to audit your Youtube channel for brand success

YouTube, despite what some (astonishing) business leaders still think, isn’t only cat videos or fail compilations. It’s an important tool in your arsenal.

You’re losing out if you don’t use it to its fullest potential.

A regular audit will ensure that you are getting the most out of your YouTube channel. This is how you do it.

Understanding YouTube metrics

Views, subscribers and likes are all good indicators of how well your video is performing.

If you want to dig into the details, YouTube Analytics can be a real goldmine.

This tool provides data on everything from the number of views and traffic sources, to demographics and audience information for each video and the entire channel.

Understanding these numbers will help you determine what’s working and what’s not.

Here is a list of some of the key metrics for YouTube analytics.

Views

• The total number of views a YouTube video has received. This is a good indicator of the number of people who are seeing your content.

Subscribers

• Subscribers are the people who subscribe to your YouTube channel. Subscribers will be your core audience, and they’ll likely interact with your content regularly.

Watch the time

• Total time spent by viewers on your video. This is an important metric, as YouTube’s algorithm heavily weighs the watch time of videos when ranking them.

Audience retention

• This metric will show you the average time viewers spend watching your videos. This shows that the content you are creating is relevant and engaging.

Engagement metrics (likes comments and shares)

• These metrics indicate how your viewers engage with your videos. Engagement levels that are high usually indicate your content resonates with your audience.

Metrics of visibility (impressions, CTR and CTR)

• The CTR is the number of times your video thumbnail appears on YouTube. Impressions are the number of people who click to view the video. If you have high impressions, but a low CTR, it could be that your title or thumbnail need some tweaking.

Traffic sources

• It shows you where your viewers found your videos, such as through YouTube’s suggested videos, external websites, etc. This helps you to understand the most effective marketing channels.

Demographics

• Information about your audience (e.g., age, gender, location). Knowing the demographics of your audience can help you to create more relevant and targeted content.

Top videos

• The chart shows the most popular videos based on time spent watching them. Understanding which content is most popular can help you create future content.

Playback Locations

• You can see where your viewers are viewing your videos: on YouTube, on other websites or in the YouTube mobile app. This will help you to understand your audience’s preferred method of consumption.

While all of these metrics are important, those that are most relevant to you will depend on the specific goals and strategies you have.

Have goals clearly in mind before you jump into the water.

Want to boost your subscriber base? Boost engagement? Increase traffic to your site?

Make sure your YouTube channel goals are aligned with your marketing strategy.

• Specific.
• Measurable.
• Achievable.
• Relevant.
• Time-bound.

YouTube Ranking and Visibility: 5 Important Metrics to Improve

Here are some metrics to focus on when auditing your YouTube channel in order to improve visibility and rankings:

Watch Duration (watch Time)

YouTube wants viewers to stay glued to its platform.

The longer you can keep your viewers interested, the more YouTube algorithm will reward you.

Analyze your analytics to determine which videos are attracting the most attention.

• Are they faster-paced and more engaging?
• Are they able to deliver on what the title and thumbnail promise?
• What makes them so current?

Cut back on what isn’t working and increase what works.

Audience retention

This metric is often overlooked or misunderstood by marketers.

The percentage of video content that viewers watch is called audience retention.

You have a problem if your 10-minute video loses viewers after the first two minutes.

It’s important to fix the problem that is causing your viewers to bounce.

Does it have a dull intro? Is the title misleading? You can keep your audience interested by solving the problem.

What we are looking for in the graph of audience retention for each video is a line that is relatively flat or only slowly declining.

Further investigation is required for steep drops and dips.

For the chart, navigate to YouTube Studio, Content, Select a Video, Analytics,then Scroll down to The Key Moment in Retention.

Engagement metrics (Likes and comments, Shares and Subscriptions)

YouTube considers it a positive sign when viewers engage with your content by liking, commenting on, sharing or subscribing.

Encourage interaction by encouraging viewers to like, comment, share and subscribe. Encourage viewers to subscribe, like, comment and share.

Don’t be a wallflower either. Engage with your audience by responding to their comments.

Keep it professional and positive.

Click-through Rate (CTR)

This is a measure of how many people click on your video after they have seen the thumbnail and title. This is a key indicator of the ‘packaging” of your video. Create irresistible titles, and create eye-catching thumbnails to boost your CTR. Clickbait may get you a few clicks, but it can hurt your audience retention and view duration if the video fails to deliver.

Traffic sources

You can see where you are getting your information from, whether it is YouTube, other websites, or external sources.

This will help you to tailor your strategy. You’ll need to optimize your keywords if you want viewers to find you via YouTube searches.

Look at the sites that are embedding or linking to your content and see why.

YouTube audit essentials

The real work begins now that you know what metrics to use.

You must understand your brand’s channels to make them shine. Understand what is working and what needs some love.

Now is the time to dive in and do a YouTube audit.

Here are the steps and elements that you should include in your audit.

Step 1: Look at the aesthetics of the channel

First impressions count. Look at the logo, banner and visual aesthetic of your channel.

Does it shout “your brand” or is it a whisper instead?

Make sure that everything you do is in line with the identity and vibe of your brand.

Double-check your About section. You should be able to tell your viewers what the channel is all about, when new videos will be released, and how they can contact you.

Consider it your elevator pitch.

Step 2: Explore the video library

View a variety of videos from the library. Some are old, others new. Some have high views and some low views.

Look at the channel metrics and pay attention to those focus metrics that I have mentioned. Compare the year-over-year, if possible.

You can get a sense of the quality and evolution of content over time.

• Do the videos align with the brand messaging?
• What are the needs and interests of viewers?

If not, you need to rethink your approach.

It is important to remember that your channel should feel current, relevant, and timely.

Any non-evergreen material that you may have, but is no longer relevant (looking at you “2020 SEO trends to watch out for”), could be hurting your performance.

YouTube does not allow you to upload another version of your video and retain all the statistics from the previous one. You’ll have to start over.

Step 3: Titles, thumbnails and descriptions

This is where we get to the details. Look at the thumbnails, titles and descriptions of videos.

• They are eye-catching.
• Does the video clearly explain what it is about?
• Do they use relevant keywords to optimize them?

Your thumbnail and title are like the movie poster of your video. It needs to be captivating.

You can use the description to entice viewers and search engines with more details.

Step 4: Get engaged

Watch your video engagement.

• What are the viewers’ likes, comments and shares?
• Are you responding to these comments?

Engaging your audience is not a one-way road, so take the time to engage with them.

Step 5: Compare your competitors

Look at your competitors’ activities.

• What do they do well?
• What are they not doing well?

Make your content and brand stand out by finding ways to differentiate yourself.

TubeBuddy is a great tool for analyzing your competitors and optimizing your channel.

Step 6: Review Your SEO

SEO is a must if you want to succeed on YouTube. Use relevant keywords in your video title, description, and tags.

Don’t forget about the thumbnails. They’re what viewers will see first. Make them memorable.

Playlists can also be a great way to keep your viewers interested in your channel.

YouTube SEO is an entirely separate discipline, but one that you should learn if you’re going to maximize the potential of your brand channel.

Bonus: Your YouTube Upload Checklist

You’ve completed your audit, and the videos you already have are beginning to gain some traction.

How can we avoid doing all of this again in 6 months?

Checklists for YouTube Uploads

YouTube upload checklists should include key steps for preparing, optimizing, and uploading videos to maximize visibility, engagement, and SEO benefits.

Here are the essentials.

Pre-upload

• Quality and value of content: Make sure your video offers meaningful content for your audience. It doesn’t matter if it is educational or entertaining. The video must offer something of value.
• Video Quality: For a professional look, your video should have HD (1080p resolution or higher).
• Editing : Check for editing errors, ensure smooth transitions and clear audio and that the video is paced appropriately.
• Branding : Include your brand identity such as your logo and colours.

Download

• Title Create a title that is relevant and includes your keyword.
• Description – The first two or three lines of the description are vital, so make sure to include your keyword as early as possible. Include relevant links and expand on the video’s content.
• Tags Use tags that are relevant, including keywords and related terms.
• Custom thumbnail Create an appealing and compelling thumbnail to match your video content.
• Endscreens: Use the end screens to drive subscribers, promote other videos or direct users to your site.
• Pinned Comments: Post a comment and pin it to the top of the comment section on your video. You can start the conversation instead of waiting on viewers. This method can help to increase engagement much faster.
• Closed captions : Add closed captions to your videos. The text can be searched, which improves accessibility.
• Playlists : Add your videos to relevant playlists in order to encourage prolonged viewing.
• Scheduling : Find out the best time to post your video for maximum engagement.
• Visibility Settings: Make sure your video is published or scheduled for publication at a specific time.

Post-upload

• Engagement : Engage your audience by responding in comments.
• Promotion Share your video to other social media platforms for increased visibility.

Brand metrics are important. Double down on them.

It may seem impossible to master YouTube’s nuances and succeed on the platform. Once you understand what drives your channel’s popularity, the task is not as daunting as it may seem.

It takes more than posting content to create a successful YouTube Channel. Knowing your audience is key. You also need to set clear goals and make your content engaging and easily discoverable.

It’s not just a single task to audit your aesthetics or dive deep into your video library.

With the upload checklist you can ensure that your videos are successful every time they go live.

Brand success on YouTube is all about:

• Ensure your video is professionally produced.
• Metadata that are optimized is a good thing.
• Engaging your audience.
• Promoting your content after upload.

These are all essential strategies to grow your YouTube channel, and increase your brand’s exposure.

The first time Search Engine Land published the article How you can audit your YouTube channel to ensure brand success.