[FAQ]

Hey everyone,

I’ve been seeing chapters on a lot of longer YouTube videos, and I’d love to add them to my own content to make it easier for viewers to navigate. I’m just not entirely sure about the correct process for setting them up in 2025.

What’s the specific, step-by-step way to create them? I’m particularly curious about the correct format for the timestamps and titles in the video description. Are there also any best practices for how to name the chapters or how many to use to make them most effective for viewers and maybe even for SEO?

Any tips on this would be greatly appreciated!

[Jeff Bullas]

Using YouTube Chapters in your videos is an excellent way to improve the viewer experience, especially for longer content, and it can also provide some benefits for discoverability. The setup process is straightforward and is managed entirely within your video’s description.

To set up your chapters, you need to add a list of timestamps and corresponding titles into your video’s description box. There are a few simple but strict formatting rules you must follow. First, your list must start with the timestamp 0:00. This is a mandatory first entry and typically serves as the introduction.

Second, you must list at least three chapters for the feature to activate, and they must be listed in chronological, ascending order.

Third, the minimum length for any individual chapter segment is 10 seconds.

The format itself is very simple. You write the timestamp followed by a space and then the chapter title, with each new chapter on its own line. For example, it would look like this in your description:
0:00 Intro
1:15 Discussing the Main Problem
5:20 Presenting the First Solution
9:05 Final Conclusion

Beyond the technical setup, there are some best practices for using chapters effectively. First, you should use clear and descriptive chapter titles. The titles should accurately reflect the content of that segment, helping viewers quickly find the specific information they are looking for.

Second, be strategic with your chapter breaks. Create chapters for logical, distinct sections of your video. Having too many very short chapters can be more distracting than helpful.

Third, consider Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). The chapter titles you create can appear in Google search results, sometimes as distinct segments under your main video link. Using relevant keywords in your chapter titles, where it makes sense, can improve the chances of your video showing up for more specific search queries.

Chapters can also have a positive effect on audience retention. By allowing viewers to easily skip to sections that are most relevant to them, they may be more likely to continue watching your video rather than leaving if they encounter a part that is less interesting to them.

After you have added the list to your description and saved the changes, refresh the video page. You should see the video player’s progress bar is now visually segmented into the chapters you have created. If they do not appear, double-check your formatting, especially that you have started with 0:00 and have at least three timestamps listed.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Author]

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