Given the current popularity of video content, YouTube is a powerful platform for brand marketing. With 2.7 billion monthly active users, YouTube generates the second-highest traffic of any website globally, second only to Google. To understand how to succeed, you need to do a competitor analysis on YouTube.
While YouTube offers an analytics dashboard, it doesn’t have any features for competitor analysis. In this article, we’ll explore the best ways to analyze your competitors on YouTube without relying solely on the platform’s limited dashboard.
1. Create a list of your main competitors
First, you need to know who you’re up against.
Start by identifying five to ten YouTube channels based on three key factors:
- Industry: The general category your channel falls into (e.g. AI, Cooking, Fitness, Tech Reviews).
- Niche: Specific focus within your industry (e.g., conversational and generative AI, vegan cooking, HIIT workouts, smartphone reviews).
- Target Audience: Specific group of viewers you are targeting (e.g. busy parents, budding athletes, tech enthusiasts on a budget).
Considering one or more of these factors ensures that you are comparing yourself to truly specific competitors, not just anyone in your general field.
Research your competitors by searching for keywords or topics relevant to your niche. Look at the top results and take note of the channels that consistently appear.
For example, in the YouTube marketing niche, TubeBuddy and Dave Nick could be your key competitors.
Don’t just stick to the first page – dig deeper to find emerging channels that could be your future competition. Also, check out YouTube creators’ accounts to check out their videos from the past year and make sure their topics align with your channel’s content pillars.
2. Analyze audience comments
Before you dive into your competitors’ content and strategies, take a quick look at how their audiences interact with their videos.
The comments section is where viewers express what they love or hate. What questions do they ask? What do they appreciate or dislike? This will give you good context and help you identify ways to make your channel shine.
You can get ideas on how the video is structured, how the information is presented, and its length. But remember, create something unique that offers fresh value to your audience, as they are looking for original content, not a rehash.
Also, look for common themes in the comments. Are people always asking for more in-depth content or specific topics?
On the other hand, identify recurring complaints. If viewers are unhappy with something, it’s an opportunity for you to offer a better solution.
Also, integrate social listening into your strategy. Monitor your competitors’ mentions on social platforms to gain more insight into audience preferences and pain points.
3. Analyze their channels and content on YouTube
Dive into your competitors’ YouTube channels to see what makes their content tick. You can start by examining:
- How they structure their videos, from eye-catching intros to engaging conclusions.
- How they grab viewers’ attention from the beginning and keep them hooked until the end.
- Video length and frequency: Do your most popular videos tend to be shorter or longer and more detailed?
- Types of videos they produce: tutorials, vlogs, reviews, or others. For example, if a competitor’s “how-to” videos are attracting a lot of views, consider creating similar content with an original twist.
- How they use thumbnails and titles to attract clicks.
- How often do you upload new content: Do you post weekly, daily, or monthly?
This will help you spot trends and strategies that work, so you can create your unique approach that stands out and grabs viewers’ attention.
4. Research their keywords and SEO strategies
Use SEO tools to find out what keywords your competitors are using. If they are ranking well for terms like “YouTube SEO,” include similar keywords in your content, but with your own unique twist.
Also look at how they write their video titles and descriptions. Do they use specific phrases that help their videos rank? Try to incorporate these strategies into your videos.
For example, if a competitor’s title includes “quick and easy” and it’s performing well, consider using similar phrases that fit your content.
For video descriptions, look at how they structure them, where they place keywords, and what links or additional context they include. This will guide you in writing effective descriptions for your videos.
Finally, check out the tags and hashtags they’re using. If your competitor tags their videos with #SEOonYouTube and it’s trending, adding relevant tags to your videos can improve your visibility.
5. Identify content gaps and refine your YouTube strategy
Now that you’ve analyzed your competitors, it’s time to identify the content they’re missing and take advantage of those opportunities.
Look at the areas your competitors haven’t explored or haven’t addressed well. For example, if they cover general YouTube marketing strategies but ignore specific niches like YouTube SEO for small businesses or monetization tips for creators, you can step in with content targeted to those specific needs.
Also, look for gaps in the level of detail in your content. If your “basic monetization tips” videos are shallow, create more in-depth guides or tutorials that offer advanced information and practical advice.
Also, explore the comments on your competitors’ videos to identify frequently asked questions or requests that haven’t been answered. If viewers are asking for content on a specific topic, offer them your unique perspective.
This way, you can offer something fresh and valuable, making your channel stand out in a crowded space.
