did you know that watch time is the
highest ranking factor on YouTube in
this video I explain what the YouTube
what time algorithm is share watch time
optimization tips and show you how to
track your watch time hi my name is
Herman Drost from drostdesigns.com if
this is your first time here hit the
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channel is all about how to grow your
audience on YouTube and generate traffic
leads and sales on autopilot so what
exactly is watch time watch time is the
amount of time a viewer spends watching
your video this means if your content
sucks your viewer is not going to keep
watching your video here's what YouTube
says "we use watch time as a metric in
our algorithm for suggesting videos the
algorithm prioritizes videos that lead
to overall longer watch time or viewing
sessions rather than videos that get
more clicks if viewers watch your videos
beyond the first click those videos are
likely to be suggested more often."
translated this means more videos will
be suggested to your viewers the longer
they watch your videos for example a
short video may receive a ton of clicks
but if they abandon your video after a
few seconds then it's not going to rank
well your content must relate to the
keyword phrase they entered into the
search engines how do you optimize your
videos to increase watch time number one
create a compelling title create a title
that matches the keyword phrase that
people are typing into the search
engines if you're in a very competitive
niche look to low competition keywords
they will be easier to rank for number
two create a descriptive thumbnail your
thumbnail determines if someone is going
to click on it make sure it's unique to
your channel so it stands out from all
the other videos listed on the page one
way to do this is to use your face in
the thumbnail because it's unique some
other things you can do to make a
thumbnail stand out is to use
contrasting colors and use large text so
that your thumbnail can be seen easily
on mobile devices avoid using too many
words in your thumbnail because it makes
it hard to read to make sure you also
check how your thumbnail displays on
mobile devices make your thumbnail
congruent with all the other thumbnails
on your channel measure the
effectiveness of your thumbnails by
looking at the audio retention reports in
YouTube analytics if you see a sharp
drop-off in the first 15 seconds that
means you're not delivering the content
that's been expected from your thumbnail
and title number 3 create a playlist add
a series of related videos to a playlist
make sure you optimize the playlist
titled description and thumbnail if you
create an official playlist YouTube will
promote it number 4
call to action use cards and end screens
to increase interaction with your
viewers number 5 tags add your keyword
phrase that you use in a title to your
tags and description use related keyword
phrases for the other tags number 6
optimize your channel home page organize
the content on your channel home page
into sections using playlists to
build long session watch times make sure
you also include a channel trailer that
encapsulates the content on your channel
number seventh video techniques use your
video editor to eliminate any
extraneous content in your video it
should be long enough to convey the
content that you want to get across to
your viewers create a compelling opening
to your video to grab your viewers
attention and use graphics cards and end
screens to increase engagement avoid
directing your viewers to click off to
other sites because it'll end your watch
time it will also decrease the retention
rate of your videos build your
subscriber base your subscribers are
your most loyal fans because they want
to watch new content that you put out
every week as soon as you upload a new
video they'll be notified by YouTube
engage with your audience interact with
your viewers by encouraging them to
leave a comment under the video make
sure you respond to the comments to keep
the interaction going how do you track
the watch time on your videos visit
youtube analytics to find out the most
successful videos that keep viewers
watching click on the watch time report
to find out which videos have the
greatest watch times and view through
rate click on the audience retention
report to see which videos have low
watch times and low view-through rates
if you see a recurring dip in the
audience retention graphs that may mean
there's a common reason why people are
abandoning your videos click on the
audience engagement reports to see which
videos are getting likes and comments
here are a few important things keep in
mind don't try to game the YouTube watch
time algorithm by making longer videos
that contain a lot of fluff this will
only cause viewers to leave and decrease
your watch times instead create videos
with compelling content that
people wish to watch deliver what you
promised in the title and the thumbnail
let me ask you a question what's the
average percentage viewed of your top
video on YouTube check your audience
retention report under YouTube analytics
then post your answer in the comments
below I'd love to read them click the
card icon to download my video upload
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