YouTube Studio shows the basics. vidIQ gives you advanced insights and AI tools to grow.

The YouTube Studio is your backstage pass to 

 happening on your channel. It's where you upload videos, brand your homepage, and set up ways to make some serious cash. 

Curious about how your latest video is performing? There are video analytics to help you out. Ready to apply for monetization? A dedicated page shows you which milestones to reach and how to start earning from your videos. Frankly, there's a tool, page, or panel for everything! 

l, you'll want to get familiar with the YouTube Studio.

Creators use the YouTube Studio to manage their channels and track video performance. It's a designated space to upload videos, edit content, create playlists, write back to commenters, and even apply for YouTube monetization. 

Plus, there are tons of dashboards showing your channel's overall views, 

, subscribers, and revenue. Best of all, the YouTube Studio is free!

, you can also access new features that help you with video ideation and other aspects of creation. Let's get know all of that in more depth.

1. To open the YouTube creator studio, log in to your channel and click your profile icon. Select 

If you've never used the YouTube Studio before, it's easy to feel overwhelmed considering how huge the platform is. Here, we'll cover the basics of navigating the site and 

 — because creating content is all you should have to worry about!

1. Go to the YouTube homepage, then click the 

3. Follow the prompts on the next screen to add a video title, description, thumbnail, tags, and more.

Label your video as 'made for kids' (or not).

Set your video as public, private, or unlisted.

Not quite ready to publish your video content? The good news is you can edit videos in the YouTube Studio and give them a nice, finishing touch. Here's how!

 tab within the studio's navigation bar. It's on the left side of the screen.

2. Hover over the video you want to edit, then click the pencil icon.

Now you're ready to edit! You can do some easy "sprucing up" with the YouTube Studio editor, such as:

Adding free music from the YouTube Audio Library

video editing options for youtube video editor

As you work, use the video timeline to select scenes that need editing.

 you need to find in the creator studio is accessible from the navigation bar? Whether you're looking for monetization data, video analytics, or something else, this section will help you find it. Open the studio, look to your immediate left, and start exploring!

The channel dashboard gives a broad overview of how you're doing on YouTube. It shows recent activity in the past month or so, so you'll get to see:

Subscribers, views, watch time, and revenue in the last month

YouTube also puts creator news on this dashboard, so it's a great place to learn about new tools and features!

The YouTube Studio has a content manager where you can edit everything you've posted so far. It's organized into six distinct tabs:

Select any of the tabs, and you'll see the content you've uploaded within that category. 

From there, you can change the visibility of your content (to public, private, or unlisted), edit video details (title, description, tags, etc.), schedule publish dates, reply to comments, and turn on monetization for your videos.

Inspiration and collaboration are newer additions to the creator studio. 

 helps you get started with your next video ideas by drawing references from your earlier uploads. 

 will let you manage YouTube collabs and add up to five creators to a given video. Revenue credit is given to the one who uploads the content.

Want to see how your videos are performing? There's an entire section dedicated to YouTube Studio analytics, such as audience demographics,  click-through rates, traffic sources, and more. You can also view your real-time subscriber count.

YouTube Channel Analytics: The 6 Most Important Video Metrics

But the first thing you'll notice is a huge dashboard showing the basics: views, watch time, subscribers, and estimated revenue for your channel in the last 28 days. Below that is an interactive graph showing how each metric "trended" over the last month. And of course, you can change the time period to get the full picture.

. The next screen lets you filter the graph for 

 time period. Frankly, this is where the real magic happens!

see more button under youtube analytics dashboard

Lastly, there are tons of navigation tabs to take you where you need to go. They will guide you to content, audience, revenue, and trend data, the latter showing content gaps and popular search terms on your channel.

Near the bottom is a list of popular content you made in the last month, which is nice to see at a glance.

top youtube content for channel analytics

Like the name suggests, this area focuses on the community section of your YouTube channel. Here, you can:

Under the Languages tab, you can manage your subtitles that you've either added manually or has been auto=translated by the AI.

 translate those captions into their other languages, such as French, German, and Arabic.

channel subtitles for a list of youtube videos

Close-up of YouTube Studio app page on smartphone with open button visible

This guide is for every creator who needs an introduction to the YouTube Studio and its most crucial menus.

The Beginner's Guide to the YouTube Studio

vidIQ layers powerful keyword, SEO, and competitor insights right into the dashboard you already use.

The right keywords change everything. vidIQ shows you what viewers are actually searching for.

Before you post a video on YouTube, it helps to do some 

. This task reveals essential things about your video, like the popularity of your topic and the words people use to find videos like yours.

Knowing these details will help you get more views, especially now that YouTube is bursting with competition. You can use specific keywords to attract the right audience and ensure you get thousands of relevant, long-term views. And those same keywords will tell 

 what your video is about, ensuring that it appears on the right search pages.

So if you want more views, set your camera down for a while (we’ll come back to it, I promise!). For now, let’s explore the power of YouTube keyword research.

You probably hear about keywords all the time. But what are they?

On YouTube, a keyword is any collection of words people use to search for videos.

You use keywords all the time if you watch YouTube often. In fact, anything you type into the search bar is a potential keyword that helps YouTube show you the right video.

Just look at how many searches pop up when we type “iced coffee recipe.” YouTube uses

 search term to pull additional yet relevant searches we might be interested in.

A list of suggested YouTube searches for the original term "iced coffee recipe"

YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world, and every day many people type in the same search phrases again and again. These are the most searched keywords on YouTube, and knowing them can give your channel an instant edge. While these terms often have high competition, they also reflect what’s trending and what viewers want most.

Autocomplete suggestions in the YouTube search bar

Google Trends (set the filter to YouTube)

, which shows search volume and competition for keywords

We’ll also share how to balance big, popular terms with more specific ones later in this guide.

As per their length and usage, keywords are primarily divided into 3 main categories:

 These are longer keywords that contain several words and target a specific type of query. They don't usually have a high search volume, but people using long-tail keywords know exactly what they want to watch. "

How to Get 10 Million YouTube Shorts Views: A 90-Day Plan

" is a good example of a long-tail keyword.

 These keywords have a moderate search volume and may contain a group of words or a phrase. Many consider medium-tail keywords to be the best of both worlds because they aren't too hard to rank for. A good example here would be, "

How to Start a YouTube Channel: 10 Brilliant Tips.

 Short-tail keywords are often the most searched keywords on YouTube, like “YouTube Shorts,” “Minecraft,” or “MrBeast.” These are broad and competitive, but they reflect top YouTube searches that everyone is chasing.

Should I Target the Most Searched Keywords?

When you look at what people search on YouTube, you’ll see that the top keywords for YouTube usually bring massive traffic, but they’re also extremely competitive. Broad terms like "MrBeast", "Minecraft", or "music videos" are searched millions of times each month. The challenge is that big creators already dominate these searches on YouTube, making it tough for smaller or new channels to break through.

Instead, think of the most searched keywords as a starting point. Use them to understand what viewers care about, then layer on niche variations that give you a better chance of visibility. For example:

Instead of "Minecraft", try "Minecraft survival tips for beginners".

Instead of "music", try "best workout music 2025 playlist".

This balance lets you ride the wave of popular searches while still carving out your own space in YouTube results.

, to find the sweet spot of high search volume and low-to-medium competition. That’s where smaller creators can stand out.

Finding the best keywords on YouTube isn’t difficult, but sometimes the process can take a while. If you’re short on time, we recommend using a 

. It cuts your research time in half by showing detailed information about various keywords, including:

An overall keyword score, which assesses keyword volume and competitiveness

And guess what? You can get all this and more from vidIQ’s keyword research tool!

Check out how easy it is to use in this video.

 right now. Then come back to this article to learn how to use the tool and see the best YouTube keywords. 

Or, scroll down to see free research options!

It's important to have a clear topic for your YouTube video so you can focus your keyword research. Exploring one topic in depth allows you to target the right audience and discover the specific words they'll use to find your video.

So get clear on your purpose. Are you posting a Minecraft tutorial? A vlog at the Grand Canyon? Two baristas racing each other to make a Starbucks latte?

How to Find Winning YouTube Video Ideas in Minutes with vidIQ Remix

No matter what you’re aiming for, try to summarize the video idea in 1-2 sentences. If you can do that successfully, you’re ready to move to the next step.

2. Create a List of Phrases to Describe Your Video

The next step is brainstorming a list of words to describe your video. This task is all about identifying what makes your video special, so consider the key talking points you'll discuss or unique details about the theme.

For example, let’s say your video is about buying dog food for senior dogs. Your list could look something like this:

Dog food for senior dogs with special needs

Dog food for senior dogs with dietary restrictions

Dog food for senior dogs with sensitive stomachs

Once you come up with a list of potential words, your research becomes ten times easier. You won’t have to wonder, “What should I type into the keyword tool?” because you’ve already covered that part!

 to discover relevant terms and drive traffic to your videos. All you have to do is place them in your titles and descriptions, then hit publish!

Here, we use the phrase "YouTube Short" to generate related keywords.

vidIQ AI YouTube keyword generator tool showing search results for 'YouTube Short'

After clicking on "generate", the tool will provide a list of related keywords and a score to prioritize their use.

vidIQ keyword generator results showing relevant YouTube keywords with priority scores

3. Paste Those Descriptors into vidIQ’s Keyword Tool

Now it's time to take your word list for a spin. If you’ve signed up for vidIQ, then head to 

. You can also find it lower on the dashboard screen.

vidIQ dashboard showing the Keywords tab location for YouTube keyword research

Go to the search bar and paste in a phrase from your keyword list. Then hit enter!

vidIQ keyword tool search bar with the phrase 'dog food for older dogs' ready for analysis

Next, let’s see how the tool analyzes monthly search volume, competitiveness, related terms, and additional questions people ask.

After hitting enter on your search, look directly below the search bar; you'll notice a 

 for the term you just typed. This number represents the quality of your keyword in terms of search volume and competition.

vidIQ keyword analysis showing 'dog food for older dogs' with a keyword score of 65 indicating good search potential

Generally, you want to use high-volume, low-competition keywords on YouTube. For example, “dog food for older dogs” has a medium search volume and low competition overall — not bad for a few seconds’ work!

Now we know the search volume for this topic is high enough to get views without facing too much competition. That's a great sign because it’s not easy finding low-competition keywords (

Want to see other versions of the keyword you're exploring? Take a look at the 

 panel, which is right below the keyword score.

vidIQ matching terms panel showing keyword variations for 'dog food for older dogs' with search volume data

As you can see, the tool shares additional keywords we should consider. You might find some that describe your video better or have a higher keyword score, so take advantage of this panel.

With related keywords, you can explore how people search for the smaller details related to your topic, which is always good to know.

But even better, related keywords can expose the 

 in other YouTube videos — the "subtopics" viewers care about but don't get to see because they're missing from a video. So, you can use related keywords to fortify your content with information people are looking for.

 section on the right side of the screen. Click 

vidIQ related keywords panel showing expanded keyword ideas for 'dog food for older dogs' to enhance content

When we expand the list, we get more related keywords, including:

People are searching for these related topics, so it makes sense to cover them in the video.

Imagine that viewers are asking questions about a topic on YouTube. In that case, you can make your video 10 times more valuable by providing a clear, helpful answer.

 panel in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Sometimes you won’t see any questions if your topic is narrow, like the one we've chosen (dog food for older dogs). When that happens, try expanding your search to a broader term.

vidIQ keyword tool showing no questions found for the narrow topic 'dog food for older dogs'

A magnifying glass hovering over a phone screen showing the YouTube app.

Magnified YouTube logo on smartphone screen with pink background and video thumbnail visible

The most common things people search on YouTube are music, gaming, tutorials, and trending pop culture topics. These searches on YouTube often include short, high-volume terms like 

. While these top keywords for YouTube bring huge traffic, they’re also competitive. Smaller creators should look for niche variations to stand out.

Find powerful YouTube keywords that boost views and subscribers. Our research guide helps creators build channel keywords lists that rank higher in search.

How to Find the Most Searched Keywords on YouTube for Your Niche

vidIQ shows you search volume, competition scores, and related terms to rank higher on YouTube.

Find your next best topic, pick stronger keywords, 
and optimize every upload with vidIQ.

If you want to grow as a Creator, mastering YouTube watch time is essential. 

This metric measures how long viewers actually watch your videos, and it’s the key to unlocking monetization. To qualify you’ll need 

in a 12 month period, a milestone many creators spend a year or more chasing, but it's ultimately worth it. Achieving this goal means you can monetize your videos with advertisements through the 

. It's a hands-off way to boost your income!

YouTube 4,000 Hours Watch Time: What You Need to Know

Before we get into tactics, let’s explain what watch time means. It is also important to know how YouTube sums these hours for monetization.

Watch time is the cumulative duration that individuals spend watching a video. Each YouTube video has a watch time count, which contributes to your channel's overall count.

For your watch time to count toward monetization, you must gain 4,000 hours of video views in 12 consecutive months. The videos don't have to be published in the last 12 months, as long as viewers watched them over the previous year. To put it in perspective, 4,000 watch hours equals 

 of viewing. Every minute contributes to your monetization goal.

Do all watch hours count toward the 4,000-hour goal?

 count. Time from unlisted, private, or deleted videos won’t help you qualify for monetization.

Are Shorts and long-form videos treated differently?

Watch time from long-form videos and live streams

 counts toward the 4,000-hour requirement for ads. 

 add to your channel’s overall watch time but don’t count toward the 4,000-hour goal. Instead, Shorts can qualify you through their own rule: 1,000 subscribers plus 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.

How Many Watch Hours Do You Need to Monetize YouTube?

Notably, you don't need 4,000 hours to get into the YPP. 

 and then monetize your videos through fan funding instead of ads. These include Super Chats, Super Thanks, channel memberships, and more. Below are the minimum requirements to join the YPP, but remember that 

you'll still need 4,000 hours to earn from YouTube ads

YouTube Partner Program requirements showing 3,000 watch hours option for monetization

Can You Hack Your Way to 4,000 Watch Hours?

Let's be real: creators search for "watch time hacks" because 4,000 hours feels like a mountain. But most so-called hacks fall into two categories: things that get your channel penalized, and legitimate strategies that just aren't marketed as "hacks."

Watch time exchange groups, looped background videos, and third-party services selling watch hours all violate YouTube's Terms of Service. YouTube detects unnatural viewing patterns and removes these hours, and in serious cases may penalize your channel.

 A 4-hour charity stream with 50 viewers generates 200 watch hours in a single session. This is the closest thing to a legitimate hack.

 Organize your best content into themed playlists of 8-12 videos. When one ends, the next auto-plays, compounding watch time without any extra effort from you.

 Publish 10-15 search-optimized tutorials that each pull 5-10 watch hours per day. Over a month, that is 1,500-3,000 hours on autopilot.

 Aim for 8-15 minutes on your core content. Long enough to accumulate meaningful watch time, short enough to maintain strong retention.

The bottom line: there is no shortcut around creating content people want to watch. But there are smart ways to multiply the watch time you are already earning.

How to Increase YouTube Watch Time for Free in 2026

You do not need to spend a dollar to grow your watch time. The best strategies rely on smart content decisions, not paid promotions. Here are the highest-impact free methods:

most viewers decide whether to stay or leave within the opening moments

. Lead with your strongest hook, not a logo intro or channel branding.

 Tease what is coming later in the video ("I will show you the exact strategy in step 4") to keep viewers watching through each section.

 Videos that rank in search accumulate watch time passively for months. Use vidIQ's keyword tools to find topics with steady search volume and low competition.

 Check YouTube Studio for your highest-retention videos and make more content in that style. One format with 60% retention beats five formats at 30%.

 Live streams are the single fastest way to stack watch hours for free. A weekly 2-hour stream with just 20 concurrent viewers adds 40 watch hours per session.

The key insight: watch time is a retention game, not a views game. A 10-minute video watched to the end is worth more than a 20-minute video where half the audience leaves at the 3-minute mark.

Free Tools to Track Your YouTube Watch Time Progress

How many watch hours have you collected so far? Knowing this number is extremely helpful, especially when building a strategy to keep viewers' attention.

How to find the Earn option in YouTube Studio to check watch time progress

2. On the Become a Partner page, scroll down to 

. And there, you'll see how much watch time your channel has.

YouTube Studio's monetization progress tracker showing watch hours accumulation

10 Proven Ways to Boost Your YouTube Watch Time

Now that you know where you stand, use these powerful tips to increase your watch time on YouTube.

Content types and their watch time potential

1. Master the Art of YouTube Storytelling

 is crucial for keeping viewers engaged, and thus, boosting your watch hours on YouTube. In every video, you want to grab viewers' attention, take them on a journey, and create emotional scenes that hook them along the way.

To do this effectively, master three areas of YouTube storytelling:

The title and thumbnail (convince people to click)

The video introduction (persuade people to keep watching)

Emotional connectivity (keep viewers invested in the story)

Your title and thumbnail are like two sides of the same coin. They should give viewers a snapshot of what the video is about and communicate how it will 

to watch it. For example, notice how the creator's dread in this thumbnail reinforces the video's title: "

Big Mistakes Small YouTubers Still Make."

How To Make Attention Grabbing Custom Thumbnails on YouTube with vidIQ

Emotional thumbnail showing creator's reaction to YouTube mistakes that affect watch time

get straight to the point by mentioning what viewers care about in the first three seconds. If you're struggling to 

, study the best–performing YouTube Shorts and the introductions they have. Introductory phrases like "They don't want you to know this secret" or "I never do this, and here's why" are effective curiosity drivers.

Emotion makes your content 10 times more relatable. Try using 

 like fear, nostalgia, novelty, and scarcity to make your videos seem urgent and relevant to the viewer's life.

Need help pulling these storytelling elements together? 

Get 4,000 YouTube watch hours free with 10 proven strategies. Learn how to increase watch time using live streams, playlists, and evergreen content to monetize your channel faster.

How to Get 4,000 YouTube Watch Hours Free in 2026

Hit 4K watch hours faster: 1) Use pattern interrupters every 30 secs to boost retention, 2) Create binge-worthy playlists, 3) Go live weekly — YouTube counts every live minute toward your goal.

How to Get 4,000 Hours Watch Time on YouTube (Free Methods)

Use real niche data to pick smarter topics and improve retention

Lydia Sweatt

Posts Written By Lydia Sweatt

The Beginner's Guide to the YouTube Studio

How to Find the Most Searched Keywords on YouTube for Your Niche

How to Get 4,000 Hours Watch Time on YouTube (Free Methods)

3 Secrets for Writing Click-Worthy YouTube Titles

YouTube Shorts Thumbnails: How to Customize Them for More Views

How to Use the YouTube Thumbnail Tester to Boost Views

6 Ways to Make YouTube Thumbnails in Record Time

Find the Best YouTube Thumbnail Styles for Your Channel

Why You Should Make YouTube Thumbnails Before You Record

How to Improve Your YouTube CTR with Better Thumbnails

How to See Your Subscribers on YouTube

How to Get 500 Subscribers on YouTube & Unlock Fan Funding