This YouTube tutorial (creator: Patrick Biddiscombe; published June 9, 2023) explains three core metrics to grow a channel: click-through rate (CTR), average viewing duration (AVD), and engagement (likes/comments/shares). It defines CTR (clicks ÷ impressions; example: 10 clicks/100 impressions = 10%), explains where to find CTR in YouTube Studio, and gives thumbnail best practices and quick fixes (swap thumbnails after a few hours). It recommends CTR goals by channel stage (new channels: ~10–15%; large channels: baseline ~3%, aim ~5%) and notes YouTube tests thumbnails among subscribers first. For AVD it shows how to benchmark and diagnose spikes/dips in the audience graph, advises hooks in the first 10–30 seconds, and contrasts AVD vs APV with a concrete example (10-minute video at 35% APV → AVD ≈ 3 minutes prioritized over a 5-minute video at 50% APV → AVD 2 minutes). For engagement it defines likes/comments/shares, warns about unusually high comment-to-like ratios (“ratioed”), and recommends CTAs (claim: CTAs can yield up to ~3× likes/comments/subscriptions). The video includes a CTA to 18 free thumbnail templates and a brief HubSpot sponsor mention.
A healthy CTR for larger channels is around 3%; aim for 5% as a target to improve.
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Feeling trapped in the YouTube analytics maze? You're not alone. Keeping up with YouTube's ever evolving rules for success can be very hard. But we've got your back with this video. So stick around as we give you three key metrics to keep an eye on, ones that will help your content perform in a world that's all about views, not just subscribers. Number one click through rate click through rate, often abbreviated as CTR, is a king of YouTube performance and is closely related to impressions. Impressions means how many times people saw the thumbnail of your video in a search list or as a recommendation. The CTR is how many people saw it and then couldn't help but click on it to find CTR. YouTube divides the number of clicks you get by the number of impressions. So say you got 10 clicks across 100 impressions, your CTR would be 10%. How, when and where your videos appear on a recommendation list is all down to YouTube's algorithm. This is super important because before you can even contemplate amping up your views, you need to entice people in. So how does the YouTube algorithm match new viewers to your content? Well, in the words of YouTube themselves, we take into account many signals including watch and search history if enabled, as well as the channels that they've subscribed to. We also consider their context such as country and time of day. The only thing is targeting that's as sophisticated as all that comes with a self esteem warning. Because if your videos repeatedly get the scroll pass treatment, you know where the problem lies. And it ain't YouTube. The more you get scrolled over, the less the algorithm will push your video. All of which makes getting a handle on your CTR seriously important. You may be watching this video right now asking yourself where the heck can I find my CTR stats? Don't worry, YouTube has made that super, super easy. Let's step in the studio YouTube studio contains all the video metrics you could ever imagine, and some you probably couldn't. While that might sound a little overwhelming to some, remember you just need to focus on a few that matter, like CTR. To find your CTR stats, log into the YouTube Studio either on your computer or on your dedicated YouTube Studio mobile app. From the left menu, select analytics and then select Content. Under the all tab you can then see impressions and how they led to watch time. Simple as that. As I mentioned, you can use the mobile app or the computer based version. I recommend the computer app. It's just a little more detailed and easier to use. But simply knowing your CTR is only half the story. Let's dig into some tips to actually improve it. Boosting your CTR and watch time is within your control and can be achieved with a few simple tweaks. To set the scene when CTR goes up, so do viewing stats. Now, let's say you've just uploaded a video. You log into YouTube Studio and see it's performing pretty badly. Once you're done crying about your scores, try this simple trick. Wait a couple of hours and change the thumbnail of your video. The best thumbnails are attention grabbing, so make sure you're following these best practices. Use high def images, use contrasting colors, turn the brightness up if you have a person in the shot. Use eye contact, keep text short and sweet, and make sure the thumbnail gives a little context about the video. Sounds too simple, right? Trust me, this kind of tweaking is exactly what separates the pros from the pretenders. Want to dig a bit deeper into how to get a better CTR? Hit up the link in the description for 18 free YouTube thumbnail templates. Don't worry, you're welcome. But now let's talk about CTR goals. Because when it comes to this, it's crucial you match them to where you are in your channel growth journey. If you're new to the YouTube world, you you won't get tons of impressions, so aim for your CTR to be higher, probably around 10 to 15%. To do this, get to know your audience and tailor your content to their interests. It's worth remembering that YouTube typically tests your video thumbnails amongst your own subscriber base first, then decides to share it more widely based on its performance. All the more reason to make sure yours is irresistible. If you're a bigger, more established player, a better goal is to incrementally increase your CTR. A healthy CTR for a larger channel is around 3%, so I suggest you aim for 5% while continuing to keep a high number of impressions. This will gain you favor with the algorithm across a big subscriber base. These increases can take your impact to a whole new level. Which brings us to our second key metric, average viewing duration. Simply put, average viewing duration, or avd, means how long the average viewer watches your video before deciding to leave. Because there's really no point in getting a great CTR only to find that viewers jump off early. Especially because if they do, the algorithm will spot that and your video will become much less likely to discover. And that's going to negatively impact your impressions. This is because YouTube isn't just looking at the lure of your current video, it's looking at the quality of each video you post as well. It's it's also worth reminding you that a good AVD or CTR doesn't rely on having a big following. This is a key part of YouTube's drive to put merit in the spotlight rather than just fan base. Now, no matter who you are and how many followers you have, if you have a killer video, it can blow up in a big way. And that opens the door to fast growth and stratospheric increases in engagement. Which leaves us with one big question. With the potential gain so big, how can you improve your AVD? Step 1 Benchmark it against your other videos Once again, YouTube Studio has your back. Here, log in and from the left menu select Content. Then point to your video and select Analytics. Then in the Overview tab, scroll to Top Content in this period and it'll show you your content ranked by views over the last 28 days. Let's say your latest video ranks number five out of your 10 videos. What can you do to get it higher in the rankings? It's time to channel your inner Columbo with your detective's eye at the ready, look for spikes and dips in your videos. A spike is a period of high interest for the audience. Maybe it's a section that they've watched multiple times, and a dip means sections that have been skipped through or not watched at all. Now look at the sections that are spiking and make sure you include more sections like this in your videos going forward. Forward. What happened in the spike could be a section with strong graphics and animations, or perhaps a concise breakdown of information. What happened in the dip? Maybe a long speech or a poorly lit static camera shot? Figure it out. Figure out what moves are hurting your abd, then fix or remove them. And if you notice you're losing viewers in the first 30 seconds of your video, make sure you're following these best practices. Share the hook for your video within the first 10 seconds and make sure you jump right into the topic within the first 30 seconds. Remember, YouTube cares more about how many minutes you regularly get people to watch a specific video for, rather than the apv, which means how far they got through that video as a percentage. For example, YouTube will prioritize a 10 minute video with a 35% APV and an AVD of three minutes over a five minute video with an APV of 50%, but an AVD of just two minutes. And that brings us to our final Metric Engagement this metric is as old as the Internet hills, but it's still hyper relevant today. What do we mean by engagement? Likes, comments, and shares These all show how much your audience actually cares about your videos and how much the topics you're covering resonate with them. YouTube Studio makes it pretty easy to keep your eyes on top of these two. To see this data, jump onto the content section, select Interactions, and then Likes, or click on Likes and Dislikes in the left hand column. Time for a quick caveat the number of comments can be deceiving. If you haven't heard of the term ratioed before, it means a video with a high ratio of comments to likes. And why is that bad? Well, in general, a stream of comments that aren't accompanied by many likes mean that your video may have caused a bit of a negative stir. So always balance comments against likes. And how can you boost your number of likes and comments? Well, this may just be the simplest fix ever. Just ask. If the end of your video doesn't have a polite nudge to like and subscribe, then you're seriously missing out. You can even take it a step further and ask your viewers for their take on the topic you're talking about. In marketing terms, we call this a call to action or a cta. And it really works. According to some studies, videos with a CTA garner up to three times the amount of likes, comments and subscriptions than videos without them. Just make sure to reply to comments quickly. Remember, the goal here is to create a buzzing hive of interactivity, and if you leave comments unanswered for days on end, your viewers will start to lose interest. And there you have it. Remember, subscribers is still an important metric, but it's not the king of metrics anymore. The days of churning out video after video after video are passe. They're gone. And now it's all about posting incredibly valuable and engaging content, however big your following is. So make sure to keep an eye on your click through, rate your average viewing duration and your engagement. Finesse what works, remove what doesn't, keep providing value and watch your numbers explode. Want to start your journey towards a better CTR right now? Check the link in the Description and get 18 free YouTube thumbnail templates to help you experiment. And of course, if you want to be the first to hear about new releases from HubSpot, don't forget to like and subscribe. Happy creating folks. Until next time, I can't find this client info.
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