Likes and comments divided by views
On a public YouTube watch page you can see views, likes, and comments. The engagement rate you can compute from those is likes plus comments, divided by views, shown as a percent. Shares are not on that page. The engagement rate calculator uses this formula and does not invent the counts.
Enter one video, or several. Across several videos the headline rate is total likes and comments divided by total views. A video with more views pulls that rate toward itself. The per-video lines are there so one outlier does not become "the channel."
Do not compare it with an Instagram rate
Most people who watch a YouTube video never click like or comment. The denominator is views, which is everyone who pressed play, not the smaller group who follow you. An Instagram follower rate is a different fraction. A smaller YouTube percent is the ordinary shape of that fraction, not a verdict that the video failed.
There is no "good" YouTube engagement rate on this site. Compare a video with your other videos that used the same formula.
What YouTube Studio has that this formula does not
Impressions click-through rate tells you whether the title and thumbnail earned the click. Average view duration and the retention graph tell you whether the video delivered the promise. Returning viewers and subscribers gained tell you whether people came back. None of those are likes divided by views. If you already have average view duration from Studio, the watch time calculator multiplies it by views. It still does not open Studio.
A public calculator cannot see them. Creator Climb does not invent them. The beginners' analytics guide is the short list of Studio charts worth opening. Unlimited can add read-only watch time and net subscribers after you connect YouTube. Click-through rate is still not in that feed.
What to change if likes are not the problem
If people are not clicking, the title and thumbnail are the first edit. If they click and leave, the opening did not match the title. A like rate will not tell you which of those it is. It only tells you how many viewers left a public response. Hashtags in the description are a different field from the tag box. YouTube hashtags vs tags keeps those apart, and the caption generator drafts the description from words you type.
The free channel audit reads public titles, descriptions, and view counts on your latest uploads. Paid plans keep the written fixes: Pro is $9 a month, Growth is $19 and adds a video-by-video report, a content calendar, and weekly alerts from public stats, and Unlimited is $39. You can cancel in Settings.
Questions
What counts as YouTube engagement in this formula?
Likes plus comments, divided by views. It does not include click-through rate, average view duration, or shares.
Why is my YouTube percent so small?
Views include everyone who pressed play, and most of them do not like or comment. Compare the video with your own recent uploads, not with an Instagram rate.
Can Creator Climb see my click-through rate?
No. Impressions and click-through rate stay in YouTube Studio. The audit uses public metadata and, on Unlimited, optional read-only watch time. It does not invent a click-through rate.