KPI Examples for YouTube
YouTube Key Performance Indicators and Metrics
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A YouTube KPI or metric is an evaluative measurement tool used for video content performance on the YouTube social media channel. It is based on defining the right factors needed to establish successful content, essential for a lucrative social media video strategy.
Here is the complete list of the most important YouTube KPIs and metrics, that we will discuss in this article in every detail:
Total Watch Time: How long have users watched my videos?
Total Amount of Video Views: Which videos are particularly interesting?
Viewer Retention: Are my videos captivating viewers?
Video Engagement: How do viewers react to my videos?
Number of Subscribers: How many subscribers have I gained or lost?
Daily Active Users (DAU): How many people are watching daily?
Traffic Source: Where does my Traffic come from?
Subscribers’ Demographics: Where do my subscribers come from?
Top 5 Videos by Views: What kind of videos resonates the best?
Total Watch Time
How long have users watched my videos?Developing the Watch Time – whether aggregated or for individual videos – is one of the most important YouTube KPIs, as it ultimately reflects the level of satisfaction, the primary need of YouTube users: the need to consume great video content. By monitoring the aggregated Watch Time of all published videos on a daily basis, you can quickly and reliably identify trends and outliers. Also, you can apply the detailed analysis on individual videos, which will assist you in gaining valuable new insights. All those findings will help you develop best practices and optimising your video marketing strategy on a sustainable level.
Performance IndicatorsThis YouTube KPI assists you in monitoring the quantitative evolution of your video performance. Compare the average Watch Time of different videos to identify internal benchmarks.
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Total Amount of Video Views
Which videos are particularly interesting?In combination with the average Watch Time, the analysis of the actual number of Views of a single video is particularly exciting. Such consideration helps you quickly identify your most popular videos. However, if a video has gained a lot of views, but the Watch Time is significantly lower than the average, it indicates that users are not satisfied with the content. Potential causes could be, for example, a misleading title, description or video thumbnail, which have given the users false expectations regarding the content of the video. The Views, together with the Watch Time metric, will provide you a holistic view on the impression you make on this social media channel.
Performance IndicatorsTake a critical look at your videos – the ones that have the highest and least number of Views in a given time frame, to gain valuable new insights for your YouTube marketing strategy.
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Viewer Retention
Are my videos captivating viewers?Audience Retention is another important YouTube KPI. It can be monitored in a standardised manner, with the already mentioned average Watch Time. In addition, it would make sense to take a close look at the detailed history of individual videos. On our example, it is noticeable that approximately 50% of users have ended the video in the first 30 seconds. Is this process normal compared to other videos? Is the introduction simply too boring? Is the video quality worse than usual? Often, a big percentage of people typically leave long before the video actually ends, so you might want to consider what made them stop watching.
Performance IndicatorsA detailed Audience Retention analysis of your individual videos will help keep your viewers interested in your content, while you will have a chance to identify potential issues.
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Video Engagement
How do viewers react to my videos?Like other social media channels, Engagement is one of the main focus when analysing YouTube videos. YouTube metrics that perfectly show what kind of Engagement have you received are Likes, Dislikes, Comments, and Shares. It demonstrates if people like your content, and if you target the right audience with the right videos. which helps you, in the end, to become more popular. Dislikes is a distinct feature that can tell you how many people didn’t like what you posted, and although it’s a good Engagement metric, if the number is high, you might want to consider why you gained those negative reactions (or you actually planned to). Analysing reactions will tell you more about your audience and what relationships you have with them.
Performance IndicatorsDetermine what kind of reactions your videos are attracting, perform an analysis of your metrics and adjust to your audience needs.
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Number of Subscribers
How many subscribers have I gained or lost?The subscribers’ amount will show you how many people are following your channel regularly. But do keep in mind the platform’s permissions to list subscribers or not. That means that subscribers who have made their subscription public will be shown in your analysis. You can get an overview of the total amount of subscribers, gained and lost, in a simple visual, which will determine how your statistics is performing over a set period. Comparing these 2 YouTube KPI examples will help you get an interactive insight, which you can then additionally analyse with other indicators and perform conclusions.
Performance IndicatorsEstablish your goal of how many subscribers you want to expand over a specific period and track how many you have gained and lost. That way you can tailor your content to meet your audience’s needs.
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Daily Active Users (DAU)
How many people are watching daily?When you start building your YouTube channel, one of the main points to consider is the Views number you want to achieve per day. Daily Active Users are important to follow since they are your most trustworthy fans. Your goal is, of course, to increase those numbers as DAU is one of the most important numbers you have to track for your YouTube strategy. With datapine, you can see those metrics in a neat overview that will show you, also, how you perform on a specific weekday. You should track those weekdays because that is the way to understand when the best time to post your videos actually is, and reach the best possible result for your channel.
Performance IndicatorsLook for the Average views per day and Active users that will show you how your channel is perceived on a daily level.
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Traffic Source
Where does my Traffic come from?In what ways do YouTube users find your content is a great starting point to learn your Traffic sources: YouTube Search, YouTube Suggested Video, External Sources, Direct Traffic, YouTube Channel Pages or YouTube Browse Features. The Average Watch Duration, shown in this example, will tell you more on how well your videos are received. Additionally, it would make sense to tackle deeper into your Traffic since you can find out what was the exact Search query or Social media channel that convinced people to visit your channel. Some sources, like YouTube Search, have a higher click-through-rate than the Home source (from the Browse Features), because the Search viewers have a greater intent to watch.
Performance IndicatorsPerforming an analysis of your Traffic will show you details about the specific sources your channel has gained over a period of time. Use that wisely to analyse additional indicators and increase your YouTube popularity.
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Subscribers’ Demographics
Where do my subscribers come from?Becoming familiar with your YouTube audience is of paramount importance when you analyse your channel and strategy. An important indicator to consider is the Device metric (since you need to think about production costs of modifying videos for other means of broadcasting), Age metric (to consider the differences between Millennials or Seniors, for example), and Gender (to adequately adjust the styling of the video). You can also use these statistics to validate your original target audience (as you usually think of your audience long before you create the first video). If the audience is different than you thought it would be, analyse the reasons. With datapine, it can be done with just a few clicks.
Performance IndicatorsIdentify your audience demographics so that you can tailor your videos specifically to your targets.
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Top 5 Videos by Views
What kind of videos resonates the best?Your Top 5 videos by Views (and Engagement) will tell you where your highest success has been made. By leveraging the data of your most popular videos, you can easily spot what kind of content suits your audience best. That means that the higher the number of Views, Comments, Likes, and Dislikes will show you how to repeat your accomplishments for future video postings. It would make sense to go deeper into the analysis and see the time your video was posted and additionally the demographics, since you want to know which kind of audience reacts the most and when is the best time to post your content.
Performance IndicatorsDefine the highest number of views and reactions and use these findings for reference when creating your next videos.
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