The YouTube algorithm is designed to maximize viewer engagement by recommending personalized content based on user behavior and preferences. It plays a crucial role in video discoverability, impacting creators’ visibility and audience growth.

Search Engine Journal contributor Matt G. Southern has published an article featuring 20 facts about YouTube’s algorithm.

She says, “Early on, YouTube ranked videos based on watch time data, assuming longer view durations correlated with audience satisfaction.

However, they realized that total watch time alone was an incomplete measure, as viewers could still be left unsatisfied.

So, beginning in the early 2010s, YouTube prioritized viewer satisfaction metrics for ranking content across the site.

The algorithms consider signals like:

  • Survey responses directly asking viewers about their satisfaction with recommended videos.
  • Clicks on the “like,” “dislike,” or “not interested” buttons which indicate satisfaction.
  • Overall audience retention metrics like the percentage of videos viewed.
  • User behavior metrics, including what users have watched before (watch history) and what they watch after a video (watch next).”

20 Confirmed Facts About YouTube’s Algorithm

Search Engine Journal

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