How to Check YouTube Video Rankings — and Why Views Don’t Decide Them (Real Results)
YouTube search ranks by relevance, engagement and quality, so the most-viewed video is not always first. How to check YouTube rankings for a keyword, how to read the results, and the real top 20 for "how to start a podcast".
YouTube search ranks by relevance, engagement and quality, so the most-viewed video is not always first. How to check YouTube rankings for a keyword, how to read the results, and the real top 20 for "how to start a podcast".
YouTube is one of the largest search engines in the world, and its videos also appear heavily in Google results and AI Overview citations. Checking YouTube rankings means seeing whose videos lead for a keyword and where your channel stands.
1. How YouTube Search Ranks Videos
YouTube says search ranking mainly weighs three groups of factors:
| Factor | Includes | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | How well the title, description and video content match the query | Put the core keyword early in the title; describe clearly what the video covers |
| Engagement | Watch time, whether viewers finish, likes and comments | Get to the point in the first 30 seconds to reduce drop-off |
| Quality | The channel’s expertise and trustworthiness on the topic | Publish consistently on one topic and build series |
2. Real Example: "how to start a podcast"
On 9 October 2026 we checked "how to start a podcast" (United States) with the YouTube rank checker:
| Position | Title | Channel | Views |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How to Start a Podcast in 2026 | Full Beginner’s Guide | Podcasting with Hiwi G | 39,609 |
| 2 | How to Start a Podcast in 2025 | Full Beginner’s Guide | Podcasting with Hiwi G | 242,540 |
| 3 | How to Start a Podcast in 2026 (Start to Finish) | Think Media | 445,850 |
| 5 | How To Create A Podcast for Beginners | Think Media | 961,544 |
| 7 | How to Create a Podcast for Beginners | Think Media | 1,002,644 |
- Views do not decide rank: first place has about 40,000 views while seventh has over a million. A newer video with strong relevance and engagement can outrank older hits.
- Years in titles are common: the top 3 all include "2025" or "2026", showing that freshness is a strong relevance signal for tutorials.
- Channels dominate: Think Media holds 6 of the top 10 and Hiwi G holds the top 2. Publishing a series on one topic can capture several positions at once.
3. Using the Results
- Study how the top 10 titles are written and find the shared keywords and structure, without copying them.
- Look for gaps: if the top 10 are all long tutorials, make a short, specific version (for example, "record a podcast with your phone").
- Check the same keyword on Google: if a video block appears there, a ranking YouTube video earns extra traffic from Google too.
YouTube Rank Checker
See the top 20 YouTube videos for any keyword with titles, channels and views, and where your channel ranks. One free check a day.