If you’ve been uploading videos but still feel stuck with low views, trust me, you’re not alone. Almost every YouTuber asks the same thing at some point: why do some videos take off while others barely move? The answer isn’t magic—it’s in the way YouTube decides what counts as a view.

Let me break it down for you in simple terms.

1. Not Every Click Counts

Just because someone pressed play doesn’t mean it’s a view. If the video starts by accident or auto-plays in the background, YouTube ignores it. The system only counts a view when the person really meant to watch.

2. Watch Time is the Big Factor

Here’s the part that matters most: how long someone sticks around.
On normal videos, a person has to watch for at least 30 seconds before it counts.
On Shorts, it’s different—if your clip is 15 seconds, someone needs to stay for around 10–12 seconds.
So if people are leaving in the first few seconds, those clicks don’t help. That’s why the intro of your video is super important.

3. Repeat Views Do Count (But Not All of Them)

Yes, the same person can watch your video more than once and those plays might add up. But here’s the catch—if it looks like spam, YouTube cuts them out. For example, if you keep refreshing your own video, the system knows what’s happening and those “views” vanish.

4. Fake Views = Trouble

Buying views or using bots might look tempting, but it doesn’t work. YouTube is too smart for that. Fake views disappear fast, and sometimes channels even get hit with penalties. It’s just not worth the risk.

final though

Whether your viewers are on a phone, laptop, or smart TV—it doesn’t matter. The rules for what counts as a view stay exactly the same.

A view only counts if it’s intentional The person needs to watch at least 30 seconds (or most of a Short)
Repeat views matter, but only when they look natural Fake views are risky and don’t help long-term

So the real growth secret? Make videos people actually want to watch. That’s it. The more your audience enjoys your content, the more YouTube will push it out.

At the end of the day, YouTube rewards genuine effort. Keep creating, keep improving, and the growth will follow.