How YouTube Analytics Can Help Even a Brand-New Channel
When someone starts a new YouTube channel, it often feels like analytics only make sense for big creators. But that’s not true at all. In fact, right from day one you can get valuable feedback on whether you’re heading in the right direction. In this article, I’ll show you how to use YouTube analytics even if your channel is literally just a few days old.
Why Suggested Videos Are the Key
The first analytic you should pay attention to is Suggested videos. This is an early indicator of whether YouTube’s algorithm is classifying your content correctly for the audience you want.
Even on a brand-new channel (with only 129 views, 10 subscribers, and 2.6 hours of watch time), you may already see that 50% of the traffic comes from suggested videos. That means YouTube is recommending your content alongside other videos on the platform.
And here’s the crucial part: if the suggested list contains the very channels and videos you intended to target, that’s a powerful confirmation. It shows that YouTube understands exactly which audience you want to reach.
The Importance of Niche Auditing
For example, with one of my clients, we both independently created a list of competitor channels that had the audience we wanted. When we later looked at the suggested videos, we found that YouTube was already associating the new content with those exact channels.
This didn’t happen by accident. We deliberately crafted the titles, thumbnails, descriptions, and video topics to align with that audience. As a result, the algorithm quickly made the connection.
What You Can Learn from This
If at least 70% of the suggested videos don’t match the audience you’re trying to attract, something is off. In that case, you should adjust:
- Your video titles and thumbnails
- The first lines of your descriptions
- And even the video content itself
The key is to make it absolutely clear who the video is for and what it’s about.
The “Most Replayed” Graph
Another powerful analytic is the Most replayed graph. This shows where viewers are rewinding or skipping ahead. It highlights the parts of your video they find most engaging or valuable.
You can also use this on competitor videos to see which sections resonate most with their audiences. That’s a treasure trove of insights you can apply to your own content.
New vs Returning Viewers
On the Audience tab, you’ll find the ratio of new to returning viewers. This is crucial for understanding your channel’s growth.
- If returning viewers are low, encourage people to watch more of your videos and guide them toward the next piece of content.
- If new viewers are low, try fresh ideas to expand your reach.
YouTube’s overall audience keeps growing. New viewers are constantly arriving — your job is to make sure they discover your content.
Conclusion
YouTube analytics are not just for large channels. From the very beginning, they can show you how the platform sees your content and who it’s serving it to. By focusing on suggested videos, replay patterns, and your viewer ratios, you can grow your channel with much more intention and clarity.
The real key to success is this: understand the data, and turn it into your advantage
