Marketing

The YouTube Algorithm: How It Works and What You Can Do to Boost Your Videos' Visibility

The YouTube algorithm is a complex system that determines which videos are shown to users, and in what order. It takes into account a wide range of factors, including the user's search history, the video's popularity, and the user's past engagement with the video.

To understand how the algorithm works, it's important to first understand that YouTube is a business. Its goal is to keep users on the platform for as long as possible, so that they can show them more ads and make more money. To achieve this goal, the algorithm tries to show users videos that they will find engaging and relevant.

When a user searches for a keyword on YouTube, the algorithm looks at the user's search history and the popularity of the videos that match the keyword. It then ranks the videos based on their relevance to the keyword and their popularity, with the most relevant and popular videos appearing at the top of the search results.

However, the algorithm doesn't just look at a video's popularity and relevance to determine its ranking. It also takes into account the user's past engagement with the video. If a user has previously watched a video, liked it, and commented on it, the algorithm will assume that the user is interested in that type of content and will show them more videos like it.

In addition to search results, the algorithm also determines which videos are shown in the "recommended" section on the homepage. This section is designed to show users videos that they are likely to be interested in based on their past viewing history. The algorithm takes into account the user's past engagement with videos, as well as the popularity of the videos and their relevance to the user's interests.

Overall, the YouTube algorithm is a complex system that uses a wide range of factors to determine which videos are shown to users. Its goal is to keep users on the platform by showing them relevant and engaging content, and it does this by looking at the user's search history, the popularity of the videos, and the user's past engagement with them.

  • In 2022, YouTube will be able to create an audience profile of a channel's content and performance based on metadata and title and thumbnail
  • The YouTube algorithm will test videos based on metadata, including audience profiles. If the audience profile and metadata are not aligned, the video will have less chance of success
  • In order to align the audience profile and metadata, you can either follow the audience profile or try to keep the metadata within a lens that the algorithm can trust
  • Your channel's biggest job is to expand the audience profile, to know where it is targeting its audience, and to produce good videos that will drain the algorithm's "test group"
  • In 2022, YouTube will update its algorithm to better recommend videos to viewers. This will likely mean that your content will be more likely to be recommended to people who are currently watching similar videos.

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