How to Get More Views on YouTube in 2025 Without Breaking the Rules
YouTube is one of the biggest platforms on the internet. Public reports show more than two and a half billion people use YouTube every month. Viewers watch hundreds of millions of hours of video every day.
That scale gives you a huge chance to grow your channel. It also attracts fake views, bots and low quality services that can damage your channel.
You do not need risky tricks. You get better results when you combine three simple things:
- Videos that people want to click
- Content that keeps people watching and talking
- Real traffic from official Google Ads campaigns
At TheHighrays we focus on that third part. We run Google Ads campaigns that send real viewers to strong videos and support long term growth. This guide shows you how views work in 2025 and how your organic strategy and ads can support each other.
How YouTube Views Work in 2025
What the algorithm looks at
YouTube explains its recommendation system in a simple way. The platform tries to help each viewer find videos they want to watch. It also tries to keep viewers satisfied over time.
The system does not reward you only because you upload often. It rewards individual videos that keep real people watching.
YouTube looks at a few key signals:
- Click through rate shows how often people click when they see your video.
- Watch time and retention show how long viewers stay and what percent of the video they finish.
- Engagement includes likes, comments, shares, saves and new subscribers.
- Satisfaction includes survey answers, binge sessions and actions like "not interested".
When these signals are strong YouTube is more likely to recommend your video on the home page, in suggested videos, in search and inside the Shorts feed.
You can think about it like this. If viewers click, stay and keep watching more content, the system will test your video with more people. If they ignore it or leave quickly, the system moves on.
How big the platform really is
Recent public data from industry studies and from YouTube itself shows how large the platform has become:
- More than 2.5 billion monthly active users worldwide
- Average daily watch time close to one hour per viewer on some devices
- More than one billion hours watched on TV screens every day
You are not fighting for a tiny pool of views. You are trying to help the system match your videos with the right slice of a huge audience. That is why quality, clarity and relevance matter more than shortcuts.
Make People Click On Your Videos
Your first job is clear. You need a viewer to choose your video instead of the one above or below it. Until someone taps your video, nothing else matters.
Write titles with a clear promise
A strong title does three things for you:
- Shows who the video is for
- States what they will get
- Creates a reason to watch now
Here are clear examples:
- How I Got Ten Thousand YouTube Views in Thirty Days Without Fake Traffic
- Five Editing Mistakes That Kill Your YouTube Watch Time
- I Spent One Hundred Dollars on YouTube Ads and This Is What Happened
Each title uses simple language that you could say out loud. Each one focuses on the viewer and their result.
Avoid vague text like "new vlog" or "please watch this". Avoid heavy keyword spam that sounds robotic. You want the viewer to feel understood and curious.
Design thumbnails for small screens
Most people discover new videos on phones. Your thumbnail has to work at a very small size. A clean thumbnail can lift your click through rate and that helps YouTube test your video more often.
Use these simple rules:
- Show one main subject or idea
- Use very short on screen text if you use text at all
- Show a clear facial expression or a strong visual situation
- Use strong contrast between subject and background
- Make sure the title and thumbnail tell one story together
You do not need to chase every design trend. A simple thumbnail that is easy to understand will usually beat a complex design that hides your message.
Keep Viewers Watching Longer
Clicks start the process. Watch time and retention decide if it continues. When people stay on your video, YouTube reads that as proof that you delivered on your promise.
Fix the first thirty seconds
Most drop off happens at the start. If you waste the opening, your retention graph will show a steep fall.
Weak openings often start like this:
- Long greeting
- Talk about the channel
- Request for likes and subscribes
- Only then you mention the topic
Strong openings move straight into the problem, outcome or story.
Examples:
- "I uploaded for three years and almost nobody watched. Today you will see the mistakes that kept my views low."
- "You want more views but the first ten seconds of your videos push people away. I will show you three simple fixes."
After you publish, open YouTube Studio and look at the audience retention graph. Note where viewers leave or rewind. Compare strong videos with weak ones. Then adjust pacing, cuts and structure in your next upload.
Use Shorts as a discovery tool
YouTube Shorts is now a major discovery surface. The Shorts feed can show your content to people who have never seen your channel.
You can use Shorts to:
- Highlight one strong tip from a longer tutorial
- Show a before and after result
- Tell a short story with a clear payoff
- React quickly to trends in your niche
At the end of a Short you can invite viewers to watch the full video. You can pin a comment that links to a playlist. You can add a clear link in the description.
Shorts bring people in. Your long form videos and playlists turn them into real fans.
Use Simple YouTube SEO Instead of Keyword Spam
YouTube is a search engine and a recommendation engine. You do not need complex tricks. You only need to use the words your viewers already type into the search bar.
Place your main keyword in smart positions
Imagine your main phrase is "how to get more views on youtube". Place it where it helps both viewers and the system:
- In the title near the start
- In the first two lines of the description
- In a few natural sentences in the description body
- In your tags together with related phrases
- In the spoken audio so the captions match the topic
Write your description as if you explain the video to a real person. Say who it is for, what it covers and what the viewer can do after watching. Search and recommendations both use this context.
Build topics and playlists
YouTube cares about long term viewing habits. Viewers who watch several videos from you and come back often send a strong signal.
You can support that by building around clear topics:
- Choose three or four themes that fit your niche
- Create multiple videos under each theme
- Group related videos into playlists
- Link between videos with cards, end screens and pinned comments
For example, you might have one playlist for YouTube growth tips, one for editing tutorials and one for case studies. When a viewer finishes one video, you send them to the next logical step.
Grow Faster With Real Traffic From Google Ads
Organic growth is powerful but it takes time. You may want to speed up learning and reach the right viewers sooner. Google Ads can help you when you use it correctly.
Why Google Ads is different from fake views
YouTube's fake engagement policy forbids artificial methods that inflate views, likes or subscribers. Bot traffic, click farms and many very cheap "view" services use methods that break these rules. Those views often get removed. Repeated use can limit your reach or even cause monetization issues.
Google Ads uses the official ad system that YouTube runs on. You set up a campaign in Google Ads and choose YouTube as a placement.
With proper setup you can:
- Show your video to real users on YouTube
- Target locations, interests, topics, keywords and devices
- Control your daily budget and bids
- Track detailed performance in both Google Ads and YouTube Studio
YouTube leaders describe the platform as a stage for creators and for advertisers. When you send high intent viewers to strong videos, you support both content and ads.
How TheHighrays runs campaigns for growth
At TheHighrays the goal is not to sell you a random number of views. The goal is to use Google Ads to support your long term growth.
A typical campaign with us focuses on four steps:
-
Positioning
We learn your niche, your ideal viewer and your main offer. -
Creative
We help you improve your title, thumbnail and first thirty seconds so your video works as an ad. -
Targeting
We test different audiences, keywords and placements to find where your best viewers come from. -
Optimisation
We watch retention, engagement and subscribers gained. Then we adjust budget and targeting toward quality, not vanity numbers.
You get real viewers who choose to watch you. They are more likely to stay, comment and return. That is how paid and organic growth work together.
If you want to see how this fits your channel, you can visit TheHighrays and contact our team.
FAQ: Getting More Views on YouTube in 2025
How many views is good for a new YouTube channel?
There is no fixed number. For a new channel a few hundred real views per video can already be a good start. Focus on better click through rate, watch time and comments instead of chasing a single view count.
Can you get views without many subscribers?
Yes. Most views on YouTube come from recommendations and search, not only from subscribers. You grow when your videos make sense to new viewers who have never seen you.
Does uploading daily guarantee more views?
No. Uploading more often only helps if you keep quality high. Poor daily uploads can hurt your average performance. A steady schedule you can maintain is better than a daily grind that burns you out.
Do YouTube Shorts views help your channel?
Shorts can help new people discover you. They work best when they lead viewers into your long form videos and playlists. Use Shorts as hooks and use your main videos to build deeper trust.
Are all paid YouTube views safe?
No. Views from bots or unapproved methods can break YouTube rules and damage your channel. Views that come from properly set up Google Ads campaigns are different because they reach real users through YouTube's own ad system.
How do you know if your views are high quality?
Look at average view duration, retention, comments and new subscribers per video. High quality views come from people who stay, react and return. Low quality views come from people who drop off after a few seconds and never engage.
