Beginners Guide to YouTube Analytics: the analytics you should be paying attention to

As a content creator, analytics are a powerful tool that gives you insights into how viewers interact with your videos and your channel. Without keeping your analytics in mind, it will be hard to adjust your strategy and pivot when needed. In this episode, we'll go over which analytics you should be paying attention to, how to access them, and the benefits of using them. So, let's get analyzing!

What are YouTube Analytics?

YouTube Analytics are the ultimate tool for checking how well your YouTube channel and videos are doing. It tells you all sorts of stuff like how many views you're getting, how long people are watching your videos, and what kind of people are watching. Plus, it even shows you where your viewers are coming from and how they found your videos. Basically, it's like a treasure trove of information that can help you make your videos even better and reach more people.

To check out your YouTube Analytics, head to your YouTube Studio dashboard by clicking on your channel icon in the top right corner. Then, click the Analytics tab in the left sidebar to get to your analytics dashboard.

In a Sea of Analytics, What Should You Pay Attention to Most?

There are a ton of YouTube analytics available, and it can be super overwhelming to figure out which ones to pay attention to. But don't worry, I got you covered. There are multiple metrics that are important for measuring how well your YouTube channel is doing, but there are three I think are the most important: click-through rate (CTR), retention rate, and watch time. These are the ones you definitely want to keep an eye on if you want to see your YouTube channel grow - but all of the analytics are important to review, so I want to walk you through them all.

1. Impressions and Click-Through-Rate

If you're trying to get more views on your YouTube videos, you need to pay attention to impressions and click-through-rate. Impressions are when your video thumbnail appears on someone's screen, but it doesn't necessarily mean they watched it. The click-through-rate measures how many people clicked on your thumbnail after seeing it. So, if you want to get more views, you need to make sure your thumbnail and title are on point! If your click-through-rate is low, try experimenting with different designs to see what catches people's eye. And don't forget to keep an eye on your impressions over time to see how well your videos are being promoted and whether you need to change up your targeting or SEO. Basically, tracking these metrics can help you make smart decisions that can help support growing your channel.

2. Watch Time

Watch time is measured in hours and is the amount of time people spend watching your content. It's important because YouTube likes videos with high watch time, which means they'll recommend them to more people. Views, on the other hand, are kind of basic and don't tell you much about how engaged people are with your videos. By keeping an eye on your watch time, you can figure out what topics or types of videos your audience is into and make more stuff like that to keep them watching.

3. Average View Duration and Retention Rate

Average view duration and average percentage viewed tell you how long people are sticking around to watch your content on average. If your videos have a high average view duration, that's a good sign that people are into what you're sharing.

But if your view duration is low, it means your content might not be engaging enough and viewers are bouncing quickly. So, keep an eye on your average view duration and use it to tweak your content strategy. For example, if people are dropping off early, try spicing up your intros. And if you notice viewers tend to bail after three minutes, maybe it's time to start creating shorter, more to-the-point videos.

And don't forget about Retention Rate – it's calculated by taking the average view duration divided by video length and multiplying by 100. So, if your video is five minutes and the average view duration is two and a half minutes, that's a 50% retention rate. Keep track of these metrics to create high-quality content that keeps your viewers coming back for more.

…now in my opinion, those are three of the most important analytics to keep an eye on, but I want to go through some of the other pieces of data you can find too.

4. Traffic Sources

Do you even know where your viewers are finding your videos? Are they discovering you through YouTube search or are they coming from social media like Instagram or Facebook?

Traffic sources break down your viewership into different categories so you can see where your viewers are coming from. YouTube reports this info both on your channel analytics and on the analytics dashboard of individual videos.

Knowing where your viewers are coming from can help you tweak your content strategy to better connect with your audience. If most of your traffic is coming from YouTube search, then it’s time to optimize your video titles and descriptions for SEO. But if you’re getting a lot of traffic from social media, then you’ll want to focus on promoting your videos on those platforms.

5. Unique Viewers

Unique viewers are the viewers who've watched your videos during a specific time frame. It tells you how many different people are tuning in to your content, not just how many times your videos have been viewed. YouTube reports the number of unique viewers on both the video level and channel level. Tracking unique viewers can help you find patterns in your audience's behavior. If you notice a drop in unique viewers, it could mean your content isn't as on-trend or interesting as it used to be, hinting at the need for a pivot in your content strategy. But this metric can also show you if your promotional efforts are working. If you see a spike in unique viewers after promoting your content on social media or other platforms, it's a sign that your social media game is strong. So, you can focus on promoting your content in these channels to get more people to your channel.

6. Engagement

It's not just about how many people are watching your videos, it's also about how they're interacting with your content. That's why engagement is key! YouTube has a bunch of metrics to help you track how your viewers are feeling. You can see how many likes and dislikes you're getting and how many people are clicking on those end-screen pop-ups. And don't forget about comments - those are clutch for getting direct feedback from your audience. By keeping tabs on your engagement levels, you can get a better idea of what your viewers are into and adjust your content accordingly. Because at the end of the day, more engagement means your community is growing.

7. Subscriber Count and Growth

When someone subscribes to your channel, it's like a sign of approval, you know? It means your content speaks to them and they want see more of it. If your subscribers are going up, that means your content strategy is bringing in new viewers and keeping the old ones happy. You can find this info on the Overview tab of your channel analytics dashboard on YouTube Studio. And there's more you can learn about your subscribers too! On the Content tab, you can see which types of content are turning viewers into subscribers. And on the Audience tab, you can learn about how much watch time comes from your subscribers and what percentage of them get notifications when you post new content. By knowing all this, you can figure out how to get more people excited about your channel.

8. Audience Demographics & Behavior

Knowing your audience demographics and behavior is key to creating content that resonates with them. The Audience tab on YouTube gives you tons of cool insights on both the channel and video level. Here's what you can find out:

Geography tells you where your viewers are tuning in from the most.
Age and gender lets you know the age ranges and gender distribution of your audience.
When your viewers are on YouTube tells you the best times to drop new videos or schedule a live stream.
Content your audience watches shows you what other videos, Shorts, and Live streams your viewers are into outside of your channel.
Channels your audience watches reveals the other channels your viewers are consistently watching outside of your content.

By knowing where your viewers are from and what they're into, you can create content that's way more relevant to them. This will help you build a stronger connection with your viewers and boost engagement.

9. Revenue

If you're part of the YouTube Partner Program, you can check out the revenue tab in your analytics dashboard and see how much revenue you’re generating. You can even see which videos are making the most ad revenue and which ones are driving viewers to buy your products or sign up for your services. So, use this info to your advantage to add these types of videos to your strategy. But remember, making money shouldn't be your only focus. Keep creating engaging content that your audience loves, and the money will follow.

The Benefits of Using YouTube Analytics

We already chatted about the importance of each analytic type, but I want to wrap this up with a summary of the benefits we discussed and how you should use these analytics to your advantage.

Understand audience behavior and tailor future content to meet their preferences
Identify successful content and create more of it
Optimize for growth by understanding how viewers find your videos and what devices they watch on
Target the right demographics for more relevant and appealing content
Monetize your content by maximizing your earnings based on revenue-driving videos
Improve the discoverability and quality of your content by analyzing metrics like watch time, retention rate, and click-through rate
Engage with your audience and get qualitative feedback by monitoring comments and responding to them
Grow your subscriber base by monitoring subscriber rate and creating engaging calls to action
Analyze your traffic sources and create content that better connects with your audience
Analyze your audience demographics and behavior to create content that resonates with them
Track your revenue and use it to your advantage while keeping creating engaging content

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YouTube Analytics is such a game-changer for creators and businesses. It's packed with so much data and insights to help you grow your channel and connect with your audience.

And don't stress if you're feeling overwhelmed by all the data. With a little practice and the right tools, you'll be navigating YouTube Analytics like a pro in no time. Plus, by analyzing your data regularly, you'll be able to make data-driven decisions to improve your content strategy and grow your channel.