How to Use YouTube Analytics: The 17 Metrics That Matter

As a YouTuber, you're likely obsessed with metrics. After all, if you don't measure your success, how will you know whether or not your marketing campaigns are working?

While it's important to track as many YouTube metrics as possible, not all of them are actually worth your time. In this guide, we will focus on how to use YouTube Analytics and the 17 metrics that actually matter.

If you don't know where to find YouTube Analytics, make sure you are logged into your account then visit the YouTube Analytics page directly.

As an option, you can access it by clicking on the “Analytics” tab in your YouTube Studio.

By understanding these metrics and tracking them effectively, you'll be able to improve your YouTube marketing strategy and see better results. Let's get started!

How to Find YouTube Analytics

If you're not sure how to find your Youtube Analytics, let's get you there in 3 easy steps.

Step 1. Log into your YouTube Account

Step 2. In the upper right hand corner, click on your profile icon. Next, click YouTube Studio.

Step 3. In the left hand side menu, click on "Analytics".

You will now be in the Google Channel Analytics dashboard. All the channel metrics that actually matter can be found here.

YouTube Analytics: The 17 Metrics That Actually Matter

1. Watch Time

The watch time metric reflects the total amount of time that users have spent watching YouTube videos on your channel, and it can be used to help better optimize and grow your content strategy. 

The watch time metric is calculated by multiplying the average view duration by the number of views. It is typically used as a performance indicator for publishers, allowing you to track trends over time and see what types of content are most engaging for your audience.

By studying this metric, you can gain valuable insights into how to best optimize your channel and create more compelling and relevant content.

2. Average View Duration

The Average View Duration metric in YouTube Analytics shows you how long, on average, your viewers are watching your videos. 

This information can be helpful in a number of ways. First, it can give you an idea of whether your videos are holding people's attention. If the average view duration is low, it may mean that your videos are too short or that they're not interesting enough to keep viewers engaged.

On the other hand, if the average view duration is too high, it could indicate that your videos are too long or that they're covering too much ground. In either case, this metric can give you a starting point for making adjustments to improve the overall quality of your channel.

Additionally, the Average View Duration can also be used to compare the engagement levels of different YouTube videos. This can be helpful in determining which topics are resonating with your audience and which ones might need more work.

Ultimately, the Average View Duration metric is a valuable tool for understanding how well your channel is performing and for identifying areas where you can make improvements.

3. Average Percentage Viewed

The Average Percentage Viewed metric measures the percentage of viewers who watch each video all the way through, on average.

While this information alone may not be particularly useful, combined with other metrics such as watch time and viewer retention rate, it can help you to better understand your audience and make more informed decisions about what content to produce.

For example, if you notice that the average percentage viewed is relatively low for certain videos, you might need to consider revising or removing those particular videos from your channel in order to improve overall engagement.

Additionally, by comparing this metric across your different video categories and devices, you can gain insights into which topics or formats are most popular with your audience and optimize future content accordingly.

Ultimately, a better understanding of the Average Percentage Viewed can help you to refine your content strategy and improve your overall performance on Youtube.

4. Re-watches

Re-watches is used to measure engagement and viewer retention on a channel. Re-watches indicate how often viewers go back and watch individual sections of a video after they originally viewed it. This can help you to determine what kinds of content are most engaging to your audience, as well as areas where you may need to improve in order to keep viewers engaged. 

For example, if your re-watches metric is high for certain parts of your YouTube video, this could be an indication that those particular sections were particularly interesting or valuable to your viewers.

To increase re-watches for your videos, you might consider experimenting with different styles of content or presentation in order to see what works best for your audience.

5. Audience Retention

The Audience Retention metric in Youtube Analytics shows you how much of your video people are watching on average.

This is different from the view count, which only counts how many times people have clicked on your video.

The Audience Retention metric can be found under the "Engagement" tab in Youtube Analytics. You can use this metric to see how engaging your videos are and to identify which videos are holding people's attention.

If you notice that people are only watching a small portion of your videos, you can try to improve the quality of your content or make your videos shorter.

The Audience Retention metric can also be used to compare the engagement of different videos on your channel. This can help you to identify which types of videos are most popular with your audience and to tailor your content accordingly.

6. Impressions Click-Through Rate

The Impressions Click-Through Rate, or ICTR, is an indicator of the percentage of viewers on your channel who click through to other videos or a channel's homepage after viewing an impression of your content.

A high ICTR can help you to understand which content is most engaging to your audience and which videos are most likely to lead to further engagement.

As a result, you can use this information to improve the quality and effectiveness of your Youtube channel over time by focusing more on creating content that resonates with your viewers.

Whether you want to increase traffic to your own website or drive more views for sponsored content, optimizing your ICTR can play a key role in achieving these goals.

7. Engagement

Engagement rate measures how many people are engaging with your content, including likes, comments, shares, viewers clicking on other videos in your channel, and so on.

By tracking engagement rate over time, you can gain insight into what types of content your audience likes the most, which helps you to better tailor your approach to keep them engaged.

Additionally, higher engagement rates generally correlate with increased exposure and visibility on YouTube's search engine results page, making it a key factor in improving your ranking within the platform. The higher the engagement, the better your YouTube channel performance will be.

8. Unique Viewers

The Unique Views metric in YouTube Analytics measures the number of unique users who have visited your channel at least once within a specified time period, such as 24 hours or 30 days.

By understanding how many people are visiting your channel and how often they are returning, you can gain valuable insights into how best to promote and market your content, crafting an effective strategy that will help you to build your subscriber base and increase engagement levels overall.

Additionally, being aware of what type and style of content your audience prefers can also help improve the quality of your videos, enhancing their appeal and helping to attract even more Unique Viewers over time.

9. Who’s Watching Your Videos

The Who's Watching Your Videos metric in Youtube Analytics can be found under the "Audience" tab. This metric shows you how many people have watched your videos over a certain period of time.

You can use this metric to see how your channel is performing and to make improvements. For example, if you notice that your channel's Who's Watching Your Videos metric is declining, you can try to make changes to your content or marketing strategy to improve it.

Additionally, the Who's Watching Your Videos metric can also be used to compare your channel's performance to other channels in your niche. If you are consistently getting more views than other channels, then this is a good sign that you are doing something right.

On the other hand, if you are getting fewer views than other channels, then this could be an indication that you need to make some changes.

10. Views Per Unique Viewers

The Views Per Unique Viewers metric measures the average number of views that each unique viewer watches on your channel.

A high number indicates that viewers are engaged with your content and are coming back to watch more. A low number may indicate that viewers are not finding your content interesting or relevant.

For example, if you notice that the average views per unique viewer is low, you may want to experiment with different types of videos or change up your thumbnail images to try and entice viewers to click on your videos.

11. Card Click-Through-Rate

The Card Click-Through-Rate (CTR) metric in Youtube Analytics is a valuable measure of how effective your video content is at engaging viewers and promoting user interaction with your channel.

This metric is calculated by dividing the total number of clicks on your cards by the total number of impressions for those cards, and it gives you an indication of how effectively your cards are capturing the attention of viewers and driving them to your website or other designated landing pages.

Utilizing this information can help you to improve the effectiveness and appeal of both your videos and your overall youtube channel, allowing you to create more compelling content that will keep audiences coming back for more.

Ultimately, by tracking the Card CTR in Youtube Analytics, you can gain valuable insights into what kinds of content are most effective at increasing viewer engagement, which can ultimately lead to greater success on YouTube.

12. Subscriber Growth

The Subscriber Growth metric in YouTube Analytics is a measure of how many new subscribers you've gained over a certain period of time.

You can use this metric to see if your channel is growing and to compare your growth to that of other channels. Additionally, the Subscriber Growth metric can be used to help you improve your channel.

For example, if you notice that your channel is not gaining as many subscribers as you'd like, you can try different strategies for promoting your channel or creating new content.

By understanding how the Subscriber Growth metric works, you can use it to your advantage to help grow your YouTube channel and make more money!

13. Playlist Engagement

The Playlist Engagement metric in YouTube Analytics measures how often users engaged with your playlist content, including clicks to play the playlist, clicks to expand to full screen, and other interactions.

You can use this metric to see how engaging your playlist content is and make changes accordingly. For example, if you see that users are not engaging with your playlist as much as you would like, you may want to consider changing the order of the videos or adding new videos that are more likely to be engaging.

14. Traffic Sources

The Traffic Sources metric in YouTube Analytics provides information on the sources of traffic for your videos, such as organic searches, paid ads, or embedded links.

By analyzing this data, you can gain insight into which types of promotions and outreach efforts are most effective in driving new viewers to your content. Additionally, having this information at your fingertips may allow you to make tweaks to your channel strategy to draw more viewers and encourage engagement with your videos.

For example, if you notice that a particular piece of content tends to drive a lot of organic search traffic, you may decide to invest more time and energy into researching keywords or creating similar content in the future.

It's also a good idea to find out what your top YouTube search terms are. This is what led people to your videos when typing in a keyword. You can find this under Traffic Source / Youtube Search.

Knowing this data will tell you if your keyword strategy is effective or not.

15. Keywords

The Keywords metric in YouTube Analytics data shows you which keywords are being used to find your videos.

This can be helpful in understanding what topics your viewers are interested in, and also give you ideas for new content. You can use this information to improve your channel by creating videos that target these keywords, and also by using these keywords in your titles, descriptions, and tags.

In addition, the Keywords metric can also help you to understand which of your videos are being found by potential viewers, and which ones are being ignored. By analyzing this data, you can adjust your video strategy accordingly.

16. Overview Report

The Overview Report metric in YouTube channel Analytics lets you see how your channel is performing overall.

It includes detailed information on your channel’s, video views, engagement, and demography. This report can be helpful in understanding your channel’s strengths and weaknesses and identifying areas for improvement.

For example, if you see that your YouTube videos are getting a lot of views but few comments or likes, this could indicate that your content is not resonating with your audience.

Alternatively, if you see that your videos are getting few views but high engagement levels, this could suggest that your audience is small but highly engaged.

17. Realtime Report

This report provides information on how your YouTube channel is performing in real-time.

This can be used to track your channel's progress and identify areas where improvement is needed. The Realtime Report gives you insights into which videos are being watched the most, how long viewers are watching your videos, and which countries your videos are being watched in.

This information can be used to adjust your content strategy and ensure that you are providing the best possible experience for your viewers.

In addition, the Realtime Report also allows you to monitor any changes in your subscribers' behavior. This can be invaluable for understanding why certain subscribers may be leaving your channel or for identifying potential issue areas.

How to Use Youtube Video Analytics Conclusion

Now that you know about the 17 most important YouTube Analytics metrics, it’s time to start using them to improve your video and channel performance.

Don't be too overwhelmed by all of the data that's available. Start by focusing on a few key metrics, and then gradually expand your focus as you become more comfortable with the platform.

No matter what kind of channel you run, whether it's a branded or faceless YouTube Channel, metrics matter. 

And remember, YouTube Analytics is constantly evolving, so be sure to check back often to see what new insights are available.

Tell the world about this awesome post!


Related Articles

Drew Mann

Leave a Comment