This article deals with the YouTube SWOT analysis and its competitors.
YouTube SWOT Analysis
Over time, it’s best to have a SWOT analysis to see how brands, products, and companies are doing and where they stand. YouTube is a video-sharing company that is beloved by many for its video content. From snippets of shows, fan-made videos, content creators, and the very popular career/hobby YouTubers/influencers to viewers and fans, YouTube has stolen hearts.
SWOT analysis refers to analyzing YouTube on the basis of its strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This helps an organization or company do well and understand what they lack. They can minimize their risks. Moreover, understanding their competition and other aspects will give them a chance for success.
Strengths
- Free of Cost
You can easily use this website without having to make any purchases. It is free to use and free to download from the Play Store or app store. To comment, like, or subscribe, all you need is to make an account which can also be done for free.
YouTube premium has been introduced which is a paid subscription. This allows you to play videos without being interrupted by ads and play videos when you’re offline. There are other benefits too.
- Earn through videos
You can earn money on YouTube through views. For this, you need a Google AdSense account which you can even create with your YouTube channel. This way you can earn money by sponsorships, selling digital products, offering services, affiliating links, and more.
A community of content creators, YouTubers, and influencers emerged because of this platform. They gained fame and earn a living through their influence.
- 2nd highest ranked website
YouTube ranks as the second-highest website in the world in 2021. There are approximately 1.8 million sites that link to YouTube. It gets 22.8 billion visits a month.
- Simple to use
You don’t need computer skills to be able to use this website. It is user-friendly and even has tutorials to guide you on how to upload a video or do anything else.
- A way to share information easily
YouTube is a great way to share information and find information. People do it in entertaining ways whether it is in the form of videos, music, video animations, and other forms. There are interactive stories you can post on YouTube now using polls or asking them questions, etc.
This platform has also given people a voice. Some use their platform to talk about serious issues and spreading awareness. It is used for sharing content but also your opinion with the world if you want.
- Revenue for parent company
Due to the high number of viewers that visit the site and the revenue they earn through advertising, YouTube earns a lot for its parent company. It is one of the largest revenue drivers.
- Multi-language support
The company introduced this to make users feel more comfortable. They have several local languages but mainly YouTube comes in a total of 34 different languages. This tactic will result in generating more traffic to the site.
Weaknesses
- Inappropriate Content
YouTube has been criticized for not monitoring the content that is uploaded. Since it’s a public platform and people post a lot, there’s a lot to go through but some unacceptable common themes are still found on the site. Governments and activist have voiced their opinions on it. Some of the unacceptable content is videos containing:
- Provocative content
- Violence
- Depressing content
- Hatred or hate speech
- Propaganda
There are more topics and themes that come under this like bigotry, etc.
- Copyright Challenges
People post and watch videos without any barriers on YouTube since it’s a public platform. With so many videos being uploaded, YouTube has a lot of content to sift through for copyright infringement.
- Too Public
Everything you post on YouTube is public and the platform is public too so no one needs to have an account to see what you post. Since anyone can post a video, this can cause a copyright issue and invade people’s privacy.
- Account disabled without reason
By breaking YouTube’s rules, your account can be disabled. YouTube has the right to disable or even delete your account without any reason but they usually do it if:
- Your videos are reported for copyright infringement repeatedly
- When you copy someone’s idea
- Your video or the content you publish doesn’t comply with the terms and conditions
- You continue to act in a predatory way
For example harassing people, making sexual comments, or spamming count as predatory behavior.
- Any advertiser can put any ad
Your competition can take advantage of this and run an ad near your video or even on it! This can hurt your brand.
- Increased Podcasting
With time, more bloggers and podcasters have shifted from YouTube to their own private podcasts. This way they generate revenues directly from brands. People have started to feel that YouTube is just a little too noisy.
- Other social media platforms making video content
The videos shared on other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are usually uploaded directly on to these platforms. This is because social media sites restrict from uploading YouTube linked videos.
Since social media is on the rise, platforms have started to create their own video content to generate revenues and find ways to do it.
Opportunities
- Use of YouTube app
Smartphones and the internet are popular now. Using these tools, you can easily install YouTube on your devices and use it easily. This shows that YouTube is likely to continue increasing in the future. More people are developing and sharing their content on YouTube.
- Don’t have to watch ads
YouTube’s premium version allows users to not have to sit through ads or get interrupted by the usual annoying ads in the middle of their videos. Moreover, there are other benefits when subscribing to the premium account.
- Take part in paid subscription
This way they can have another source for generating revenue. Other platforms are doing so and Netflix is known for it. It contributed to Netflix’s fame and could work for YouTube too.
- Become a partner to brands and content creators
This will also help boost the company and gain popularity too. It could even attract new customers.
Threats
- Binge-watching on other social networks
There’s video content available on Instagram and Facebook that people have started watching more instead of spending time on YouTube.
- Legal Challenges
In 2019, it was reported that YouTube violated children’s privacy laws. They were fined $170 million by a US regulator. If they aren’t careful about screening the content that is being uploaded, it could be costly for this company.
- Competitors
There are many new platforms providing their own video offerings. The competitors of YouTube are:
- Vessel
- Vimeo
- Dailymotion
- Snapchat
- Netflix
- BuzzFeed
- TikTok
There are many more to add to the list but these are just the main ones. The main competitors, as well as other details about them, will be explained in detail below.
Competitors
The main competitors’ YouTube has to face are:
- Vimeo
This company has been hosting videos way before YouTube so Vimeo isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Back in 2004, they introduced an option allowing viewers to stream videos in high definition.
This can be done in multiple languages like French, Portuguese, Spanish, German, and even English. The service was a success and is still popular today.
- Netflix
Many users have been taken away from YouTube due to Netflix. Netflix doesn’t have ads or poor-quality videos. Many people shifted to Netflix so that they can enjoy paid content without any interruptions.
- Dailymotion
Dailymotion was released around the same time as YouTube. It’s used by artists, producers, and others for its mixed content. It is mainly popular because it’s compatible with 18 different languages and focusing on educational, informational, engaging content.
- Instagram’s IGTV
The newest service introduced by Instagram is their IGTV. This allows videos longer than 30 seconds to be uploaded and captured a lot of people’s attention. Content creators no longer have to go on YouTube to upload videos but can do it on Instagram too now.
- TikTok
TikTok shortly became the biggest trend. It is used around the world and is including newer features like increasing the maximum video length. It’s rolling out globally and people who gain fame through this app are usually young talents. YouTube is for everyone but TikTok is mostly being used by the youth at the moment.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is YouTube’s biggest competitor?
Vimeo is YouTube’s most significant and biggest competitor. This network has 1.21 million subscribers.
- What are the means through which YouTube generates revenue?
Introducing premium memberships and using advertisements, YouTube generates revenue. The membership requires a monthly payment for the subscription while the advertiser pays per second for the ad they watch.
- Can you cheat YouTube views?
Unlike Instagram and other platforms, there is no way to cheat on views. There is no application that increases views, likes, comments, or anything else. It is all organic.
