In a world that’s increasingly dominated by video, YouTube views are near (if not at) the top of every content marketer’s to-do list. But it’s not just about the number of video views, it’s about building a loyal following and driving real, long-term ROI from your YouTube channel. And that’s not easy. YouTube makes it complicated to track key metrics alongside video views, and even with a tool like Databox, it can take hours to compile reports that make sense for your business.

YouTube has a lot of rules to keep its video platform clean and safe for all users. For example, when a video first hits 300 views, YouTube temporarily freezes the view count to verify that those views were legitimate plays by real people. Then, it starts to monitor for spam, bots, viruses, and any other kind of suspicious activity that could be skewing the numbers.

Another reason YouTube is so strict about what counts as a view is that the platform wants to be sure it’s serving up the most relevant videos to its viewers. That’s why a big part of YouTube’s algorithm is based on how often a user has watched a video in the past, and why it’s important for businesses to create a regular posting schedule for their videos. A consistent upload schedule will help a video get recommended to new audiences, and it can also encourage viewers to interact with the video by clicking on annotations or advertisements. YouTube views