vidIQ Review: Vision Stats & Web Browser for YouTubers

vidIQ Review: Vision Stats & Web Browser for YouTubers
9/10
Features
8/10
UI/UX
8/10
Support
9/10
Trust
Our Rating
4.1 / 5
Networks
Youtube
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Support
Email
Live Chat
Telephone

Price Plans

  • Basic Plan - Free

  • Basic Plan - Free

  • Pro Plan - ($7.50/mo)

  • Boost Plan - ($39/mo)

  • Enterprise Plan - Upon Request

Free Version

Yes

Free Trial

Yes
  • Web-Based

  • Credit Card
  • Debit Cards
  • PayPal

Basic Plan

Free

vidIQ Review: In-Depth

vidIQ is a tool for video content creators that mixes brand marketing and customer service. It uses an in-depth dashboard, deep analytics, and optimization to help clients step up their game. They’re YouTube-certified and help creators with things like comments and engagement, influencer partnerships, and more.

vidiq-single-review-about

Key Features

This is a marketing platform that focuses on giving social media solutions. These features appear in 5 groups, then, depending on their focus:

  • Comments manager
  • Deeper analytics
  • Optimization tools like keyword and tag searches
  • Productivity hacks
  • Syncs to any YouTube account

vidIQ Review: Background Information

The company was founded by Rob Sandie, who graduated with a computer science and business degree from Lehigh University. It started as Vid.io and is actually his second start-up, and his first was Viddler. Today, the business is based out of San Francisco, California.

The online tool has been compared to Hootsuite and is primarily concerned with video marketing and management. Sandie’s mission emphasizes what he calls “YouTube Tag Optimization” rather than traditional SEO. While similar brands focus on subscribers and views, this tool addresses the YouTube metrics that influencers weren’t looking at, including social media shares, tags, and watch time.


Interesting Stats & Facts

This enterprise is about eight years old and is made up of a few dozen employees, all of whom are driven by video content and social media. It’s also one of the rare recipients of YouTube-certified status. This means that everyone on their team is well-versed in YouTube creation and strategy.

The company offers a Web browser extension for Google Chrome that has guides and tools for organization, engagement, branding, and more. Big-name investors have poured money into Sandie’s company, including Mark Cuban and David Cohen.

  • Clients include AOL, eBay, and the Humane Society
  • Currently managing over 29 billion YouTube views
  • Includes a unique analytics strategy called vidIQ Vision
  • Investments from Mark Cuban, David Cohen, and more
  • The second start-up founded by Rob Sandie
  • YouTube-certified company

Service Features & Technical Details

This online program syncs directly to a user’s YouTube account and can also compare data from their other social channels such as Facebook. A variety of plans are available, but the service only works on the Google Chrome Web browser. There is the talk of a mobile app coming soon.

Opportunities

vidIQ offers plenty of avenues for influencers to boost engagement and increase conversion rates. A range of data can help them track watch time, social media shares, channel likes, and much more. The intuitive dashboard keeps everything organized while an accompanying blog provides additional tips and hints.

1. Expanding A YouTube Channel

vidiq-single-review-1. Expanding A YouTube Channel

It doesn’t matter if someone is a solo influencer or they have a digital marketing team behind them. vidIQ works with individuals and agencies to grow their brand and get noticed on YouTube. Their main goal is to increase visibility so that channels rank higher in the search results and get more clicks. Their new take on SEO focuses on description tags, a primary factor in optimizing a channel. Moreover, the analytics are organized by video, channel, and more. To get started, all a client needs to do is sync their YouTube account vidIQ.

2. Keyword Search Explorer

vidiq-single-review-2. Keyword Search Explorer

Even in the free version, VidIQ gives clients keyword recommendations based on trending Google searches. This is perfect for creating appropriate video tags and optimizing descriptions. The Search Explorer tool is visually appealing and assigns a score to each keyword. This is based on searches per month and how competitive it is. Clients can see the average views and other stats related to tags, buzzwords, and key phrases. This extra information is invaluable when trying to climb the rankings among all of the videos and channels out there.

3. Videolytics

vidiq-single-review-3. Videolytics

Video-specific analytics are available in one of the sidebars. Customers can get crucial stats on any of their videos, including views per hour, comments, and social shares. Over time, it’s the perfect way to see patterns of engagement, which will help influencers create the content that their audience wants to see.

4. Channelytics

vidiq-single-review-4. Channelytics

Likewise, customers can get all of the important data on their specific channel. This includes things that will help make the most of their content. The dashboard will also display the most important information at a glance, although clients can dig deeper. It’s easy to see the growth of time, which comes in handy when comparing content or measuring progress. There’s also a channel audit option, which is based on the last 30 days of activity. It accurately shows what’s working and what content is under-performing. Here are some things Channelytics shows:

  • Most relevant tags
  • The overall number of videos
  • Total real-time subscribers

Analytics Dashboard

As stated above, CoSchedule focuses on two main aspects. One has to do with marketing, while the other is related to management. Let’s break down those details below.

Content Marketing Features

There is a lot of data in the analytics dashboard, yet the team manages to make it easy to read. Charts and tables make the statistics accessible and carefully differentiate demographics and key findings. There are a number of different tabs that users can click on to get more detailed information about things such as:

  • Comments
  • Likes
  • Shares
  • Subscribers
  • Views
  • Watch times

Learn About Subscribers

For example, vidIQ’s analytics make growing a subscriber community simply by sharing the details that matter most. This includes which videos viewers are clicking on, how long they’re watching, and what other channels they follow. All of this information can provide the answers to growing a brand and keeping subscribers happy.

Link Tracking

There is also a campaign tab that tracks conversions and click-through rates. Customers can use this to create a brand campaign and accompanying link, which they can share in their video’s description. vidIQ will keep track of who clicks that link and subscribers to the client’s other social networks and homepage.

Keep Up With Competitors

Besides tracking links and conversions, creators can stay ahead of their competition with the SEO tab. This all-in-one tool allows individuals to research their keywords’ ranking and optimization so they can soar ahead of competing channels.

Climb the Ranks

Again, this takes the guesswork out of finding just the right tags or phrases for a video’s description. It not only saves time, but it makes it effortless to optimize and create chart-topping videos.

6. Step-by-Step Guide to Growing Traffic on YouTube in 2023

Below are some things that creators can do to set themselves up for success on YouTube. Fortunately, they don’t have to do all of it alone. Software like vidIQ can make the process go smoother while boosting traffic at a faster rate.

Step 1: Explore Trending Keywords

vidiq-single-review-Step 1 Explore Trending Keywords

Start by going to vidIQ’s keyword search tool and checking out the latest trends. This will reveal which phrases and buzzwords are ranking high on search engines. That information will be useful when creating a video title and adding relevant words to the description box.

Step 2: Copy Competitor Tags

vidiq-single-review-Step 2 Copy Competitor Tags

Creators shouldn’t forget about their tags, either. One of the coolest things about vidIQ is that it generates tag suggestions for influencers. This can give them a better idea of what’s currently trending and what tags their competitors are using. After all, it’s about staying relevant and ranking higher than similar videos.

Step 3: Use Video Descriptions to Create Campaigns

When filling out the description box for their videos, users can include links to their personal or business website, as well as their other social media channels. By creating these links in the dashboard’s campaigns tab, clients can track click-through and conversion rates. This helps them better understand their audience and overall performance.

Step 4: Set Up Video Optimization

Optimization is the name of the game for vidIQ, but they aren’t only interested in SEO. They also help with providing target keywords and tag descriptions so that customers can title their videos in a way that will get them noticed. Since the tool shares how competitive the keywords are, users can make a wise choice.

Step 5: Watch Analytics & Make Changes

vidiq-single-review-Step 5 Watch Analytics & Make Changes

vidIQ has a strong analytics feature, and it can give users deep insights into the audience and their preferences. Day by day, clients can see how viewers are behaving and which content is getting the best results. Over time, this allows customers to craft videos that are tailored specifically to their viewer demographic.

Step 6: Retrace the Steps

Part of making it big on YouTube is going back in time to see what worked and what didn’t. If a client had a particularly successful video, they could use vidIQ to see what about that video resonated with viewers. These deep analytics will determine what content goes out in the future, which is invaluable.

Step 7: Check Out Existing Engagements

The software regularly gives users an update of their engagements and key findings such as viewership and watch time. The accumulation of multiple reports can serve as a great learning resource for influencers. They can get a better idea of when their audience is going to respond and tune in.

7. Syncing a YouTube Account With vidIQ

It’s easy to sync a YouTube channel to vidIQ. Just start by signing up for the service, which will bring up a welcome page. On that page, there will be a button that says, “Authenticate with YouTube.” click on that to sign in to the tool using the Google account that is associated with the YouTube channel. Users need to grant the program access to their channel, and after that, they are synced.

Clients can even add another channel if they would prefer. They can do this by going to the top right-hand corner of the vidIQ dashboard and clicking on the “Add channel” button. They can follow the same instructions to add their second account and allow access.

  • Sign up for an account
  • Click on the authentication button
  • Enter Google log-in details
  • Grant permission to the program

8. Making a Video Schedule

A consistent schedule will be crucial to any YouTuber’s success. Viewers look for channels that upload regularly, and they want to follow people that they feel they can trust. Therefore, consistency is going to be crucial to growing a brand and building a loyal audience.

Fortunately, the vidIQ dashboard is an awesome tool for clients to use to figure out which schedule works well. The analytics will show when people are watching their videos and which demographic they fit into. This kind of information can provide clues as to what kind of content calendar will suit the client. For example:

  • Weekly uploads
  • More frequent content
  • A variety of video formats
  • Prompts to comment on the video

Those who are new to video creation will have to go through some trial and error to find just the right upload schedule. However, once they have it, they can get solid data on key analytics, and that will make a world of difference in how well they perform online.

9. Share Videos

vidIQ streamlines the video upload process for clients by providing user shortcuts. For example, the Boost feature gives users an easy-to-read checklist that includes action items they should complete before sharing content. There are tasks such as adding end screens and cards, placing the video in a playlist, and posting a link to it on their other social media networks. This ensures that customers don’t skip any of these important steps, while also saving time.

10. Craft Comments Carefully

Another time-saving feature is the comments manager. With this, clients can filter comments based on a number of variables, such as commenters with large subscriber counts or responses that include questions. There is also an option to craft informative answers to frequently asked questions. Clients can save these responses and dish them out whenever that particular question appears in the comments section. YouTubers who reply to their audience have more success, so this tool is crucial.

11. Like-to-Dislike Ratio

The like-to-dislike ratio feature is something unique, but it definitely provides a benefit to users. They can see a sliding scale ranging from zero to 100%, with their specific ratio falling somewhere on the spectrum. It’s a quick way to see how popular a video really is.

12. Keep an Eye on Metrics

Influencers always need to pay attention to analytics, so vidIQ has stats that clients can see at a glance. These include things such as total watch time and overall subscriber count. They can also get readings from the past week, month, or year, which comes in handy when tracking growth.


vidIQ Plans & Pricing

For those who are interested in checking out the program for themselves, here is a breakdown of the different plans, as well as their features and prices. vidIQ has something for every kind of buyer, so it’s just about choosing the tier that best suits one’s particular needs.

vidiq-single-review-plan-price


Basic Plan

This plan is designed for people who are new to video creation and production. They can start for free and get a feel for the program’s dashboard. There are definitely fewer options here, but it’s a good choice for a starter package.

PROS:

  • Basic analytics
  • Clients can start for free
  • Live channel stats
  • Tracks up to three competitors
  • Trend alerts
CONS:

  • Lacks the majority of features
  • Only works with one account

Pro Plan

For those who want to step it up to the next level, the pro package is for them. Here, they can delve more deeply into the analysis side of things, as well as get more insight into keyword research and more. Moreover, the price is right for one person.

PROS:

  • Compare videos and playlists
  • Get longer-term analysis
  • Learn the best time of day to post
  • See top tweets on uploads
  • Track up to six competitors
CONS:

  • Limited SEO functions
  • One user only

Boost Plan

The boost package is meant for people who are serious about video production or who have multiple channels to take care of. With this plan, they can have up to five accounts, and they get the full suite of SEO and analysis functions. It’s great for a solo entrepreneur or small brand.

PROS:

  • Bulk optimization
  • A full suite of research and insights
  • Recommended pricing plan
  • Up to five accounts
  • Video archive
CONS:

  • Can be pricey for some clients
  • One user only

Enterprise Plan

As the name suggests, this is a package for brands, MCNs, and agencies. They get full access to all of the functionality of this software, and they can include as many channels and accounts as they want. In order to obtain this plan, they need to request a demo from the company.

PROS:

  • Full functionality of all the tools
  • Historical analysis on all timelines
  • Limitless competitor tracking
  • Optimized SEO
  • Unlimited accounts and users
CONS:

  • Confusing interface
  • May be overwhelming for businesses that are new to YouTube

Price & Key Features Comparisons Table

This comparison table will make it easier to compare and contrast the specifications of each package. This way, potential customers can look at their choices side by side and determine where their needs will be met.

Basic Pro Boost Enterprise
Price/mo Free $7.50 $39 Upon request
Users 1 1 1 Unlimited
Competitor Tracking 3 6 20 Unlimited
Description Campaigns No Yes Yes Unlimited
Historical Data No Yes Yes Yes
Live Stats Bar Yes Yes Yes Yes
Keyword Tool No Yes Yes Yes
Optimized SEO No Yes Yes Yes
Views Comparisons Limited Limited Unlimited Unlimited

Terms & Conditions

In order to use this service, individuals must provide their first and last name and email address, as well as a chosen username and password. The company reserves the right to change their subscription prices at any moment and without notifying consumers. Individuals should be aware that their subscription may auto-renew once it reaches the end of its term. The company also holds the right to remove any online content that violates its intellectual property rights. This could be considered grounds for removing an account entirely. The terms and conditions page encourages consumers to seek direct communication with the company should there be any questions. Their phone number is 888-998-8434, and their email address is [email protected].

vidiq-single-review-term-of-services


Privacy Policy

The company makes it clear in the privacy policy section of their terms and conditions that they provide links to third party sites. That being said, the enterprise is not obligated to review any of the third-party sites that they link to. In addition, they are not responsible for these websites, so consumers use them at their own risk. While using the service, clients may be asked to allow these third parties access to their YouTube account. Each of these partners will have their own privacy policies and conditions, which may be different from vidIQ’s. Overall, customers should monitor their personal settings accordingly and be sure they understand the terms of each feature they use.

vidiq-single-review-privacy-policy


Refund Policy

The refund policy is quite strict, and for the most part, the company does not provide refunds. They do offer a free trial version of their plans, though. Customers should take advantage of these so that they can get a feel for the software before committing to a paid plan.


vidIQ Customer Support

Email

Customers can contact the business via email by sending their messages to [email protected]. The team does its best to respond in a prompt manner, although they do have other forms of contact support, so there are no promises.

Online Chart

An online chat window pops up when people navigate to the company’s homepage. This is an easy way to get in touch with a team member, and the responses are typically quite fast. On average, clients get a reply within an hour.

Telephone

If someone wishes to speak to a team representative over the phone, they can call 888-998-8434. Individuals should notice that this is not a toll-free number. There is not much information about the company’s telephone service, so it’s unclear if this is a direct number or not.

Support Center

vidiq-single-review-healp-centr

The support center is where people can find insights and answers to any of their questions. To get to this page, simply go to the bottom of the homepage and click on “support.” This will navigate to the Help Center, which has a search bar at the top of the page. Clients can type in their query and hit the search button to bring up all kinds of results. Some of these are responses from the company team or founder, and others are in a forum style. There are also helpful articles in a variety of languages for worldwide customers, including French, Portuguese, and Spanish. Users are bound to find a suitable answer to their inquiry through the Help Center, even if they have to read a couple of articles.

Quality of Service

Overall, consumers are satisfied with the quality of this software. Even those who opt for the free version find that they have a variety of useful functions. One of the areas where this service seems to shine is its data analysis. Some people even say that they prefer it more than YouTube’s stats dashboard. In addition, the business has many long-time customers, which is always a good sign of a quality product.

Customer Types

Here are some ideas about who the ideal customer is for this kind of software. In actuality, there is a range of clients that could make good use of these functionalities. So, here is a detailed look at each, from the small to the large.

Small Businesses

This program could definitely work for a smaller business or start-up. First of all, there are plans for just one user, although they can have as many as five different channels on the account. Since smaller companies don’t have much time for social media management, this software is a great time-saving tool.

Medium Businesses

Likewise, a medium-sized enterprise could make good use of this kind of software. They may choose the Boost or Enterprise option, depending on their size. Overall, they will find the organization and stats they need to streamline their video production and hone in on an audience.

Large Enterprises

A larger corporation may or may not want to employ this program. It depends on whether they want a greater presence in the video-creating sphere, or whether they prefer to be on a social network like Facebook or Twitter. Videos are better for certain companies, but for those who want to focus on this, vidIQ can deliver.

Freelancers

Individuals who are starting a YouTube channel or want to improve their video content should check out this software. They will save time organizing their titles and descriptions, plus they can get expert suggestions that will eliminate a lot of trial and error.


vidIQ Pros & Cons

This service has way more benefits than it has disadvantages. The dashboard and stats are fan favorites, and it’s easy to see why. Being able to see a scorecard of a video’s stats and performance is invaluable. Overall, this can be a suitable choice for those who are on a budget but still want something that will deliver results. It’s awesome that the program tracks online trends and research buzzwords and phrases for clients. This not only saves time, but it can help influencers bypass the annoying trial and error phase.

vidIQ is full of cool functions, including the essentials that any YouTuber needs. For example, bulk SEO, the ability to track the competition, and insights into the daily, weekly, and monthly performance of specific content. On the downside, the complete package is going to be too expensive for most solo entrepreneurs and small businesses. It’s really meant for agencies and large brands.

Pros

Cons

  • Awesome SEO tools
  • Competitive analytics
  • Good for creators on a budget
  • Keyword and tag research
  • Rankings and video scores
  • Best for seasoned YouTubers rather than beginners
  • The full plan is expensive

Top 5 vidIQ Alternatives

There are other options besides this one, so here is a brief summary of the competitors. Consumers should consider their specific needs as well as their budget when comparing different plans.

TubeBuddy

vidiq-single-review-Tubebuddy

This software is also YouTube-certified and has an extensive list of functionalities. Some important ones are bulk uploading and scheduling, competitor analysis, and tag suggestions. There’s also a free version with limited capabilities. Like vidIQ, it has a Web browser extension.

Tubics

vidiq-single-review-tubics

Tubics offers an SEO tool and keyword generator to help influencers create titles, tags, and video descriptions that will rank highly. It searches for engine results from Google, Bing, and YouTube. Users can also see a rundown of their performance over time.

Webmaster World

vidiq-single-review-webmasterworld

Formerly known as SEOChat, Webmaster World delivers free SEO capabilities. Keyword suggestions and rankings on Google, YouTube, Bing, and Amazon. It focuses on optimization, but that’s a huge part of getting content noticed online.

KeywordTool.io

vidiq-single-review-ketword-tool

This program is exactly what it sounds like. It gives people trending keywords across a variety of search engines. This includes Google, Bing, Amazon, YouTube, eBay, Instagram, and Twitter. It’s totally free to use, but it has limited capabilities.

Keyword Tool Dominator

vidiq-single-review-keyword-tool-dominator

This software specializes in long-form keywords and phrases. It’s accessible at no cost and searches for top-ranking suggestions from various sites such as Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.

vidIQ Alternatives Comparison Table

This comparison table shows the price and capabilities of the free versions, as of 2023.

vidIQ TubeBuddy Tubics WebmasterWorld KeywordTool.io KeywordToolDominator
Price/mo Free Free Free Free Free Free
Users 1 1 1 1 1 1
Accounts 1 1 1 1 1 1
Competitor Tracking Yes Yes No No No No
Historical Data Yes Yes Yes No No No
Live Stats Yes Yes No No No No
Keyword Tool Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Optimized SEO Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

FAQ Section

What is vidIQ Vision?

This is a Web browser extension for Google Chrome. It is similar to the analytics that YouTube displays, but it goes deeper into these insights. Some of the things it provides are video scorecards for optimization, recommended titles and tags for videos, and historical data on watch time and views. Clients can use this tool to gain further information on how their audience is responding to their content and how it is ranking on the search engines.

How Do You See YouTube Video Tags?

To start, click on a video so that it starts playing. Then, hover the cursor in the blank space of the page and right-click. On the menu box that pops up, click on “View page source.” This will bring up a page of code, but pressing Ctrl + F pulls up the source code finder. Type in “keywords to navigate to the section of the code that shows the tags. On the other hand, vidIQ’s dashboard can reveal video tags with just one click.

How Many Tags Should I Use on YouTube?

Some people might think that the more tags there are on a video, the better it will rank. However, it turns out that less is more in this case. Most experts recommend using between four and eight tag descriptors, and they should be specific to the content, but not so niche that they limit the video’s visibility in search engines. At the same time, overgeneralizing will make the tags look misleading.

How Do You Rank on YouTube?

This is a fine dance between several important factors. For instance, search engine optimization plays a crucial role, but so does posting content that people actually want to watch. Some research is obviously required, and it may take some trial and error, but it’s worth it. That’s why something like vidIQ comes in handy. It can streamline the performance data, so influencers know what’s working and what’s underperforming. Remember, it takes time to climb the YouTube ranks.

How Do I Use SEO For My YouTube Channel?

It’s critical that the video’s title, description, and tags are relevant to the target audience and what’s currently trending in its niche. This is what makes a keyword tool such a lifesaver for influencers. They can determine what competing videos are posting, and they can see what people are searching for on Google, YouTube, and more. This is a tactic that requires some research and digging into data, but it can deliver better results.

Is Using vidIQ Good For SEO?

Yes, especially because the dashboard is so complete. Besides listing SEO topics, it also gives a little audit for the channel, looking at things like cards, end screens, backlink, and keywords in the title. The combination of these functionalities can create a tailored strategy for optimizing content and getting it onto the rankings list. Essentially, this program is removing the guesswork and the initial trial period that most YouTubers go through. Instead, they can find their sweet spot right away.

Why vidIQ Stats is Better Than YouTube Ones?

Multiple creators have said that vidIQ provides deeper insights and better analytics than YouTube’s dashboard. Plus, the video-sharing site got rid of its keyword tool a few years ago, which left influencers without a reliable SEO tracker. In addition, Videolytics and Channelytics give real-time stats such as overall watch time, current subscribers, average viewership, and more. Channel audits, competitor tracking, and historical data add up to a comprehensive video statistics software.


The Final Word

Compared to YouTube analytics and its rivals, vidIQ comes out on top. For those who are constantly making videos and sharing with a target audience, the stats dashboard and Vision browser extension is invaluable. While other software looks only at SEO and buzzwords, this company created an entire program that analyzes a channel from beginning to end. Besides reporting on its findings, it provides stellar recommendations and checklists that creators can look at before uploading. It looks like this software is here to stay in 2023 and beyond.

Published: August 28, 2019Updated: March 27, 2024

Matt Robinson

Matt Robinson

Matt is an experienced technical writer and translator skilled in writing targeted texts for a variety of audiences. He has a diversified background, including social media management of various products. He is a data-driven strategist and a passionate story-teller. He posts about all social innovations and delivers high-quality research and content to our readers.