YouTube is testing a search feature that shows creators what people look for in relation to their channel and content, as well as more general queries across the platform. Each element is key for content planning, and the second of them is the part a creator cannot get anywhere else.
What Search Insights is
Search Insights is a research feature that reports what viewers type, both around a channel and across YouTube as a whole.
It is currently in testing and will eventually be available in users’ Analytics/Research tab, where it will display two separate tabs for general queries research.
- Queries from people who already watch the channel
- Broader searches across YouTube
- A rolling 28-day research window
- The Content Gaps Only filter
- A subject with measured demand and no correlating video at the time
What your own audience is searching for
The first tab shows insights into what people who regularly view your content are also looking for on YouTube.
This is a way to get ideas for future videos and topics that will resonate well with an audience you already have, rather than an audience you are guessing at. It is the same job a third-party extension has been doing from outside the platform — we have written about TubeBuddy — brought inside YouTube Analytics.
The 28-day window, and what it reports
Search Insights lets creators see what people have been searching for in the past 28 days.
Key topics of interest, the overall search volume of those topics and the amount of traffic your channel obtained on each query are some of the examples of what it returns in that window.
The Searches Across YouTube tab
On the second tab, called “Searches Across YouTube”, users are able to obtain information about the most common search queries according to different keywords.
That widens the question from what a channel’s own viewers want to what YouTube’s audience wants, which is where a channel finds subjects it has no history in.
Content Gaps Only, and why it is the useful switch
An option called “Content Gaps Only” narrows the list to some of the most searched terms that do not have a correlating YouTube video for the moment.
That is demand YouTube can measure and nobody has answered — a new opportunity for a content approach, stated as a list rather than as a hunch.
When creators will get it
YouTube said Search Insights was still being tested and would soon be rolled out to a bigger audience.
So the latest update will help content efforts align with new trends, but a creator who cannot see the Research tab today has not lost it — and the company put no date on the rollout.
Frequently asked questions
What is the YouTube Search Insights tool?
A search feature that lets a creator see what people look for in relation to their channel and content, as well as more general queries across YouTube. YouTube was testing it at the time of writing rather than shipping it.
Where does Search Insights appear in YouTube Analytics?
In the Analytics/Research tab, once it is released. It displays two separate tabs: one for the searches of people who already watch the channel, and one for general queries research across YouTube.
What time window does Search Insights cover?
The past 28 days. Within that window it reports key topics of interest, the overall search volume of those topics, and the amount of traffic the channel obtained on each query.
What does the Searches Across YouTube tab show?
The most common search queries according to different keywords, rather than only the searches of an individual channel’s audience. It is the second of the two tabs Search Insights displays.
What does the Content Gaps Only option do?
It narrows the list to some of the most searched terms that do not have a correlating YouTube video for the moment. That is the opportunity in the feature: demand YouTube can measure and nobody has answered yet.
Can every creator use Search Insights now?
No. YouTube said the feature was still being tested and would soon be rolled out to a bigger audience — so a creator who cannot find the Research tab has not lost it, and no date was given.
At Global Wizards we look forward to keeping our clients informed to help them make better decisions for their businesses, which is also why we write about YouTube SEO. If you want a channel plan built on what people are actually searching for, contact us and we will start with your own numbers.
