

It has made me realize that the whole good versus evil that is portrayed in the movies and on our news channels is utter garbage and we are not inherently good and other countries are not inherently bad.

Out of all the subscriptions I have YouTube Premium is the only one that would really hurt if it was taken away from me.

I am likely subscribed to over a thousand channels now and just have a never ending number of videos that are of interest to me. I do not wait for any one video, well maybe the Goonzquad and M539 restorations but it just targets what I like.

There is a dude that melts copper and silver and stuff and turns them into axes or storm trooper heads and I can watch that sort of thing for hours. May even give it a go one day myself.

 

[CCarter]

I can watch that sort of thing for hours.

I don't think you get what @Poplanu is say, watching stuff for hours that do not allow you to gain knowledge to achieve your goals in life is a waste of life force.

Basically sitting there watching TV is a waste of your precious time on Earth. Watch something that educates you so you can get to your goals in life, that is what he means.

"If you have to ask if it's a waste of time, then it's a waste of time." - Dan Peña

 

[Jamaica0007]

I don't think you get what @Poplanu is say, watching stuff for hours that do not allow you to gain knowledge to achieve your goals in life is a waste of life force.

Basically sitting there watching TV is a waste of your precious time on Earth. Watch something that educates you so you can get to your goals in life, that is what he means.

"If you have to ask if it's a waste of time, then it's a waste of time." - Dan Peña

Technically every single action is a waste of time. Most of us will be dead in 50 years and so the only thing you can measure your life by is the amount of happiness and contentment that was felt during that time.

If someone gains a level of happiness watching I'm a celebrity or big brother that they cannot get from anything else then it is no less worthwhile than developing the atom bomb or building a bridge.

To summarize, there is no objective point with which something can be designated a waste of time or not, it can only be undertaken from an individual perspective.

Probably a bit deep but I never judge others behaviors as a waste unless it hurts others.