TubeBuddy Excellent Results

[Damon]

My niche is so small I will never make a living on YT.

That's a very good point. Not everyone has a popular niche.

 

[Tito Tim]

I don't expect to make a living off it but maybe just enough to offset my tech desires. Doesn't hurt to try, right.

So far this year I paid for my new toys (the tech) and about $200 profit. This does not include any travel costs, or the time involved in editing... but at least I am not losing money.

 

[TheShihTzuFamily]

I agree with you a lot Damon. I use SEO to the max. I can SEO brand new videos to the very top of the search results almost every single time. But only a small portion of views comes from search. Most views come from YT suggestions, and SEO plays zero part in that. It used to be that suggestions were governed by your viewing activity, but in the last year, I find that is no longer true. I know exactly what kind of content I watch and what kind of content I abore. When I am logged into my account, YT seldom shows me ANYTHING that is even relative to what I would be interested in, but constantly shows me suggestions for content type I would never watch in a million years. This is how I know that YouTube is pushing content, and not making relative suggestions. There are videos I see every single time I go to the YouTube homepage that have been there for SIX MONTHS. I have never once clicked on them or anything similar, but YouTube is instant that I MUST watch that crap.

I use TB and it is good at SEO, but for people looking at as a way to get more views, it simply does not do that; at least not anymore. YouTube does not care about SEO anymore. They have an agenda, and that is all that matters. It may be TBs own fault for being so good at SEO. In the movie, The Incredibles, there is the phrase, "Once everyone is special, then nobody will be." When only a few people were using TB to maximize their SEO, you could really stand out. Now that just about everybody is using it, "Special" has become the norm, so nobody can stand out. Personally, TB is just a start for me. I do SEO way beyond anything TB can provide. That is how I can go straight to the top of search results.

This is why I love reading your comment! YouTube only care about one data is all about REVENUE if your video not making YouTube money that video will not get push to a new viewer period! This is the reason why YouTube started to put ad on everyone video before they are monetize so it can help the YouTuber video to get push! The video can be the best video in the world if it not making YouTube money they don't care about it

 

[Nothin' But Gadgets]

I don't need a remote to change the channels on my TV. But it's convenient not to stand up. I don't need a bank card to buy stuff at the store. But it's easier than carrying cash around. I don't need a car to get to places. But it is faster than a bus and cheaper than a taxi. I certainly don't need a box of cake mix or pancake mix to make a cake or some pancakes because I already have all the ingredients necessary to make them. But it does make it a lot easier. I could literally go out of my way to learn how to fix a car engine because in reality is not as complicated as it seems. But the cost of tools will be extreme and the time it will take to do it with lesser tools will not be enjoyable to someone who's not interested in fixing cars, like me for example. So a mechanic is the best way to go for me.

We, as people, don't use most products because they are the only way to do or get something we need. We use them because of the convenience or not needing to do the work to get or do it. It's human nature. If you don't need it then don't use it. That's a right most can enjoy. Not everything is meant for everyone.

Questions like those posed by this member are common not because TubeBuddy doesn't work for them but because far too many people don't take the time to educate themselves on the most basic of things in life and, instead, spend every waking moment looking for shortcuts, loopholes and cheats to reach the top without all the hustles. This is society we have created in this world. A society desperate for money because it's the only thing that can make their lives less miserable and thus they will try any means they can to get money. Including making a YouTube channel with worthless content because they are under the impression that it's all about just uploading a video and YouTube will just send them money and when it doesn't happen they research how other people are making money and then they find things like TubeBuddy this is meant to be a tool to help them grow but they think it's some kind of secret pathway to guaranteed success because many who promote it make it seem that way. Then they get upset when their crappy content is suddenly being suggested right next to Pewdie Pie or Mr Beast's content for everyone to see after they paid for software they believed would magically turn them into the Beyonce of YouTubers.

I'll always tell it like it is. If the software doesn't work for you that's ok. It's not for everyone. Maybe a different software might. Maybe your own skills are better. But in then end, if your content sucks, no matter how much that type of content will benefit YouTube, even they won't share it because it's not just about making content YouTube thinks will help their bottom line (like Minecraft content) but it also has to be worth watching and it's pretty obvious that someone like Markiplier or Jacksepticeye not only make great content but they themselves are great content and thus worthy of YouTube's attention. After all, YouTube is about YouTube making money, not about the creators. This is something most don't understand. If you can't make YouTube money then they are not gonna give a **** about your content.

It's like I said. From a business perspective, since TB cannot generate more views in most cases, it does not make economic sense. It does make some functions a little easier, but YT is making strides in that department too. I like TB for its research tools and recommendations. I am good enough that I don't always need them, but sometimes it is helpful to see what TB suggests to give me a reminder.

I think your statements about people making "Crappy Content" are wrong. Most of the most-watched content on YT is "Crappy Content" of no practical value. It is shallow sugar entertainment, that I like to call "gobbledegook". YT LOVES crappy content and is actually paying 100 million dollars out of their own pocket to encourage people to produce more of it. Of course, you might want to argue that, they are doing this because there was a demand, but I would argue that if there was a demand for Shorts on YT, they would not have to pay 100 million out of pocket to get people to make a product for a market that already existed.

I have been with YouTube since the very beginning and and I can tell you that it has not always been the way it is today. It used to be a fair paying field where each person had the opportunity to be successful if they put the work in. There are 8 billion people on earth, and no matter how small your niche is, there are still millions of people that will want to watch it, IF they can find your content. But today, YT is about promoting content they want to succeed on thier platform and they are willing to pay millions to promote it. It is no longer a fair and level playing field. TB worked great when YT was a level playing field. Now, not so much.

I am a practical realist. The reality is that there are people that are willing to pay for likes. They will spend real money to buy emotional feelings of acceptance and popularity. This is what Facebook BOOSTING of a post is all about. Pay money for likes. But in real business, you only spend money on things you believe have the potential to earn back a greater monetary amount than what was spent. To make more money on YT you have to get more views, plain and simple. Since most of you view on YT come from suggestions, and YT is now in the habit of suggesting what they want you to see, rather than what you want to see, using TB has very little effect on YT's choice. This is not saying that TB is bad. TB is a great tool. But your goal is to make more money on YT, it is not going to help you do that in a measurable manner. That is simply the fact of reality.

It's exactly like you said. The content you choose to make is the primary factor that measures your success on YT, and TB plays almost no part in it. No amount TubeBuddy SEO tweaking can make your content more palatable to YT's goals. I agree with you 100%.

 

[Damon]

Since most of you view on YT come from suggestions, and YT is now in the habit of suggesting what they want you to see, rather than what you want to see, using TB has very little effect on YT's choice.

46.3% of my views come from YouTube search
18.7% come from external (Google Search, forums posts, etc.)
14.3% come from suggested
09.7% come from channel pages

Your result may vary, but for my channel 65% of my views come from search. all of which cam be attributed to TubeBuddy. Somehow people are finding me. Somehow the people I don't want stay away.

However, I do wonder about age. I'm older, 47. Much of my audience is older. Most between 35 and 65. I wonder if that age group is not being targeted by the shorts and suggested as much. Perhaps an age group that want to search and find thing for themselves?

Also I made a decision early on to make a search-based YouTube channel, as I new I didn't have the right skin color, good looks, crazy-wacky antics that YouTube "favors." Instead I focused on my strengths and the best way to find people interested in the things I offer.

It's kind of nice to come back from Thanksgiving with an extra $100 in the bank account, not from silly ads, but from someone who bought products from my own Web site based on the search results they found on YouTube.

Honestly, if someone wasn't popular in high school, they probably won't be popular on YouTube no matter how much SEO. If you were a nerd or geek in high school--like me--you can find an audience of like-minded people, who will become fans, and you can build a real business selling real products to real people in the real world.

I don't want a "fair" shot. I want an unfair shot based on the God-given talents, skills, interests leveraged in my favor. For me that's has been SEO, tutorials and documentary storytelling methods.

Note, I don't have a popular niche. I am not a handsome person. Frankly, I don't have the skin color most Americans prefer, I don't look good in a bikini like some of the other popular "successful" fishing channels, and, honestly, I'm pretty much a hermit. I don't catch the biggest fish. I'm a simple artisanal fisherman. My methods would never be permitted in the big fishing tournaments, yet, somehow with everything going "against" me I've still managed to amass 10k subs and 2.3 million views.

 

[MattCommand1]

Obviously, the general consensus of this thread is that TB is not a "cure all" but it appears I am in the minority that I am currently a paid Pro subscriber of TB and have few complaints with it. I have some wish list items and things I can gripe about TB but overall, it has been a good tool for what I paid for it.

In fact, I am considering another TB upgrade which has little to do with SEO specific features. It is a voluntary subscription so, I am not sure why there seems to be an underlying slight regarding leaning on TB to help your YT channel work. Or how TB is NOT worth the money.

What I am VERY IMPRESSED with is Damon's post and his own journey. Everyone's journey is clearly different and I have seen all kinds of YT channels. Some I would never believe could ever be successful. So, I tend to hold my tongue on certain things. There is an exception to every rule that people espouse.

What I can definitely support and agree is that we should use our "unfair advantages" that we are born with or abilities acquired. Damon articulated that very well. He recognizes some factors which may not be in his favor but leans into those that do favor him. (However, some things @Damon sees as disadvantages might actually be an advantage for him but that is another discussion!) He persevered for 7 years which is no easy feat.

The one thing I love about YT is there seems to be room for EVERYONE to do their thing, their own way, carving their own path.

 

[Nothin' But Gadgets]

46.3% of my views come from YouTube search
18.7% come from external (Google Search, forums posts, etc.)
14.3% come from suggested
09.7% come from channel pages

Exactly! Your stats here make me want to cry. It is basically showing that YT is NOT suggesting your video hardly AT ALL! This is exactly what I am talking about. Most of your views SHOULD be coming from suggestions because the overwhelming majority of ALL views on YouTube come from suggestions. You cannot become successful without it. That is EXACTLY what I have been saying and you just proved it. Thank you.

I am older than you my friend, and your story is similar to mine. I don't get along with a lot of people because I am just not influenced by trends and emotions. I like cold hard reality. Even when I was a kid, I was like this. I would go over to other teenager's houses and they would have posters of sports cars or sports figure plastered all over their wall and would show them to me and I would be like, 'Is that a picture of your brother or something?" and they would look at me like I was dumb and say, "Don't you know who that is?" I would be like, "NOPE, and I don't care. Why would I care about some person I do not know, does not know me, does not care about me, and is playing stupid games for millions of dollars and would change teams if another team paid them more? Do you know them? Do they know you? Do they even care if you exist? NO? So why do you care about them? They are millionaires and you are giving them more money by buying their stuff. And you think I am the dumb one." LOL!

I remember this one guy that had a picture of a Ferrari on his wall. I was like, "That is a stupid car." The guy was shocked. "Why?" he asked. "Well," I said, "The maximum speed limit is 55 (it was at the time), so why buy a car that can do 200? Plus, it does not even have a trunk to carry anything in. That has to be the most useless car I have ever seen. Give me pickup any day."

Obviously, I did not have many friends. It has always bugged me how people are so susceptible to following fads and the crowds based emotion and impulses rather than reason and logic. I have had one style of hair (military officers cut) my entire life. I wear cargo pants and double breast pocket shirt because they have more utility, not because of how they looks. This is just the way I am. I think along practical lines. Things that have no practical utility are just useless to me.

 

[Damon]

I disagree. Most of my views should not be coming from suggested. I'm not sure where you get this idea that suggested is what should or shouldn't define success. Either way whether suggested or search, I don't care. It will not define what I consider to be successful me. Also why should YouTube suggest an unpopolar niche when SEO is a far better tool for that? If very few people are looking for what I offer, why should they suggested it when SEO is getting the job done much better?

And why should the majority of views come from suggested when I have chosen a niche that is in the minority, and purposefully chose SEO as the target for my channel? You may not have noticed but being a minority race, I don't ever expect to be in the majority, nor am I interested in being included as much.

Your definition of success is different than mine. That's fine. My channel is successful by my definition of success. I will not not let anyone say it isn't. At the end of the day, my bank account says I'm successful on YouTube.

This conversation isn't going anywhere. I'm finished.

P.S.,

He persevered for 5 years which is no easy feat.

Thank you. It's been more like seven years.

 

[MattCommand1]

Exactly! Your stats here make me want to cry. It is basically showing that YT is NOT suggesting your video hardly AT ALL! This is exactly what I am talking about. Most of your views SHOULD be coming from suggestions because the overwhelming majority of ALL views on YouTube come from suggestions. You cannot become successful without it. That is EXACTLY what I have been saying and you just proved it. Thank you.

I see @Damon 's YT channel as a success because of his hard work for the last 7 years regardless of traffic source.

I am only sharing my chart because it is a contrast to Damon's results.

Whereas my particular channel is only 10 months in and far smaller than Damon's but I have generally gotten a relatively high 40% ratio of "Suggested Videos". But my number has dropped to 38%. My Browse ratio of 21% use to be much smaller around 5%. But my feelings aren't hurt by my 30% ratio from Youtube search.

For most of the last 6-7 months, Youtube seems to be suggesting my videos a lot. Part of me thinks I am "lucky" but I'd like to think some of my results is from my overall approach. I mildly care about SEO but it isn't the top driving force to attract viewers. I am trying to follow a more "humanistic" approach by taking a balanced approach (weighing in some SEO) by thinking of what viewers might search or care about.

But more importantly, I am trying to develop some continuity/theme from one video to another vs. they come for one video, then leave altogether. IN other words, I have my "buckets of content" and I try to connect the dots via Playlists and Endscreens. But I am very much a work-in-progress.

 

[MattCommand1]

I disagree. Most of my views should be coming from suggested. I'm not sure where you get this idea that suggested is what should or shouldn't define success. Either way whether suggested or search, I don't care. It will not define what I consider to be successful me. Also why should YouTube suggest an unpopular niche when SEO is a far better tool for that? If very few people are looking for what I offer, why should they suggested it when SEO is getting the job done much better?

And why should I have a major of views coming from suggested simply because the majority of all views come from suggested when I have chosen a niche that is in the minority, and purposefully chose SEO as the target for my channel? You may not have noticed but being a minority race, I don't ever expect to be in the majority, nor am I interested in being included as much.

Your definition of success is different than mine. That's fine. My channel is successful by my definition of success. I will not not let anyone say it isn't. At the end of the day, my bank account says I'm successful on YouTube.

This conversation isn't going anywhere. I'm finished.

P.S.,

Thank you. It's been seven years.

Sorry @Damon . I made the correction to 7 years. I am even more impressed now! This is a huge lesson in perseverance. You don't need my vote or approval but let me be clear that I view your channel to be an overwhelming success. I think many other readers will agree.

Success is Success no matter how you got there. You got There! Your decisions were your decisions. I agree your niche is more narrow so 10,000 subscribers is no small feat. @Damon did what he thought best during his journey.

I think we can learn from every person's journey and successes.

 

[Nothin' But Gadgets]

I see @Damon 's YT channel as a success because of his hard work for the last 7 years regardless of traffic source.

I am only sharing my chart because it is a contrast to Damon's results.


View attachment 11331
Whereas my particular channel is only 10 months in and far smaller than Damon's but I have generally gotten a relatively high 40% ratio of "Suggested Videos". But my number has dropped to 38%. My Browse ratio of 21% use to be much smaller around 5%. But my feelings aren't hurt by my 30% ratio from Youtube search.

For most of the last 6-7 months, Youtube seems to be suggesting my videos a lot. Part of me thinks I am "lucky" but I'd like to think some of my results is from my overall approach. I mildly care about SEO but it isn't the top driving force to attract viewers. I am trying to follow a more "humanistic" approach by taking a balanced approach (weighing in some SEO) by thinking of what viewers might search or care about.

But more importantly, I am trying to develop some continuity/theme from one video to another vs. they come for one video, then leave altogether. IN other words, I have my "buckets of content" and I try to connect the dots via Playlists and Endscreens. But I am very much a work-in-progress.

You are producing content that is more palatable to YT's goals. In 2019, I was getting 80% of my traffic from Suggestions. Since June of 2021, that has dropped to 12%. I have not changed what I am doing. My videos follow a set pattern. Only the subject changes. I run several channels about different subjects and styles and all of them have seen an almost identical shift in the last six months.

I have also noticed that in my own browsing of YT, that most of the things I see suggested to me by YouTube suggestions, is content I would never watch and have zero interest in. No unlike most people who try to subvert google tracking. I have EVERY possible tracking feature turned on so that google can absolutely know what I want to watch and what interests me. But, YT is not suggesting the things that interest me. They suggest things THEY want me to be interested in.

@Damon is a great creator and he should be getting at least 50% of his views from suggestions. The fact that he is not is proof that YouTube is not suggesting his content. Remember, suggestions have zero to do with anything you do. He has 10K subs, so that is proof that there are thousands of people that want to see his content. If YT was suggesting content based on user viewing activity, he should be getting a lot more views from suggestions. The fact that he is not, is proof that YT is not making suggestions based on what viewers want to see. It is pretty clear.

 

[TheShihTzuFamily]

You are producing content that is more palatable to YT's goals. In 2019, I was getting 80% of my traffic from Suggestions. Since June of 2021, that has dropped to 12%. I have not changed what I am doing. My videos follow a set pattern. Only the subject changes. I run several channels about different subjects and styles and all of them have seen an almost identical shift in the last six months.

I have also noticed that in my own browsing of YT, that most of the things I see suggested to me by YouTube suggestions, is content I would never watch and have zero interest in. No unlike most people who try to subvert google tracking. I have EVERY possible tracking feature turned on so that google can absolutely know what I want to watch and what interests me. But, YT is not suggesting the things that interest me. They suggest things THEY want me to be interested in.

@Damon is a great creator and he should be getting at least 50% of his views from suggestions. The fact that he is not is proof that YouTube is not suggesting his content. Remember, suggestions have zero to do with anything you do. He has 10K subs, so that is proof that there are thousands of people that want to see his content. If YT was suggesting content based on user viewing activity, he should be getting a lot more views from suggestions. The fact that he is not, is proof that YT is not making suggestions based on what viewers want to see. It is pretty clear.

You are 100% right! My Impressions was hitting around 100k a month but YT decision to push SHORT VIDEO ONLY now my impressions 43.7k month! I ask my viewer what I can to improve my video they told me this " I don't see your video anymore on my page!

Traffic source type
Youtube search 81.8%
Browse features 4.0%
Suggested videos 3.9%
External 3.7%