YouTube watch time, retention and click-through rate explained
Four numbers in YouTube Studio explain most of a video's performance: impressions, click-through rate, average view duration and watch time. How they fit together.
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Monetization thresholds, watch time, Shorts and the habits that help a channel keep its viewers.
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YouTube monetization requirements: subscribers, watch hours and Shorts views
The YouTube Partner Program has two tiers. The thresholds for each, which watch hours count, and what YouTube checks before approving a channel.
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How to get more YouTube subscribers: twelve things that work
Subscribers come from viewers who expect more of the same. Twelve practical changes to your channel page, videos and publishing habits that raise the subscribe rate.
YouTube Shorts vs long videos: which to make and when
Shorts reach new viewers quickly; long videos build watch hours and loyalty. How the two differ in discovery, revenue and monetization, and how to use both.
YouTube thumbnail and title checklist
A fifteen-point checklist for YouTube thumbnails and titles: size and format, text, faces and contrast, title length, and how to test a change.
Why are my YouTube views dropping? Six causes and how to check each
Falling YouTube views come from fewer impressions, a lower click rate or shorter watch time. How to find which one in Analytics and what to change.
Is it safe to buy YouTube views? What YouTube's rules say
YouTube prohibits artificial views and can remove them. What that means in practice, what purchased views cannot do, and what to check before ordering.
When did YouTube start? A short history from 2005 to Shorts
YouTube was founded in February 2005 and bought by Google in 2006. A dated timeline of the first video, the Partner Program, Premium and Shorts.