YouTube Analytics is a platform that tracks and provides data about a YouTube channel and its videos. YouTube creators should consider using YouTube Analytics to gather information about the type of content that’s popular on their channels and learn about the people who make up their audience.
Armed with this information, YouTube creators can focus on producing the content that resonates most with their audience. Creating targeted content with your audience in mind increases views, boosts engagement, and helps grow your subscribers.
In this YouTube Analytics guide, we explore the following:
- What is YouTube Analytics
- What YouTube Analytics Tells Creators
- How to Use YouTube Analytics
- Should I Use YouTube Analytics?
- Frequently Asked Questions about YouTube Analytics
What Is YouTube Analytics?
Screenshot via YouTube Help
YouTube Analytics is a tool for YouTube creators to learn more about their audience and channel.
Like other creative and social media platforms, YouTube is driven by engagement. The more people watch and interact with videos by sharing, liking, or commenting on them, the higher those videos rank in its algorithm. Creators who want to make high-ranking videos to extend their reach on YouTube likely take advantage of YouTube Analytics, which offers the data they need to do so.
By using YouTube Analytics, you can learn how many people watch each video, whether they watch a video all the way through, the number of rewatches a video has, and how many subscribers you received in a specified period, to name a few data points. In other words, it’s a critical tool to have in your toolkit as you work to scale your channel and presence.
What YouTube Analytics Tells Creators
Screenshot via YouTube Help
YouTube Analytics provides a wealth of information by tracking various metrics. It categorizes its metrics into the following:
- Overview: The Overview section provides a simple overview of your YouTube channel with a graph displaying views, subscribers, and watch time for a specific period. By default, this period shows the last 28 days, but you can view stats for a month, year, week, or even over your channel’s lifetime. In the sidebar, you can view real-time stats for your channel, like the number of subscribers currently watching your videos.
- Content: The content section digs deeper into your videos by showing data on impressions, views, click-through rates, view duration, and traffic sources, including YouTube searches and external pages. You can also view your top videos to help you determine the type of content that performs best with your audience.
- Audience: In this section, you’ll understand who visits and subscribes to your channel and watches your content. Learn what other channels your audience watches, when they usually browse YouTube, the devices they use to watch videos, their age ranges, and other important data. This information can help you tailor your content to your audience by creating content they enjoy and releasing it when they’re likely to watch.
Tap the Advanced Mode link in your dashboard to see even more metrics, like end-screen data, translation usage, and sharing services used.
How to Use YouTube Analytics
YouTube creators can access YouTube analytics from the desktop or mobile app.
On the desktop version, log into your YouTube account and click on your profile picture in the top right of the screen. Then, click YouTube Studio, followed by Analytics. From there, you can click the tab you want to view more data within, such as Content or Audience. Use the pull-down menu in the top right of the analytics dashboard to change the period view, such as the last 90 days or the entire year to date.
Screenshot via YouTube Studio App Help Center
On your mobile device, open the YouTube app and make sure you’re logged into your account. Then, tap your profile picture, followed by Your Channel. Next, tap the analytics icon (it looks like a bar graph). You’ll find some basic stats about your channel, content, and audience here.
For more in-depth analytics, tap the button that says View more analytics in Studio. This opens the YouTube Studio app, which offers the same information as the desktop version of YouTube Analytics.
Should I Use YouTube Analytics?
If you regularly create YouTube content that you consider a key part of your content creation strategy or online presence, then YouTube Analytics can be an excellent way to ensure you’re making effective content. The tool lets you see what’s working well as you learn more about your audience, what they like, and what brings them to your channel.
On the other hand, if YouTube video creation is just a hobby for you that you don’t plan to use for marketing or building a business in any way, using YouTube Analytics may not be necessary. Still, it’s free to use, so there’s no reason not to incorporate it into your content creation process.
For more tips on growing your YouTube channel, check out our YouTube marketing guides. For an effortless way to grow your YouTube following, install the YouTube follow button on your blog or website. It’s simple to install and allows your visitors to follow your YouTube channel with a simple click.
Frequently Asked Questions about YouTube Analytics
Is YouTube Analytics free?
Yes, YouTube Analytics is free for YouTube users. Anyone with a YouTube channel can access and use YouTube Analytics for free.
How do you see YouTube video stats?
YouTube video stats are available on YouTube Analytics, the platform’s performance measurement tool. You can view YouTube Analytics by clicking your profile, navigating to your channel, and tapping the Analytics tab to see information about your content, channel, and audience.
How do I track traffic sources in YouTube Analytics?
Once in the YouTube Analytics dashboard, you can view where your YouTube traffic comes from by navigating to the Audience tab. Then, click on Advanced Mode, followed by Traffic source, to see where people are visiting your YouTube channel from.
