How to Check YouTube Watch Time
YouTube now gives you the ability to see how much time you have spent watching videos on YouTube. This is called your Watch Time, or Watch Time Minutes.
A good way to increase your Watch Time is by creating engaging content that holds the viewer’s attention. This includes using compelling thumbnails and titles.
1. Go to your profile
If you’re on your smartphone, the YouTube app offers a feature that shows you how much time you have spent watching videos. It can help you set limits for yourself and keep track of your daily watch time. It can also remind you to take a break from watching videos. It’s part of YouTube’s new safety and digital well-being options that aim to balance your tech habits.
When calculating your Watch Time, YouTube takes into account the video playback speed. So if you have a video that is being watched at 2x the normal speed, the platform will record fewer hours of watching. The same goes for viewing your videos in Incognito mode or using browsers that offer privacy security features.
The best way to increase your Watch Time is by optimizing your videos. This includes making sure that your titles and thumbnails are engaging. Also, creating high-quality, relevant videos that are helpful to your audience will boost your watch time.
2. Click on “Analytics”
Watch time is a metric that YouTube uses to determine the quality of your videos. It is important because higher watch time means your videos will be recommended more often on YouTube search and in suggested video.
In addition to letting you know how long your audience is watching your videos, YouTube Analytics also tells you other important information like the average watch time for all of your videos, the number of subscribers you have, and more. Clicking “Analytics” will take you to a screen that shows you these details about your videos.
This information is crucial if you want to improve your videos and increase your viewer base. If you see a low watch time for one of your videos, you can try to increase it by using a call to action in the video’s end screen, adding chapters to your videos, or encouraging people to subscribe to your channel.
3. Click on “Time Watched”
YouTube is rolling out new tools to help users manage the time they spend watching videos. These tools include a feature that reminds you to take a break, and another that gives you the option to limit how long you can watch videos on YouTube.
You can check your YouTube watch time by clicking on your profile picture at the top of the screen, and then going to “Analytics.” From there, you can view daily and weekly averages for your YouTube watch history.
Keep in mind that watch time statistics only count views from videos that are public. If you’re trying to reach 4,000 hours, it’s important to keep in mind that watch time only counts for public content. Views from videos that are private or watched in incognito mode don’t count. Also, time spent in YouTube TV and YouTube Music does not count towards your watch time. This is because these videos are viewed in separate products from the main YouTube app.
4. Click on “Videos”
YouTube watch time is a critical metric for video marketers to monitor. It helps YouTube promote videos that are relevant to viewers and increase the number of views a video receives. It’s also important for SEO purposes, as more watch hours means a higher search engine ranking.
When it comes to increasing youtube watch time, the key is to create engaging content that keeps people watching. This is why it’s so important to tell a story in your videos and use powerful headlines to spark curiosity. It’s also crucial to create videos of varying lengths, as not everyone can watch hour-long videos on mobile devices.
Conclusion:
Keep in mind that YouTube only keeps track of your watch history when you’re signed in to your account. This means that any videos you watch through your browser in Incognito or Private mode won’t count toward your watch time. You can also clear your watch history by clicking the “X” in the top right corner of the video.