If you’re serious about getting your videos to rank at the top of YouTube search, this article is for you. I’m going to walk you through how to check your YouTube keyword rankings in a way that actually helps—not one that just gives you a feel-good number.
A lot of creators use tools that spit out a keyword score—30%, 50%, 70%, even 100%. Sure, 100% might make you feel like a rockstar. But what if that video doesn’t show up anywhere in YouTube search?
I’ve had videos get mediocre SEO scores—like 30 or 50—and still rank at the very top of YouTube. Why? Because I followed the real strategy that works. So let’s talk about which tools to ignore, which ones to pay attention to, what to look for in YouTube Analytics, and how to use a simple spreadsheet to track actual keyword ranking progress.
The Two Paths on YouTube (And Why Keyword Tools Only Work for One)
Let’s get something clear right away: tools like TubeBuddy and VidIQ can be helpful, but only if you’re on a specific path.
There are two main strategies for growing on YouTube:
- The Trend Path – chasing virality, suggested videos, and recommendations.
- The Search Path – focusing on long-term visibility and lead generation.
If you’re on the first path, tools like TubeBuddy and VidIQ might help spark content ideas. But if you’re on the Search Path—and especially if you’re using YouTube to generate leads for your business—then keyword research really matters. And that’s where these tools start to fall short.
They’re built around an outdated understanding of SEO—more like old-school website SEO than YouTube search in 2025. Their keyword scores and checklists often have very little to do with whether your video will actually show up in search results.
Proof: Low Scores, High Rankings
Let me show you exactly what I mean.
We recently published a video titled “How to Discipline a Child That Lies and Steals.” In the YouTube search results, it ranks at the #3 and #4 positions. But look at the TubeBuddy score: 32 out of 100. That’s low! Yet in the first week, that video pulled in 821 views—all from search.
Why? Because it was optimized based on what really works—not what the tool told us to do.
Here’s another example: We helped Jason Schroeder rank for “How to Become a Construction Project Manager.” He’s not a huge creator—just 27,000 subscribers—but the video has 27,000 views in 11 months and ranks at the top of YouTube search. TubeBuddy says that kind of result only happens if you have a million subscribers. Clearly, that’s not true.
The Report in YouTube Analytics That Actually Matters
If you want to measure your keyword ranking success, stop chasing scores and start watching this one report.
Inside YouTube Studio, go to Advanced Mode, then click on Traffic Source and filter by YouTube Search. Compare your current 90-day period to the previous one.
Why? Because if your search views are going up month over month or quarter over quarter, your ranking efforts are working. That’s how you know your strategy is solid.
Let me show you two examples:
- For Jason in the construction space, we went from 79,000 views from search to 87,000 in just 90 days.
- For Nicholeen Peck in the parenting niche, we increased from 26,000 views to over 28,000 in just one month.
That’s real growth—and real visibility in search. No score from a third-party tool could have told us that.
The Best Way to Track Keyword Rankings (It’s Just a Simple Spreadsheet)
This next part might look a little nerdy, but it works—and it’s kind of exciting once you see your rankings climb.
We use a spreadsheet to track how many keywords or topics a client ranks for. Here’s how it works:
Let’s say we’re working with Noelle Randall in the real estate niche. We create a content tree:
- Trunk = Real Estate
- Branch = Investing
- Leaves = Specific questions like “How to become a real estate investor”
Each leaf is a keyword we want to rank for. Every time we check and see her video in the top 3, we mark a “yes.” If it’s in the top 20 but not top 3, we mark “starting.” If we don’t find her at all in the top 20, we mark “no.”
Then we score it:
- Yes = 1 point
- Starting = 0.25 points
In February, Noelle had a score of 3 out of 20 possible rankings. By April, she was up to 8.5. In May, she hit 13, and by July, 15.75. That’s not just improvement—it’s strategic dominance.
And unlike a random SEO percentage, that score actually means something.
You Don’t Just Need Tools—You Need Strategy
At the end of the day, tools can be helpful, but only if you understand the strategy behind what you’re doing.
I manage over 60 YouTube channels, and we’ve ranked thousands of videos at the top of YouTube search. We do it by ignoring the noise and focusing on what actually matters.
Want to know the exact steps I follow to rank videos on Day One and keep them there?
I created an entire episode breaking that down…
