All About YouTube – The Ultimate Guide (SEO, Facts, Stats)

Intro

YouTube is a video-sharing platform that allows users to create, upload, and watch videos. It is one of the most popular and biggest platforms on the Internet. It is estimated that YouTube visitors watch around 6 billion hours of video every month. In fact, YouTube is the second biggest search engine in the world, next to Google.

Apart from being an excellent source of entertainment, many people use YouTube to find videos answering their queries, doubts, and questions. In addition, YouTube pays its creators for the amount of traffic their videos receive.

If you’re thinking about starting a YouTube channel in 2022 and hoping to make money on this platform, it is worth knowing as much as you can about this platform. To help you gain a deeper overview of what YouTube is and how to make the most of the platform, in this guide, we will share with you the most important YouTube tips and facts, as well as some YouTube stats that you need to know.

What Is YouTube?

YouTube is an American web-video-sharing site headquartered in San Bruno, California. The service, launched in February 2005 by Steve Chen and Jawed Karim, was bought by Google in October 2006 for US$1.65billion.

Since its release, YouTube has become one of the biggest search engines on the Internet, receiving billions of viewers every day. Of course, it is used by people worldwide in a multitude of ways, from entertainment to marketing to social interaction.

In short, YouTube is an online video-sharing platform used by billions of users worldwide to publish and watch videos and engage with creators.

Why People Use YouTube

One reason why YouTube is so popular is the number of videos one gets from using the application. On average, 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, meaning there is always something new for people to watch.

The diversity of content also makes it appealing. From funny science lessons, quick fashion tips, quirky cooking demos to adorable cats, and a lot more content. Another reason has got to do with user-generated content.

Instead of videos from major TV networks and movie studios, one can find unique and creative videos made by people just like you. Users can record and share their videos and become part of the community.

Also, one does not need a considerable budget making it cost-effective and appropriate in creating videos of lectures, demonstrations, efficiency, and minimal video equipment. People use it to reach a wider audience as it is one of the most popular video audiences.

Texts are more clearly understood when a video accompanies them, making YouTube popular to many.

What is the Main Purpose of YouTube?

Millions of users worldwide have created accounts to upload videos that anyone can watch. But what is the primary purpose of YouTube?

Share Your Opinion And Experience

Sharing your opinion and posting your review about a product, a service, a tour agency, and more is one of the main purposes of YouTube.

Content creators make videos to document their daily lives, to give advice on something they have experience in, and this is why everyone will always be able to find what they look for on YouTube.

Drive Traffic To Your Website

Whether you are a website owner or have your own company, posting videos and advertising them on YouTube is an excellent way to drive more traffic to it.

People can find you, YouTube can recommend your videos, you can be featured on other channels. All these options will be beneficial to your website and your ranking on Google.

Adding videos on top of your website will also increase your viewers' trust in you, showing you’re an expert in the field.

Make Money Creating Content

Extra cash is always welcome. Whether it comes from sales, affiliate marketing, or Google AdSense, there are several ways to make money on YouTube.

Simply put, the more effort you put into it, the more successful you get and the more money you’ll eventually make.

How to Make Money on YouTube

Initially, making money from YouTube used to be as simple as uploading great content, gathering millions of views, and earning a share of advertising revenues. Now, creators have several ways to monetize their videos. Some strategies include a paid promotion and require an advertising budget. However, there are many ways that creators can use to make money on YouTube without spending a penny.

Let’s go over the most common ways to make money on YouTube.

Google AdSense

It is the first step to start making money on YouTube. To earn money through Google AdSense, you first need to join the YouTube Partner program. However, only creators with 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours can apply for the YouTube Partner Program.

Brand Sponsorship

One of the lucrative forms of advertising is brand sponsorship. This means that a business would pay a video creator to promote its brand, services, or products in a video. It will help push a business proposal ahead and acquire new potential customers.

For example, if a tech blogger has a broad audience on YouTube, international brands will contact him to advertise a product in exchange for money or freebies.

Fan Funding

A more recent way to earn money on YouTube is through channel memberships. Fans and followers make recurring monthly payments in exchange for bonus content such as badges, emojis, unique videos, live chats, and other content.

Content creators who have at least 1000 subscribers and are part of the YouTube Partner Program can enable this option and start receiving money from their fans.

Of course, you’ll need to put in some extra work and provide discounts to your subscribers, get them to chat with you, and more.

Other than that, third-party services such as Patreon also help video creators to monetize their fan base via monthly memberships.

Affiliate Marketing

YouTube creators can also make money through affiliate marketing. This essentially means partnering with brands and advertising their products or service on your channel.

If your fanbase buys anything using your link, you’ll receive a commission out of that sale. Commissions depend on the brand and can go as low as 0,5% to as much as 15%.

Important Facts About YouTube

From being one of the biggest social media platforms to hosting the biggest shows and more, YouTube is one of a kind when it comes to popularity. So let’s go into more details and see the facts.

Google Bought YouTube in 2006 For An Amount Of $1.65 Billion.

Only one year after being created, Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion, which was, and still is, an impressive milestone to remember.

Both owners, Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, made between $100 and $200 million each out of that sale.

2 Billion Users Log In To YouTube Monthly

(Image source: hootsuite.com)

YouTube is a continuously growing platform, no surprise there. Though, the amount of logged-in users every month is still incredibly massive.

The State of Digital 2020 from Hootsuite revealed that, as of January 2020, 2 billion users log in every month on the platform. Of course, we can only expect this number to grow over time.

YouTube’s Most Viewed Videos Are Songs

The State of Digital 2020 by Hootsuite mentioned previously came up with an analysis of the most viewed videos on YouTube. As of January 2020, the four most-viewed videos on YouTube were as follows:

1. Luis Fonsi Feat. Daddy Yankee - Despacito (6.6 billion views)
2. Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You(4.5 billion views)
3. Wiz Khalida Feat Charlie Puth - See You Again (4.3 billion views)
4. Pink Fong! - Baby Shark (4.3 billion views)

It is important to notice the difference in style between these top 4 songs - Reggaeton, Pop, Rap, and Kid’s music. This difference is proof that YouTube is accessible by anyone and there’s something for everyone.

YouTube Is The 2nd Most Visited Website On The Internet

YouTube is a far more advanced platform than its competitors, Apple TV, Netflix, or even competitors such as Vimeo. Of course, all offer different shows and categories, but YouTube has something for every individual.

According to a report by Alexa, YouTube is the second most popular social media in the world, right after Facebook.

YouTube Is Considered The Second Biggest Search On The Internet

As far as search engines go, Google is the first by far. However, YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world, and for good reasons.

Content creators helped build YouTube and become what it is today. There are product reviews, nomads traveling all around the world, professional guiding beginners, and much more.

That is to say, if you’re looking to advertise your business, doing so on YouTube is the answer.

Significant Stats About YouTube

Real numbers and percentages about YouTube are good to know, but what about the statistics? Let’s go through the most notable and remarkable stats about YouTube you should know.

Nearly 15% Of YouTube Traffic Is From The United States

Out of 1 billion daily views on YouTube, 15% come from the United States.

(Image source: hootsuite.com)

Besides being an incredible number, it’s also good news for content creators. In fact, the USA is the 2nd highest-paying country on CPC Google AdSense. So, the more viewers you have from America, the more you’ll get paid.

70% Of Views Come From YouTube’s Recommendation Algorithm

(Image source: hootsuite.com)

That is correct. 70% of views on YouTube are from its recommendation algorithm. This is the reason why you’ll hear content creators pushing so hard to get more subscribers.

The more subscribers a channel has, the more recommended it will be, and the higher number of views it will receive.

73% Of Adults Use YouTube Daily

A total of 73% of adults use YouTube around the world. More specifically, Pew Research revealed that 78% of men and 68% of women use the platform.

Channels Earning 6 Figures A Year On YouTube Grows By 40% Every Year

An excellent advantage of YouTube is that everyone can make money if they work hard for it. Every year, channels that earn six figures grow by 40%.

This doesn’t only mean that everyone can earn a living, but also that the more videos you’ll publish, the more money you’re going to make.

Content Creators With 500k+ Subscribers Charge On Average $3857 Per Video.

Influencers on YouTube earn money with affiliate marketing and Google AdSense, as well as by appearing on other videos or advertisements.

According to eMarketer, on average, in March 2019, influencers earned $3857 per YouTube video.

Best Way to Optimize your YouTube Channel

To be a proficient YouTube content creator, you must optimize your YouTube Channel. It will make your business channel search-friendly for both in-app users and users who arrive through regular search engines. The following are top ways to optimize your channel;

Include a keyword in your YouTube channel name.

Your keyword should be your industry, service, product, or term that helps define your brand and enable searchers to find you.

Feed Your About Section An Appealing Description Rich In Keywords

The “About” page is an excellent opportunity to describe what your channel is about, the types of videos you produce, and the value you provide to subscribers.

Make sure to write keywords related to the content you produce, and you will eventually be able to get discovered by new leads and viewers.

Optimize Your Channel Tags

A powerful optimization for your YouTube channel is to use the right channel tags. The tags serve the same function on your website as they do on your YouTube channel and, therefore, will get you visibility and more leads.

Update Your Channel Trailer

Trailers are an introduction to your visuals About Us. However, channel trailers are only available to non-subscribers and are usually about 30-60 seconds in length.

Publish Longer Videos

The best way to keep viewers is by producing long videos that strategically disperse valuable information throughout the entire video and, therefore, maximize your chances to get recommended.

Focus On The First 15 Seconds Of The Video To Maximize Viewer Retention

The first 15 seconds are usually crucial as viewers decide whether to watch your content or not during this specific duration.

Conclusion

YouTube is one of the biggest social media and one of the most significant sources of information on the internet.

The wide range of content and ease of use has made YouTube one of the most popular digital social platforms.

To conclude, if you’re looking to improve and maximize your marketing strategy, make money online, and share your experience with the world, there’s simply no better place than YouTube.