Some marketers might have an unhealthy obsession with metrics -- they track besides many of them. Perhaps we call back nosotros can prove any marketing campaign is producing results if in that location's a centre-communicable per centum by its name. Just, deep down, we all know that some metrics are more revealing than others.

There are a ton of KPIs that provide minimal insights. Fortunately, though, nosotros created this guide to help you lot navigate YouTube Analytics and measure the metrics that actually matter. It'll save you from drowning in the ocean of analytics that virtually marketers simply have a lifebuoy in, helping you not only stay adrift, simply swim safely to land. → Free Templates: How to Use YouTube for Business [Download Now]

Read on to learn about the YouTube metrics that really matter, and how they'll heighten your video strategy.

YouTube Analytics: The 15 Metrics That Actually Matter

i. Watch Fourth dimension

Watch fourth dimension is the full amount of minutes viewers have spent watching your videos. It's a key metric because YouTube elevates videos and channels with higher lookout times in their search results and recommendations section. YouTube does this because the more than watch time a video has, the more engaging their algorithm presumes information technology is.

In the watch time report, yous tin see the amount of watch fourth dimension your videos accept accumulated. You tin besides rank each of your videos by watch time and group your videos by themes, styles, and lengths to make up one's mind your nigh engaging types of videos.

two. Average Percentage Viewed

Average percentage viewed is the percentage of each video the average viewer watched. Information technology measures your video'south power to hold viewers' attention for its entirety. And when YouTube realizes your videos tin can concord people'southward attending, they'll reward it with higher search and recommendation rankings. You can observe this metric in your sentry time report.

3. Average View Elapsing

Average view elapsing is the full watch time of your video divided by the total number of video plays, including replays. This metric measures your video'due south ability to engage viewers. If your video tin't engage viewers, they'll bounce from your video quickly, leaving you with an unimpressive average view duration. But if your video can engage viewers, your average view duration and full watch fourth dimension volition increase at the same time, boosting your search and recommendations rankings. You can also observe this metric in your spotter time report.

four. Audience Retention

Audience retention shows you the pct of viewers who watch and leave your video at every single moment of the video. YouTube elevates videos with loftier audition retention in their search rankings and suggestions because these videos can effectively capture viewers' attention.

Audience retention can also inform your future video strategy. The about engaging parts of your video could exist your side by side best video topics. And watching your video during steep dips of engagement volition tell you what might be boring your viewers, assuasive you to scrap those elements from current and future videos.

In YouTube'due south audience retentivity report, there will be ii graphs: the absolute retentivity curve and relative retention bend. The absolute retention bend shows you how well your videos retain viewers. And the relative retentiveness shows you how well one of your videos retains viewers compared to all other YouTube videos of similar length.

Image Credit: YouTube

5. Re-watches

Re-watches are the corporeality of times viewers re-watch sure parts of your video. If a lot of people are re-watching a specific office of your video, then they're probably interested in the topic your video is covering during that moment. These topics can be forage for your future video strategy. You can find this data in the absolute audience retention graph. Re-watches are usually indicated past rising curves in the graph.

Image Credit: YouTube

6. Engagement

Comments, shares, likes, and dislikes provides marketers with a lot of valuable qualitative data.

Comments tin can pigment a articulate picture of your video's emotional issue on viewers. Shares can guess how much viewers value your content and make -- since people share content that confirms their ideal cocky-persona, people who share your video are publicly displaying that they trust and support your brand. Likes and dislikes can help y'all make up one's mind what video topics work all-time with your particular audition. You can find your videos' engagement metrics in YouTube's Interactions Report.

7. Impressions Click-Through Rate

Impressions click-through rate measures your video's ability to prompt people to lookout your video after seeing it on their homepage, recommendation section, or trending department. A high click-through charge per unit means your title was compelling and your video's topic resonates with a lot of relevant audiences on YouTube.

A common trend for impression click-through rates is that they usually spike immediately after you lot release your video -- your subscribers will see the video at the top of their home page and probably click on information technology. But one time your video spreads beyond your cadre audition, your click-through rate will decline and then stay at a stable rate.

Yous tin can also couple this metric with average percentage viewed and average view duration to see if people actually watch your video later they click on it. A loftier click-through rate is great, but if people are leaving right at the beginning of your video, your championship or thumbnail could be misleading. Preparing viewers for what'due south to come is crucial because if your title or thumbnail is inaccurate, they'll feel deceived and lose trust in your brand.

A depression click-through charge per unit but high date could hateful that the video has a modest notwithstanding specific audience that is enamored past the content. Become to the Analytics tab in YouTube Studio to examine this metric.

Prototype Credit: YouTube

eight. Menu Click-Through-Rate

Cards are slide-in panels that encourage people to take a desired action during a video like watch another video, subscribe to a aqueduct, or click through to a different website. Each of your cards' click-through charge per unit tells you which action your viewers adopt to take while watching your videos. This tin can help yous place the most engaging bill of fare in each of your videos, potentially boosting your sentinel fourth dimension, subscriber growth, or website traffic.

Analyzing carte click-through rates can also help y'all uncover the optimal timing, placement, and duration of your cards in future videos. You can find your cards' click-through rates in the Cards Report.

Image Credit: YouTube

9. Playlist Engagement

Playlists are a nifty style to organize your videos in a digestible way. It helps your viewers hands eat videos near their favorite topics and prompts them to keep watching, which racks up lookout man time for your channel.

You tin uncover your playlist engagement past analyzing two metrics in YouTube'southward Playlist Report: views per playlist beginning and average time in playlist. Views per playlist start is the average number of video views your playlists gather, and average time in playlist is the average amount of fourth dimension that viewers viewed the videos in your playlist. If these two metrics are underperforming, try starting your playlist with videos that have the highest retentivity rate.

10. Unique Viewers

Unique viewers is the estimated number of individuals who watch your videos over a sure flow of time. This metric really helps you understand the bodily size of your audition.

You tin also use this metric to estimate your subscriber's engagement with your videos. If your unique viewers are lower than your subscriber count, then your subscribers aren't watching as much of your video equally they could be. To get them to exist more active, inquire them to fix up notifications for your new videos. You tin can discover this metric nether the Accomplish Views and Audience tab in YouTube Studio.

11. Views Per Unique Viewers

Views per unique viewers is the amount of times the average viewer watches your video. This metric tells you lot if people can't go enough of your video and proceed rewatching it. Video topics with a lot of views per unique viewers could likewise be your most popular content topics, and if you cover them more, you could generate more than views, watch fourth dimension, and subscribers.

Image Credit: YouTube

12. Who's Watching Your Videos

In YouTube's demographics report, you can see the dissimilar types of people who watch your videos, segmented by age, gender, and geography. This information tells y'all who your most engaged audience is and who your target audition should actually be. Y'all can take the opposite approach with this data likewise. If you're not reaching the audience you want, endeavour pivoting your video strategy and comprehend topics that would attract them.

Epitome Credit: YouTube

13. Subscriber Growth

Subscribers are your most loyal fans. They've fabricated a public commitment to your make, content, and values. And they're near probable to be your evangelists too. Subscribers are also important to your channel because YouTube will ship them notifications well-nigh your new videos and characteristic them on their homepage. This means they'll see your videos more frequently, which'll aid generate more views. Subscribers too lookout twice every bit much video than non-subscribers, so the more subscribers you accept, the more than scout time your videos will collect.

YouTube'southward Subscribers Report will show you which videos, locations, and time periods gain and lose subscribers. This data will tell you what video topics resonate with your subscribers and where to target new subscribers. And by prioritizing your subscribers' needs, you'll create videos that they crave, increase your watch time, and boost your search rankings.

14. Traffic Sources

External referrals like social media or sites that embed your videos and YouTube referrals similar search, the recommended section, and the homepage are all traffic sources. The Traffic Sources report shows you how viewers plant your videos and what sources rack upward the most views and watch time. You can apply this data to ameliorate optimize your video promotion strategy.

Image Credit: YouTube

15. Keywords

In YouTube's Search Report, which is under the Traffic Sources Study, you lot tin can see the most popular queries guiding viewers to your videos. If these queries are slightly unlike than your video'due south topic, consider updating your video to fill up these content gaps and add together the keywords to your metadata. If there's a stark difference, consider making a new video most these pop queries.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in July 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Originally published Oct xix, 2020 seven:00:00 AM, updated October 26 2020