Google Analytics for your YouTube channel, how it works,

and why you might want to do that.

All that is coming up.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Hey guys, my name is Tim Schmoyer

and welcome to another Thursday YouTube Q&A, where

every week I just answer some of your questions

about YouTube to help you master this platform,

build your audience, spread your messages, and then hopefully

through those messages, change people's lives. [INAUDIBLE]

asks this-- Hi Time.

Love your videos.

Question here.

Under Channel Settings Advanced at the bottom,

there's something called the Google Analytics Account ID.

What does it do?

Is it any different than YouTube Analytics?

Should we use it?

Thanks.

Yes, you should use it and I'll tell you why.

But first of all, for those of you

who might not know what Google Analytics is,

it's basically Google's system that people

use to track all the traffic that

goes through their domain website.

It shows you how much time people

are spending on your website, where they're coming from,

how they're finding it, what they're

searching for-- all their activity.

It shows you a ton of information.

What YouTube gives you the ability to do

is actually use that tool, Google Analytics,

for your YouTube channel.

Now, your YouTube Analytics is a little different

because that tracks a lot of different metrics across all

your videos across your entire channel.

What the Google Analytics ID does

is only allow you to track the traffic and the interaction

of people or what people are doing on your actual channel

page.

It doesn't extend into Watch pages

or into Playlists or anything like that--

only your channel page.

And I recommend that everyone set this up and use it

because-- well, one, it's free, but two, it'll

also show you a lot of data that your YouTube Analytics doesn't

show you.

For example, how are people finding your channel?

Your YouTube Analytics will show you

how people are finding your YouTube videos,

but how are they actually getting to your channel base?

Which is your top referring video to your channel?

Or what are people searching for in Google

that are leading to your actual channel?

Or how loyal are some of your viewers?

How often do they come back to your channel page,

and when they get there, how much time

are they spending there?

You'll also be able to see what countries people are coming

from, what languages they speak, their desktop screen

resolution, what browsers they're using.

To set this up for your channel, first go

to google.com/analytics, and set up your Google Analytics

account.

You'll have to give them a little bit of information.

Just type in your channel name you want to track it by,

your YouTube URL, and then also select

a category that applies to what content you create there.

Select your time zone.

And then give your account a name.

And you will get a number called a Tracking ID,

and it usually starts with UA dash,

and then gives you a bunch of numbers.

Copy that entire number.

Then, go back to YouTube.

Go to your Channel Settings and click on Advanced.

And then down there at the bottom,

you'll see Google Analytics Account ID.

Copy that tracking ID into that box.

Click Save, and you are good to go.

If any of you guys currently have Google Analytics set up

with your YouTube channel, I'd love

to hear from you how you use it and what you use it for.

What kind of information you find

to be valuable and helpful in your Google Analytics

for your YouTube channel?

Comment with all that below and help us

out and everyone else who's watching this video

and trying to figure it out.

And if you have a question that you'd

like me to attempt to answer in an upcoming YouTube Q&A,

you can either comment below or send me

a video of yourself asking the question.

There's a link in the description text

below this video right here on YouTube

where you can send that video to me.

And I'd love to actually put your face here and your video

here and actually feature you and your question.

And finally, if this is your first time here,

I'd love to have you subscribe.

Every Thursday, we do some YouTube Q&A just like this.

On Tuesdays, we take a look at the recent updates

of this platform and the news in the online video space

and talk about the implications that it has for us as creators.

And then on Wednesdays, we talk about some YouTube tips

and ideas, just some suggestions, just,

again, to help you guys here really change

lives with the video content that you're making.

So thank you for letting me be a part of that.

And I will see you guys again next week.

Bye.