How to Make a YouTube Banner That Attracts New Viewers

Every channel needs a stylish YouTube banner to attract new viewers. Here are five tips to make the best header possible for your channel.

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YouTube banners are a vital part of any creator’s channel. Size-wise, they’re bigger than YouTube thumbnails and much larger than profile pictures.

That means people will notice your banner before seeing anything else on your channel homepage. If you want viewers to scroll down and click on your videos, you need a banner that entices them to do so.

How to Make a Stunning YouTube Banner

What makes a good YouTube banner image? We believe the best ones are balanced, eye-catching, and complement the profile pictures beside them.

Here are five tips for creating a banner that intrigues anyone who lands on your channel.

1. Start with the Correct YouTube Banner Size

Good YouTube banners look sharp no matter where you view them: mobile devices, laptops, tablets, and even giant computer monitors.

To make a sharp banner image for your channel:

  • Use the standard YouTube banner dimensions: 2048 x 1152 pixels.
  • Place banner text within the pixel area of 1235 x 338. That's the safe area where text doesn't get cut off.
  • Keep the image at or below 6MB.

2. Create a Banner That Matches Your YouTube Niche

Whether you’re into Minecraft gaming or finding lost puppies (yes, it’s a thing), your YouTube channel banner should reflect that. Viewers should look at your banner and think, It looks like this channel is about [insert topic here]. I’m in the right place.

If someone wants to learn Microsoft Excel, for example, the imagery in your banner has to match that desire. You might add a tiny spreadsheet to the design or make the banner forest green to match the Excel colors.

3. Add Text to Your Banner Design

Some viewers will understand your banner without text, but others won’t be as fortunate.

That’s why it’s best to add a few words to the design. If someone doesn’t realize you’re a tech channel after seeing your banner, they won’t spend more than a second guessing. They’ll see the answer on your YouTube header: Tech reviews. Gear talk. Gadgets galore.

If you can, add your channel’s value proposition to the banner too. It’s an easy way to show people what your channel is about and what they’ll gain from being there. Our value proposition at vidIQ is “creator obsessed YouTube education,” and you know that instantly by reading our banner.

4. Keep the Design Fun and Simple

The typical advice we give for YouTube channel art is to keep it simple. Just like YouTube thumbnails, you want your banner to be understandable within seconds. That means adding just enough design elements to get your point across – some text, 1-2 images representing your niche, and a robust background. Stay away from designs that look congested or have too many colors for someone to process.

5. Add Links to Your YouTube Banner

Banners are fun and artsy, but they’re more than a stylish billboard for your channel. They’re also a place to advertise your social media, from Twitter to Facebook to Instagram. You can display five links on a banner, so use those spots wisely. We recommend putting the most important link in position one.

Also, consider placing a call to action on your banner. It could be an arrow pointing to the first banner link or a glowing box that encapsulates all links. Test different strategies to see what brings in the most clicks.

5 YouTube Banner Examples

It’s easy to come up with YouTube banner ideas once you’ve seen a few examples. Here are five good ones to inspire your YouTube banner design.

1. vidIQ, YouTube education channel

2. Zeusy the Pitty, pit bull appreciation channel

3. Cydnee Black, makeup and beauty channel

4. Poké Daxi, Pokémon gaming channel

5. Pamela Reif, exercise channel

12 Popular YouTube Banner Makers

Now that you’ve seen some quality banners, you’re probably wondering where to find YouTube banner art. After all, a good graphic is nothing without attractive imagery. If you’re going to design something that truly stands out, you’ll need quality banner images for YouTube.

Don’t worry: You don’t need to pay for a Shutterstock account or anything like that.

Plenty of websites will supply both the channel art and the editing tools you need to build a banner:

How to Change Your Banner on YouTube

Do you have an old banner you’re dying to switch out? Here’s a step-by-step guide to upload your fresh header:

  1. Go to the YouTube Studio.
  2. Click Customization in the left menu.
  3. Go to the Branding tab.
  4. Scroll down to the banner section and click Change.
  5. Select a new banner image, crop it, and click Publish.

Are you ready to take your channel art to the next level?

Learn how to make YouTube end screens and increase your video views.