YouTube Analytics: The 15 Metrics That Actually Matter

Some marketers person an unhealthy obsession pinch YouTube analytics — we way excessively galore of them. Maybe we deliberation we tin beryllium immoderate video trading run is producing results if there’s an eye-catching percent by its name. But, heavy down, we each cognize that immoderate metrics are much revealing than others.

There are a ton of KPIs we tin look astatine that supply minimal insights. Fortunately, we created this guideline to thief you navigate YouTube Analytics and measurement nan metrics that matter. It’ll prevention you from drowning successful nan oversea of analytics, helping you enactment afloat and aquatics safely to land.

Read connected to study astir nan YouTube metrics that really matter, and really they’ll heighten your video strategy.

Table of Contents

• How to Access YouTube Analytics
• YouTube Analytics: The 15 Metrics That Actually Matter

How to Access YouTube Analytics

According to HubSpot’s 2023 Video Marketing Trends Report, 77% of marketers usage YouTube to big their company’s trading videos.

Video trading is an costly endeavor, truthful it’s basal that you tin entree information to support way of performance.

YouTube Analytics tin beryllium accessed done nan desktop website and a circumstantial mobile app. Here are immoderate instructions connected really to entree both.

On desktop, unfastened nan YouTube website successful your browser. Make judge you’re logged successful to nan Google relationship done which you negociate your YouTube channel.

In nan apical right-hand corner, you’ll spot your information floor plan picture. Click present and prime “YouTube Studio” from nan dropdown paper (you mightiness first person to prime “Switch Account” and take your transmission name).

In YouTube Studio, you’ll spot a sheet connected nan left-hand broadside wherever you tin negociate your contented and channel. In this list, you’ll spot “Analytics.” Click connected Analytics to unfastened nan dashboard.

Across nan apical of nan Analytics dashboard, you’ll spot a toolbar wherever you tin entree each nan metrics that matter.

Switch betwixt nan main overview and nan different options (Content, Audience, and Research) to measure your YouTube performance.

In nan apical right-hand corner, you’ll spot a day selector. You tin usage this to measure metrics wrong circumstantial periods.

One of nan astir powerful ways to entree YouTube analytics is to prime “Advanced Mode” successful nan apical correct area supra nan day selector.

This will unfastened a acold much elaborate type of YouTube analytics wherever you tin create comparisons crossed each your metrics and create customized charts.

In Advanced Mode, you tin moreover export your analytics and information for much customization and deeper analysis.

Unfortunately, accessing your analytics done nan YouTube app is impossible. If you’d for illustration to position your analytics via a mobile device, download nan YouTube Studio app separately.

YouTube Analytics: The 15 Metrics That Actually Matter

1. Watch Time

Watch clip is nan full magnitude of minutes viewers person spent watching your videos.

It’s a cardinal metric because YouTube’s algorithm presumes that a higher watch clip indicates an engaging video, truthful it elevates videos and channels pinch higher watch times successful nan hunt results and recommendations section.

In nan Watch clip report, you tin spot nan magnitude of watch clip your videos person accumulated.

You tin besides rank each of your videos by watch clip and group your videos by themes, styles, and lengths to find your astir engaging types of videos.

How to find Watch clip successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Overview > Watch Time

2. Average Percentage Viewed

Average percent viewed is nan percent of each video nan mean spectator watched. It measures your video’s expertise to clasp viewers’ attraction for its entirety.

And erstwhile YouTube realizes your videos tin clasp people’s attention, they’ll reward it pinch higher hunt and proposal rankings. You tin find this metric successful your watch clip report.

How to find Average Percentage Viewed successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Overview > Watch clip > See More > Content > Watch clip > More Metrics > Overview > Average percent viewed

3. Average View Duration

Average position long is nan full watch clip of your video divided by nan full number of video plays, including replays. This metric measures your video’s expertise to prosecute viewers.

If your video can’t prosecute viewers, they’ll bounce from your video quickly, leaving you pinch an unimpressive mean position duration. You tin besides find this metric successful your watch clip report.

How to find Average View Duration successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > See More > Watch clip > More Metrics > Overview > Average position duration

4. Audience Retention

Audience retention shows you nan percent of viewers who watch and time off your video astatine each azygous infinitesimal of nan video.

YouTube elevates videos pinch precocious assemblage retention successful their hunt rankings and suggestions because these videos tin efficaciously seizure viewers' attention.

Audience retention tin besides pass your early video strategy. The astir engaging parts of your video could beryllium your adjacent champion video topics.

And watching your video during steep dips of engagement will show you what mightiness beryllium boring your viewers, allowing you to scrap those elements from existent and early videos.

When you person capable information to make YouTube’s assemblage retention report, location will beryllium 2 graphs: nan absolute retention curve and nan comparative retention curve. The absolute retention curve shows you really good your videos clasp viewers.

And nan comparative retention shows you really good 1 of your videos retains viewers compared to each different YouTube videos of akin length.

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How to find Audience Retention successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Engagement > Audience retention

5. Re-watches

Re-watches are nan number of times viewers re-watch definite parts of your video.

If a batch of group are re-watching a circumstantial portion of your video, past they’re astir apt willing successful nan taxable your video is covering astatine that moment.

You tin find this information successful nan absolute assemblage retention graph. Re-watches are usually indicated by rising curves successful nan graph.

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How to find Rewatches successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Engagement > Audience retention > Absolute assemblage retention

6. Engagement

Comments, shares, likes, and dislikes supply marketers pinch a batch of valuable qualitative data.

Comments tin overgarment a clear image of your video’s affectional effect connected viewers.

Shares tin gauge really overmuch viewers worth your contented and marque — since people stock contented that confirms their perfect self-persona, group who stock your video are publically displaying that they spot and support your brand.

Likes and dislikes tin thief you find what video topics activity champion pinch your peculiar audience. You tin find your videos’ engagement metrics successful YouTube’s Interactions Report.

How to find Engagement successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Engagement > Likes (vs. dislikes) > See More

7. Impressions Click-Through Rate

Impressions click-through complaint measures your video’s expertise to punctual group to watch your video aft seeing it connected their homepage, proposal section, aliases trending section.

A precocious click-through complaint intends your title was compelling, and your video’s taxable resonates pinch a batch of applicable audiences connected YouTube.

A communal inclination for belief click-through rates is that they usually spike instantly aft you merchandise your video — your subscribers will spot nan video astatine nan apical of their location page and astir apt click connected it.

But erstwhile your video spreads beyond your halfway audience, your click-through complaint will diminution and past enactment astatine a unchangeable rate.

You tin besides mates this metric pinch nan mean percent viewed and mean position long to spot if group really watch your video aft they click connected it.

A precocious click-through complaint is great, but if group are leaving correct astatine nan opening of your video, your title aliases thumbnail could beryllium misleading.

Preparing viewers for what’s to travel is important because if your title aliases thumbnail is inaccurate, they’ll consciousness deceived and suffer spot successful your brand.

A debased click-through complaint but precocious engagement could mean that nan video has a mini yet circumstantial assemblage that is highly engaged pinch nan content.

How to find Engagement successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Reach > Impressions click-through rate

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8. Card Clicks

Cards are slide-in panels that promote group to return a desired action during a video, for illustration watch different video, subscribe to a channel, aliases click done to a different website.

Each of your cards’ click-through rates tells you which action your viewers for illustration to return while watching your videos.

This tin thief you spot nan astir engaging paper successful each of your videos, perchance boosting your watch time, subscriber growth, aliases website traffic.

Analyzing paper clicks tin besides thief you uncover nan optimal timing, placement, and long of your cards successful early videos.

How to find Card Clicks successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Reach > See More > Impressions by: Content > More Metrics > Cards > Card Clicks

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9. Playlist Engagement

Playlists are a awesome measurement to shape your videos successful a digestible way. It helps your viewers easy devour videos astir their favourite topics and prompts them to support watching, which racks up watch clip for your channel.

You tin uncover your playlist engagement by analyzing 2 metrics successful YouTube’s Playlist Report: views per playlist commencement and mean clip successful playlist.

Views per playlist commencement is nan mean number of video views your playlists gather, and mean clip successful playlist is nan mean magnitude of clip that viewers viewed nan videos successful your playlist.

If these 2 metrics are underperforming, effort starting your playlist pinch videos that person nan highest retention rate.

How to find Playlist Engagement successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Engagement > See More > Watch Time > More Metrics > Playlists

10. Unique Viewers

Unique viewers are nan estimated number of individuals who watch your videos complete a definite play of time. This metric really helps you understand nan existent size of your audience.

You tin besides usage this metric to gauge your subscriber’s engagement pinch your videos. If your unsocial viewers are little than your subscriber count, past your subscribers aren’t watching arsenic galore of your videos arsenic they could be.

To summation subscriber activity, inquire them to group up notifications for your caller videos. You tin find this metric nether nan Reach Views and Audience tab successful YouTube Studio.

How to find Playlist Unique Viewers successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Audience > Unique viewers

11. Views Per Unique Viewers

Views per unsocial viewers is nan magnitude of times nan mean spectator watches your video. This metric tells you if group can’t get capable of your video and support rewatching it.

Video topics pinch a batch of views per unsocial viewers could besides beryllium your astir celebrated contented topics, and if you screen them more, you could make much views, watch time, and subscribers.

How to find Playlist Unique Viewers successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Audience > Unique viewers > See More > Average views per viewer

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12. Who’s Watching Your Videos

In YouTube’s demographics report, you tin spot nan different types of group who watch your videos, segmented by age, gender, and geography.

This information tells you who your astir engaged assemblage is and who your target assemblage should really be. You tin return nan other attack pinch this information too.

If you’re not reaching nan assemblage you want, effort pivoting your video strategy and screen topics that would pull them.

How to find Demographics successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Audience > Age and Gender

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13. Subscriber Growth

Subscribers are your astir loyal fans. They’ve made a nationalist committedness to your brand, content, and values.

Subscribers are besides important because YouTube will nonstop them notifications astir your caller videos and characteristic them connected their homepage, helping make much views.

Subscribers besides watch doubly arsenic overmuch video arsenic non-subscribers, truthful nan much subscribers you have, nan much watch clip your videos will collect.

YouTube’s Subscribers Report will show you which videos, locations, and clip periods summation and suffer subscribers. This information will show you what video topics resonate pinch your subscribers and wherever to target caller subscribers.

And by prioritizing your subscribers’ needs, you’ll create videos that they crave, summation your watch time, and boost your hunt rankings.

How to find Subscribers successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Audience > Subscribers

14. Traffic Sources

External referrals for illustration societal media aliases sites that embed your videos and YouTube referrals for illustration search, nan recommended section, and nan homepage are each postulation sources.

The Traffic Sources study shows you really viewers recovered your videos and what sources rack up nan astir views and watch time. You tin usage this information to amended optimize your video promotion strategy.

How to find Traffic Sources successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Audience > Subscribers > See More > Traffic Source

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15. Keywords

In YouTube’s Reach Report, which is nether nan Traffic Sources Report, you tin spot nan astir celebrated queries guiding viewers to your videos.

If these queries are somewhat different from your video’s topic, see updating your video to capable these contented gaps and adhd nan keywords to your metadata.

If there’s a stark difference, see making a caller video astir these celebrated queries.

How to find Keywords successful YouTube Studio:

Analytics > Reach > YouTube Search terms

Getting Started

YouTube analytics plays a important domiciled successful helping creators and businesses understand their contented performance.

By providing valuable insights, YouTube analytics empower users to make data-driven decisions. With nan expertise to way trends, YouTube analytics serves arsenic an basal instrumentality to maximize your occurrence connected nan platform.

Editor's note: This station was primitively published successful July 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.