Understanding & Applying YouTube Markup

How to Use YouTube Cards and Annotations?

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube Annotations and Cards are both tools for linking viewers to your other videos or to off-YouTube webpages. Two of the major differences between them are:

Annotations are not clickable on mobile devices.

You cannot choose the size or positioning of Cards.

This article will teach you about both Cards and Annotations and discuss the best uses for each of them.

Part 1: Annotations

Annotations are messages that float overtop of your videos in the YouTube player. Usually, annotations are clickable and take users to other content created by you.

Section 1: Types of Annotations

There are five types of YouTube annotations:

Notes are colored boxes placed over the top of your videos.

Speech Bubbles look like dialogue boxes in a comic strip. They have tails that you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation.

Spotlights have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a viewer’s cursor hovers over top of these annotations.

Labels are like spotlights except that viewers do not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

Any of these annotations can be used to link viewers to other videos, or as subscribe links. You can also add a simple Title to your video through the Annotations menu.

Section 2: How to Use Annotations

*Note: the above video mentions Pause annotations, which are no longer available.

Here are two of the best uses for annotations:

Clickable End Cards / Outros

One of the best ways you can use spotlight annotations is to create clickable end cards for your videos.

When your video finishes playing the YouTube player will display a selection of suggested videos that might direct viewers away from your channel. You can keep more of these viewers watching your content by creating your own ‘suggested videos’ card and putting it at the end of your videos.

Put thumbnails of two or three of your other videos on your end card, or use ‘picture-in-picture’ to actually imbed footage from them. Then, after you upload your video, go in and place clickable spotlight annotations over top of your video thumbnails.

This is one use for annotations that cannot be duplicated with cards.

Promoting Your Videos

You should not wait until the end of your video to start linking viewers to other content. Many viewers will click away before they see your end card because your video is not exactly what they were looking for. By placing note or speech bubble annotations occasionally throughout your videos you can catch some of these people before they click off of your channel.

This works especially well if you link to videos on similar subjects to the one you are annotating.

Instead of just linking to another video of yours, try to link to that video on a playlist. Once a viewer is on a playlist your videos will auto-play after each other, which is good for both your view count and watch time.

You can also use the newer YouTube Cards for this, but Annotations might still be a better choice because viewers only need to click once vs. twice for Cards.

Try both and see which performs best for your channel. It might be in your best interest to keep on using both as they target different audiences – Cards are clickable on mobile devices, for example, but Annotations are not.

Part 2: YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are newer than annotations and a lot of people believe they will one day replace Annotations. While there are benefits to Cards – like embedding images to represent your links – you cannot choose the shape, size, or placement of them. This means they have limited uses.

When viewers click on a Card they are shown additional information and a thumbnail representing the page they will be taken to if they choose to click again. This extra step could be either help viewers decide to click your links or give them a second chance to decide they would rather not.

Section 1: When to Use Cards

A linked Annotation is simply a call to action viewers can click on. A Card is a call to action as well, but instead of taking the viewer directly to where its link leads when it is clicked a Card opens up into a larger version of itself with a thumbnail image.

Crowdfunding pages (Patreon is a great choice for video creators), charity fundraising pages, and merchandise stores are all examples of links that benefit from the format of YouTube Cards.

When you link a viewer to a non-YouTube page you break up their session time, which negatively impacts your watch time and SEO ranking. You want to make sure that the viewers you are directing away from YouTube are the ones most likely to convert after they leave. By ‘convert’ we mean to contribute to your Patreon campaign, donate to the charity you are promoting, or buy some of your merchandise.

Giving viewers more information and a thumbnail through a Card can help ensure the most interested viewers are the ones clicking your links.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

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

YouTube Annotations and Cards are both tools for linking viewers to your other videos or to off-YouTube webpages. Two of the major differences between them are:

Annotations are not clickable on mobile devices.

You cannot choose the size or positioning of Cards.

This article will teach you about both Cards and Annotations and discuss the best uses for each of them.

Part 1: Annotations

Annotations are messages that float overtop of your videos in the YouTube player. Usually, annotations are clickable and take users to other content created by you.

Section 1: Types of Annotations

There are five types of YouTube annotations:

Notes are colored boxes placed over the top of your videos.

Speech Bubbles look like dialogue boxes in a comic strip. They have tails that you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation.

Spotlights have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a viewer’s cursor hovers over top of these annotations.

Labels are like spotlights except that viewers do not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

Any of these annotations can be used to link viewers to other videos, or as subscribe links. You can also add a simple Title to your video through the Annotations menu.

Section 2: How to Use Annotations

*Note: the above video mentions Pause annotations, which are no longer available.

Here are two of the best uses for annotations:

Clickable End Cards / Outros

One of the best ways you can use spotlight annotations is to create clickable end cards for your videos.

When your video finishes playing the YouTube player will display a selection of suggested videos that might direct viewers away from your channel. You can keep more of these viewers watching your content by creating your own ‘suggested videos’ card and putting it at the end of your videos.

Put thumbnails of two or three of your other videos on your end card, or use ‘picture-in-picture’ to actually imbed footage from them. Then, after you upload your video, go in and place clickable spotlight annotations over top of your video thumbnails.

This is one use for annotations that cannot be duplicated with cards.

Promoting Your Videos

You should not wait until the end of your video to start linking viewers to other content. Many viewers will click away before they see your end card because your video is not exactly what they were looking for. By placing note or speech bubble annotations occasionally throughout your videos you can catch some of these people before they click off of your channel.

This works especially well if you link to videos on similar subjects to the one you are annotating.

Instead of just linking to another video of yours, try to link to that video on a playlist. Once a viewer is on a playlist your videos will auto-play after each other, which is good for both your view count and watch time.

You can also use the newer YouTube Cards for this, but Annotations might still be a better choice because viewers only need to click once vs. twice for Cards.

Try both and see which performs best for your channel. It might be in your best interest to keep on using both as they target different audiences – Cards are clickable on mobile devices, for example, but Annotations are not.

Part 2: YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are newer than annotations and a lot of people believe they will one day replace Annotations. While there are benefits to Cards – like embedding images to represent your links – you cannot choose the shape, size, or placement of them. This means they have limited uses.

When viewers click on a Card they are shown additional information and a thumbnail representing the page they will be taken to if they choose to click again. This extra step could be either help viewers decide to click your links or give them a second chance to decide they would rather not.

Section 1: When to Use Cards

A linked Annotation is simply a call to action viewers can click on. A Card is a call to action as well, but instead of taking the viewer directly to where its link leads when it is clicked a Card opens up into a larger version of itself with a thumbnail image.

Crowdfunding pages (Patreon is a great choice for video creators), charity fundraising pages, and merchandise stores are all examples of links that benefit from the format of YouTube Cards.

When you link a viewer to a non-YouTube page you break up their session time, which negatively impacts your watch time and SEO ranking. You want to make sure that the viewers you are directing away from YouTube are the ones most likely to convert after they leave. By ‘convert’ we mean to contribute to your Patreon campaign, donate to the charity you are promoting, or buy some of your merchandise.

Giving viewers more information and a thumbnail through a Card can help ensure the most interested viewers are the ones clicking your links.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

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

YouTube Annotations and Cards are both tools for linking viewers to your other videos or to off-YouTube webpages. Two of the major differences between them are:

Annotations are not clickable on mobile devices.

You cannot choose the size or positioning of Cards.

This article will teach you about both Cards and Annotations and discuss the best uses for each of them.

Part 1: Annotations

Annotations are messages that float overtop of your videos in the YouTube player. Usually, annotations are clickable and take users to other content created by you.

Section 1: Types of Annotations

There are five types of YouTube annotations:

Notes are colored boxes placed over the top of your videos.

Speech Bubbles look like dialogue boxes in a comic strip. They have tails that you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation.

Spotlights have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a viewer’s cursor hovers over top of these annotations.

Labels are like spotlights except that viewers do not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

Any of these annotations can be used to link viewers to other videos, or as subscribe links. You can also add a simple Title to your video through the Annotations menu.

Section 2: How to Use Annotations

*Note: the above video mentions Pause annotations, which are no longer available.

Here are two of the best uses for annotations:

Clickable End Cards / Outros

One of the best ways you can use spotlight annotations is to create clickable end cards for your videos.

When your video finishes playing the YouTube player will display a selection of suggested videos that might direct viewers away from your channel. You can keep more of these viewers watching your content by creating your own ‘suggested videos’ card and putting it at the end of your videos.

Put thumbnails of two or three of your other videos on your end card, or use ‘picture-in-picture’ to actually imbed footage from them. Then, after you upload your video, go in and place clickable spotlight annotations over top of your video thumbnails.

This is one use for annotations that cannot be duplicated with cards.

Promoting Your Videos

You should not wait until the end of your video to start linking viewers to other content. Many viewers will click away before they see your end card because your video is not exactly what they were looking for. By placing note or speech bubble annotations occasionally throughout your videos you can catch some of these people before they click off of your channel.

This works especially well if you link to videos on similar subjects to the one you are annotating.

Instead of just linking to another video of yours, try to link to that video on a playlist. Once a viewer is on a playlist your videos will auto-play after each other, which is good for both your view count and watch time.

You can also use the newer YouTube Cards for this, but Annotations might still be a better choice because viewers only need to click once vs. twice for Cards.

Try both and see which performs best for your channel. It might be in your best interest to keep on using both as they target different audiences – Cards are clickable on mobile devices, for example, but Annotations are not.

Part 2: YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are newer than annotations and a lot of people believe they will one day replace Annotations. While there are benefits to Cards – like embedding images to represent your links – you cannot choose the shape, size, or placement of them. This means they have limited uses.

When viewers click on a Card they are shown additional information and a thumbnail representing the page they will be taken to if they choose to click again. This extra step could be either help viewers decide to click your links or give them a second chance to decide they would rather not.

Section 1: When to Use Cards

A linked Annotation is simply a call to action viewers can click on. A Card is a call to action as well, but instead of taking the viewer directly to where its link leads when it is clicked a Card opens up into a larger version of itself with a thumbnail image.

Crowdfunding pages (Patreon is a great choice for video creators), charity fundraising pages, and merchandise stores are all examples of links that benefit from the format of YouTube Cards.

When you link a viewer to a non-YouTube page you break up their session time, which negatively impacts your watch time and SEO ranking. You want to make sure that the viewers you are directing away from YouTube are the ones most likely to convert after they leave. By ‘convert’ we mean to contribute to your Patreon campaign, donate to the charity you are promoting, or buy some of your merchandise.

Giving viewers more information and a thumbnail through a Card can help ensure the most interested viewers are the ones clicking your links.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

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

YouTube Annotations and Cards are both tools for linking viewers to your other videos or to off-YouTube webpages. Two of the major differences between them are:

Annotations are not clickable on mobile devices.

You cannot choose the size or positioning of Cards.

This article will teach you about both Cards and Annotations and discuss the best uses for each of them.

Part 1: Annotations

Annotations are messages that float overtop of your videos in the YouTube player. Usually, annotations are clickable and take users to other content created by you.

Section 1: Types of Annotations

There are five types of YouTube annotations:

Notes are colored boxes placed over the top of your videos.

Speech Bubbles look like dialogue boxes in a comic strip. They have tails that you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation.

Spotlights have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a viewer’s cursor hovers over top of these annotations.

Labels are like spotlights except that viewers do not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

Any of these annotations can be used to link viewers to other videos, or as subscribe links. You can also add a simple Title to your video through the Annotations menu.

Section 2: How to Use Annotations

*Note: the above video mentions Pause annotations, which are no longer available.

Here are two of the best uses for annotations:

Clickable End Cards / Outros

One of the best ways you can use spotlight annotations is to create clickable end cards for your videos.

When your video finishes playing the YouTube player will display a selection of suggested videos that might direct viewers away from your channel. You can keep more of these viewers watching your content by creating your own ‘suggested videos’ card and putting it at the end of your videos.

Put thumbnails of two or three of your other videos on your end card, or use ‘picture-in-picture’ to actually imbed footage from them. Then, after you upload your video, go in and place clickable spotlight annotations over top of your video thumbnails.

This is one use for annotations that cannot be duplicated with cards.

Promoting Your Videos

You should not wait until the end of your video to start linking viewers to other content. Many viewers will click away before they see your end card because your video is not exactly what they were looking for. By placing note or speech bubble annotations occasionally throughout your videos you can catch some of these people before they click off of your channel.

This works especially well if you link to videos on similar subjects to the one you are annotating.

Instead of just linking to another video of yours, try to link to that video on a playlist. Once a viewer is on a playlist your videos will auto-play after each other, which is good for both your view count and watch time.

You can also use the newer YouTube Cards for this, but Annotations might still be a better choice because viewers only need to click once vs. twice for Cards.

Try both and see which performs best for your channel. It might be in your best interest to keep on using both as they target different audiences – Cards are clickable on mobile devices, for example, but Annotations are not.

Part 2: YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are newer than annotations and a lot of people believe they will one day replace Annotations. While there are benefits to Cards – like embedding images to represent your links – you cannot choose the shape, size, or placement of them. This means they have limited uses.

When viewers click on a Card they are shown additional information and a thumbnail representing the page they will be taken to if they choose to click again. This extra step could be either help viewers decide to click your links or give them a second chance to decide they would rather not.

Section 1: When to Use Cards

A linked Annotation is simply a call to action viewers can click on. A Card is a call to action as well, but instead of taking the viewer directly to where its link leads when it is clicked a Card opens up into a larger version of itself with a thumbnail image.

Crowdfunding pages (Patreon is a great choice for video creators), charity fundraising pages, and merchandise stores are all examples of links that benefit from the format of YouTube Cards.

When you link a viewer to a non-YouTube page you break up their session time, which negatively impacts your watch time and SEO ranking. You want to make sure that the viewers you are directing away from YouTube are the ones most likely to convert after they leave. By ‘convert’ we mean to contribute to your Patreon campaign, donate to the charity you are promoting, or buy some of your merchandise.

Giving viewers more information and a thumbnail through a Card can help ensure the most interested viewers are the ones clicking your links.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Effective, Legal Strategies for Content Visibility

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

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