VidIQ Review (2024) – How To Rank On YouTube with VidIQ – 6 Pros

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What is VidIQ?

VidIQ is a YouTube-certified analytics and video marketing tool designed to help YouTube creators. This tool scans through your channel and provides insights on how to rank your content better. 

It’s the perfect SEO tool for YouTubers and is available as a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox browsers.

VidIQ Video Review

For those interested in the VidIQ Review video along with training and a how-to-use guide, check out this video!

How to Use VidIQ Free Version?

The VidIQ Free version comprises some basic features that can be used by regular users and YouTubers. Let’s see how you can get the most out of it.

1) Views Per Hour

If you are a YouTuber like me, this feature will definitely catch your attention.

Views per hour is an important metric for ranking on YouTube. It refers to the number of views a video gets per hour. This helps us in analyzing which videos are trending.

Let’s say we wish to create a video around ‘Best Credit Cards 2024’. When we enter this keyword on YouTube, we will get a list of the top videos created for it.

Now, while scrolling through the list of results, you can view the Views Per Hour right under the video’s title. It’s a super convenient option for analyzing the potential of a topic and if it can rank on YouTube.

2) Competitor Views Per Hour

With the free version, VidIQ lets you add up to 3 competitors. How to calculate your competitor’s VPH? Just go to their channel and click on the ‘View Trending Videos’ option. 

You’ll get the top 6 videos trending on their channel along with their VPH. For detailed YouTube analytics data, you can upgrade to the Pro Plan!

I think this feature helps a great deal with Competitor tracking and market research. You can get a hint of the type of videos that are working and improve your content accordingly. 

3) YouTube Tag Suggestions

VidIQ integrates the YouTube Autocomplete feature in its Tag suggestion. 

For example, if we type the keyword ‘password manager’, we can find more similar tags in the Recommended Tags column. This is an excellent feature to target the right audience with the right keywords!

4) Comment Filters

If you want to view specific types of comments from a YouTube video, you can do so with Comment Filters. VidIQ allows you to filter comments as per different criteria.

You can filter comments with/without replies, comments with questions, profanities, or certain phrases, and more. I personally find this feature useful while researching topics for my YouTube videos.

For example, if I have to create a VidIQ Review, I visit the comments section of every top ranking video and filter the comments containing questions. Then I try to answer them in my videos.

Overall, I find comment filters really useful for filling content gaps!

5) Knowledge Panel

When you view any YouTube video, the Knowledge panel of VidIQ is available on the right side. It offers you a basic overview of the video with its duration, VidIQ score, VPH, and number of views.

It also displays the video’s thumbnail, engagement rate, SEO score, comparison of views, and video optimization checklist, along with channel overview and video tags. You can also copy the video tags with one click!

6) Keyword Research

The Keyword Inspector tool on VidIQ’s free plan allows you to search up to 5 keywords in a single search.

For every keyword, it gives you up to 5 related keywords with their search volume, competition, and overall score. This is good for basic keyword research for beginners.

7) AI Coach

VidIQ’s AI Coach integrates ChatGPT to answer basic video-related questions for you. For instance, you can use it to get video ideas, summarize any video, analyze the hook, or ask custom questions.

It will give you some decent results for your queries. But it doesn’t provide any in-depth insights.

How To Use VidIQ Pro?

Well, if you wish to enjoy some more advanced features, you can upgrade to VidIQ Pro for a decent price. Let’s check out what it offers!

1) Historical Analysis of YouTube Video

Views Per Hour is a valuable feature. However, it may not help you understand if a video’s performance over time. This is where Historical Analysis comes into play.

It uses graphs to show you a channel’s views per hour at different points of time. With this graph, you can evaluate the relevance of a video at the present time.

Videos without any high spikes in their graphs generally perform well in the long run. A CSV file of this data can also be downloaded. This feature is good for you if you’re doing digital marketing for a client!

2) YouTube Keyword Research

During my testing for the VidIQ review, I’ve used the Keyword Tool a lot. It really helped me find topics that are getting searched on YouTube.

To use it, just click on the Keyword Inspector from the right sidebar and enter your primary keyword.

Entering a keyword, for example, ‘credit card’, will show you a list of top related keywords with their related store, search volume, competition, and overall score. You can click on any of the factors to filter the results accordingly.

Additionally, it also displays the trending videos for your keywords on the right side. You can watch them and use comment filters to identify content gaps and create a more comprehensive video.

I found this a suitable tool for performing keyword research on YouTube.

3) VidIQ Channel Audit

Channel Audit feature scans your channel to show you a list of videos on your channel that are performing well, having good engagement rates, and gaining subscribers.

This helps you identify the kind of content you should be creating to enhance your channel’s growth.

It also shows you a list of top search terms, endscreen and card click rates, and content that you can improve. All this data is also available in YouTube Studio. But VidIQ presents it more conveniently.

Personally, I prefer YouTube Studio for Analytics because it has improved a lot now. So, VidIQ doesn’t stand out much for me for analytics.

4) YouTube Most Viewed Content

The Most Viewed section displays the most viewed videos around any particular topic or keyword. This helps you understand your audience’s interests and create more content around viral or trending topics.

You can sort the results by views, VPH, or engagement to narrow down your search. Next, it lets you select a date range from 48 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or 6 months.

On the right panel, you will also find relevant filters like channel subscribers, content type, VPH, views, country, category, VidIQ score, etc to filter your videos.

For research, you can select your target country and look for videos with 10-100k channel subscribers. If a creator within this range can create viral content, then there’s a great opportunity for you too!

I love this feature as it gives you a clear idea about potential video topics your audience would like!

5) Trend Alerts

If you are into creating viral content, Trend Alerts feature will definitely interest you. 

 

With Trend Alerts, you get notified every time a video in your selected category crosses a specific VPH. You can start by entering an alert name, keyword, and selecting an alert frequency.

Under the advanced options, you can also specify the VPH, category, language, competitors, etc. So, once a video within all these factors crosses your VPH mark, you will receive reports in your email.

I usually create review videos. My keywords are Hosting, Cloud Storage, VPN, etc which don’t go trending often. Recently, I have started exploring AI, which is surely trending! If you, too, create trending content frequently, this tool will be super helpful!

6) Preview In Search

Do you know thumbnails play a significant role in increasing the click ratio on your videos? 

Preview in Search feature lets you preview your thumbnail against other competitors for the same keyword. This helps you analyze its drawbacks or highlights compared to other results.

It is important to design an attractive thumbnail that outshines the others. This is how your videos will be more click-worthy!

7) Competitor Analysis

Under the Competitors tab, you can compare the overall performance of your competitors.

It displays a performance graph where you can check out the daily, cumulative, or total performance of your competitors in the last 30 days, 60 days, or 12 months.

You can check out graphs for channel views, subscribers, average daily views/subscribers, public videos, etc. It also mentions channel stats and a list of top videos from your competitors.

I find this feature super insightful for finding inspiration from my competitors’ topics to create better content and grow my viewership. 

8) Best Time to Post

The Pro plan offers a very interesting feature, wherein you can get an insight into when your subscribers are active on YouTube. This is presented in the form of attractive graphs.

With this information, you can post your videos at specific times so they are viewed by the most subscribers. 

How To Use VidIQ Boost Plan?

The highlight of the Boost plan is the introduction of AI tools. Let’s check them out below.

1) AI Video Ideas Generator

Most of us struggle with ideas for our YouTube videos. This is where the AI Video Ideas Generator will help you out.

You simply need to select an option from Video or Short and specify a title or topic. VidIQ will automatically generate the title, description, tags, and thumbnail backgrounds.

But it doesn’t just stop there. It goes one step ahead to give you the entire video script and the voiceover as well. I liked the thumbnail ideas and the script. However, the AI voiceover was pretty average.

2) AI Coach

The AI Coach works pretty much like ChatGPT. The only difference is that it’s trained on your channel’s database. So, you can ask all kinds of questions around your channel and receive helpful answers.

For instance, you can ask the AI Coach for video ideas, graphic ideas, title suggestions, channel audits, prompts, tips and tricks for getting views, etc.

I personally feel that this tool needs a lot of improvement. It doesn’t always show relevant results for your queries.

3) AI Title Recommendations

Deciding a catchy title for your videos can be a struggle. This is where you can use VidIQ’s AI title recommendations.

All you need to do is enter a basic title for your video. It will come up with a list of title suggestions for you. If you like a title, you can click on the ‘Use’ button to replace it with the original title.

4) AI Description

Similarly, if you wish to have a description for your videos, you can use the AI Description tool.

It will generate 3 simple descriptions according to your video title. In my opinion, Gemini and ChatGPT may generate more comprehensive YouTube video descriptions for you. 

5) AI Thumbnail

If designing graphics is not your best skill, you can take the help of VidIQ’s AI Thumbnail Builder.

It analyses your title, and description to generate up to 3 relevant thumbnails for your video. The quality of thumbnails generated with the Boost plan is surprisingly better. 

6) Daily Ideas

Another cool feature of the Boost plan is Daily Ideas. Here, you can enter the keywords of your choice and get video ideas generated by AI every day.

Along with that, it also shows the prediction of the video’s performance with levels like Medium, High, or Very High.

In my experience, most of the recommendations will be pretty basic and not worth creating videos on. But occasionally, you may find a few relevant topics in their list.

Overall, the AI tools on the VidIQ Boost plan truly give you an edge over other YouTubers. Even I have purchased their Boost Plan, and it’s like a blessing for my YouTube Channel. It has helped me a lot with SEO! 

How To Grow YouTube channel using VidIQ?

VidIQ helps you effectively grow your YouTube Channel using features like:

• Keyword Research to analyze the volume and competition from a list of relevant keywords.
• Comment Filters to analyze content gaps and create more comprehensive videos.
• Tag Suggestions to download and include the tags used by other creators.
• AI tools to save time creating catchy video titles, descriptions, thumbnails, etc.
• Best time to Publish to get the maximum engagement from your audience.

VidIQ Chrome Extension

The VidIQ Extension is available for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browsers. All you need to do is download and install the VidIQ extension from the Web Store and sign up for an account. 

Now, when you surf through YouTube and search for a particular keyword, this tool will show you the likes to dislikes ratio. 

And when you upload a new video, it will score you for best SEO measures. It’s friendly and convenient. 

Similarly, you can also upgrade your account to the Pro or Boost versions for enhanced engagement analytics and video SEO features. 

VidIQ Web Interface

VidIQ is a cloud-based product. Its interface is pretty modern and responsive. The dark theme option is great for preventing eye strain.

The Dashboard shows an overview of your channel’s performance as per your selected time period. It shows your total views, subscribers, retention, watch time, etc.

It also features a list of daily tasks as per your defined goals and a list of daily video ideas. Overall, the user interface of VidIQ is extremely pleasing and attractive. It is easy to use for beginners and professionals.

VidIQ Academy

VidIQ has its own educational platform called VidIQ Academy that helps YouTubers grow their channel and build a good audience base.

It offers informative courses covering topics like

• How to launch your first YouTube video
• How to conduct Keyword Research
• How to shoot a YouTube video,
• The equipment you need for recording videos
• How to use VidIQ, etc. 

VidIQ Pricing

VidIQ offers 3 different plans namely Pro, Boost, and Coaching plans. They also have a free plan for beginners. Every plan fulfills different requirements.

The Pro plan lets you connect 1 YouTube channel. It gives you access to 10 daily AI video ideas, keyword research and discovery tools, along with competitor tracking, and other tools for $5.98/month.

Whereas, with the Boost plan priced at $24.50/month (or $17/mo annually), you can connect 1, 3, or 5 channels. It also gives you 50 daily AI video ideas, instant channel audits, YouTube analytics features, and lots of AI tools.

Finally, the Coaching plan is priced at $159/month (or $99/mo annually). Along with all the tools in the Pro and Boost plans, it also offers 1-on-1 coaching, personal channel audit, feedback on thumbnails, titles, videos, etc.

The pricing of the Pro and Boost plans has reduced significantly since the last year. So you can check them out!

Payment Methods

VidIQ accepts payments made through credit and debit cards for purchasing their plans. I hope they introduce more convenient methods like UPI payments in the future.

Refund Policy

VidIQ does not offer any refunds on its plans. So, if you have purchased a plan, you will be charged the complete amount whether or not you use it for the entire duration.

Best Plan

I won’t recommend the Coaching plan. It’s also not available in my country as of now. My personal recommendations would be their Pro or Boost plans, depending on your requirements.

If you manage a single channel, the Pro plan would be worth it for you. But if you have multiple channels, you can go with the Boost plan that supports up to 5 channels and also offers AI tools.

VidIQ Promo Code

If you guys are interested in extra discounts, I have an amazing VidIQ deal for you. All you have to do is use my link to choose the Boost or Pro plan on a monthly subscription.

Next, simply enter the code “kripeshadwani” in the promo code section. You will get a massive 90% off on your purchase for the first month. Enjoy!

VidIQ Customer Support

The customer support of VidIQ is decent. 

They have a blog featuring hundreds of informative articles, and a help center with 60+ articles too.

For any queries, you can talk to their chatbot. But if you need the assistance from an actual person, they take a long time to reply! I found their AI chat support to be good. But their actual live chat support is extremely slow.

VidIQ Pros 

1. Good Keyword Research

VidIQ helps you find the right keywords, along with providing trending ideas, so you can create videos around them.

2. Helpful Analytics

With tools like VPH, comment filters, trend alerts, etc you can get all the important insights for creating relevant content for your audience.

3. Good Free Plan

The free plan of VidIQ is equipped with an array of free features. Average users and beginner YouTubers will find this a convenient way of starting out with their channel.

4. Market Research 

With the ability to analyze your competitors’ trending content, you can figure out what works well in the market and how to improve your own content according to it. 

5. Build Brand Awareness 

With the right keywords in your pocket, better market research, and improved SEO practices, you can build an awareness for your brand among your target audience.

6. Affordable Pro Plan

The Pro plan of VidIQ is priced at just $5.98/month. If you use my coupon code, you can get it at a 90% discount on a monthly subscription.

VidIQ Cons

1. Expensive Boost Plan

VidIQ Boost plan is priced at $24.50/month, which is quite expensive considering the features it offers. However, with my coupon code, its pricing is significantly reduced.

2. Average AI Tools

The Boost plan of VidIQ features AI tools like title generator, description generator, thumbnail generator, etc. These are not quite refined and need a lot of improvement.  

Is VidIQ Boost worth it?

For most YouTubers, VidIQ Pro plan will get the job done. It features all the necessary tools for growing your channel, like keyword research, historical analysis, trend alerts, most viewed videos, best time to post, etc.

But if you need access to better analytics and AI tools, VidIQ Boost will be a great option for you. However, its AI tools are not very refined at the moment.

Should You Buy VidIQ?

The free version of VidIQ is a must-use for everyone. It offers features to identify clickbaity content and perform a basic SEO of your YouTube Channel.

The Pro version comes with advanced keyword research and video marketing features sufficient for maximum YouTube creators. It is also available at a reasonable price, at the moment.

The Boost Plan is equipped with AI tools to help you save time on publishing your video. It also offers analytics and automation tools. However, I didn’t find the AI to be that refined as of now.

In my opinion, you can get 1-month subscriptions to VidIQ’s Pro and Boost plans to understand if they fulfill your requirements. You can get 90% off on the monthly subscriptions by using my coupon code KRIPESHADWANI.

One thing to keep in mind is that VidIQ is not a magic wand that will immediately rank your videos on page 1! For best results, your content has to be strong and relevant too.

VidIQ can help you with the SEO part, but the first step always is creating good content!

Why Should You Trust Me?

I’ve been working full-time in the digital industry since 2015. In these years, I’ve used and tested hundreds of digital tools. Being a YouTuber, I have worked with many YouTube tools including TubeBuddy. 

I started out with VidIQ’s free plan and upgraded to the Pro version after a while to get access to its advanced SEO features. In the last 4 years, VidIQ has given a much-needed boost to my YouTube Channel’s growth.

My years of experience using different tools for YouTube have given me the expertise to recommend you the best ones!

Conclusion

In my experience, VidIQ is a super helpful tool for YouTube SEO and research. I would recommend the free version to anyone who uses YouTube.

The Pro plan is packed with all the essential tools to accelerate your YouTube journey. This makes it a must-have tool for YouTubers, marketers, SEO specialists, digital agencies, startup brands, etc.

The Boost plan is a good option if you need AI tools. But it doesn’t produce refined results at the moment. If you are a professional YouTuber, you can opt for the Pro or Boost plan as per your requirement.

You can use my link with the coupon code KRIPESHADWANI to get 90% off on the monthly subscriptions of the Pro and Boost plans.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this VidIQ review article. Have you used VidIQ before? Which plan have you used? How was your experience with it? Let me know in the comments section below. 

This is Kripesh signing off. Take care and keep growing, guys! See you in the next article. Cheers! 

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