Why isn’t anyone watching your videos on YouTube?

By: Mark

Why isn’t anyone watching your videos on YouTube?

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Why isn’t anyone watching your videos on YouTube?
by Mark Shapiro

You may have spent hours shooting and editing. Maybe it is a one off video or maybe it’s a series.

Your team at your organization, your church and/or your business all agree it looks and sounds pretty good.

Your friends and family are amazed that you are such a good film maker!

You go ahead and post it to your organization’s YouTube site.

A day goes by, a couple days, maybe a week. How come nobody is visiting and watching your video? Maybe your fellow team members have dropped by, maybe a couple of members of your company. But basically nada, nothing, how come no one is interested?

Assuming your video and audio looks and sound good, what is going wrong?

First off, think about this. Who owns YouYube? That’s right, Google. The search giant.

What does that tell you? – YouTube is not really about video – it is all about data – searchable data.

What are the top five things you need to do to get your YouTube videos seen

To get your YouTube videos seen by more people, focus on these five key areas:

Optimize for YouTube SEO: This is crucial for discoverability.

  1. Keyword Research: Identify what your audience is searching for using tools like YouTube’s autocomplete, Google Keyword Planner, or dedicated YouTube SEO tools (e.g., TubeBuddy, vidIQ).
  1. Strategic Keyword Placement: Include your target keywords in your video title (ideally at the beginning), description (especially in the first 1-2 lines), and tags.

File Names: Even before uploading, rename your video file to include your target keyword.

  • Add timestamps, closed captions, and a detailed description.
  • ✅ Why it matters: YouTube is a search engine. SEO helps your video show up in results and recommended feeds.

Create Engaging Content and Thumbnails:

  1. High-Quality Content: Produce videos that people want to watch and watch all the way through. Focus on providing value, solving problems, or entertaining your audience. “Why should I watch this video”
  1. Compelling Titles: Craft titles that grab attention and clearly communicate the video’s content, without being clickbait.

Hook Viewers in the First 15 Seconds

Start strong: Ask a question, preview what’s coming, or show the best moment upfront. BAM! Hookem Dano!

Avoid long intros or slow pacing.

✅ Why it matters: Audience retention impacts how YouTube ranks and recommends your content.

Custom Thumbnails: Design eye-catching and relevant custom thumbnails (1280×720 pixels, JPG, GIF, or PNG, max 2MB for videos) as they are the first thing viewers see and significantly impact click-through rates.

Encourage Engagement and Retention:

  • Calls to Action (CTAs): Encourage viewers to like, comment, share, and subscribe within your videos and in your descriptions.
    • Audience Interaction: Respond to comments, engage with your community, and use features like Community posts.
    • Watch Time: Focus on keeping viewers engaged throughout your video, as YouTube’s algorithm favors videos with higher watch time and audience retention. Use cards and end screens to direct viewers to other relevant content on your channel.
  • Promote Your Videos Beyond YouTube:
    • Social Media: Share your new videos regularly on your social media channels (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok) to drive external traffic.
    • Embeds and Blog Posts: Embed your YouTube videos in relevant blog posts on your website.
    • Email Lists: Feature new videos in your email newsletters.
    You got to tell the world that your video exists!
    • Online Communities: Share your content in relevant forums, Reddit communities, or Discord servers where your target audience congregates (without spamming).
  • Analyze and Adapt:
    • YouTube Analytics: Regularly review your YouTube analytics to understand what’s working and what isn’t. Pay attention to metrics like watch time, audience retention, traffic sources, and keywords that bring viewers to your videos.
    • Consistency: Maintain a consistent upload schedule to keep your audience engaged and signal to YouTube that your channel is active.
    • Experiment: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different video lengths, content formats, titles, and thumbnails to see what resonates best with your audience.

Here’s a video on getting more views on YouTube: How To Grow A YouTube Channel From 0 Subs In 2025 (Complete Guide). This video is relevant as it provides a comprehensive guide to growing a YouTube channel from scratch, including tips on getting more views

https://youtu.be/4CoBaiFkg-4?si=Ydk8nEbs-tQXXq_g.

Also check out this video –