Through its ever-increasing user numbers, YouTube has cemented its track record as the most popular video site and second most visited website globally.
This platform has also proved to be among the most rewarding sites for creators, with some making a significant income through their videos and partnerships with related companies.
If you’re interested in becoming a YouTube creator and are considering creating a channel, you must learn some of YouTube’s terms and how they will affect your channel and views statistics. One important term to know is browse features.
Browse features include a home page, Subscription feed, Watch Later, Watch History, Trending, and Explore section. The cumulative performance and statistics of these features determine the traffic you receive on your channel and, consequently, your level of engagement on the platform.
This post reviews YouTube’s browse features and how to use them to maximize your YouTube channel engagement.
Overview of Browse Features on YouTube
As noted earlier, browse features on YouTube refer to the primary YouTube traffic drivers. Whenever you receive views based on the Subscription feed, the home page, Trending, and Explore sections, YouTube analytics considers its traffic from browse features.
Browse features are vital to YouTube creators and marketers as they determine your video’s reach and dictate how quickly you build your audience. Understanding how browse features work and how to utilize them will help you consistently generate traffic for your videos as a creator.
Next, we’ll look at browse features on YouTube and how to use them to generate traffic for your videos.
How To Use Browse Features To Increase Video Traffic
Let’s look at the different YouTube browse features and how to use them to increase your viewership.
Home Page
The home page is the landing page users see when they open YouTube. Videos on the home page are based on the user’s watch history, likes, search history, and what viewers with similar interests are watching.
Because the home page is the first page many viewers see, it’s likely the first place they look when deciding what to watch on YouTube.
This means YouTube creators should dedicate time and effort towards ensuring their videos appear on their viewers’ home pages, increasing their chances of clicking on them.
Here are some ways to boost your video traffic based on the home page browse feature.
- Create different videos on a specific topic, so you have more than videos that can appear on the user’s page.
- Ensure you include links to related videos in the description box so users can view more of your content in one sitting.
- Make playlists of series topics so users can view videos consecutively. This will ensure your video always appears on their home page.
- Discuss evergreen topics so your content remains relevant for longer.
- Pin comments.
Subscription Feed
The Subscription tab is where users view videos from creators and channels they subscribe to. Subscription feed is another essential browse feature as it accounts for views from your already established audience.
Here are tips on leveraging your Subscription feed to get more views.
- Create and post high-quality videos regularly.
- Use end screens and cards at the end of your videos to encourage viewers to keep watching.
- Research your topics and content to ensure you offer valuable content so viewers can return.
Watch History
As the name suggests, Watch History is a recap of videos you’ve watched. YouTube uses this information to create curated video suggestions. If you like a specific video, you’ll likely watch more videos on the same or related topics.
As a creator, creating playlists, posting consistently, and creating more videos on a particular topic can help you generate traffic from this browse feature.
Watch Later
The Watch Later section features videos you might be interested in and saved for later. You can do that by finding the targeted video, clicking the three dots next to its title, and selecting “Save to Watch later.”
Like Watch History, the Watch Later browse feature can help you significantly improve your view rates and drive traffic to your videos. To do this, use end cards in your videos, have playlists, and create several videos on specific topics.
Summary
Browse features on YouTube and refer to the most vital sources of YouTube traffic.
These features are crucial to YouTube creators as utilizing them determines your number of views and helps you boost your overall engagement on the platform.
Examples of YouTube’s browse features include the Home Page, Subscription feed, Watch Later and Watch History.
