YouTube is the second most visited site in the world after Google and the largest video hosting site. Traffic on this platform is very high - more than 600 million people visit it daily.
A large amount of content is posted on YouTube every day, such as movies, TV series, commercials, broadcasts, etc. In 2021, YouTube's ad revenue in the United States reached $5.6 billion.
More than 60% of Americans adults in the survey admitted that they regularly watch videos on YouTube. There were also a large number of people who watch videos suggested by the platform's recommendation algorithm.
What is the YouTube Algorithm now?
The history of YouTube goes back to 2005, when one of the company's co-founders posted his video on the platform. Since then, the algorithm has been updated and improved many times. But its main purpose hasn't changed - it exists to provide a better user experience.
According to YouTube, the algorithm is a "real-time feedback loop that tailors videos to each viewer's different interests".
The algorithm affects the ranking of published content. It determines whether videos are displayed in the recommended section.
As a rule, recommendations are displayed in two sections of the platform:
On the home page. This is where new videos are highlighted; recommendations are customized to the user.
The bar on the right that appears when you watch a video. The list is generated based on what the user is watching now. It also suggests content that may be useful and interesting in the future.
The algorithm's work is closely related to such indicators as:
"Like" and "Dislike" marks;
Clicks on videos;
Viewing time;
Content links;
Survey results.
The Quality and Context of the content affects YouTube's Algorithm
❌When a video has been analyzed and rated as having "controversial content" and containing false information, it is not included in the recommendations.
There are a few factors that affect whether or not a video gets into recommendations:
The relevance of the material to the stated content;
The genre and subject of the content (entertainment content, scientific and educational content, news, etc.);
Presence of intolerant, offensive or misleading content;
The level of reputation of the person appearing in the video;
The level of knowledge and experience required to understand the content.
In case a video has some questionable content and the algorithm detects it, it is removed from the recommended list. Many changes were made to the algorithm in 2019, which reduced the number of views of such low-quality and questionable content by 70%.
Interesting: |
People who researched the algorithm found that the platform recommends longer videos in the recommended section. The algorithm doesn't have much information about the viewer and it is looking for ways to form certain images about the user. |
It's worth keeping the algorithm's criteria in mind and following the guidelines, and it will help you get greater traffic. In addition, the algorithm values quality video and strongly "punishes" (deprives monetization) undesirable.
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That is an interesting post, thanks!