3 Ridiculously Useful YouTube Analytics (Small Channels, Pay Attention!)

Summary

In this video, Nate shares actionable YouTube analytics strategies for brand-new channels, demonstrating how to leverage suggested video traffic to understand how the algorithm classifies content. Using a freshly created channel as an example, he explains how to analyze impressions, click-through rates, and audience overlap to target the right viewers. He also dives into the 'most replayed' graph to identify high-engagement segments and highlights the importance of monitoring returning versus new viewers to grow a channel effectively. The video provides practical tips on optimizing video content, metadata, and audience engagement, helping creators achieve early success even with minimal views or subscribers.

Takeaways

• 📊 Suggested video traffic is a crucial early indicator of how YouTube classifies your channel, even for brand-new channels.
• 👀 About 50% of traffic on a new channel can come from suggested videos, showing algorithmic recognition.
• 🎯 Targeting audiences with competitor analysis and matching content metadata helps YouTube understand your channel's niche.
• 📈 Reviewing suggested videos allows you to see if your content is reaching the intended audience and to adjust accordingly.
• 🖥️ YouTube analytics for small channels lack some insights available to larger channels but suggested videos provide actionable data.
• ✏️ Make your target audience obvious through video content, titles, thumbnails, and descriptions to ensure correct classification by the algorithm.
• ⏱️ The 'most replayed' graph highlights video segments that viewers engage with the most, useful for both your own and competitors’ content.
• 😂 High replay spikes can indicate chapters, visual highlights, jokes, sponsored segments, or peak moments that resonate with viewers.
• 👥 The audience tab shows returning vs. new viewers, helping you understand viewer retention and growth potential.
• 🚀 Low returning viewers means inviting audiences to watch more content; low new viewers signals the need to branch out with fresh ideas.
• 🎥 Improving video quality and aligning content with audience preferences is key to growing watch time and overall channel growth.
• 🔗 Suggested video insights help you identify early wins in targeting the right viewers and accelerating channel growth effectively.

Q & A

Why does the video focus on suggested video traffic for new YouTube channels?

Suggested video traffic provides an early indicator of whether YouTube's algorithm is correctly classifying a channel's content, even for channels with very few views or subscribers.

What analytics steps are recommended to check suggested video traffic?

Click on Analytics, then go to the Content tab, scroll down to 'How viewers find your videos,' and click on 'Suggested videos' to see which existing videos are driving traffic to your channel.

How can suggested videos help in understanding audience targeting?

By examining which videos are suggesting your content, you can see if the algorithm is matching your videos to the audience you intended to target, providing validation of your content strategy.

What is the significance of seeing overlap between your targeted channels and suggested videos?

It indicates that the content and metadata of your videos are successfully aligning with the audience you want to reach, confirming that the algorithm recognizes your niche.

What action should creators take if suggested videos are not matching their target audience?

Creators should clarify their target audience through video content, titles, thumbnails, and descriptions to ensure the algorithm correctly classifies their videos.

How can the 'most replayed' graph help new YouTubers?

It shows which parts of a video viewers watch repeatedly, highlighting high-interest segments, jokes, reveals, or visually engaging moments that can inform future content creation.

What does a flat 'hills and valleys' pattern in the replay graph indicate?

It suggests that viewers are watching the video continuously without skipping, indicating strong audience retention throughout the content.

Why is it important to monitor returning versus new viewers?

Understanding the balance between returning and new viewers helps gauge whether your channel is retaining audience and attracting fresh viewers, which is essential for growth.

What should a creator do if new viewer numbers are consistently low?

They should experiment with new content ideas to attract new audiences and improve video quality to increase watch time and engagement compared to competitors.

How can creators create a 'feeling of welcome' in their videos?

By clearly introducing the video, signaling the content's value, and making viewers feel they are in the right place, which encourages engagement and returning viewership.

What are some key factors that cause spikes in the 'most replayed' graph?

Spikes can occur due to video chapters, sponsored segment skips, visually engaging content, jokes, or peak moments and reveals that viewers want to watch again.

Why is analyzing competitor channels helpful for new YouTubers?

It allows creators to understand what content resonates with the target audience, helping them design their own videos to appeal to similar viewers and improve algorithmic recommendations.