How can I determine if my YouTube channel is shadow banned?

From my experience, the most telling sign of a shadow ban is the significant drop in impressions. If your analytics show zero views from Search, Suggestions, or Browse, it's a strong indicator that you might be shadow banned. I had a week where my impressions dropped drastically, and I couldn't find my videos through search, which made me think I was being shadow banned.

Another interesting point is how returning viewers are counted. If you've subscribed to a channel but haven't watched their content in months, you might still be considered a returning viewer once you do. This could make it seem like a channel is performing better than it is, even if new viewers aren’t finding it. I think it's crucial to keep an eye on the metrics regarding new versus returning viewers to understand your channel's reach.

If you notice that all your views are coming from your channel page or direct links, that's a red flag. I had a friend with a channel who only got views from their channel page after a sudden drop in impressions. They were convinced that they were shadow banned because they weren't appearing in search results or recommendations at all.

I often hear people say that shadow banning is not a real issue, but I disagree. It's essential to understand that sometimes what people refer to as shadow banning could be a drop in interest in their content. However, if you're still getting views from external sources, like shares from social media, it suggests you're not entirely shadow banned. I witnessed a decrease in views and likes, yet I still got traffic from shared links.

In my case, I noticed that even though my views fluctuated, I still had a healthy engagement rate. If you have a good click-through rate (CTR) and average view duration (AVD), it might not be a shadow ban but rather just YouTube’s algorithm adjusting. I had times when my videos didn’t get as many impressions, but my engagement remained strong, which helped me feel reassured that I wasn’t shadow banned.