The Right Way to Raise Your Video’s Reach Responsibly

How to Buy YouTube Views - Everything You Need To Know

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

This article has everything you need to know before you buy YouTube views, including:

1. Where to Buy Views
2. How Does it Work?
3. What to Look for in a Service
4. Is Buying Views Illegal?
5. Will Buying Views Get Me Banned From YouTube?

Disclaimer: We in no way endorse the practice of buying views. It could be dangerous for your channel and will damage your credibility with your real viewers if they find out.

YouTube is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms today. The amount of time we spend watching YouTube videos daily is simply mindboggling. The amazing thing about YouTube is how easy it is to share content and, in the process, build your audience. Many people have launched careers on the success of their videos and the popularity of their channels. It doesn’t matter if you are an expert, a hobbyist, an aspiring musician, a citizen journalist, a DIY maven, a cook, or a makeup fiend – YouTube can help you reach more people, develop your brand and launch your new career. All you have to do is create your channel, upload good videos, promote your content, and watch the magic happen. Well, if only it were that simple…

In reality, getting people to watch your content can be difficult. Even for people who have large personal networks, hitting 5000 or 10000 views can be tough. The reason is simply that YouTube videos, like other web content, thrive on Social Proof, and Social Proof equals credibility. The more views a video has, the more people are willing to watch it, and the better its chances of featuring as recommended content. It’s a vicious cycle. Time and time again, we see that given the choice, people would rather watch a video with 2000 views instead of a video with 200 views.

This is why buying YouTube views can be a great way to jumpstart the organic views of your content. It’s no silver bullet of course, but it can get you off to a good start. Buying YouTube views can help your video gain traction and get recommended. The trick is to buy from sources that provide real US and UK views in ways that do not violate YouTube’s Terms of Service (TOS). There are many scam services out there that can get your video the wrong kind of attention. Be sure to do your research before you buy, and understand that this is a tactic which promises short-term results. Buying YouTube views can be useful. However, it is no guarantee of long-term success. You still need to put hard work into your content for it to work.

WHERE TO BUY VIEWS

These top 5 sites for buying YouTube views are ranked according to the quality of the targeted views they deliver, viewer engagement, responsiveness, turnaround time, and their moneyback guarantee (if they have one). The site which tested these services is called BuyViewsReview. To learn more about the top providers of YouTube views, and how you can avoid scams, click here .

Tip: you want ‘high retention views’ – views where your video has been watched for a significant period, not just clicked on. These will help your search engine rankings.

1. DEVUMI

Devumi is our #1 pick for buying YouTube views because it provides the best value for money. To start with, all Devumi’s packages come with likes included so there’s no need to shop around for engagement and retention after buying views from Devumi. They have a 100% money-back guarantee and some of the fastest turnaround time available on the market (for genuine high-retention views. Some bot services are faster, but it’s against YouTube’s TOS to use bots).

2. BuyViews

BuyViews come in at a close second to Devumi. They offer various social promotion options along with their packages. They also have an impressive 60% – 90% retention rate as well as a 100% moneyback guarantee. However, their turnaround time isn’t as good as Devumi’s. Also, they provide no time guarantee on their retention rate.

3. MarketingHeaven

MarketingHeaven makes buying YouTube views very easy. On their homepage, you can add the link to the video you’d like to promote, select the number of views you want from a dropdown list and top it off with an optional selection of likes. While this ease of use is a plus, MarketingHeaven is a bit more expensive than the top 2 sites on this list, and it provides no retention guarantee. Also, it takes longer to see results and it provides no options for social promotion.

4. 500VIEWS

On 500VIEWS you can buy everything, including YouTube views, likes, comments, and subscribers. They have an add-ons system that’s very easy to use. However, they don’t deliver on quality, retention, engagement, and customer support like the top 3 sites. It can also take up to 1 week to get results from 500VIEWS.

5. Social Shop

Social Shop has a very nice mix of packages. At the lowest end, they have the micro package which gets you 1000 views for $2, and at the high end, they have the Pro package which gets you 1,000,000 views for $999. Considering this range of options, their turnaround time of 2 days isn’t bad at all. However, Social Shop has limited engagement options. Unlike other sites on this list, they do not provide likes, comments, or subscribers. Their customer support also doesn’t compare too well against others on this list.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Buying YouTube views is easy and safe if you buy from reliable sources like the sites at the top of the list above. It also helps to know how YouTube judges view to understand why it’s important to choose the right source.

YouTube ranks views based on the location of the viewers and the quality of viewer engagement. When a user who is based in the US or UK uploads a video and it gets most of its views from Russia or Asia, that raises a red flag. YouTube checks to see that a good number of video viewers are part of the user’s target demographic, and that makes sense. You want targeted YouTube views because that can boost organic retention rates significantly. Untargeted views can lead to a high bounce rate which can lead YouTube to conclude that your video has been mistitled, among other things.

The best sellers of YouTube views go the extra mile to provide a mixed demographic of views with targeted hits from the US and UK to avoid the wrong kind of attention.

Some sellers simply rent IPs from different places and send them to the video link. While this method might not be detected by YouTube, it offers very low retention because there are no real people behind those IP addresses. It is always best to buy from sellers who can send real people to watch, like, and comment on your videos. Anything else is risky and can bring your content under increased scrutiny from YouTube.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A GOOD VIEW-BUYING WEBSITE

The most important thing to look for in a good view buying website is a guarantee that you’ll be getting real humans, not bots, to watch your video. This is the only way to get organic retention and engagement from your purchase. While robots will inflate your views, there’ll be little else to show for those high numbers. Bot views won’t help you rank in search results, and they may hurt your chances of ranking (they also violate YouTube’s TOS and can get your videos taken down). With human views, things can be different.

Bear in mind that buying views will not guarantee long-term success or impactful engagement. This is why buying YouTube views is seen as a short-term tactic for jumpstarting organic growth and not something to keep on doing forever. Content creators still have to promote their content and build real relationships with their viewers to see meaningful results in the long term.

Next, you want to be sure that your view buying website can deliver targeted views. If you’re based in the UK, you want views from the UK, US, Australia, and Canada. Views originating predominantly from Russia or certain parts of Eastern Europe and Asia could give you away, and you’d run the risk of disciplinary action from YouTube. Buying views isn’t technically against the rules, as long as they are human views, but if YouTube suspects there is a bot at work then they won’t be interested in any appeals about how ‘the service said they didn’t use bots’.

It’s also important to buy from providers whose viewers are active on YouTube. Their history of activity on YouTube will only boost the credibility of their views and by extension, the credibility of your video and its growing popularity.

Finally, you want to avoid sellers who provide views in a way that can put you at risk. Sites that provide views from similar IPs and same browsers with the same or similar cookies are just too obvious. YouTube can pick-up on that kind of activity and you could potentially have a problem on your hands.

IS BUYING VIEWS ILLEGAL?

No. This goes double for users who are not monetizing their content. Videos that promote violence and copyright violations are illegal. Buying views is not against the law, or even YouTube’s Terms of Service depending on where your views come from.

YouTube’s TOS does state clearly that partners are not to engage third parties to “… generate artificial subscribers or views.” Partners are generally understood to be users who are monetizing their channels through affiliate programs or AdSense, and ‘artificial’ means the views need to come from a bot to be against the rules. However, some interpret this to mean that buying YouTube views is against the TOS for all users. It seems like YouTube would rather you not buy views at all since the language is ambiguous, but since there’s a way in which buying ads through Google for your channel could be seen as buying views they haven’t formally outlawed it. Whatever your perspective, there’s no denying that buying views is a risky business. This is all the more reason you should choose the sites you buy from carefully.

Also, keep in mind that tech companies like Google constantly review their policies. Bloggers have had to change tactics with changes to Google’s search engine algorithm. There’s no telling how things may change or evolve with YouTube in the future. That is why we strongly recommend that you buy views from websites that can deliver real human views with strong guarantees of service delivery and reliable turnaround times. Anything short of this could expose you and your content to the kind of attention you certainly don’t want.

WILL BUYING VIEWS GET ME BANNED FROM YOUTUBE?

As mentioned above, buying views alone is unlikely to get you banned from YouTube. The worst-case scenario is that your video may be taken down for ‘view count gaming’ and even then, there’s an appeals process. The important thing is to understand Google and YouTube’s Terms of Service (TOS). Only explicit and egregious violations of their TOS could get your banned. You should also be mindful that community policing is a big part of how YouTube discovers users who may violate their TOS. If many viewers flag your video for takedown due to copyright violation or abusive content, that can lead to serious disciplinary action from YouTube and in some cases, you may be banned for life.

That’s why it’s important to buy likes and comments as well if you’re going to buy a large number of views – lots of views and no engagement will make organic viewers think you used a bot and they may report you.

Buying YouTube views is not illegal and certainly will not incur the same kind of disciplinary action as clear violations of YouTube’s TOS. What matters is that you buy your views in a way that won’t attract the wrong kind of attention. YouTube will sometimes flag videos for view auditing. If views are found to be fake, the view count is dropped to exclude fake views. If this has happened to you after you bought YouTube views, be wary of buying from the same source again. If your video is repeatedly found to be attracting purchased fake views, it may be taken down.

Conclusion

We see videos with thousands and millions of views so often that it’s easy to forget just how difficult it can be to get people to watch your videos. YouTube is very competitive, and it takes time to build a reputation, and the following needed to become a YouTube star.

To compete for viewer attention and engagement, it helps to have good numbers. Buying views can give you an edge by telling people that your content is worth their time. Just be sure to buy your views from the right sources. And after you’ve bought your views, do your part to promote your video on YouTube and other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Also, engage with your audience and create content consistently. With all these in place, your audience will grow organically, and eventually, you may get your moment in the spotlight.

What do you think? Would you buy YouTube views, or can you get by growing your channel organically?

Use Excellent Video Editor to Gain More Views

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

This article has everything you need to know before you buy YouTube views, including:

1. Where to Buy Views
2. How Does it Work?
3. What to Look for in a Service
4. Is Buying Views Illegal?
5. Will Buying Views Get Me Banned From YouTube?

Disclaimer: We in no way endorse the practice of buying views. It could be dangerous for your channel and will damage your credibility with your real viewers if they find out.

YouTube is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms today. The amount of time we spend watching YouTube videos daily is simply mindboggling. The amazing thing about YouTube is how easy it is to share content and, in the process, build your audience. Many people have launched careers on the success of their videos and the popularity of their channels. It doesn’t matter if you are an expert, a hobbyist, an aspiring musician, a citizen journalist, a DIY maven, a cook, or a makeup fiend – YouTube can help you reach more people, develop your brand and launch your new career. All you have to do is create your channel, upload good videos, promote your content, and watch the magic happen. Well, if only it were that simple…

In reality, getting people to watch your content can be difficult. Even for people who have large personal networks, hitting 5000 or 10000 views can be tough. The reason is simply that YouTube videos, like other web content, thrive on Social Proof, and Social Proof equals credibility. The more views a video has, the more people are willing to watch it, and the better its chances of featuring as recommended content. It’s a vicious cycle. Time and time again, we see that given the choice, people would rather watch a video with 2000 views instead of a video with 200 views.

This is why buying YouTube views can be a great way to jumpstart the organic views of your content. It’s no silver bullet of course, but it can get you off to a good start. Buying YouTube views can help your video gain traction and get recommended. The trick is to buy from sources that provide real US and UK views in ways that do not violate YouTube’s Terms of Service (TOS). There are many scam services out there that can get your video the wrong kind of attention. Be sure to do your research before you buy, and understand that this is a tactic which promises short-term results. Buying YouTube views can be useful. However, it is no guarantee of long-term success. You still need to put hard work into your content for it to work.

WHERE TO BUY VIEWS

These top 5 sites for buying YouTube views are ranked according to the quality of the targeted views they deliver, viewer engagement, responsiveness, turnaround time, and their moneyback guarantee (if they have one). The site which tested these services is called BuyViewsReview. To learn more about the top providers of YouTube views, and how you can avoid scams, click here .

Tip: you want ‘high retention views’ – views where your video has been watched for a significant period, not just clicked on. These will help your search engine rankings.

1. DEVUMI

Devumi is our #1 pick for buying YouTube views because it provides the best value for money. To start with, all Devumi’s packages come with likes included so there’s no need to shop around for engagement and retention after buying views from Devumi. They have a 100% money-back guarantee and some of the fastest turnaround time available on the market (for genuine high-retention views. Some bot services are faster, but it’s against YouTube’s TOS to use bots).

2. BuyViews

BuyViews come in at a close second to Devumi. They offer various social promotion options along with their packages. They also have an impressive 60% – 90% retention rate as well as a 100% moneyback guarantee. However, their turnaround time isn’t as good as Devumi’s. Also, they provide no time guarantee on their retention rate.

3. MarketingHeaven

MarketingHeaven makes buying YouTube views very easy. On their homepage, you can add the link to the video you’d like to promote, select the number of views you want from a dropdown list and top it off with an optional selection of likes. While this ease of use is a plus, MarketingHeaven is a bit more expensive than the top 2 sites on this list, and it provides no retention guarantee. Also, it takes longer to see results and it provides no options for social promotion.

4. 500VIEWS

On 500VIEWS you can buy everything, including YouTube views, likes, comments, and subscribers. They have an add-ons system that’s very easy to use. However, they don’t deliver on quality, retention, engagement, and customer support like the top 3 sites. It can also take up to 1 week to get results from 500VIEWS.

5. Social Shop

Social Shop has a very nice mix of packages. At the lowest end, they have the micro package which gets you 1000 views for $2, and at the high end, they have the Pro package which gets you 1,000,000 views for $999. Considering this range of options, their turnaround time of 2 days isn’t bad at all. However, Social Shop has limited engagement options. Unlike other sites on this list, they do not provide likes, comments, or subscribers. Their customer support also doesn’t compare too well against others on this list.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Buying YouTube views is easy and safe if you buy from reliable sources like the sites at the top of the list above. It also helps to know how YouTube judges view to understand why it’s important to choose the right source.

YouTube ranks views based on the location of the viewers and the quality of viewer engagement. When a user who is based in the US or UK uploads a video and it gets most of its views from Russia or Asia, that raises a red flag. YouTube checks to see that a good number of video viewers are part of the user’s target demographic, and that makes sense. You want targeted YouTube views because that can boost organic retention rates significantly. Untargeted views can lead to a high bounce rate which can lead YouTube to conclude that your video has been mistitled, among other things.

The best sellers of YouTube views go the extra mile to provide a mixed demographic of views with targeted hits from the US and UK to avoid the wrong kind of attention.

Some sellers simply rent IPs from different places and send them to the video link. While this method might not be detected by YouTube, it offers very low retention because there are no real people behind those IP addresses. It is always best to buy from sellers who can send real people to watch, like, and comment on your videos. Anything else is risky and can bring your content under increased scrutiny from YouTube.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A GOOD VIEW-BUYING WEBSITE

The most important thing to look for in a good view buying website is a guarantee that you’ll be getting real humans, not bots, to watch your video. This is the only way to get organic retention and engagement from your purchase. While robots will inflate your views, there’ll be little else to show for those high numbers. Bot views won’t help you rank in search results, and they may hurt your chances of ranking (they also violate YouTube’s TOS and can get your videos taken down). With human views, things can be different.

Bear in mind that buying views will not guarantee long-term success or impactful engagement. This is why buying YouTube views is seen as a short-term tactic for jumpstarting organic growth and not something to keep on doing forever. Content creators still have to promote their content and build real relationships with their viewers to see meaningful results in the long term.

Next, you want to be sure that your view buying website can deliver targeted views. If you’re based in the UK, you want views from the UK, US, Australia, and Canada. Views originating predominantly from Russia or certain parts of Eastern Europe and Asia could give you away, and you’d run the risk of disciplinary action from YouTube. Buying views isn’t technically against the rules, as long as they are human views, but if YouTube suspects there is a bot at work then they won’t be interested in any appeals about how ‘the service said they didn’t use bots’.

It’s also important to buy from providers whose viewers are active on YouTube. Their history of activity on YouTube will only boost the credibility of their views and by extension, the credibility of your video and its growing popularity.

Finally, you want to avoid sellers who provide views in a way that can put you at risk. Sites that provide views from similar IPs and same browsers with the same or similar cookies are just too obvious. YouTube can pick-up on that kind of activity and you could potentially have a problem on your hands.

IS BUYING VIEWS ILLEGAL?

No. This goes double for users who are not monetizing their content. Videos that promote violence and copyright violations are illegal. Buying views is not against the law, or even YouTube’s Terms of Service depending on where your views come from.

YouTube’s TOS does state clearly that partners are not to engage third parties to “… generate artificial subscribers or views.” Partners are generally understood to be users who are monetizing their channels through affiliate programs or AdSense, and ‘artificial’ means the views need to come from a bot to be against the rules. However, some interpret this to mean that buying YouTube views is against the TOS for all users. It seems like YouTube would rather you not buy views at all since the language is ambiguous, but since there’s a way in which buying ads through Google for your channel could be seen as buying views they haven’t formally outlawed it. Whatever your perspective, there’s no denying that buying views is a risky business. This is all the more reason you should choose the sites you buy from carefully.

Also, keep in mind that tech companies like Google constantly review their policies. Bloggers have had to change tactics with changes to Google’s search engine algorithm. There’s no telling how things may change or evolve with YouTube in the future. That is why we strongly recommend that you buy views from websites that can deliver real human views with strong guarantees of service delivery and reliable turnaround times. Anything short of this could expose you and your content to the kind of attention you certainly don’t want.

WILL BUYING VIEWS GET ME BANNED FROM YOUTUBE?

As mentioned above, buying views alone is unlikely to get you banned from YouTube. The worst-case scenario is that your video may be taken down for ‘view count gaming’ and even then, there’s an appeals process. The important thing is to understand Google and YouTube’s Terms of Service (TOS). Only explicit and egregious violations of their TOS could get your banned. You should also be mindful that community policing is a big part of how YouTube discovers users who may violate their TOS. If many viewers flag your video for takedown due to copyright violation or abusive content, that can lead to serious disciplinary action from YouTube and in some cases, you may be banned for life.

That’s why it’s important to buy likes and comments as well if you’re going to buy a large number of views – lots of views and no engagement will make organic viewers think you used a bot and they may report you.

Buying YouTube views is not illegal and certainly will not incur the same kind of disciplinary action as clear violations of YouTube’s TOS. What matters is that you buy your views in a way that won’t attract the wrong kind of attention. YouTube will sometimes flag videos for view auditing. If views are found to be fake, the view count is dropped to exclude fake views. If this has happened to you after you bought YouTube views, be wary of buying from the same source again. If your video is repeatedly found to be attracting purchased fake views, it may be taken down.

Conclusion

We see videos with thousands and millions of views so often that it’s easy to forget just how difficult it can be to get people to watch your videos. YouTube is very competitive, and it takes time to build a reputation, and the following needed to become a YouTube star.

To compete for viewer attention and engagement, it helps to have good numbers. Buying views can give you an edge by telling people that your content is worth their time. Just be sure to buy your views from the right sources. And after you’ve bought your views, do your part to promote your video on YouTube and other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Also, engage with your audience and create content consistently. With all these in place, your audience will grow organically, and eventually, you may get your moment in the spotlight.

What do you think? Would you buy YouTube views, or can you get by growing your channel organically?

Use Excellent Video Editor to Gain More Views

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

This article has everything you need to know before you buy YouTube views, including:

1. Where to Buy Views
2. How Does it Work?
3. What to Look for in a Service
4. Is Buying Views Illegal?
5. Will Buying Views Get Me Banned From YouTube?

Disclaimer: We in no way endorse the practice of buying views. It could be dangerous for your channel and will damage your credibility with your real viewers if they find out.

YouTube is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms today. The amount of time we spend watching YouTube videos daily is simply mindboggling. The amazing thing about YouTube is how easy it is to share content and, in the process, build your audience. Many people have launched careers on the success of their videos and the popularity of their channels. It doesn’t matter if you are an expert, a hobbyist, an aspiring musician, a citizen journalist, a DIY maven, a cook, or a makeup fiend – YouTube can help you reach more people, develop your brand and launch your new career. All you have to do is create your channel, upload good videos, promote your content, and watch the magic happen. Well, if only it were that simple…

In reality, getting people to watch your content can be difficult. Even for people who have large personal networks, hitting 5000 or 10000 views can be tough. The reason is simply that YouTube videos, like other web content, thrive on Social Proof, and Social Proof equals credibility. The more views a video has, the more people are willing to watch it, and the better its chances of featuring as recommended content. It’s a vicious cycle. Time and time again, we see that given the choice, people would rather watch a video with 2000 views instead of a video with 200 views.

This is why buying YouTube views can be a great way to jumpstart the organic views of your content. It’s no silver bullet of course, but it can get you off to a good start. Buying YouTube views can help your video gain traction and get recommended. The trick is to buy from sources that provide real US and UK views in ways that do not violate YouTube’s Terms of Service (TOS). There are many scam services out there that can get your video the wrong kind of attention. Be sure to do your research before you buy, and understand that this is a tactic which promises short-term results. Buying YouTube views can be useful. However, it is no guarantee of long-term success. You still need to put hard work into your content for it to work.

WHERE TO BUY VIEWS

These top 5 sites for buying YouTube views are ranked according to the quality of the targeted views they deliver, viewer engagement, responsiveness, turnaround time, and their moneyback guarantee (if they have one). The site which tested these services is called BuyViewsReview. To learn more about the top providers of YouTube views, and how you can avoid scams, click here .

Tip: you want ‘high retention views’ – views where your video has been watched for a significant period, not just clicked on. These will help your search engine rankings.

1. DEVUMI

Devumi is our #1 pick for buying YouTube views because it provides the best value for money. To start with, all Devumi’s packages come with likes included so there’s no need to shop around for engagement and retention after buying views from Devumi. They have a 100% money-back guarantee and some of the fastest turnaround time available on the market (for genuine high-retention views. Some bot services are faster, but it’s against YouTube’s TOS to use bots).

2. BuyViews

BuyViews come in at a close second to Devumi. They offer various social promotion options along with their packages. They also have an impressive 60% – 90% retention rate as well as a 100% moneyback guarantee. However, their turnaround time isn’t as good as Devumi’s. Also, they provide no time guarantee on their retention rate.

3. MarketingHeaven

MarketingHeaven makes buying YouTube views very easy. On their homepage, you can add the link to the video you’d like to promote, select the number of views you want from a dropdown list and top it off with an optional selection of likes. While this ease of use is a plus, MarketingHeaven is a bit more expensive than the top 2 sites on this list, and it provides no retention guarantee. Also, it takes longer to see results and it provides no options for social promotion.

4. 500VIEWS

On 500VIEWS you can buy everything, including YouTube views, likes, comments, and subscribers. They have an add-ons system that’s very easy to use. However, they don’t deliver on quality, retention, engagement, and customer support like the top 3 sites. It can also take up to 1 week to get results from 500VIEWS.

5. Social Shop

Social Shop has a very nice mix of packages. At the lowest end, they have the micro package which gets you 1000 views for $2, and at the high end, they have the Pro package which gets you 1,000,000 views for $999. Considering this range of options, their turnaround time of 2 days isn’t bad at all. However, Social Shop has limited engagement options. Unlike other sites on this list, they do not provide likes, comments, or subscribers. Their customer support also doesn’t compare too well against others on this list.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Buying YouTube views is easy and safe if you buy from reliable sources like the sites at the top of the list above. It also helps to know how YouTube judges view to understand why it’s important to choose the right source.

YouTube ranks views based on the location of the viewers and the quality of viewer engagement. When a user who is based in the US or UK uploads a video and it gets most of its views from Russia or Asia, that raises a red flag. YouTube checks to see that a good number of video viewers are part of the user’s target demographic, and that makes sense. You want targeted YouTube views because that can boost organic retention rates significantly. Untargeted views can lead to a high bounce rate which can lead YouTube to conclude that your video has been mistitled, among other things.

The best sellers of YouTube views go the extra mile to provide a mixed demographic of views with targeted hits from the US and UK to avoid the wrong kind of attention.

Some sellers simply rent IPs from different places and send them to the video link. While this method might not be detected by YouTube, it offers very low retention because there are no real people behind those IP addresses. It is always best to buy from sellers who can send real people to watch, like, and comment on your videos. Anything else is risky and can bring your content under increased scrutiny from YouTube.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A GOOD VIEW-BUYING WEBSITE

The most important thing to look for in a good view buying website is a guarantee that you’ll be getting real humans, not bots, to watch your video. This is the only way to get organic retention and engagement from your purchase. While robots will inflate your views, there’ll be little else to show for those high numbers. Bot views won’t help you rank in search results, and they may hurt your chances of ranking (they also violate YouTube’s TOS and can get your videos taken down). With human views, things can be different.

Bear in mind that buying views will not guarantee long-term success or impactful engagement. This is why buying YouTube views is seen as a short-term tactic for jumpstarting organic growth and not something to keep on doing forever. Content creators still have to promote their content and build real relationships with their viewers to see meaningful results in the long term.

Next, you want to be sure that your view buying website can deliver targeted views. If you’re based in the UK, you want views from the UK, US, Australia, and Canada. Views originating predominantly from Russia or certain parts of Eastern Europe and Asia could give you away, and you’d run the risk of disciplinary action from YouTube. Buying views isn’t technically against the rules, as long as they are human views, but if YouTube suspects there is a bot at work then they won’t be interested in any appeals about how ‘the service said they didn’t use bots’.

It’s also important to buy from providers whose viewers are active on YouTube. Their history of activity on YouTube will only boost the credibility of their views and by extension, the credibility of your video and its growing popularity.

Finally, you want to avoid sellers who provide views in a way that can put you at risk. Sites that provide views from similar IPs and same browsers with the same or similar cookies are just too obvious. YouTube can pick-up on that kind of activity and you could potentially have a problem on your hands.

IS BUYING VIEWS ILLEGAL?

No. This goes double for users who are not monetizing their content. Videos that promote violence and copyright violations are illegal. Buying views is not against the law, or even YouTube’s Terms of Service depending on where your views come from.

YouTube’s TOS does state clearly that partners are not to engage third parties to “… generate artificial subscribers or views.” Partners are generally understood to be users who are monetizing their channels through affiliate programs or AdSense, and ‘artificial’ means the views need to come from a bot to be against the rules. However, some interpret this to mean that buying YouTube views is against the TOS for all users. It seems like YouTube would rather you not buy views at all since the language is ambiguous, but since there’s a way in which buying ads through Google for your channel could be seen as buying views they haven’t formally outlawed it. Whatever your perspective, there’s no denying that buying views is a risky business. This is all the more reason you should choose the sites you buy from carefully.

Also, keep in mind that tech companies like Google constantly review their policies. Bloggers have had to change tactics with changes to Google’s search engine algorithm. There’s no telling how things may change or evolve with YouTube in the future. That is why we strongly recommend that you buy views from websites that can deliver real human views with strong guarantees of service delivery and reliable turnaround times. Anything short of this could expose you and your content to the kind of attention you certainly don’t want.

WILL BUYING VIEWS GET ME BANNED FROM YOUTUBE?

As mentioned above, buying views alone is unlikely to get you banned from YouTube. The worst-case scenario is that your video may be taken down for ‘view count gaming’ and even then, there’s an appeals process. The important thing is to understand Google and YouTube’s Terms of Service (TOS). Only explicit and egregious violations of their TOS could get your banned. You should also be mindful that community policing is a big part of how YouTube discovers users who may violate their TOS. If many viewers flag your video for takedown due to copyright violation or abusive content, that can lead to serious disciplinary action from YouTube and in some cases, you may be banned for life.

That’s why it’s important to buy likes and comments as well if you’re going to buy a large number of views – lots of views and no engagement will make organic viewers think you used a bot and they may report you.

Buying YouTube views is not illegal and certainly will not incur the same kind of disciplinary action as clear violations of YouTube’s TOS. What matters is that you buy your views in a way that won’t attract the wrong kind of attention. YouTube will sometimes flag videos for view auditing. If views are found to be fake, the view count is dropped to exclude fake views. If this has happened to you after you bought YouTube views, be wary of buying from the same source again. If your video is repeatedly found to be attracting purchased fake views, it may be taken down.

Conclusion

We see videos with thousands and millions of views so often that it’s easy to forget just how difficult it can be to get people to watch your videos. YouTube is very competitive, and it takes time to build a reputation, and the following needed to become a YouTube star.

To compete for viewer attention and engagement, it helps to have good numbers. Buying views can give you an edge by telling people that your content is worth their time. Just be sure to buy your views from the right sources. And after you’ve bought your views, do your part to promote your video on YouTube and other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Also, engage with your audience and create content consistently. With all these in place, your audience will grow organically, and eventually, you may get your moment in the spotlight.

What do you think? Would you buy YouTube views, or can you get by growing your channel organically?

Use Excellent Video Editor to Gain More Views

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

This article has everything you need to know before you buy YouTube views, including:

1. Where to Buy Views
2. How Does it Work?
3. What to Look for in a Service
4. Is Buying Views Illegal?
5. Will Buying Views Get Me Banned From YouTube?

Disclaimer: We in no way endorse the practice of buying views. It could be dangerous for your channel and will damage your credibility with your real viewers if they find out.

YouTube is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms today. The amount of time we spend watching YouTube videos daily is simply mindboggling. The amazing thing about YouTube is how easy it is to share content and, in the process, build your audience. Many people have launched careers on the success of their videos and the popularity of their channels. It doesn’t matter if you are an expert, a hobbyist, an aspiring musician, a citizen journalist, a DIY maven, a cook, or a makeup fiend – YouTube can help you reach more people, develop your brand and launch your new career. All you have to do is create your channel, upload good videos, promote your content, and watch the magic happen. Well, if only it were that simple…

In reality, getting people to watch your content can be difficult. Even for people who have large personal networks, hitting 5000 or 10000 views can be tough. The reason is simply that YouTube videos, like other web content, thrive on Social Proof, and Social Proof equals credibility. The more views a video has, the more people are willing to watch it, and the better its chances of featuring as recommended content. It’s a vicious cycle. Time and time again, we see that given the choice, people would rather watch a video with 2000 views instead of a video with 200 views.

This is why buying YouTube views can be a great way to jumpstart the organic views of your content. It’s no silver bullet of course, but it can get you off to a good start. Buying YouTube views can help your video gain traction and get recommended. The trick is to buy from sources that provide real US and UK views in ways that do not violate YouTube’s Terms of Service (TOS). There are many scam services out there that can get your video the wrong kind of attention. Be sure to do your research before you buy, and understand that this is a tactic which promises short-term results. Buying YouTube views can be useful. However, it is no guarantee of long-term success. You still need to put hard work into your content for it to work.

WHERE TO BUY VIEWS

These top 5 sites for buying YouTube views are ranked according to the quality of the targeted views they deliver, viewer engagement, responsiveness, turnaround time, and their moneyback guarantee (if they have one). The site which tested these services is called BuyViewsReview. To learn more about the top providers of YouTube views, and how you can avoid scams, click here .

Tip: you want ‘high retention views’ – views where your video has been watched for a significant period, not just clicked on. These will help your search engine rankings.

1. DEVUMI

Devumi is our #1 pick for buying YouTube views because it provides the best value for money. To start with, all Devumi’s packages come with likes included so there’s no need to shop around for engagement and retention after buying views from Devumi. They have a 100% money-back guarantee and some of the fastest turnaround time available on the market (for genuine high-retention views. Some bot services are faster, but it’s against YouTube’s TOS to use bots).

2. BuyViews

BuyViews come in at a close second to Devumi. They offer various social promotion options along with their packages. They also have an impressive 60% – 90% retention rate as well as a 100% moneyback guarantee. However, their turnaround time isn’t as good as Devumi’s. Also, they provide no time guarantee on their retention rate.

3. MarketingHeaven

MarketingHeaven makes buying YouTube views very easy. On their homepage, you can add the link to the video you’d like to promote, select the number of views you want from a dropdown list and top it off with an optional selection of likes. While this ease of use is a plus, MarketingHeaven is a bit more expensive than the top 2 sites on this list, and it provides no retention guarantee. Also, it takes longer to see results and it provides no options for social promotion.

4. 500VIEWS

On 500VIEWS you can buy everything, including YouTube views, likes, comments, and subscribers. They have an add-ons system that’s very easy to use. However, they don’t deliver on quality, retention, engagement, and customer support like the top 3 sites. It can also take up to 1 week to get results from 500VIEWS.

5. Social Shop

Social Shop has a very nice mix of packages. At the lowest end, they have the micro package which gets you 1000 views for $2, and at the high end, they have the Pro package which gets you 1,000,000 views for $999. Considering this range of options, their turnaround time of 2 days isn’t bad at all. However, Social Shop has limited engagement options. Unlike other sites on this list, they do not provide likes, comments, or subscribers. Their customer support also doesn’t compare too well against others on this list.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Buying YouTube views is easy and safe if you buy from reliable sources like the sites at the top of the list above. It also helps to know how YouTube judges view to understand why it’s important to choose the right source.

YouTube ranks views based on the location of the viewers and the quality of viewer engagement. When a user who is based in the US or UK uploads a video and it gets most of its views from Russia or Asia, that raises a red flag. YouTube checks to see that a good number of video viewers are part of the user’s target demographic, and that makes sense. You want targeted YouTube views because that can boost organic retention rates significantly. Untargeted views can lead to a high bounce rate which can lead YouTube to conclude that your video has been mistitled, among other things.

The best sellers of YouTube views go the extra mile to provide a mixed demographic of views with targeted hits from the US and UK to avoid the wrong kind of attention.

Some sellers simply rent IPs from different places and send them to the video link. While this method might not be detected by YouTube, it offers very low retention because there are no real people behind those IP addresses. It is always best to buy from sellers who can send real people to watch, like, and comment on your videos. Anything else is risky and can bring your content under increased scrutiny from YouTube.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A GOOD VIEW-BUYING WEBSITE

The most important thing to look for in a good view buying website is a guarantee that you’ll be getting real humans, not bots, to watch your video. This is the only way to get organic retention and engagement from your purchase. While robots will inflate your views, there’ll be little else to show for those high numbers. Bot views won’t help you rank in search results, and they may hurt your chances of ranking (they also violate YouTube’s TOS and can get your videos taken down). With human views, things can be different.

Bear in mind that buying views will not guarantee long-term success or impactful engagement. This is why buying YouTube views is seen as a short-term tactic for jumpstarting organic growth and not something to keep on doing forever. Content creators still have to promote their content and build real relationships with their viewers to see meaningful results in the long term.

Next, you want to be sure that your view buying website can deliver targeted views. If you’re based in the UK, you want views from the UK, US, Australia, and Canada. Views originating predominantly from Russia or certain parts of Eastern Europe and Asia could give you away, and you’d run the risk of disciplinary action from YouTube. Buying views isn’t technically against the rules, as long as they are human views, but if YouTube suspects there is a bot at work then they won’t be interested in any appeals about how ‘the service said they didn’t use bots’.

It’s also important to buy from providers whose viewers are active on YouTube. Their history of activity on YouTube will only boost the credibility of their views and by extension, the credibility of your video and its growing popularity.

Finally, you want to avoid sellers who provide views in a way that can put you at risk. Sites that provide views from similar IPs and same browsers with the same or similar cookies are just too obvious. YouTube can pick-up on that kind of activity and you could potentially have a problem on your hands.

IS BUYING VIEWS ILLEGAL?

No. This goes double for users who are not monetizing their content. Videos that promote violence and copyright violations are illegal. Buying views is not against the law, or even YouTube’s Terms of Service depending on where your views come from.

YouTube’s TOS does state clearly that partners are not to engage third parties to “… generate artificial subscribers or views.” Partners are generally understood to be users who are monetizing their channels through affiliate programs or AdSense, and ‘artificial’ means the views need to come from a bot to be against the rules. However, some interpret this to mean that buying YouTube views is against the TOS for all users. It seems like YouTube would rather you not buy views at all since the language is ambiguous, but since there’s a way in which buying ads through Google for your channel could be seen as buying views they haven’t formally outlawed it. Whatever your perspective, there’s no denying that buying views is a risky business. This is all the more reason you should choose the sites you buy from carefully.

Also, keep in mind that tech companies like Google constantly review their policies. Bloggers have had to change tactics with changes to Google’s search engine algorithm. There’s no telling how things may change or evolve with YouTube in the future. That is why we strongly recommend that you buy views from websites that can deliver real human views with strong guarantees of service delivery and reliable turnaround times. Anything short of this could expose you and your content to the kind of attention you certainly don’t want.

WILL BUYING VIEWS GET ME BANNED FROM YOUTUBE?

As mentioned above, buying views alone is unlikely to get you banned from YouTube. The worst-case scenario is that your video may be taken down for ‘view count gaming’ and even then, there’s an appeals process. The important thing is to understand Google and YouTube’s Terms of Service (TOS). Only explicit and egregious violations of their TOS could get your banned. You should also be mindful that community policing is a big part of how YouTube discovers users who may violate their TOS. If many viewers flag your video for takedown due to copyright violation or abusive content, that can lead to serious disciplinary action from YouTube and in some cases, you may be banned for life.

That’s why it’s important to buy likes and comments as well if you’re going to buy a large number of views – lots of views and no engagement will make organic viewers think you used a bot and they may report you.

Buying YouTube views is not illegal and certainly will not incur the same kind of disciplinary action as clear violations of YouTube’s TOS. What matters is that you buy your views in a way that won’t attract the wrong kind of attention. YouTube will sometimes flag videos for view auditing. If views are found to be fake, the view count is dropped to exclude fake views. If this has happened to you after you bought YouTube views, be wary of buying from the same source again. If your video is repeatedly found to be attracting purchased fake views, it may be taken down.

Conclusion

We see videos with thousands and millions of views so often that it’s easy to forget just how difficult it can be to get people to watch your videos. YouTube is very competitive, and it takes time to build a reputation, and the following needed to become a YouTube star.

To compete for viewer attention and engagement, it helps to have good numbers. Buying views can give you an edge by telling people that your content is worth their time. Just be sure to buy your views from the right sources. And after you’ve bought your views, do your part to promote your video on YouTube and other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Also, engage with your audience and create content consistently. With all these in place, your audience will grow organically, and eventually, you may get your moment in the spotlight.

What do you think? Would you buy YouTube views, or can you get by growing your channel organically?

Use Excellent Video Editor to Gain More Views

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Dissecting the Hidden Mechanics Behind YouTube’s Popularity Index

How Does YouTube Count Views? It’s Not as Simple as You Think

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

How does YouTube count views? It’s not as simple as the number of clicks your video gets. If someone sits and refreshes your video over and over without letting it play for any significant time, those refreshes won’t be recorded as views. There is a lot more that goes into the calculation.

1. Not Everyone Who Clicks Adds to Your View Count
2. How Does YouTube Count Views
3. How Does YouTube’s View Count Algorithm Work?
4. Account Tracking Factors - Some Viewers Don’t Count
5. The Skip & Skim
6. Frozen YouTube View Counts
7. The 301 Mark

Best YouTube Video Editor - Filmora

After you have created your YouTube channel, do you want to edit videos and upload your first video? Here we recommend using Filmora to easily edit YouTube videos.

You can use Filmora to make YouTube videos with built-in royalty-free audio. Filmora also can help you make YouTube intros. It includes more than 500 templates, transitions, effects, and text resources.

1. Not Everyone Who Clicks Adds to Your View Count

YouTube doesn’t provide a clear definition of what counts as a view, but we know that someone clicks on your video, and clicking right away doesn’t count. That’s how we know that watch time is a factor. Some studies conclude that a full 30 seconds need to be viewed to register as one view, but there is no way to know for sure.

2. How Does YouTube Count Views?

YouTube wants to be sure that views are coming from humans and not bots. So, during the first couple of hours after you publish a video, YouTube seems to be stricter about what they count. The views which are counted are the ones that YouTube believes to be legitimate. Sometimes, it ends up skipping legitimate views for the sake of discretion.

Once this window of time passes, it is likely that you will see the view counter start to update a lot more frequently. The counter could still revert to updating slower and more hesitantly, though, if YouTube’s algorithm thinks it’s detecting something fishy.

At times, your view count can even be frozen temporarily until the algorithm can validate the views you are receiving. This is done to ensure a fair and positive experience for everyone who creates content. View counts can be adjusted by the algorithm in either direction.

You May Also Like:
5 Tips To Get More Views With YouTube Optimization [Free Checklist] >>

3. How Does YouTube’s View Count Algorithm Work?

Termed by many as one of the most boggling algorithms of all time, it is really hard to decode the complete dynamics of the YouTube view count algorithm.

There are some tests you can run yourself to try to unpack it.

If you upload a video and then set it as unlisted it won’t get any public views so you can experiment by doing things like watching for different lengths of time and seeing what gets counted.

You’ll have to use a computer in a different location and make sure the account is not the same as the one you used to upload the video. Now, you need to watch the video for roughly 15 seconds. The key here is to keep it less than 30 seconds. You will see that the view did not add to the count. If you repeat this process on multiple computers at varying locations and with different accounts and you are likely to find the same result.

However, if you watch it for 30 seconds or longer it is likely that the count will go up.

We are adding ‘likely’ here because, despite this 30-second rule which has been decoded, there are other factors that might contribute to whether a view is counted as well as other automated scanning techniques at play.

Try to watch the same video numerous times in a single day. You will find that the count will add up at first, but after some time it will stop. YouTube knows that a lot of times people replay some videos over and over when they really enjoy them, and so they want to factor replays into their algorithm because they suggest quality. However, to avoid spam views, the counter will stop after a certain point.

4. Account Tracking Factors - Some Viewers Don’t Count

Something else that can affect whether a view is counted is the behavior of the account which watches it prior to landing on your video’s watch page. Sometimes, YouTube might feel that there is an increased chance a particular account is actually a bot, and then views from that account might not be added.

One way that YouTube might flag an account as a potential bot is if it is jumping between videos directly without navigating through recommendations, the search engine, or the account’s subscriber feed (how are they getting between these watch page URLs if they aren’t clicking on anything YouTube can record?). To add to it, if the viewer is watching each of the videos for almost 30 seconds exactly (or less) there is an increased probability that it is not a human but a bot (or a human watching the bare minimum as part of a view exchange program).

Any bot-like action will result in an account’s views do not be added to your view count.

5. The Skip & Skim

It’s not uncommon for viewers to watch a video for say five seconds, skip forwards a bit and watch for another ten seconds as they look for a specific part. It is hard to say whether skipping through a video, but watching a scattered 30 seconds, would count as a view or not.

6. Frozen YouTube View Counts

Sometimes YouTube will freeze a view count in order to check that it is accurate. When the count is unfrozen, the count may jump up as views are validated or it can go down if YouTube detects a problem.

You can use YouTube’s analytics reports to monitor an estimate of your potential views, but there is no assurance that this data will completely match your official view count.

7. The 301 Mark

You may have seen a lot of videos that have a stagnant count of 301 views. The algorithm behind YouTube’s view counting system believes that any video which has fetched higher than 300 views has the ability to impact people’s perception of quality on YouTube. They do not want the homepage to be crowded with artificially popular videos.

This is why view counts are often frozen at 301. The employees at YouTube then manually verify whether the views obtained so far are legitimate or fake. Once the employees are sure that the views are legit, the counter is unfrozen and you will see an upward swing.

During the period when the view count is frozen every legitimate view is still counted, just not added immediately. Once the YouTube team is sure that your videos are not getting fake traffic, your view count will be updated to include views that were registered during the frozen phase. However, YouTube says it won’t flag videos at 301 views anymore.

Conclusion

In short, we know YouTube expects a viewer to watch a video for around 30 seconds before it counts a view, that views from suspicious accounts are not counted, and that YouTube can decide to freeze your view count while they review your views. They are protecting the site from becoming saturated with videos that only look popular because of bots. Ultimately, ‘how does YouTube count views’ isn’t a question anyone but YouTube can answer for sure, but we do know it isn’t as simple as ‘a view is someone clicking on your video’.

If you want to engage your audience with cool effects and Filmora is the best choice to make a split-screen and green screen video for YouTubers. Download it now to have a try!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

How does YouTube count views? It’s not as simple as the number of clicks your video gets. If someone sits and refreshes your video over and over without letting it play for any significant time, those refreshes won’t be recorded as views. There is a lot more that goes into the calculation.

1. Not Everyone Who Clicks Adds to Your View Count
2. How Does YouTube Count Views
3. How Does YouTube’s View Count Algorithm Work?
4. Account Tracking Factors - Some Viewers Don’t Count
5. The Skip & Skim
6. Frozen YouTube View Counts
7. The 301 Mark

Best YouTube Video Editor - Filmora

After you have created your YouTube channel, do you want to edit videos and upload your first video? Here we recommend using Filmora to easily edit YouTube videos.

You can use Filmora to make YouTube videos with built-in royalty-free audio. Filmora also can help you make YouTube intros. It includes more than 500 templates, transitions, effects, and text resources.

1. Not Everyone Who Clicks Adds to Your View Count

YouTube doesn’t provide a clear definition of what counts as a view, but we know that someone clicks on your video, and clicking right away doesn’t count. That’s how we know that watch time is a factor. Some studies conclude that a full 30 seconds need to be viewed to register as one view, but there is no way to know for sure.

2. How Does YouTube Count Views?

YouTube wants to be sure that views are coming from humans and not bots. So, during the first couple of hours after you publish a video, YouTube seems to be stricter about what they count. The views which are counted are the ones that YouTube believes to be legitimate. Sometimes, it ends up skipping legitimate views for the sake of discretion.

Once this window of time passes, it is likely that you will see the view counter start to update a lot more frequently. The counter could still revert to updating slower and more hesitantly, though, if YouTube’s algorithm thinks it’s detecting something fishy.

At times, your view count can even be frozen temporarily until the algorithm can validate the views you are receiving. This is done to ensure a fair and positive experience for everyone who creates content. View counts can be adjusted by the algorithm in either direction.

You May Also Like:
5 Tips To Get More Views With YouTube Optimization [Free Checklist] >>

3. How Does YouTube’s View Count Algorithm Work?

Termed by many as one of the most boggling algorithms of all time, it is really hard to decode the complete dynamics of the YouTube view count algorithm.

There are some tests you can run yourself to try to unpack it.

If you upload a video and then set it as unlisted it won’t get any public views so you can experiment by doing things like watching for different lengths of time and seeing what gets counted.

You’ll have to use a computer in a different location and make sure the account is not the same as the one you used to upload the video. Now, you need to watch the video for roughly 15 seconds. The key here is to keep it less than 30 seconds. You will see that the view did not add to the count. If you repeat this process on multiple computers at varying locations and with different accounts and you are likely to find the same result.

However, if you watch it for 30 seconds or longer it is likely that the count will go up.

We are adding ‘likely’ here because, despite this 30-second rule which has been decoded, there are other factors that might contribute to whether a view is counted as well as other automated scanning techniques at play.

Try to watch the same video numerous times in a single day. You will find that the count will add up at first, but after some time it will stop. YouTube knows that a lot of times people replay some videos over and over when they really enjoy them, and so they want to factor replays into their algorithm because they suggest quality. However, to avoid spam views, the counter will stop after a certain point.

4. Account Tracking Factors - Some Viewers Don’t Count

Something else that can affect whether a view is counted is the behavior of the account which watches it prior to landing on your video’s watch page. Sometimes, YouTube might feel that there is an increased chance a particular account is actually a bot, and then views from that account might not be added.

One way that YouTube might flag an account as a potential bot is if it is jumping between videos directly without navigating through recommendations, the search engine, or the account’s subscriber feed (how are they getting between these watch page URLs if they aren’t clicking on anything YouTube can record?). To add to it, if the viewer is watching each of the videos for almost 30 seconds exactly (or less) there is an increased probability that it is not a human but a bot (or a human watching the bare minimum as part of a view exchange program).

Any bot-like action will result in an account’s views do not be added to your view count.

5. The Skip & Skim

It’s not uncommon for viewers to watch a video for say five seconds, skip forwards a bit and watch for another ten seconds as they look for a specific part. It is hard to say whether skipping through a video, but watching a scattered 30 seconds, would count as a view or not.

6. Frozen YouTube View Counts

Sometimes YouTube will freeze a view count in order to check that it is accurate. When the count is unfrozen, the count may jump up as views are validated or it can go down if YouTube detects a problem.

You can use YouTube’s analytics reports to monitor an estimate of your potential views, but there is no assurance that this data will completely match your official view count.

7. The 301 Mark

You may have seen a lot of videos that have a stagnant count of 301 views. The algorithm behind YouTube’s view counting system believes that any video which has fetched higher than 300 views has the ability to impact people’s perception of quality on YouTube. They do not want the homepage to be crowded with artificially popular videos.

This is why view counts are often frozen at 301. The employees at YouTube then manually verify whether the views obtained so far are legitimate or fake. Once the employees are sure that the views are legit, the counter is unfrozen and you will see an upward swing.

During the period when the view count is frozen every legitimate view is still counted, just not added immediately. Once the YouTube team is sure that your videos are not getting fake traffic, your view count will be updated to include views that were registered during the frozen phase. However, YouTube says it won’t flag videos at 301 views anymore.

Conclusion

In short, we know YouTube expects a viewer to watch a video for around 30 seconds before it counts a view, that views from suspicious accounts are not counted, and that YouTube can decide to freeze your view count while they review your views. They are protecting the site from becoming saturated with videos that only look popular because of bots. Ultimately, ‘how does YouTube count views’ isn’t a question anyone but YouTube can answer for sure, but we do know it isn’t as simple as ‘a view is someone clicking on your video’.

If you want to engage your audience with cool effects and Filmora is the best choice to make a split-screen and green screen video for YouTubers. Download it now to have a try!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

How does YouTube count views? It’s not as simple as the number of clicks your video gets. If someone sits and refreshes your video over and over without letting it play for any significant time, those refreshes won’t be recorded as views. There is a lot more that goes into the calculation.

1. Not Everyone Who Clicks Adds to Your View Count
2. How Does YouTube Count Views
3. How Does YouTube’s View Count Algorithm Work?
4. Account Tracking Factors - Some Viewers Don’t Count
5. The Skip & Skim
6. Frozen YouTube View Counts
7. The 301 Mark

Best YouTube Video Editor - Filmora

After you have created your YouTube channel, do you want to edit videos and upload your first video? Here we recommend using Filmora to easily edit YouTube videos.

You can use Filmora to make YouTube videos with built-in royalty-free audio. Filmora also can help you make YouTube intros. It includes more than 500 templates, transitions, effects, and text resources.

1. Not Everyone Who Clicks Adds to Your View Count

YouTube doesn’t provide a clear definition of what counts as a view, but we know that someone clicks on your video, and clicking right away doesn’t count. That’s how we know that watch time is a factor. Some studies conclude that a full 30 seconds need to be viewed to register as one view, but there is no way to know for sure.

2. How Does YouTube Count Views?

YouTube wants to be sure that views are coming from humans and not bots. So, during the first couple of hours after you publish a video, YouTube seems to be stricter about what they count. The views which are counted are the ones that YouTube believes to be legitimate. Sometimes, it ends up skipping legitimate views for the sake of discretion.

Once this window of time passes, it is likely that you will see the view counter start to update a lot more frequently. The counter could still revert to updating slower and more hesitantly, though, if YouTube’s algorithm thinks it’s detecting something fishy.

At times, your view count can even be frozen temporarily until the algorithm can validate the views you are receiving. This is done to ensure a fair and positive experience for everyone who creates content. View counts can be adjusted by the algorithm in either direction.

You May Also Like:
5 Tips To Get More Views With YouTube Optimization [Free Checklist] >>

3. How Does YouTube’s View Count Algorithm Work?

Termed by many as one of the most boggling algorithms of all time, it is really hard to decode the complete dynamics of the YouTube view count algorithm.

There are some tests you can run yourself to try to unpack it.

If you upload a video and then set it as unlisted it won’t get any public views so you can experiment by doing things like watching for different lengths of time and seeing what gets counted.

You’ll have to use a computer in a different location and make sure the account is not the same as the one you used to upload the video. Now, you need to watch the video for roughly 15 seconds. The key here is to keep it less than 30 seconds. You will see that the view did not add to the count. If you repeat this process on multiple computers at varying locations and with different accounts and you are likely to find the same result.

However, if you watch it for 30 seconds or longer it is likely that the count will go up.

We are adding ‘likely’ here because, despite this 30-second rule which has been decoded, there are other factors that might contribute to whether a view is counted as well as other automated scanning techniques at play.

Try to watch the same video numerous times in a single day. You will find that the count will add up at first, but after some time it will stop. YouTube knows that a lot of times people replay some videos over and over when they really enjoy them, and so they want to factor replays into their algorithm because they suggest quality. However, to avoid spam views, the counter will stop after a certain point.

4. Account Tracking Factors - Some Viewers Don’t Count

Something else that can affect whether a view is counted is the behavior of the account which watches it prior to landing on your video’s watch page. Sometimes, YouTube might feel that there is an increased chance a particular account is actually a bot, and then views from that account might not be added.

One way that YouTube might flag an account as a potential bot is if it is jumping between videos directly without navigating through recommendations, the search engine, or the account’s subscriber feed (how are they getting between these watch page URLs if they aren’t clicking on anything YouTube can record?). To add to it, if the viewer is watching each of the videos for almost 30 seconds exactly (or less) there is an increased probability that it is not a human but a bot (or a human watching the bare minimum as part of a view exchange program).

Any bot-like action will result in an account’s views do not be added to your view count.

5. The Skip & Skim

It’s not uncommon for viewers to watch a video for say five seconds, skip forwards a bit and watch for another ten seconds as they look for a specific part. It is hard to say whether skipping through a video, but watching a scattered 30 seconds, would count as a view or not.

6. Frozen YouTube View Counts

Sometimes YouTube will freeze a view count in order to check that it is accurate. When the count is unfrozen, the count may jump up as views are validated or it can go down if YouTube detects a problem.

You can use YouTube’s analytics reports to monitor an estimate of your potential views, but there is no assurance that this data will completely match your official view count.

7. The 301 Mark

You may have seen a lot of videos that have a stagnant count of 301 views. The algorithm behind YouTube’s view counting system believes that any video which has fetched higher than 300 views has the ability to impact people’s perception of quality on YouTube. They do not want the homepage to be crowded with artificially popular videos.

This is why view counts are often frozen at 301. The employees at YouTube then manually verify whether the views obtained so far are legitimate or fake. Once the employees are sure that the views are legit, the counter is unfrozen and you will see an upward swing.

During the period when the view count is frozen every legitimate view is still counted, just not added immediately. Once the YouTube team is sure that your videos are not getting fake traffic, your view count will be updated to include views that were registered during the frozen phase. However, YouTube says it won’t flag videos at 301 views anymore.

Conclusion

In short, we know YouTube expects a viewer to watch a video for around 30 seconds before it counts a view, that views from suspicious accounts are not counted, and that YouTube can decide to freeze your view count while they review your views. They are protecting the site from becoming saturated with videos that only look popular because of bots. Ultimately, ‘how does YouTube count views’ isn’t a question anyone but YouTube can answer for sure, but we do know it isn’t as simple as ‘a view is someone clicking on your video’.

If you want to engage your audience with cool effects and Filmora is the best choice to make a split-screen and green screen video for YouTubers. Download it now to have a try!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

How does YouTube count views? It’s not as simple as the number of clicks your video gets. If someone sits and refreshes your video over and over without letting it play for any significant time, those refreshes won’t be recorded as views. There is a lot more that goes into the calculation.

1. Not Everyone Who Clicks Adds to Your View Count
2. How Does YouTube Count Views
3. How Does YouTube’s View Count Algorithm Work?
4. Account Tracking Factors - Some Viewers Don’t Count
5. The Skip & Skim
6. Frozen YouTube View Counts
7. The 301 Mark

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1. Not Everyone Who Clicks Adds to Your View Count

YouTube doesn’t provide a clear definition of what counts as a view, but we know that someone clicks on your video, and clicking right away doesn’t count. That’s how we know that watch time is a factor. Some studies conclude that a full 30 seconds need to be viewed to register as one view, but there is no way to know for sure.

2. How Does YouTube Count Views?

YouTube wants to be sure that views are coming from humans and not bots. So, during the first couple of hours after you publish a video, YouTube seems to be stricter about what they count. The views which are counted are the ones that YouTube believes to be legitimate. Sometimes, it ends up skipping legitimate views for the sake of discretion.

Once this window of time passes, it is likely that you will see the view counter start to update a lot more frequently. The counter could still revert to updating slower and more hesitantly, though, if YouTube’s algorithm thinks it’s detecting something fishy.

At times, your view count can even be frozen temporarily until the algorithm can validate the views you are receiving. This is done to ensure a fair and positive experience for everyone who creates content. View counts can be adjusted by the algorithm in either direction.

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3. How Does YouTube’s View Count Algorithm Work?

Termed by many as one of the most boggling algorithms of all time, it is really hard to decode the complete dynamics of the YouTube view count algorithm.

There are some tests you can run yourself to try to unpack it.

If you upload a video and then set it as unlisted it won’t get any public views so you can experiment by doing things like watching for different lengths of time and seeing what gets counted.

You’ll have to use a computer in a different location and make sure the account is not the same as the one you used to upload the video. Now, you need to watch the video for roughly 15 seconds. The key here is to keep it less than 30 seconds. You will see that the view did not add to the count. If you repeat this process on multiple computers at varying locations and with different accounts and you are likely to find the same result.

However, if you watch it for 30 seconds or longer it is likely that the count will go up.

We are adding ‘likely’ here because, despite this 30-second rule which has been decoded, there are other factors that might contribute to whether a view is counted as well as other automated scanning techniques at play.

Try to watch the same video numerous times in a single day. You will find that the count will add up at first, but after some time it will stop. YouTube knows that a lot of times people replay some videos over and over when they really enjoy them, and so they want to factor replays into their algorithm because they suggest quality. However, to avoid spam views, the counter will stop after a certain point.

4. Account Tracking Factors - Some Viewers Don’t Count

Something else that can affect whether a view is counted is the behavior of the account which watches it prior to landing on your video’s watch page. Sometimes, YouTube might feel that there is an increased chance a particular account is actually a bot, and then views from that account might not be added.

One way that YouTube might flag an account as a potential bot is if it is jumping between videos directly without navigating through recommendations, the search engine, or the account’s subscriber feed (how are they getting between these watch page URLs if they aren’t clicking on anything YouTube can record?). To add to it, if the viewer is watching each of the videos for almost 30 seconds exactly (or less) there is an increased probability that it is not a human but a bot (or a human watching the bare minimum as part of a view exchange program).

Any bot-like action will result in an account’s views do not be added to your view count.

5. The Skip & Skim

It’s not uncommon for viewers to watch a video for say five seconds, skip forwards a bit and watch for another ten seconds as they look for a specific part. It is hard to say whether skipping through a video, but watching a scattered 30 seconds, would count as a view or not.

6. Frozen YouTube View Counts

Sometimes YouTube will freeze a view count in order to check that it is accurate. When the count is unfrozen, the count may jump up as views are validated or it can go down if YouTube detects a problem.

You can use YouTube’s analytics reports to monitor an estimate of your potential views, but there is no assurance that this data will completely match your official view count.

7. The 301 Mark

You may have seen a lot of videos that have a stagnant count of 301 views. The algorithm behind YouTube’s view counting system believes that any video which has fetched higher than 300 views has the ability to impact people’s perception of quality on YouTube. They do not want the homepage to be crowded with artificially popular videos.

This is why view counts are often frozen at 301. The employees at YouTube then manually verify whether the views obtained so far are legitimate or fake. Once the employees are sure that the views are legit, the counter is unfrozen and you will see an upward swing.

During the period when the view count is frozen every legitimate view is still counted, just not added immediately. Once the YouTube team is sure that your videos are not getting fake traffic, your view count will be updated to include views that were registered during the frozen phase. However, YouTube says it won’t flag videos at 301 views anymore.

Conclusion

In short, we know YouTube expects a viewer to watch a video for around 30 seconds before it counts a view, that views from suspicious accounts are not counted, and that YouTube can decide to freeze your view count while they review your views. They are protecting the site from becoming saturated with videos that only look popular because of bots. Ultimately, ‘how does YouTube count views’ isn’t a question anyone but YouTube can answer for sure, but we do know it isn’t as simple as ‘a view is someone clicking on your video’.

If you want to engage your audience with cool effects and Filmora is the best choice to make a split-screen and green screen video for YouTubers. Download it now to have a try!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett