YouTube analytics basics

You can use analytics to better understand your video and channel performance with key metrics and reports in YouTube Studio. 

Get to YouTube analytics

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. From the left menu, select Analytics.

You can also view various reports at the video level:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. From the left menu, select Content.
3. Point to your video and select Analytics . You can also view your latest video performance from the channel dashboard. Click a video title or thumbnail.

Note: You can click SEE MORE or ADVANCED MODE to view an expanded analytics report to get specific data, compare performance, and export data.Within YouTube analytics, you’ll see different tabs that help you understand your data.

Overview

The Overview tab shows you a summary of how your channel and videos are performing. The key metrics card shows your views, watch time, subscribers, and estimated revenue (If you’re in the YouTube Partner Program).

In this tab you’ll also see reports for:

• Typical performance: A comparison to your latest video to your channel’s typical performance.
• Top videos: Your recent videos ranked by views.
• Realtime: Your performance over the last 48 hours or 60 minutes.
• Latest videos: Your performance from your 10 latest videos.
• Stories: Your performance over the last 7 days from your latest Stories.

*At the video level, you’ll see key moments for audience retention and your Realtime report.

Reach

The Reach tab gives you a summary of how your audience is discovering your channel. The key metrics card shows your impressions, impressions click-through-rate, views, and unique viewers.In this tab you’ll also see reports for:

• Traffic source types: How viewers found your content.
• External: Traffic from websites and apps that embed or link to videos from your channel.
• Suggested videos: Traffic from suggestions that appear next to or after other videos and from links in video descriptions.These videos could be your own videos or someone else’s.
• Impressions and how they led to watch time: how many times your video’s thumbnails were shown to viewers on YouTube (Impressions), how frequently those thumbnails resulted in a view (Click-through rate), and how those views ultimately led to watch time.
• Playlists: Traffic from the most-watched playlists that include your videos.
• YouTube search: Traffic from search terms that brought viewers to your content.

Engagement

The Engagement tab gives you a summary of how long your audience is watching your videos. The key metrics card shows your watch time and average view duration.In this tab you’ll also see reports for:

• Top videos: Videos with the most watch time over the last 28 days.
• Top playlists: Playlists with the most watch time over the last 28 days.
• Top videos by end screen: Your channel’s most effective end screens over the last 28 days.
• Top end screen element types: Your channel’s most effective end screen element types over the last 28 days.
• Top posts: Your top Community posts over the last 28 days.

*At the video level, you’ll see reports for audience retention, likes (vs. dislikes), and end screen element click rate.

Audience

The Audience tab gives you a summary of the sort of viewers watching your videos. The key metrics card shows your returning & new viewers, unique viewers, subscribers, and total members.In this tab you’ll also see reports for:

• When your viewers are on YouTube: Your audience’s online activity across your channel and all of YouTube. Data is based on your viewers across all devices in the last 28 days.
• Subscriber bell notifications: How many of your subscribers get all notifications from your channel. The tab also shows and how many can actually get those notifications, based on their YouTube and device settings.
• Watch time from subscribers: Your audience’s watch time divided between non-subscribers and subscribers.
• Age and gender: Your audience by age and gender. Data is based on signed in viewers across all devices.
• Other channels your audience watches: Your audience’s online activity across other channels on YouTube. Data is based on your viewers across all devices in the last 28 days.
• Other videos your audience watched: Your audience’s online activity outside of your channel. Data is based on your viewers across all devices in the last 7 days.
• Top geographies: Your audience by geography. Data is based on IP address.
• Top subtitle/CC languages: Your audience by subtitled language. Data is based on use of subtitles/CC.

*At the video level, you’ll see reports for watch time from subscribers, top geographies, top subtitle/CC languages, and age and gender.

Revenue

If you’re in the YouTube Partner Program, the Revenue tab helps you track your earnings on YouTube. The key metrics card shows your estimated revenue, RPM, and playback-based CPM.In this tab you’ll also see reports for:

• Monthly estimated revenue: How much your channel has earned in the last 6 months. For ongoing months and months without finalized payments, revenue is estimated and subject to change.
• Revenue sources: How you’re making money with YouTube.
• Transaction revenue: Estimated net revenue from transactions, such as paid content and Super Chat. The estimate includes deducted partner charged refunds for the selected date range and area.
• Top-earning videos: Videos with the highest estimated revenue for the time period.
• Ad types: The format of the ad and its buying platform. This breakdown is only available for YouTube ad revenue and impression-based metrics.

*At the video level, you’ll see reports for revenue sources, transaction revenue, and ad types.