A view on your YouTube video is a view, whether it comes from an account run by a human being or an account run by a computer.
When you decide to buy real organic YouTube views for your channel, you may come across websites that sell real views, and others that sell bot views. So, at the end of the day, what’s the difference between these two types of engagement? And which one’s superior?
To find out, let’s first look at what constitutes a real YouTube view.
What Constitutes a Real YouTube View?
A real YouTube view comes from a YouTube account that’s operated by a human being. That means that there is a real pair of eyeballs watching your video.
But that’s not all it takes to make a view. YouTube counts one every time someone watches at least 30 seconds of your video (if your video is shorter than 30 seconds, a view is counted whenever someone watches it from start to finish).
In addition, the platform counts repeat watches from the same account. That means that a single user could watch your video multiple times, and YouTube would count each time as a view.
What Constitutes a Bot YouTube View?
A bot YouTube view comes from an account that’s run by a computer program. Instead of a real person watching, it’s a code (bot) that plays your video for at least 30 seconds for the purpose of generating a view, but they lack genuine user engagement and interest.
These automated views can be used to manipulate metrics like youtube views count, but they violate YouTube’s terms of service, and the platform employs various algorithms and measures to detect and mitigate such activities.
5 Differences Between Real and Bot YouTube Views
Though bot views and real views produce the same result, there are several differences between them. Each difference is a reason in favor of buying or organically generating as many real YouTube views as possible, and shunning, removing, or blocking bots whenever you can.
Let’s break down five differences between real and bot YouTube views. By the end of this section, you’ll understand why the former can help you succeed, and why the latter can lead to your downfall.
1. YouTube Community Guidelines and Terms of Service
Real Views: Real views are completely in line with YouTube’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service, by which the platform evaluates all forms of engagement for legitimacy. It’s human beings creating accounts and watching videos that help YouTube thrive.
Bot Views: Bot views are in total violation of YouTube’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service. The fake accounts that they come from are swiftly removed as soon as they are discovered. This means that any bot views on your video, whether you bought them or not, may disappear over time and bring down your engagement metrics.
If any views are suspected to come from bot accounts, the view count for the video in question may freeze or decrease until YouTube determines if they’re legitimate. Furthermore, creators who are caught purchasing bots to artificially inflate their view counts may get their video removed; rank lower in search results; or, after multiple violations, get their channel suspended or even removed.
2. Engagement Growth
Real Views: Real views from real people stay permanently on your video. With that in mind, real views translate to authentic engagement growth for your channel.
Bot Views: Because bot views tend to drop off as YouTube finds and deletes the fake accounts that they came from, they’re an extremely unreliable source of engagement growth.
3. Duration
Real Views: Real views from real people stay on your video forever. You will rarely see any disappear, except in those rare occasions where someone deleted their account.
Bot Views: Bot views often barely last more than a few hours or a few days after they’re added to your video. This is because YouTube detects and removes them, along with the accounts they came from.
4. Conversion
Real Views: Real views have a high conversion rate potential. The real people who watch your content may subscribe to your channel, purchase a product you’re promoting, sign up for an email subscription, comment on your video, or perform any number of other actions that benefit your brand.
Bot Views: Since bot views come from bot users, which are computer programs and not human beings, there’s no chance that you will be able to convert them into your desired actions.
5. Investment Value
Real Views: Real views are worth investing money into because they look genuine, come from real and active users, are highly unlikely to drop off your video, and may lead to other types of interactions with your channel or your brand.
Bot Views: Bot views, which don’t look real, often disappear, and can get you in trouble with YouTube, are a terrible value and therefore a terrible waste of money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Bots Increase YouTube Views?
They might, but only temporarily. After a few hours or a few days, bot views disappear because YouTube has discovered and removed them.
How Can You Tell If You Purchased Bot Views?
You can tell if you purchased bot views by checking your view count. If all or most of the views you bought drop off, then you know they were from fake YouTube users.
Is It Illegal to Buy Bot YouTube Views?
It’s not illegal to buy bot YouTube views, but you will get in trouble with YouTube if they discover you tried to change your view count artificially with bots.
Conclusion
There are many differences between real and bot YouTube views, but no comparison. The simple fact is that real views are superior to bot views by every measure. That’s why if you’re going to buy YouTube views, it’s imperative that you buy real ones from real and active users, as these will provide you with the most benefits (and the most safety) overall.