Quickie update on how the channel is doing, for those who are interested. There's been a lot of weighing up of how things are progressing at this end lately, which all factors into how much time I can spend creating content for the channel. The really good news is that I'm seeing a lot of very positive developments recently that indicate the channel is proving a worthwhile endeavour.
I figure it might be worth re-posting some info I put up on the channel's Facebook page a few weeks back, though. A few folks have asked me of late how they can best support the channel, and to that end, I figure it's a good idea to share some insights about how Youtube works.
Somebody recently told me that they click on my videos and watch them for a few seconds even if they don't have time to watch the whole thing. Somebody else told me that they sometimes put one of my videos on a loop to run on their tablet while they were doing their housework. I really appreciate that this comes from a place of wanting to help out... but PLEASE don't do this! It hurts my channel!
I'll explain why:
Youtube actually uses data pertaining to the percentage of a video that gets watched each time to determine where that video will appear in search rankings. So, watching half of a video doesn't benefit it as much as watching the whole thing. It's not the only factor Youtube considers, but I'm reliably told it's a big one.
Looping videos over and over is also - according to Youtube support - likely to see the views categorised as 'low quality views'. They may even be removed from the video's stats. And that can lead to them being pushed down in search rankings. It's also really demoralising to see a video abruptly lose a half dozen views.
You may wonder why search rankings are a big deal. Well, it's because a video that places higher in these is more visible, and therefore more likely to attract fresh views from other folks browsing the site. I'm always aiming to get my material onto the first page in Youtube's search results. Many folks won't bother looking further than that. Some won't look any further than the top five results.
As I say, I get that folks who have done this have done it with the best intentions. But there are better ways to help if you really want to. Most of all, I just want folks to enjoy the reviews. But sharing a video on social media always helps. As does whitelisting the channel in your ad blocker. My ad revenue is steadily increasing as folks cotton on to the fact that they can do that. An unfortunate reality is that I can't keep making these videos without funding the venture somehow, and as time passes and the channel (hopefully) continues to grow, that will only become a greater concern. I have some ideas there, but until my subscriber base increases SUBSTANTIALLY, it's not worth putting those into action.
Cheers to EVERYBODY who already supports the channel, watches my reviews and engages with them - either here or over on Youtube. Here's hoing the tribe increases. But for now, know that I appreciate you all very much!