YouTube Channel Not Growing? Here’s What You REALLY Need to Improve for Better Results

Jul 10

When your YouTube channel isn’t growing (or let’s be real…when it feels like it’s growing at a snail’s pace), it can be hard to find the motivation to stay consistent.

You think, “What’s the point?” You don’t want to put in all that time and effort for nothing. If you’re going to do this YouTube thing, you want to see RESULTS, right?

I’ll let you in on a little secret — if you REALLY want to grow your YouTube channel in 2024, you need to keep up with your analytics. Because what’s going on in the backend will give you the insight you need to know why you aren’t growing.

And lucky for you, in this post, I’m showing you four different stats to take note of so you can start seeing those results! Let’s get to it!

#1: Grow your channel by making the algorithm happy

I know — everything is about making the algorithm happy. However, YouTube is unlike other platforms because it’s more of a “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” situation. When you work with the algo, it’ll push your content to more people. Heck yeah!

How do you go about doing this?

When you post a video, YouTube takes in all the information about it — the title, thumbnail, description box, tags, and even what you’re saying IN the video to understand what it’s about. Then, it pushes your videos to people it thinks will want to watch them.

Then, it scans all of YouTube to find other, similar videos and groups you into a category. What this does is help YouTube know where to send your content, and if done right, helps your content reach EVEN MORE of the right people.

Basically, don’t skimp out on this providing YouTube with this information. The algo can’t tell where to group your video without it. I know it feels like an extra step in an already tedious process, but it’s something that’s going to PAY OFF in the end!

Not sure how to categorize your videos?

If you want to know where you fall in YouTube categories, there’s a quick step you can do to figure it out.

Go into your suggested videos under traffic sources and take a long look at that list. These are the videos that YouTube is categorizing you into — does it match where you want to be? Does it align with the type of content you want to create?

This is mission-critical for any YouTube channel! You need to take the time to understand how the algorithm perceives your content and how you can course correct if it doesn’t align.

If you aren’t happy with what you find, try neighbor niching! Basically, you’re researching to see who’s creating similar content, what an audience like yours is watching, and how YouTube is categorizing them.

Want to learn more about neighbor niching? Watch the video here!

#2: Grow your channel by getting clear on your content strategy

Maybe you do some digging around and don’t like what you see. What then? How do you fix the problem?

Look at your content strategy. Are the topics of your video clear? Do they have a title, thumbnail, and all the metadata included? Do the videos all feed into each other to be easily binged and fit within your content pillars?

If you’re creating content all over the place — maybe doing a makeup routine, then a cooking video, then a planning video — YouTube is going to be CONFUSED! And so is your audience. So make sure you’re clear on WHAT you’re talking about, too.

#3: Grow your channel by paying attention to audience retention graphs

One of the best ways to improve your YouTube analytics is by looking at audience retention graphs because the numbers don’t lie. This is where you go if you want to see how your content is really performing.

Here’s what I take as red flags when looking at these graphs:

Retention is dropping off during the first 30 seconds of the video
Retention continues to drop after the hook
You’re taking too long to get to the meat and potatoes of your content
Your thumbnail and the content inside the video don’t line up

If you see any of this, it’s a good indication you aren’t grabbing your audience’s attention. Every channel is different, so you’ll have to dig deep into your own channel to figure out what’s going on.

Maybe you need to create catchier hooks. Or get to your content faster. Maybe your thumbnails need to be revisited. But one thing’s for sure — looking at these graphs is KEY for understanding where you need to improve!

#4: Grow your channel by looking at your audience tab

There are two things in particular you need to note under your audience tab: new viewers and watch time from subscribers.

New viewers will show you IF you are funneling in new people to your channel. If that’s declining or even plateauing, you may need to start testing new content ideas or different topics.

(Hard truth: if you aren’t reaching NEW people, your channel will eventually start to die off.)

Watch Time From Subscribers will show you how much of your watch time is coming from people who already subscribe to your channel. If that’s zero, then Houston, we have a problem!

This means people are coming to watch a video and peacing out. Usually, this happens because too much of your content is focused on how-tos and tutorials. Your subscribers already have watched that, and they want more, but they aren’t getting it.

The fix? Create a bingeable series.

The first video in your series should be wide (like the top of a funnel), and each one after that should be a continuation with more in-depth content. This all comes together to take them on a “journey” where they want to keep watching to get all the answers and warm them up as leads.

And yes, it also makes the algo happy because when viewers are watching back-to-back videos they stay on the platform longer, which YouTube loves. Truly a win-win situation here!

Need help analyzing your channel?

I get that this can seem confusing, and trying to figure out what it means for your channel feels like a huge overhaul. But you know that YouTube is the place to be. And more than that, you want to use it as the lead generator you know it can be!

That’s why I work one-on-one and dive into these problems with my YouTube coaching clients. So people can still get the insights they need without the overwhelm of figuring it out on their own.

Does this sound like something you’d need? If you want my team and I to take a look at your channel, and get the support you need, apply for the YouTube Coaching Experience here!

(Psssst…we only have a few spots left! Don’t wait too long 😉)