One common query among YouTube users is how the platform counts video views. Is a simple click enough, or must you watch the entire video? Does playing the same video twice on the same computer count as two views? In this article, we will provide answers to these questions and shed light on the YouTube view counting system.
To begin, it’s worth mentioning that YouTube’s official help resources provide limited information on this topic. This intentional vagueness is designed to prevent users from manipulating view statistics to make their videos appear more popular than they truly are. Consequently, the information presented here is not sourced from official YouTube communications but rather from experimental observations.
It’s also crucial to bear in mind that YouTube allows channel owners to generate revenue by displaying banners and video ads through Google AdSense. In such cases, artificially inflating view counts is considered fraudulent.
So, How Does YouTube Count Views?
When it comes to counting views on a YouTube video, simply clicking on the video is insufficient for the counter to register your visit. However, watching the entire video is not a prerequisite either. YouTube begins counting views after the video has been playing for at least 5 seconds.
If you repeatedly watch the same video, only one view will be tallied since the cookies stored on your computer or device identify you as the same user. After 30 minutes, this cookie information is cleared, initiating a new session and enabling a new view to be counted.
If a user watches the same video multiple times, and their views are counted separately, it may be due to actions such as deleting cookies or switching browsers.
Viewing Embedded YouTube Videos
When a YouTube video is embedded on another website, whether views are counted or not depends on several factors. By default, YouTube does not count views initiated through the autoplay feature. This means that if your video is set to play automatically every time the web page loads, those views will not be added to the count.
Furthermore, there’s another condition to consider for view counting: the video must be played using YouTube’s own software. If a different video player is used, none of the views will be counted.
Detecting Fake Views
Frequent YouTube users may have noticed that when a video reaches approximately 300 views, the view count often freezes, and no further views are registered. This is because, beyond that threshold, view statistics undergo a verification process by YouTube, which can take half a day or longer. This automatic precautionary measure is intended to prevent individuals from artificially inflating view counts by repeatedly watching the same video.
Rather than attempting manual view inflation, a viable alternative is to purchase YouTube views in larger quantities. This strategy enhances the ranking of your videos in both YouTube and Google search results, expanding the reach of your content. Additionally, viewers are more inclined to engage with videos that appear highly popular or trending. The cost of buying YouTube views is quite affordable, with options such as 10,000 views available for just $40. To learn more, visit Buy YouTube views.
Hi, I constantly check the video statistics and the number of views, from the many videos I watch, over a period of many months. Noticed something different all of a sudden. The Video Statistics box in lower left suddenly has way higher number than the Number of Views at right, sometimes over a thousand. Why would the number of views all of a sudden be lower than video statistics?
Hello! The finalized stats data is usually 2 days behind. It takes some time for verification and processing. So unless your videos aren’t getting any traffic for several days, the view numbers displayed on the video’s watch page and the numbers displayed for the video in the stats area will never match.
Hi! What if I watch the same video several times from an incognito window. Do those views count?
Hi! The first views will count, but if you keep doing it YouTube is going to detect it as suspicious behaviour and delete the extra views. I wouldn’t recommend doing it to the purpose of affecting the counter.
Hello, I’m really sorry for bothering you but I have a question and I hope you have the answer, my daughter has a a YouTube channel, and I shared her channel in her daycare so they play her videos in different devices everyday but they are using only one router, is for YouTube will show only 1 IP address or different for each device? And sorry again for bothering you.
Hi! YouTube analytics don’t store IP addresses. The views will be only recognised as coming from the same user if the video is being watched from different devices with the same YouTube account being logged in.
If I watch my own YouTube video does it count views the same way it does for everyone else or are no views added because it’s my own video?
Hi! Your own views will be counted to certain extent. If you’re logged in, YouTube can easily recognise that it’s you who is watching the video and if you watch the video too many times not all the views will be considered.
How many tabs are safe to open with no gmail account logged in and with one browser (at the same time)? Considering different videos being played.
Hi! We wouldn’t recommend any attempt to increase the number of views artificially by opening several different tabs. YouTube continuously improves their controls to detect that kind of behaviour.
Hi can I share my channel link in another videos comments?
Hi! It’s possible but I’d recommend you only do it if your channel is thematically related and relevant to the content of the video. Otherwise you could be reported.
What if I created more gmail accounts and use each as a view everyday?
Hi! I wouldn’t recommend that. That’s a clear pattern, so it could be detected by YouTube.