Must-Know YouTube Terminology (And a Bit of Jargon, Too)

YouTube is one of the most popular and impactful search platforms on the planet, not to mention an invaluable social media platform. For newer brands and uninitiated marketers, YouTube jargon can be intimidating – but with this guide, you can learn about all of the terms you need to know!

Our YouTube glossary of terms includes common analytics and advertising terms you’ll encounter as you grow your channel. Need a crash course in YouTube marketing? We can help.

The Ultimate YouTube Glossary

Average percentage viewed (APV). YouTube’s most telling metric, APV measures the percentage of your video a viewer watched before clicking off.

What is a good average percentage viewed on YouTube?

APV depends on the length of the video. 50% APV on a 10-second YouTube Short isn’t quite the same as a 50% APV on a 15-minute deep-dive video. All things being equal, 50% is considered a solid average percentage viewed on YouTube, with 60% or higher considered darn good.

Average view duration (AVD). Average view duration measures the amount of time a viewer watches; think of it as a stopwatch.

Average view duration vs. average percentage viewed – which matters more?

Both metrics are valuable, but their value depends largely on your goal. The longer a user watches, for example, the more ads they’ll see (monetization), the more times they’ll see links to other content on your channel, or the more product links they’ll be exposed to. Both AVD and APV also impact YouTube’s algorithm, which determines how often your content is recommended to new viewers.

Cards. On YouTube, cards are the pop-ups that display on the right-hand side of the screen while a video is playing. Creators can set the cards to be a video, playlist, website, or channel. These info cards should ultimately keep users on your channel or drive traffic to your website.

Category. YouTube categories help its algorithm (and users!) organize and serve relevant content based on search interests. When adding a new video to YouTube, you’ll have the option to select which category your video best falls under.  Some of the most popular YouTube categories are:

Channel. A YouTube page is commonly referred to as a channel and acts like a homepage. It’s where users can see your playlists, thumbnails of videos, Shorts, and other content before choosing what to watch.

Closed captioning/transcription. Users can choose to turn on closed captioning and transcriptions. Closed captioning appears on screen, while transcriptions must be toggled on and viewed in the sidebar. There is some evidence that closed captioning and transcription provide at least some SEO value when keywords (tags) are included in the transcription.

CTR. Click-through rate is the share of users who click on your video from the search results page. Click-through rate on YouTube is calculated by the number of clicks divided by the number of impressions. You can improve your CTR by using engaging, exciting thumbnails and attention-grabbing titles.

What is a good CTR on YouTube?

Average CTR on YouTube varies by channel size, industry, and number of views. A CTR between 2% and 10% is solid, and most brands can achieve a 4% CTR with informative, quality content and careful optimization.

Description. YouTube descriptions appear in an expandable box below the video itself. Creators have up to 1,000 characters to describe the information and events of the video. The first 157 characters show above the fold; consider those a hook. Below the fold, make sure to include timestamps, relevant links, and hashtags.

End screens. YouTube videos usually have a dedicated end screen that lasts 10-15 seconds before the video actually ends. Creators can choose which elements to display, aiming to keep people watching other videos from the channel or driving users to the website. Possible end screen elements include videos, playlists, subscribe buttons, channel links, and website links.

Read more: How to Promote YouTube Videos

Hashtags. YouTube’s tags are formatted like Instagram hashtags (#example) and serve a similar purpose. They help users find related content and confirm what the video is about. Tags on YouTube populate above the video title when typed into the description. almost like a meta description on a Google search engine results page (SERP). Only three hashtags display above the title.

Do hashtags work on YouTube?

Hashtags work, as long as they are:

• Relevant to the video
• Limited in number (3-5 is best)
• Meet community guidelines (no swearing, slurs, or inappropriate content)

Live. Creators stream videos in real-time. Users can interact live with the audience via the chat feature. Only verified channels can go live, and you have to be 16 years of age or older.

Playlist. YouTube playlists are a collection of related videos. They organize content around a central topic, and the playlist’s title and description also provide SEO value.

Retention. Similar to the average percentage viewed and average view duration, retention refers to the percentage of your video a viewer watched.

Short. YouTube Shorts are eerily similar (almost identical) to TikTok videos and Instagram Reels. Shorts are short-form videos that are up to 3 minutes long and are usually formatted as vertical content.

Subscriber. YouTube’s equivalent of followers, subscribers will see your videos appear in their feed but won’t automatically receive a notification unless they turn on the notification bell.

Notification bell. This button, located next to the subscribe button, lets users adjust their notification settings for a specific YouTube channel. Users can choose to receive notifications for all uploads and live streams from a channel or “personalized” notifications for content that the YouTube algorithm determines a user will be interested in based on their watch history.

Tags. YouTube tags are different than hashtags. Tags are a list of keywords related to the topic of the video to help videos rank in organic search results and suggested video feeds. The primary keyword should appear first in the tags list as well as in the video title and description. Some of the most common YouTube tags are:

• #YouTube
• #YouTuber
• #Viral
• #Trending
• #Foodie

Timestamps. Formatted 00:00 (minutes:seconds), they outline a specific time in the video and a corresponding title. When clicked, timestamps jump the viewer directly to xx:xx in the video. Timestamps help videos with chapters rank.

Title. 50-70 characters describing the purpose of the video. The most effective YouTube titles ideally include the primary keyword (tag) and branding, if applicable.

Thumbnail. Cover image for a video that has a resolution of 1280×720 (with a minimum width of 640 pixels). Thumbnails are uploaded in image formats such as JPG, GIF, or PNG, and must be under the 2MB limit. Try to use a 16:9 aspect ratio, as it’s the most used in YouTube players and previews.

View. YouTube counts a “view” when someone watches 30 seconds of your video (or the duration if it’s shorter than 30 seconds) or interacts with the ad, whichever comes first.

Watch time. YouTube tracks the cumulative number of hours that viewers have spent watching a video, as well as total watch time for your entire channel.

YouTuber. The definition of a YouTuber is anyone who uploads or appears in videos on YouTube. Today, they prefer to be called “creators.”

Dive Deeper into YouTube

YouTube is one of the most undervalued marketing channels today, despite users watching over 1 billion hours of video per day. In the US, adults spend an average of 46 minutes per day on the platform. Where people spend time, they spend money, with YouTube playing an increasingly important role in purchase decision-making.

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Grow Your YouTube Presence with Oneupweb

Make the most of your video content with a sound YouTube marketing strategy from Oneupweb. Our full-service marketing agency specializes in working with midsize and enterprise businesses to achieve their marketing goals across channels, including YouTube optimization and a robust social media strategy. Get started to today; reach out online or call (231) 922-9977.