How YouTube Views Are Calculated in 2024

When considering the performance of your YouTube channel and video, one of the critical factors you need to consider is the number of views. However, it can be hard to determine what is regarded as a view on YouTube. This article will provide a detailed guide on how YouTube view metrics are calculated. 

What is Considered A View on YouTube?

YouTube considers a view when both of these actions have been performed:

• A user clicks on the play button of a video.
• The video plays continuously for at least 30 seconds.

Therefore, the first thing you should realize is that when a video has a high number of views, it means people are getting attracted to the content and are clicking on it. That's unless bots generate the views. Therefore, marketers can focus on videos with many views when deciding on a content strategy.

How about repeat views? Do they count toward the total number of views? The answer is yes. No matter the number of times that a person repeats a video, they will be considered new views. While there are instances when repeat views won't count, YouTube understands that there are instances when viewers like a video to the point that they want to rewatch it. So, the platform considers repeat views as views, too.

However, after around four to five views, YouTube will stop counting repeated views from a particular device for 24 hours. After 24 hours, when the user views the video again, those will be counted as views.

Do Your Own Views Count as YouTube Views?

YouTube understands that creators need to review their videos after publishing, so there is nothing wrong with watching your own videos repeatedly. While your views are counted as views on YouTube, they are usually counted separately from others, and will not inflate the numbers. 

On the other hand, YouTube understands that some creators may want to inflate their views by repeatedly watching their videos and, therefore, doesn't count repeat views when they exceed around five in a day. Therefore, you should focus on attracting real views.

How about refreshing your views? This won't work because the YouTube system can detect and filter out repetitive views from the same device. Some of the things they look into to detect fake views are:

• Reloaded views. A situation where viewers keep reloading a page to game the YouTube system and increase views.
• Website autoplays. When a YouTube video gets set to autoplay on a site, this doesn't count as a view.
• Viruses. When YouTube detects that your video looks like malware created to harm computers, YouTube will remove it.

Why Do Video Views Get Stuck at 300 Views?

When you post a YouTube video, you will realize that the views may keep rising until they hit 300 views, where they get stuck. What's the reason for that? The fact is that YouTube tends to pause counting the views after 300 views. The goal is for their system to verify if these are actual views.

Again, 300 views is the minimum amount required for a video monetization. After this number of views, videos will appear on the YouTube homepage and the suggested videos. If you posted your video a few hours back, there is a chance that the YouTube system is still trying to process the legitimacy of the views to determine the real ones and those from bots.

How YouTube Counts Paid Ad Views Metrics

If you are using the YouTube TrueView ad system, your ad may be displayed through YouTube and on the Google ad display network. In such instances, your videos are shown in the same way as the organic views. That means:

• YouTube ads are also counted as views, but the 30-second rule applies. If you run an ad for under 30 seconds, a viewer must watch it fully. If the ad is longer than 30 seconds, users must watch it for at least 30 seconds.

If it's an in-feed video ad, YouTube counts the views when a user clicks on it, and the video starts playing.

Can You See Who Viewed Your Videos?

It's not possible to see exactly who viewed your video. However, you can learn more about your audience demographic by looking at the data from the YouTube Creator studio. Here are the steps to follow when doing that:

• Go to the YouTube Analytics tab. This tab provides some general data about your audience. It also provides some information on the general performance of your channel. You can also see your top-performing videos in this tab.
• Check the Audience tab. This will give you more information on your audience, such as the engagement frequency and the number of new and returning viewers and subscribers. This is where you will also see demographic information such as age, gender, location, and language.

Understanding the YouTube Guidelines for Views and Videos

Before implementing a YouTube marketing strategy, you must understand what YouTube requires of you. YouTube has its own set of viewer guidelines that must be adhered to. Failure to follow these guidelines will mean your video will get deleted.

As noted earlier, when a video gets a certain number of views and is within the guidelines, it is subject to being monetized. However, their policy keeps changing, and you need to keep reviewing it to ensure that you are always up to date.

How to Make Your Videos Appear on the YouTube Homepage

Optimize your videos to appear on the YouTube homepage and Suggested videos to increase your YouTube video views. This way, you will have people clicking on your videos organically.

When considering content for the YouTube homepage, the platform tries to figure out what a viewer is likely to watch. To get your content on this page, you should create binge-watchable content. Some of the places where your content can be placed are in: 

• Trending
• Recommended
• Subscription tab
• Home
• Search

The most important traffic sources for YouTube channels are YouTube Search and Suggested. To grow your YouTube channel, you must understand the specific algorithm for the above YouTube discovery algorithm methods.

The YouTube Home

You must first understand its meaning to appear on the YouTube homepage and improve your YouTube view metrics. When you visit the YouTube site or app as a user, the homepage is the first thing you will see. On this page, YouTube will display videos they think you are interested in watching.

The videos YouTube recommends for viewers' homepages are based on their interests. The platform judges this depending on what you have previously watched and the interest gathered from your Google profile. Some of the sources of YouTube data are:

• Viewer's past search history on Google and YouTube.
• Emails received on Gmail.
• Google Doc content.
• Websites you have previously visited on Google Chrome.
• Notes taken or text sent.
• Chromebook actions.
• Ads clicked on Google or YouTube.
• Videos that other people in your area are viewing.
• Content that your friends are watching.

Make Viewers Binge-watch

The most important factor affecting your ability to appear on the homepage is the period viewers view your content. YouTube is about keeping viewers on your channel. Since YouTube is in the business of selling ads, the longer people stay on the platform, the more money the app earns.

If your channel contributes to keeping people on the platform, YouTube will reward you. You must, therefore, think of a way to keep viewers on your wall longer. Besides, when viewers see several videos they like on your wall, they are more likely to subscribe.

Focus On More Videos

You cannot create five videos and expect them to appear on the YouTube homepage. It takes time for YouTube to trust your channel and videos. The more videos you have on your channel, the more topical authority you will have. 

Remember that bigger channels have the advantage of channel authority as they have already gathered thousands or millions of watch hours. However, it's also something you can do even as a small channel. First, focus on creating at least 100 videos to gain topical authority.

However, when starting small, you probably need to start by creating great content that will leave your viewers desiring more. If you can hook viewers with your content, there is a chance that YouTube will recommend your videos to them even if you only have 50 subscribers. The more quality content on your channel, the more chances there are of your channel blowing up.

Focus On Evergreen Content

Evergreen content refers to topics that don't get out of fashion for both YouTube shorts and long-form content. Therefore, it remains green for a long time. Focusing on such videos can make your channel relevant for years. That also increases your ad revenues. Besides, when you build a channel playlist with evergreen content, you can create your authority quickly.

Use Endscreen

One of the most effective ways of increasing the number of views for your videos is by using Endscreen. These thumbnails are usually located in the last 20 seconds of a video. These can be added to videos or even to playlists. A good idea would be to add videos with a high view rate or those bringing in subscribers. That way, you can add value to your channel. You can also use a call to action to ask viewers to watch your video.

Organize Videos in Playlists

Many YouTubers don't understand playlists. These aren't just a way of organizing videos. They should be videos on the same topic. Therefore, you can create video playlists according to the topic so that when viewers click on the playlist, they know what to expect in that video.

Conclusion

YouTube views are one of the most interesting yet misunderstood metrics on YouTube Studio analytics. Since it helps to increase the visibility of your videos, it's essential to understand them better. By reading our guide, it should be easy to understand your YouTube view metrics and get more YouTube subscribers.