SEO
YouTube Confirms Shorts Views Don’t Count For Monetization

Views of YouTube Shorts count toward a channel’s total watch time, but they don’t count toward eligibility in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).
Channels in the YPP are able to monetize and earn revenue from videos, though not everyone is eligible to join it.
Among other criteria, acceptance into the YPP requires 4,000 valid public watch hours within the last 12 months.
It wasn’t always clear whether Shorts views contributed to the 4,000 threshold.
Now we know for certain the 4,000 hours of watch time must come from regular videos — or what YouTube refers to as videos on demand (VODs).
This is stated in a Q&A video on YouTube’s Creator Insider channel, which contains a number of pertinent questions about Shorts.
First, let’s look at YouTube’s answer to the watch time question.
Do Shorts Views Count Toward 4,000 Hours Of Watch Time?
When asked if views of YouTube Shorts count toward the 4,000 hours of total watch time, it’s confirmed they don’t.
However, YouTube does have a “Shorts Fund” enabling creators to make money from Shorts videos only.
“Shorts views count toward your channel’s overall lifetimes views. However, at this time, they do not count towards your YPP watch time. As a reminder, the Shorts fund is available as a first step towards monetization. And we’ll keep you posted on future updates.”
There’s no room for interpretation with that response. Shorts views don’t count toward meeting YPP requirements.
Here are some other questions about Shorts that are answered in the YouTube Creator Insider team’s latest video.
Can Long Form Videos Be Repurposed Into Shorts?
Concerned about publishing repetitive content, a creator asks if it’s acceptable to turn previously published VODs into Shorts.
There’s nothing wrong with repurposing VODs, but Shorts should be able to stand on their own without requiring the VOD for context.
“Creating Shorts from already published content is a great way to repurpose videos and experiment with Shorts. However, it’s important to keep in mind that a lot of people watching within the Shorts feed may not be familiar with your channel.
So whatever content you create make, sure it’s standalone and is able to be enjoyed by anyone who might not be familiar with your channel or your brand. And also make sure to make the video vertical.”
Will There Be Separate Analytics For Shorts And VOD?
YouTube confirms it’s working on revamping the analytics section in YouTube Studio.
Currently, views of all types of videos are counted as a single metric.
“Yes, our analytics team is working on breaking those out for Shorts, for VOD (Video on Demand), and for live in studio.“
Should I Create A Separate Channel For Shorts?
While some creators choose to start separate channels for Shorts content, this is only recommended if the videos will be a departure from what you already create.
“This is entirely up to you. We’ve seen creators be successful with both approaches. With that in mind, choosing between the same versus second channel is more about your creative vision. So we recommend you think about the type of content that you want to create within Shorts.
If it’s related to your long form video, and it’s an extension of that, then it might make the most sense to continue posting to your existing channel. But if you’re trying to do a major departure then creating a separate Shorts channel might be the best avenue for you. You can always experiment and see how your audience reacts and then make changes accordingly.”
Will YouTube Add Custom Thumbnails For Shorts?
Without getting into specifics, it’s revealed YouTube is working on “addressing” the feedback regarding custom thumbnails for Shorts.
It’s unlikely a majority of viewers would see the thumbnails though, as most Shorts views come from people swiping through the feed.
“This is a question we get frequently from creators and I’d like to acknowledge we’ve heard your feedback loud and clear. The good news is that we’re currently working on addressing this feedback and we’ll keep you guys posted on future updates.
But just as a reminder, thumbnails on Shorts only show on surfaces that have a Shorts shelf. So that would be like on channel pages, on home, and within search results. And also the vast majority of views actually happen within the feed, and thumbnails don’t show within that environment.“
See the full video below:
Featured Image: Primakov/Shutterstock
SEO
8 Pillar Page Examples to Get Inspired By

Pillar pages are high-level introductions to a topic. They then link to other pages, which are usually more detailed guides about parts of the main topic.
Altogether, they form a content hub.
But not all pillar pages look the same.
In this guide, we’ll look at eight examples of pillar pages to get your creative juices flowing.
Key stats
Estimated organic traffic: 1,200
Backlinks: 6,900
Referring domains: 899
This is our very own pillar page, covering the broad topic of search engine optimization (SEO).
Why I like it
Besides the fact that I’m biased, I like the custom design we created for this page, which makes it different from the articles on our blog.
Even though the design is custom, our pillar page is still a pretty classic “hub and spoke” style pillar page. We’ve broken the topic down neatly into six different chapters and internally linked to guides we’ve created about them. There are also custom animations when you hover over each chapter:
We’ve also added a glossary section that comes with a custom illustration of the SERPs. We have explanations of what each element means, with internal links to more detailed content:
Finally, it links to another “pillar page”: our SEO glossary.
Takeaway
Consider creating a custom design for your pillar page so that it stands out.
Key stats
Estimated organic traffic: 92,200
Backlinks: 21,600
Referring domains: 1,700
Diet Doctor is a health company focusing on low-carb diets. Its pillar page is a comprehensive guide on the keto diet.
Why I like it
On the surface, it doesn’t exactly look like a pillar page; it looks like every other post on the Diet Doctor site. But that’s perfectly fine. It’s simply a different approach—you don’t have to call out the fact that it’s a pillar page.
Diet Doctor’s guide is split into 10 different sections with links to its own resources. The links bring you to different types of content (not just blog posts but videos too).
Unlike the classic pillar page, Diet Doctor’s guide goes into enough detail for anyone who is casually researching the keto diet. But it also links to further resources for anyone who’s interested in doing additional research.
Takeaway
Pillar pages need not always just be text and links. Make it multimedia: You can add videos and images and even link to your own multimedia resources (e.g., a video course).
Key stats
Estimated organic traffic: 5,600
Backlinks: 2,800
Referring domains: 247
Wine Folly is a content site devoted to wine knowledge and appreciation. Its pillar page, as expected, is about wine.
Why I like it
Wine Folly’s pillar page is a classic example of a “hub and spoke” style pillar page—split into multiple sections, with some supporting text, and then internal links to other resources that support each subsection.
This page doesn’t just serve as a pillar page for ranking purposes, though. Given that it ranks well and receives quite a significant amount of search traffic, the page also has a call to action (CTA) to Wine Folly’s book:
Takeaway
While most websites design pillar pages for ranking, you can also use them for other purposes: capture email addresses, sell a book, pitch your product, etc.
Key stats
Estimated organic traffic: 11,100
Backlinks: 3,400
Referring domains: 457
Yoga Journal is an online and offline magazine. Its pillar page is an A-Z directory of yoga poses.
Why I like it
Yoga Journal’s pillar page is straightforward and simple. List down all possible yoga poses (in both their English and Sanskrit names) in a table form and link to them.
Since it’s listed in alphabetical order, it’s useful for anyone who knows the name of a particular pose and is interested in learning more.
What I also like is that Yoga Journal has added an extra column on the type of pose each yoga pose belongs to. If we click on any of the pose types, we’re directed to a category page where you can find similar kinds of poses:
Takeaway
The A-Z format can be a good format for your pillar page if the broad topic you’re targeting fits the style (e.g., dance moves, freestyle football tricks, etc.).
Key stats
Estimated organic traffic: 115,200
Backlinks: 3,200
Referring domains: 860
Atlassian is a software company. You’ve probably heard of its products: Jira, Confluence, Trello, etc. Its pillar page is on agile development.
Why I like it
Atlassian’s pillar page is split into different topics related to agile development. It then has internal links to each topic—both as a sticky table of contents and card-style widgets after the introduction:
I also like the “Up next” feature at the bottom of the pillar page, which makes it seem like an online book rather than a page.
Takeaway
Consider adding a table of contents to your pillar page.
Key stats
Estimated organic traffic: 114,400
Backlinks: 2,900
Referring domains: 592
Muscle and Strength’s pillar page is a massive database linking to various categories of workouts.
Why I like it
Calling it a pillar page seems to be an understatement. Muscle and Strength’s free workouts page appears to be more like a website.
When you open the page, you’ll see that it’s neatly split into multiple categories, such as “workouts for men,” “workouts for women,” “biceps,” “abs,” etc.




Clicking through to any of them leads us to a category page containing all sorts of workouts:
Compared to the other pillar pages on this list, where they’re linking to other subpages, Muscle and Strength’s pillar page links to other category pages, which then link to their subpages, i.e., its massive archive of free workouts.
Takeaway
Content databases, such as the one above, are a huge undertaking for a pillar page but can be worth it if the broad topic you’re targeting fits a format like this. Ideally, the topic should be about something where the content for it is ever-growing (e.g., workout plans, recipes, email templates, etc.).
Key stats
Estimated organic traffic: 39,100
Backlinks: 1,100
Referring domains: 308
Tofugu is a site about learning Japanese. And its pillar page is about, well, learning Japanese.
Why I like it
This is an incredible (and yes, ridiculously good) guide to learning Japanese from scratch. It covers every stage you’ll go through as a complete beginner—from knowing no Japanese to having intermediate proficiency in the language.
Unlike other pillar pages where information is usually scarce and simply links out to further resources, this page holds nothing back. Under each section, there is great detail about what that section is, why it’s important, how it works, and even an estimated time of how long that stage takes to complete.
Another interesting aspect is how Tofugu has structured its internal links as active CTAs. Rather than “Learn more” or “Read more,” it’s all about encouraging users to do a task and completing that stage.
Takeaway
Two takeaways here:
- Pillar pages can be ridiculously comprehensive. It depends on the topic you’re targeting and how competitive it is.
- CTAs can be more exciting than merely just “Read more.”




Key stats
Estimated organic traffic: 890
Backlinks: 4,100
Referring domains: 1,100
Zapier allows users to connect multiple software products together via “zaps.” It’s a 100% remote company, and its pillar page is about remote work.
Why I like it
Zapier’s pillar page is basically like Wine Folly’s pillar page. Break a topic into subsections, add a couple of links of text, and then add internal links to further resources.
In the examples above, we’ve seen all sorts of execution for pillar pages. There are those with custom designs and others that are crazily comprehensive.
But sometimes, all a pillar page needs is a simple design with links.
Takeaway
If you already have a bunch of existing content on your website, you can create a simple pillar page like this to organize your content for your readers.
Keep learning
Inspired by these examples and want to create your own pillar page? Learn how to successfully do so with these two guides:
Any questions or comments? Let me know on Twitter.