Everything You Need to Know About YouTube’s Algorithm

For those of you who don’t already know what YouTube’s Algorithm is, you may be getting flashbacks of elementary school mathematics. An algorithm; in the broad sense; is defined as a set of rules to be followed in calculation or other problem solving operations. It is especially useful in computer programming. For example, it could help a computer (or smartphone) game calculate points earned during the course of playing the game. But enough geek talk – what’s this about Youtube? The popular video sharing website has a highly confidential (and ever changing) process of deciding which videos to recommend to users – basically the method it picks out what you are on your feed. This process is known as the Algorithm. Career Youtubers are always striving to figure out and use these rules in order to best use them in their advantage to increase revenue. And although the algorithm is technically a secret, many online sources attempt to speculate based on analysis. 

Why is the Algorithm So Important?

As any Youtuber already knows, revenue from Google’s AdSense is based on the number of users that view (and click on) ads that are displayed at different locations in, on, or around videos. According to YouTube, in order to monetize a channel, it must have at least 1000 subscribers prior to monetization. Another prerequisite is to have 4000 hours of accrued watched time in the past 12 months. Users of Youtube are always given different recommendations and suggestions in their feed,  alongside their subscription list. Obviously is it advantageous to the creator that videos appear in a user’s feed or recommended videos, and Youtubers are continuously trying to do just that. A proper understanding of the most current algorithm is crucial to achieving this goal.

How Content Creators can Optimize Content for the Algorithm

These are the latest factors YouTube’s Algorithm uses to determine which videos to recommend to its users, and ways content creators are able to manipulate them to their advantage.

  • Keyword specification – Creators can specially tailor captions and titles to be optimised for search engines, as well the YouTube algorithm. 
  • Thumbs up/down ratio – Quality content will encourage viewers to give nice thumbs up, skewing the algorithm to the channel’s favor.
  • Watch time – Longer videos, or more minutes watched are favoured by the Algorithm. An excellent way is to buy youtube watch time, especially for new users.
  • Subscriber and view count – older accounts have more chances of appearing on the recommendations feed, owing to their already established audience.
  • Series – if videos are in a playlist or series format, YouTube will always recommend them to users as soon as they are uploaded. Creators can tailor content to be serialized for this purpose. This also has a compound effect of increasing views through a habitual audience. 
  • User Interest – The one thing creators have no control over is the watch history of the user – after all, the Algorithm’s purpose is to feed the user’s interests. In order to get a leg up in this factor, content creators should strive to capture the interest of a larger audience of viewers. Off platform promotion can also help in this aspect.
  • Date uploaded – almost three quarters of the total views a video gets are within a week of their upload – hence the first 7 days are critical. This is why it is advisable to upload frequently in order to always be within that 7 day loop.
  • Trending – It is the oldest factor Youtube takes into consideration – how frequently a video is currently being shared. Essentially, viral videos are more likely to be suggested. It is also the most unpredictable 

The aforementioned factors are those which Youtube content creators need to keep in mind when creating their content. They can be considered tools to manipulate the platform in order to increase ads viewed and therefore increase revenue. It is worth repeating that the Algorithm is always being updated, and tweaked to optimize the user experience; but this makes it obviously harder for content creators to earn money. Of course, quality content is the most vital part of the process, without which all the above tools are rendered useless. Through smart tactics and familiarity to the platforms processes, creators can optimize their channel for higher revenue potential.