7 Awesome Ways to Increase YouTube Watch Time (2023)

YouTube utilizes watch-time as a modus operandi in which it uses algorithms for suggesting videos, especially in terms of ranking. YouTube has grown tremendously and is the most visited video platform site in the world. It has become an imperative source of income for influencers, advertisers, marketers and other business-related figures.

Millions upon millions of video content is available on the YouTube platform. Everyone wishes to have at least one viral video can propel their YouTube channel to the elite level. Everyone wants to gain a higher ranking to receive the most clicks and viewership.

Only the ones who have upgraded their ranking gain that privilege. However, this is not an easy challenge. It requires strategy and work. And therein lies the question, how can you increase watch time to elevate your YouTube ranking. We will discuss that in detail in the following.

What Is YouTube Watch Time?

YouTube watch time is basically the amount of time a viewer has viewed the video. It gives you an idea as to what viewers like and what attracts them. It also gives you an insight into what they dislike if they ever refuse to click on your content again.

Increase YouTube Watch Time

First things first, do you have a YouTube channel of your own? Do you hope to gain a source of income from YouTube? Your prospects can materialize when your channel acquires at least 4,000 watch hours in one year with 1,000 subscribers. Passing these criteria will enable you to apply for the YouTube Partner Program or YPP. This paves the way for you to gain monetary support from ads.

Now the real question remains, how can YouTube watch time be increased in 2023?

You will find the answers to your question below.

• Create Quality Content Videos

YouTube was created on 14th February in 2005. It is currently the second most trafficked website in the world. 500 hours of video are uploaded on its platform every minute. The competition is naturally fierce and merciless. To crease watch time, you must upload videos that focus on standard and quality.

Content makes all the difference in this aspect. You need to empathize with their mind frame of your target demographic. You need to envision yourself according to their lens and question what kind of content would make you want to stay and watch the entire video.

The content needs to be effective, charged, and visually appealing. Once you gain an idea as to how you want to portray your videos, you will create a platform that will get you viewer traffic at a quick pace. You can also gather information from veteran YouTube rs who have ample knowledge of what makes the YouTube community tick.

• First 15 Seconds are Crucial

There are endless amounts of YouTube content being streamed and recommended. The average YouTube viewer can only give a couple of seconds to a video that passes his page. If he happens to come across a new video from your YouTube page.

Remember that he will ask himself the following questions.

Should I look into this video?

If I click on it, should I continue watching it?

These answers lie in the first 15 seconds of your video.

If your 15 seconds do not have the effect of piquing your viewer’s curiosity? He will immediately lose interest and move on to another content. The result will be them leaving your video platform. This only serves to drive down your watch time dramatically.

This is why you need to ensure that you make the initial seconds of your video interesting and engaging to the point it captures the viewer’s interest. If you can pull off this strategy, you will gain more viewers to your page, eventually rendering you with a healthy watch time.

• Expand Your Subscriber Base

Building upon your subscriber base is the most important thing you can do once you establish your own YouTube presence. The more viewers you receive, the more the subscriptions climb to your page. This growth in viewership directly propels the watch time of your videos the moment you upload them.

Growing your subscriber base can be tricky. So, use the following tactics to grow your subscriber base:

Optimize your YouTube Channel, promote your videos on social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. You will cater to a specific audience that will provide you with organic subscriber growth.

You need to generate social proof. Social proof is similar to the scale of popularity your channel has amassed. When viewers enter your channel, they will realize that you have an impressive number of subscribers. They will subscribe as well, and through that, subscribe — and these people will become your content viewers, thereby increasing your YouTube Watch time.

• Select Clickbait Titles & Thumbnails

YouTube Titles and thumbnails represent what the viewer will perceive as your content. When people are searching for videos about a specific subject matter, they will see a long list of titles and thumbnails, which will be the deciding factor if they want to view the video.

If your title is well designed, then you will get the benefits of attracting more subscribers to your channel. The same thumbnail and titles will be recommended to other viewers who are searching for the same content. This will render your content appealing to various advertisers who hope to capitalize on a growing YouTube channel.

• Focus on Audience Retention

Audience retention basically is the average percentage of a YouTube video watched by viewers. Once you upload your video, you need to keep a close eye on the audience retention report. This will enable you to increase the watch hours on YouTube. Keep focusing on the audience retention of every video you upload on your YouTube Page.

The Audience Retention report will give you an insight as to where your viewership is dropping and where it is peaking. This information allows you to make the necessary modifications to retain your audience and increase traffic.

Increasing your video’s retention rate will enable you to gain more viewers attracted to your content, thereby elevating YouTube Watch Time.

• Use Long-Tail YouTube Keywords

The usage of long-tail YouTube Keywords can benefit your subscription. The target audience will be able to drive more traffic through its usage and increase your watch time in the process. This will enable you to beat out your competitors.

There are a myriad of techniques for creating long-tail keywords for content usage. But you can acquire them in a simplistic manner which is through YouTube’s suggestion feature. Use the YouTube search bar to type in the work you know your audience is interested in. There, you will get a list of long-tail keyword ideas that you could incorporate for your own content.

You can use any form of content you want pertaining to ads, information, entertainment, etc. You will get an abundance of long-tail keyword ideas that can prove useful for the YouTube content you have built for yourself. This will eventually lead to an increase in YouTube Watch Time for your platform.

• Create Video Playlist

What if it comes to your knowledge that there is a way to increase Watch time on YouTube in more hours even though people have not watched your videos?

To elaborate further, if a viewer starts watching your video and continues to the next one on the playlist, you will still get credit for an increase in watch time. It also doesn’t matter if the videos in the playlist belong to other people. You will receive credit regardless.

Playlists usher viewers to a more gradual viewing experience which has the potential to increase your YouTube watch time. You can create different Youtube video playlists to encapsulate all your videos.

Make sure your playlist is organized in sequences. Ensure that the videos are based on relevant content. Playlists that are effective in gaining viewership have the ability to attract viewers to more of your videos in one viewing session. This enhances your visibility and advances your YouTube watch time.

If you are an avid YouTube user, you may have gotten a clear picture of how you can use watch time as a crucial metric measuring success on YouTube. The main prospect for any would-be YouTube influencer is to gain income or capital. YouTube has become a source of livelihood for many individuals and enterprises alike.

Generating revenue has allowed different generations of people to do what they love and create the content they like. The challenges associated with increasing the watch time may seem daunting. But in the end, it’s all the more worth it.