YouTube watch page test: bigger sidebar thumbnails impact

If your YouTube views have been acting weird lately, don't immediately blame "the algorithm." Sometimes it's the furniture. The layout. The stuff around the video that quietly decides what people click next.

Right now, YouTube's testing a watch-page tweak that makes the "up next" area harder to ignore. Users are already grumpy. Creators should be... alert.

What happened

YouTube is experimenting (not everyone gets it) with a redesigned desktop watch page where suggested videos in the right sidebar appear much bigger, and fewer recommendations fit on-screen at once. Some users report the main player feels smaller and titles in the sidebar get cut off more often - so you're basically staring at a wall of chunky thumbnails. ([reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/youtube/comments/1qu0xir/side_video_thumbnails_are_now_massive_and_the/?utm_source=openai))

This isn't YouTube's first rodeo. Back in 2024, YouTube tested a more dramatic watch-page reshuffle that moved key info like the title/description into the sidebar and pushed recommendations under the player - also greeted with immediate backlash. ([9to5google.com](https://9to5google.com/2024/04/11/youtube-sidebar-redesign-test/?utm_source=openai))

And yes, people are doing what people do: sharing workarounds (uBlock filters, CSS hacks, extensions) to shove the interface back into something usable. That alone tells you how "loved" the test is. ([reddit.com](https://www.reddit.com/r/uBlockOrigin/comments/1qudynz/youtube_fix_for_right_sidebars_size/?utm_source=openai))

Creators hear "UI test" and think "meh." Viewers hear "UI test" and change their behavior. That's the part that bites.

Why creators should care

Distribution: if the sidebar shows fewer items above the fold, you're competing in a smaller storefront. That can mean fewer casual "oh, that looks interesting" clicks for everyone... and a bigger advantage for the channels that win purely on thumbnail readability.

Packaging pressure: when the interface gets more visual, titles get less room to do the heavy lifting. If your concept needs eight words to land, you're donating clicks to the creator who can sell the idea in three.

Workflow reality check: YouTube is a money-printing machine and they tweak UX the way casinos tweak carpet patterns. In Alphabet's Q4 2025 report, YouTube ads were about $11.4B for the quarter, and YouTube's annual revenue across ads + subscriptions cleared $60B. Tiny layout changes are not "cosmetic" at that scale. ([abc.xyz](https://abc.xyz/investor/events/event-details/2026/2025-Q4-Earnings-Call-2026-Dr_C033hS6/default.aspx?utm_source=openai))

Context: YouTube's also going hard on Shorts (the company says Shorts average around 200B daily views), which means your long-form videos are fighting for attention in a world that's increasingly optimized for fast next-click behavior. ([theverge.com](https://www.theverge.com/news/864610/youtube-shorts-ai-likenesses-neal-mohan-2026?utm_source=openai))

What to do next

Thumbnail stress-test: pull up your last 20 uploads and view them at "tiny sidebar size" and "big chunky sidebar size." If the idea isn't obvious in half a second, redesign. Not prettier - clearer.
Front-load your titles: assume truncation. Put the differentiator in the first 35-45 characters. ("I Tried X So You Don't Have To") beats ("A Few Thoughts On My Experience With X After...") every day of the week.
Stop relying on the sidebar for sequencing: treat end screens like your primary "next episode" slot. One video. One obvious follow-up. Make the choice easy when the page is yelling other options.
Watch your analytics for a week, not a day: if you see dips, look specifically at Suggested Videos impressions and CTR - then compare to Browse and Shorts. UI tests often show up as traffic-shape changes before they show up as "content problems."

Don't panic-publish. Don't revenge-rebrand. Just tighten your packaging and control the next click. That's the game either way.