There are over 14 billion videos on YouTube in 2024. The video sharing platform is more competitive than ever—and your content needs to stand out.

Fortunately, increasing your YouTube video views and subscriber count will help you rise to the top. (Solid YouTube SEO strategy will too.) Consider the following tips to improve your YouTube engagement.

How does YouTube count views?

YouTube views are pretty simple. Whenever someone intentionally plays a video on their device for at least 30 seconds, that’s considered a view.

Playing your own video for 30 seconds or longer will count as a view too. YouTube will even count views from people who watch a video more than once.

YouTube videos that are shared or embedded on other sites are considered views as well. And live views are included in the metric too.

If you’re curious about your view count as a YouTube creator, take a look at your analytics. Just note that YouTube only updates these numbers every 48 hours.

Why do YouTube views matter?

YouTube views are important for a very specific reason. While your video view counts won’t directly influence your channel growth, other relevant metrics will. Your watch time, for example, will determine where your content shows up in the YouTube algorithm. This is the total amount of time people have spent watching your YouTube video.

Your average view duration (AVD)—or the average amount of time viewers play your video—matters too. This is another metric that YouTube looks at to decide whether to share your content with others.

Like any website, YouTube wants to engage viewers for as long as possible. The most effective way to do this is by showing people videos they want to watch. So to evaluate whether your videos are “good,” YouTube will look at all of your video metrics—including watch time, AVD, and other factors.

This is what makes YouTube viewership essential. You can’t boost your video metrics without any meaningful views. In fact, the simple act of getting views will feed the algorithm (and indicate that your content is worth sharing). And with users consuming over 1 billion hours of YouTube videos each day, there’s plenty of viewing opportunity for everyone.

We’ll repeat that your total view count is mainly a vanity metric, and that it doesn’t inherently increase your engagement. However, psychologically speaking, people are more likely to watch videos with higher view counts. These numbers show viewers that you put out interesting content.

What counts as a YouTube subscriber?

YouTube subscribers are the people (or accounts) that “follow” your YouTube channel. This means they have hit the “subscribe” button so they can keep track of all your content.

It also means that any new videos you upload will show up in your subscribers’ feeds. Your subscribers even have the option to receive notifications whenever you post a new video. The very act of subscribing to your YouTube channel means that people want to engage with your content.

Now, your YouTube subscriber count may seem like a simple metric, but there are a few factors to consider. For one, the subscriber count you see on your channel may not match the number you see in your YouTube analytics. Here again, this is because it can take a couple of days for YouTube to update creators’ channel statistics.

You’ll also want to note that your YouTube Studio will only display the number of subscribers with public subscriptions. New users’ subscriptions are private by default—so the number you see in your YouTube analytics may not be accurate.

Finally, YouTube may occasionally purge bot or inactive accounts from your list of subscribers. Fake subscribers offer no real value to your channel—and inactive accounts are no longer watching your video conten. So losing these so-called subscribers won’t negatively impact your standing on YouTube. You can also regain these lost subscribers with strategies like SEO.

Can YouTubers see their subscribers?

Creators can see a list of their most recent subscribers in their YouTube Studio dashboard. Your YouTube subscriber count will be listed there as well.

To view your recent subscribers, simply log in to YouTube Studio. From there, find the “Recent subscribers” option. You can click “See all” to expand it—or choose a specific timeframe to see how your subscriber count has evolved.

Note that while you can see your subscriber count, you won’t be able to see all of your subscribers. You will only be able to see your recent subscribers if:

• The account’s subscriptions are public
• The user subscribed to your channel in the last 28 days

Again, you won’t be able to see accounts with private subscriptions in your list. Accounts will also be hidden from your subscribers if they are suspended or have been flagged as spam.

Why are YouTube subscribers important?

YouTube subscribers matter because these accounts typically value the video content you put out. They like to watch your YouTube content and often wait for new vide uploads. Subscribers are also important because creators need at least 1,000 subscribers (and 4,000 watch hours) to monetize their YouTube channel. And we all know how much creators value making money online.

Now, a high subscriber count won’t directly boost your income. That said, the video engagement your subscribers bring will enhance your ad revenue—typically in the form of more views and longer watch times. A high number of subscribers will also help you bring in sponsored content deals and sell merchandise. This will make your YouTube channel more profitable even outside the platform.

Another consideration is that a high subscriber count will strengthen your credibility as a YouTuber. Viewers that see a measurable number of subscribers by a creator’s account thumbnail will be more likely to subscribe too.

While YouTube subscribers are definitely important, they aren’t the be-all and end-all for your channel. Cross-promotion on social media and other websites will also help you increase your YouTube engagement.

How can you grow fast as a YouTube creator?

As the second biggest search engine after Google, it makes sense that you want to grow your YouTube channel. Creators should consider the tips below to increase their YouTube video views and improve their engagement quickly.

Strategies to optimize your YouTube channel in 2024

You can only supercharge your YouTube channel’s growth if you create and upload videos.

But there’s a little more strategy involved than just posting whatever you want, whenever you want. Below we’ll share some tips for optimizing your YouTube channel—with the goal of maximizing views, subscribers, and overall engagement.

Maintain a clear focus

Maybe you’re a prankster. Or maybe you’re a music reviewer, a travel vlogger, or something else entirely. Whatever your niche may be, try not to deviate from it. This is because users are more likely to engage with (and subscribe to) channels with a specific offering. Even if you lean toward trending topics, a clear focus will help you create YouTube videos for your exact audience.

Consider your branding

We can’t emphasize enough how important your YouTube channel branding is. Creators need to:

• Upload a YouTube channel icon or logo
• Create a YouTube banner
• Add a contact email and social media handles
• Write a strong YouTube channel about section (with relevant keywords)

Plan to revisit your YouTube branding every so often, and make sure everything is appealing, accurate, and up-to-date. Don’t forget to cross-promote your YouTube channel!

Create custom thumbnails

YouTube claims that 90% of its top-performing videos have custom thumbnails. This doesn’t surprise us at all. It also means that if you want to rank on YouTube, you’ll need to add thumbnails that viewers actually want to click. A strong thumbnail will make your YouTube videos more captivating—and more likely to be suggested to new viewers. Talk about an effective way to boost your organic traffic.

Use video end screens

YouTube creators who don’t use end screens are missing out on a major opportunity. You can add end screens to the last 20 seconds of your YouTube videos to increase engagement. Consider including a subscribe button—or link to more of your YouTube videos. From there, sit back and watch your YouTube analytics climb.

Improve your YouTube SEO

SEO can’t be overlooked for YouTubers. Optimizing your video descriptions and titles will increase your likelihood of getting discovered—and give your YouTube analytics a much-needed boost.

From your video keywords to your tags, here are some SEO strategies to consider:

• Add your target keyword to the title of each video
• Write detailed, keyword-dense video descriptions
• Use all of the main tags for your videos on YouTube

Following these SEO tips will help your YouTube content reach the right people. Good search engine optimization will also make it abundantly clear what your videos are about. Talk about a win-win for YouTube creators!

Upload videos on a set schedule

There’s real value in letting your audience know when they can expect new videos from you. By committing to a specific cadence, your subscribers will learn to keep an eye out for your next upload. Just keep in mind that consistency matters more than frequency. So whether you post videos on a weekly or monthly basis, the important thing is to follow a schedule.

YouTube’s 2024 vision for creators will be a major factor in your channel’s growth. You can also make good use of features like YouTube Shorts to reach new viewers. Consider all of the above insights to master the YouTube algorithm—and start ranking higher on YouTube today.

Conclusion

Growing your YouTube channel takes time. You need to pay close attention to your YouTube video views and channel subscribers—and make sure the video content you create reflects what your audience actually wants to see. By understanding the above metrics, and by following our tips to rank on YouTube, we’re confident your engagement will skyrocket. Let us know if you see changes in your viewership after implementing these tips.

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