10 Important YouTube Metrics to Track

It is important to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, therefore all major platforms have a set of KPIs for marketers to evaluate results. YouTube metrics are overwhelming, and if you are unsure what to analyze, you can easily miss out on the key ones.

Keep in mind that YouTube is a search engine, and just like you measure the organic performance of your website on search engines, the performance of YouTube content is tracked.

Not only do you need to track the position at which your content is landing, you also need to understand the analytics to further refine your content strategy and get more views, subscribers, and likes on your YouTube channel. You can also opt for YouTube promotion services to boost the results of your efforts.

We have a list of the most important YouTube metrics that you need to keep an eye on, to win the YouTube marketing game. Without further ado, let’s get started.

10 Metrics You Really Should Be Measuring

The analytics of a YouTube channel are broken down into four categories; Reach, Engagement, Audience, and Revenue. Each category has multiple metrics that you can measure to analyze the overall performance of your YouTube content. 

Having said that, there is a wealth of metrics that creators can measure on YouTube, but to make it easy for our readers, we have come up with 10 key YouTube metrics that you should closely monitor. 

1. Watch Time

Watch Time is the total number of minutes or hours people spend watching your videos on YouTube. It refers to the accumulated time viewed by the users. The higher watch time of a channel is a positive signal to YouTube’s algorithm. Having said that, the more watch time your channel has, the higher the chances of YouTube promoting your content. 

Watch time is no doubt one of the influential YouTube engagement metrics. Opt to buy YouTube watch hours, if you want to see quick results and seek instant growth. From YouTube’s analytics section, you can easily access the watch time of your channel. Also, you will get to see the top videos with the most watch time, so that you can plan future content better. 

2. Views

Views on your YouTube channel is the broadest metric that you should check to track the performance. If the view is growing with time, you will know that you are doing the right thing and that your audience likes it. For better results, you can also buy YouTube views. 

If you see that there is no increase in the number of views on your videos, you will have to dive deep into the analytics and analyze other KPIs along with it.  That said, if you have received some thousand views on your videos, but the average watch time for the same date range is only 4-5%, then your strategy needs more work. 

3. Impression Click-Through Rate

Impressions indicate the number of times your video thumbnail appeared on the search results for users. The number of impressions counted is only for the YouTube platform, and no other placement is counted in the platform’s analytics. Impressions are different from views since an impression is counted even if the video was not played. 

The impression click-through rate refers to the percentage of videos clicked after being shown with the thumbnail to a user. It is one of the key YouTube performance metrics to track as it helps identify how compelling your videos are. Understanding the impression funnel will help you know how well your viewers are engaging with your content. 

4. Unique Viewers

Unique viewers are an important YouTube metric that gives you an idea of the number of people who watched your videos. It doesn’t count multiple views from the same user, rather irrespective of the number of views, it refers to the number of people viewing your content. 

These YouTube channel metrics give an idea of the audience size. It is somewhat related to your channel subscribers. That said, if you see that the number of unique viewers on the videos is way less than your channel subscribers, it means they are not engaging with your content. Adjustments may be needed to your engagement strategy so that you get average unique viewers. 

5. Returning Viewers and Subscribers

Both are important YouTube metrics to track. It gives you a sense of how well your content is perceived by your audience. Returning viewers is one of the YouTube video metrics that determines the number of people who come again and again to view your content. You will then know the percentage of people loyal to your brand. 

Subscribers are people who have subscribed to your channel, to stay updated with the content uploads. You can also buy YouTube subscribers from reliable sources for added benefits. Analyzing these YouTube KPI metrics will also help you make future content strategies, as you will know if your ideas are engaging enough for your audience or not. The more subscribers means people are interested in your brand. 

6. Audience Retention

Another important metrics for YouTube is whether you need to optimize your content strategy, and how much. It tells you the major dropping points on YouTube videos, and you can therefore adjust accordingly. 

That said, if people are not watching your videos for more than three-seconds, it’s time to revisit your content. This will help you identify the areas you are lacking in creating engaging content. However, once you will resolve it, you will be able to retain your audience and encourage more people to watch your content.  

7. Traffic Source Type

One of the key YouTube measurement metrics that identifies the sources from where your traffic is coming. That said, whether it is from external sources, YouTube search itself, direct, channel pages, or any other. You can also understand the traffic sources based on views, impressions, watch time, etc. 

It will help you track YouTube performance as you will know people from which traffic sources are outperforming and engaging better. YouTube offers line charts and bar charts for channel owners to observe and visualize traffic sources. 

8. Demographics

A thorough understanding of the audience is the key to develop YouTube strategies and be successful. Besides the YouTube success metrics the demographics of your audience helps you plan content for your channel. Certainly, you have an audience set in mind that you want to target with your videos. 

Demographics is a relevant YouTube metrics that will help you know if your videos are successfully attracting the right set of people. Your audience data will reveal everything about them, and you will know the age groups, gender and location of your viewers. 

9. Likes, Dislikes, and Comments

These metrics to track YouTube videos and channel performance will help you understand the engagement rate. Besides monitoring them in a set, you can also analyze each one as a standalone metric. The metrics in YouTube analytics help identify what your audience likes, and their opinions. 

Engaging with the comments received on your videos, whether positive or negative, is also recommended. It will help you gather consumer feedback and know your position as a brand in their perception. 

 10. Revenue

This particular YouTube success metric is only applicable to monetized YouTube channels. An important aspect that will help you track your ROI. Within the YouTube metrics and KPI tracking section, you can measure the revenue per mile. It indicates the earnings per thousand views. 

Besides your earnings you can also track playback-based CPM, meaning the amount advertisers pay for every thousand playbacks being monetized. In the same report, you can analyze your revenue sources, estimated earnings, and videos that gave the most revenue. 

Undoubtedly, YouTube’s growth metrics in the analytics section are a powerhouse of data and insights. Based on your objective of leveraging the YouTube platform, you need to understand the right YouTube metrics that you should refer to. 

Conclusion

To make the most of YouTube, you need to track metrics beyond video views. Know the YouTube metrics that matter for your brand, and get started with analyzing the results. The most important metrics like engagement, video reach, audience and more will help you understand what resonates better. 

Monitoring essential YouTube metrics will not only help you understand your current performance but will also be beneficial in planning future content strategies. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most important YouTube metrics to track?

The most important YouTube metrics to consider include video views, watch time, audience retention, subscribers, unique viewers and revenue. However, based on your goals, the important KPIs may differ. 

What is Watch Time, and why is it important?

Watch time is one of the top YouTube metrics that refers to the total amount of time spent by people to watch a video. It is an important metric to measure as through watch time you will know how successful your content or channel is, on the platform. 

How does Views impact video performance?

When measuring YouTube analytics video views is a key indicator that measures the number of times your videos were watched. It helps gauge the reach of your content and also the effectiveness of your campaign. 

Why is Audience Retention crucial for YouTube’s growth?

Audience retention is one of the important metrics to track on YouTube as it helps measure the success of your channel. A good audience retention rate signals the platform algorithm that your audience is engaging better with your content. It is then served to a broader audience by the platform. 

Why should I track Traffic Sources?

The traffic sources metric on YouTube helps determine the sources from where your videos received views. For example, you will know the sources from where your audience is attracted to your channel, whether it is a search engine, YouTube search, external website, etc. You can then plan your strategy accordingly and attract more traffic.