The YouTube Creator Academy very recently made a comment on how videos are ranked on YouTube on the basis of views. They said that in the past a video’s rank and discovery was driven by the number of views. That is to say, the number of times a person clicked on the play button- regardless of any other metric. However, how does YouTube count views today has changed drastically.
YouTube has recognized that not all views are the same and consider equal treatment. Therefore, they have adjusted their algorithm to rank videos in order to ensure better visibility and better engagement. As a matter of fact, they have claimed that they have absolutely remove views from YouTube analytics. Today, the YouTube algorithm mostly depends on watch time.
However, if you still want to know how does YouTube count views in 2023 then here is a little insight-
How Does YouTube Count Views?
YouTube’s first priority is to make sure that all the views a video gets comes from real people and active accounts on the app. Therefore, YouTube only counts a view when it meets the following criteria-
- The user must intend to initiate the playing of the video.
- The user must also watch the video for a minimum of 30 seconds.
At the same time, you have to remember that even if a person skips through the video and the total watch time is more than 30 seconds- then the view will count as well. As far as repeated views go, they do count to a certain point but after a certain point YouTube will not consider repeated veiws- although this number has not been specified. Experts have estimated that the maximum times up to which repeated views are counted is 5 views.
Therefore, if you think that you can trick YouTube into getting you more YouTube views by getting friends and family to watch your content over and over again- then you would be mistaken. Another interesting factor to note is that there is no guideline as to how views are counted on a video that is smaller than 30 seconds. In all probability, videos that are smaller than 30 seconds are not monetized. The question of how views count on YouTube also applies to new YouTube shorts. Here’s an insight-
YouTube Shorts Fund
In the course of 2021-2022 the YouTube Shorts Fund was created for people to monetize through extremely small videos. The fund will distribute a sum of $100 million to creators of shorts in 2021 and 2022. YouTube has said that it will reach out to such creators who are able to get maximum views and engagement on their shorts. However, it has not yet been specified exactly how these views and engagement will be counted.
YouTube Views That are Not Counted
Viewers of YouTube have to be watching content in a realistic and logical manner. This means that if you have a user who seems to be randomly going from one video to the next that do not have any apparent connection with each other- then YouTube will most likely assume it’s a bot. Especially so, if the duration of the watch time is always 30 seconds. Random videos basically implies videos that are not created by a common channel or are not recommended by YouTube itself-
YouTube will also not count views from any account that seems to be leaving spam comments on videos. At the same time, YouTube does not take views into consideration for the videos that run under autostart and that are embedded within a page.
What About Live View Count on YouTube?
Of course, everyone must be familiar with the new live video features that have been incorporated in apps like Instagram and YouTube. You must be wondering if the views in a live video are also counted by YouTube as regular views. Well the answer is- yes! These views are just as valuable as the views of any prerecorded video. At the same time, both such views have to comply with all the guidelines laid down by YouTube.
YouTube has also commented that it is extremely normal when views slow down, freeze, and adjust during the time they verify the authenticity of the viewers. However, your YouTube live views might be adjusted if the accounts-
- Use multiple devices at the same time with same IP address
- Open too many windows or tabs while watching your video at the same time
- If they refresh the page before they have watched the video for more than 30 seconds.
But Why Is YouTube so Keen on Real Views?
There have been many instances in which viewers have tried to scam YouTube into thinking that they have received more views than the actual count. Since views are a prime way through which YouTube monetization occurs, YouTube has to be sure that it is distributing its money to authentic content creators. Therefore, real engagement, and real views are the only ones that count.
When Will YouTube Approve of My Video?
There is actually a concrete number after which YouTube will start to consider your video for authenticity and fame. If you are able to get 301 views or more, the YouTube team will personally look into the video and begin the process of verifying it. Although, more and more videos on YouTube are reaching this tipping point- the employees of YouTube are usually very thorough when analyzing fake and real popularity of a video.
YouTube has also commented that they keep updating the views count. Therefore, after a little while YouTube might review your video and adjust the view count in case they find some incongruity.
How Can I Calculate my YouTube Views?
There a lot of apps and websites available today which will let you analyze the number of views you have. Moreover, they will also help you determine if your account is actually ready to be monetized. One of the most popular calculators is from Social Blade which will be able to give you information about your CPM along with the estimated annual projections, monthly earnings, as well the estimated daily earnings.
Does YouTube Make Mistakes in Counting Views?
Yes, it is definitely possible that YouTube makes frequent slips in counting views since the user interface is not perfect. If you have a basic understanding of YouTube, you will come to know that YouTube itself is not very sure on how to count these views. As a matter of fact, YouTube doesn’t really know-
- What views are fake or real
- Which views are really worth taking into account
- What views they should display on your YouTube Analytics or on your YouTube Watch Page
The truth is, most of it is very carefully thought-out guesswork. How do we know this?
Well, when you have a look at YouTube search, YouTube Watch Page, and YouTube Analytics or the new Creator Studio you will find that there are a lot of irregularities in the registered number of views. Usually, the views count is different throughout different metric counters and most views are recorded on the YouTube watch page.
At the same time, YouTube also caches and calculates the search results regularly. This is done in order to create faster response time. Every time a user requests to see your video the closest YouTube server will provide the demanded video and record the increase in views in the local log. These local logs are collated after a fixed time interval after which the central log gets updated.
Also, YouTube does not show you the real time views counts. Views usually match up with those shown in the YouTube search. Even this is not always in alignment with the new YouTube Analytics tool. So clearly, YouTube is not very definite on how it should be counting views.
What to Be Careful About
There are some views that you need to be careful of, since they are directly eliminated by YouTube. These include-
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Reloaded Views
This basically refers to one single user who is constantly refreshing the video in order to increase the view count.
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Viruses
In case your video appears to be a malware- it will be deleted. That is, if YouTube suspects your video might harm other computers, servers, or the network- then the video will be deleted.
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Website Autoplay
We’ve mentioned this before as well, but here it is again as a reminder. If the video plays on autoplay mode- then the view will not be counted.
Do my Views Count on YouTube?
Yes- your views on your own video do count! However, not if you constantly reload the video. You are seen as any other user on YouTube- so your views are equally worthy of consideration.
What about Replays?
Yes, as long as the replays on the video appear natural- YouTube will count the view! If you replay the video once- it will definitely be counted as a view. However, after a certain number of reloads the replays will be considered spam.
Conclusion
In the end, we would just like to say that you might want to start counting and analyzing your views on your own as well. If you are serious about monetizing your YouTube channel and getting fame- then you should invest time into counting views. To know more about this subject, you can stay tuned to our website.
