If you want to be a successful content creator, you need to be using YouTube analytics tools. Whether you like it or not, you need views to make money as a YouTuber - Want to make money via YouTube Adsense? You need to reach a certain amount of views (consistently). Want to land YouTube sponsorship deals? Average views is your best bet. So, how do you get views? Understanding what you’re audience wants and likes from your content. Easier said than done, right? Well, that’s where YouTube analytics comes in.  

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What is YouTube analytics? 

YouTube analytics provides valuable insights and data about your YouTube channel’s performance. These analytics give you a clearer picture on how your videos are performing, who your audience is, and how viewers engage with your content. 

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Why should YouTubers use YouTube analytics tools? 

1. Performance evaluation: YouTube analytics provide valuable data to assess the performance of your videos and channel. By analyzing metrics like views, watch time, and engagement, you can identify which videos are resonating with your audience and which ones need improvement. This data allows you to make informed decisions about your content strategy and focus on creating videos that have a higher chance of success.
2. YouTube demographics: Understanding your audience is crucial for a successful YouTube channel. Analytics provide demographic information such as age, gender, and location of your viewers. This knowledge helps you tailor your content to better meet their interests and preferences, ensuring higher engagement and loyalty.
3. Content optimization: YouTube analytics reveal which sources are driving traffic to your channel, such as search, suggested videos, or external websites. By identifying the most effective traffic sources, you can optimize your content and promotional efforts accordingly. This allows you to reach a wider audience and increase your channel's visibility.
4. Engagement and interaction: Metrics like likes, dislikes, comments, and shares give you insights into how viewers are engaging with your content. By monitoring these metrics, you can gauge the impact and effectiveness of your videos and encourage audience interaction. Responding to comments and engaging with your viewers fosters a sense of community and strengthens your relationship with your audience.
5. Monetization and revenue: YouTube analytics provide data on revenue-related metrics, such as estimated earnings, ad performance, and subscriber growth. By tracking these metrics, you can assess the financial performance of your channel and make adjustments to maximize your monetization potential. Understanding which videos generate higher revenue can help you focus on creating content that is both engaging and profitable.

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There are a handful of YouTube analytics tools to choose from - it can get quite overwhelming. So, here’s the top 10 YouTube analytics tools that will boost your YouTube strategy. 

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Top 10 YouTube analytics tools

1. ThoughtLeaders’ free plan

We recently introduced a free plan which enables YouTubers to get their hands on extremely interesting analytics and steer you towards the strongest SEO direction, which in turn can strengthen your YouTube strategy. With our new free plan, creators will have access to:

• Comprehensive stats and analytics: You will have key metrics, such as number of subscribers, number of views, and projected views on future videos at the tip of your fingers. As a YouTuber, these metrics will not only help you better understand your content's ability, but allow you to check out where other YouTubers stand.
• Evergreen insight: A key way to receive a consistent income through YouTube is by leaning towards evergreen content. With the help of our evergreen score, creators can clearly gauge the evergreen-ness of their content (and share this interesting stat while negotiating YouTube sponsorships). Although the evergreen score is not included in the free plan, users can check out a channels back catalogue views (or simply sign up for the full plan!)
• Keyword search: Running out of content ideas? Finding it hard to keep up with trends? Our keyword search can help creators in any and every category discover trending topics and unlock strategic opportunities by searching for specific keywords. These keywords can be general or uber specific to your niche.

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2. YouTube Analytics

YouTube Analytics is the official analytics platform provided by YouTube itself. It offers a wide range of features to monitor your channel's performance, including views, watch time, audience demographics, traffic sources, engagement metrics, and revenue information. This platform also reveals when your audience is active on YouTube, what other channels they are interested in, and you can explore what keywords your viewers are searching. The platform is free to use and is directly integrated into your YouTube account. 

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The pros of YouTube Analytics include its comprehensive set of data, real-time insights, and seamless integration with your channel. However, some users find the interface overwhelming, and it lacks some advanced features compared to third-party tools.

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3. TubeBuddy

TubeBuddy is a popular YouTube analytics and productivity tool. It provides a variety of features to enhance your YouTube channel's performance, including keyword research, competitor analysis, video SEO optimization, and bulk editing. TubeBuddy offers both free and premium plans, with pricing starting at $9/month. 

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The pros of TubeBuddy include its user-friendly interface, extensive feature set, and helpful browser extensions. However, the free version has limited functionality, and some advanced features require a higher-priced subscription.

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4. VidIQ

VidIQ is an online education website that offers video tutorials, as well as, analytics on YouTube channel growth. VidIQ’s YouTube analytics tools offers features like keyword research, competitor analysis, video SEO recommendations, and performance tracking. VidIQ provides both free and premium plans, with pricing starting at $7.50/month. 

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The pros of VidIQ include its robust analytics, user-friendly interface, and valuable insights for growing your channel. However, some users find the pricing a bit high, and certain features may be overwhelming for beginners.

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5. Tubular Labs

Tubular Labs is an enterprise-level analytics platform that focuses on in-depth YouTube and video intelligence. It offers features like audience insights, content performance tracking, influencer identification, and competitive analysis. One of Tubular Lab’s most interesting features is its ‘Audience Also Watches’ tool, which allows creators to understand what kind of videos their audience likes to watch. This can not only help YouTubers better understand their viewers watching patterns, but help them come up with new ideas for content. 

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The pros of Tubular Labs include its advanced analytics capabilities, powerful data visualization, and comprehensive reporting. However, it is more suitable for larger brands and agencies due to its high pricing and complex features.

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6. Unbox Social

Unbox Social is a social media analytics tool that includes YouTube analytics among its features. It provides data on video performance, audience engagement, and channel growth. Unbox Social offers a 14-day free trial and then the pricing starts from $9/month. 

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The pros of Unbox Social include its comprehensive social media analytics across multiple platforms - this tool monitors activity from Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and of course, YouTube. It also has a user-friendly interface and customizable reports. However, as it is not exclusively focused on YouTube, some users may find it lacking in certain YouTube-specific features compared to dedicated YouTube analytics tools.

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7. ChannelMeter

ChannelMeter is a social media analytics platform that offers insights into various platforms, including YouTube. It is specifically designed for content creators and marketers. It provides analytics on video performance, audience engagement, and channel growth. It even features detailed analytics about monetization opportunities. The platform offers customizable dashboards, competitor analysis, content recommendations, and scheduling features. ChannelMeter’s basic functionalities are free of charge and the pricing is tailored to the specific needs of each user. 

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The pros of ChannelMeter include its multi-platform analytics, advanced reporting capabilities, and the ability to track and analyze YouTube alongside other social media channels. However, the pricing may be higher compared to dedicated YouTube analytics tools.

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8. Quintly

Quintly is a social media analytics tool that provides insights and benchmarking across various social platforms, including YouTube. So, users can also monitor and analyze other social media channels, including Facebook, Linkedin, and TikTok. It offers features such as audience analysis, content performance tracking, competitive intelligence, and customizable reporting. Quintly's pricing plans start at $410/month and is based on two factors - the number of social media profiles users wish to analyze and and number of users on the platform. 

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The pros of Quintly include its comprehensive cross-platform analytics, detailed performance benchmarks, and customizable dashboards. However, its higher pricing may make it more suitable for larger brands or agencies - especially if you are only looking to monitor a single social channel.

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9. Vidooly

Vidooly is a social video analytics tool that includes YouTube analytics as part of its offering. It provides data on video performance, audience engagement, and content optimization. Vidooly offers two features that help it stand out from some of its competitors - keyword analysis and best time to upload. 

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Its keyword analysis feature helps users gain a comprehensive list of suggested keywords that relate to their content. Each keyword is accompanied by extra information including monthly search volume and competitors. This can easily help YouTubers with their SEO strategy. 

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The best time to upload tool helps content creators optimize their content for maximum viewership. With the help of data, the platform determines when is the best time to publish the content. 

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The platform offers customized pricing based on specific requirements. The pros of Vidooly include its comprehensive video analytics, competitor tracking, and content optimization recommendations. However, its pricing structure may not be as transparent as some other tools, requiring users to request a personalized quote.

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10. Unmetric

Unmetric is a social media analytics platform that covers various social networks, including YouTube. It offers features such as content performance tracking, competitor analysis, view most engaging video tags, and create customizable reports. Unmetric provides customized pricing based on specific needs and requirements. 

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The pros of Unmetric include its multi-platform analytics capabilitiesand competitor tracking. However, as it is not primarily focused on YouTube, some users may find it lacking in certain YouTube-specific features compared to dedicated YouTube analytics tools.

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Monitoring, measuring, analyzing and tracking your channels analytics is crucial if you want to upkeep a successful YouTube channel. Thankfully, there are a number of different YouTube analytics tools to choose from - the key is finding the one that works for you. Let us know if you’d like to give ThoughtLeaders’ free plan a try - it’s free, so why not?