Did you know that YouTube algorithm decides what people watch on YouTube 70% of the time? According to Pew Research Center – a reputable research institute- 81% of American YouTube users say they usually watch videos recommended by the algorithm.
The algorithm identifies the interest of viewers and sends them videos based on those interests. Research suggests that the algorithm’s goals are twofold: find the right video for each viewer, and get viewers to keep watching.
So, if you’re a content creator working on getting more YouTube views, likes, or subscribers or a brand-building out your YouTube marketing strategy, the platform’s recommendation algorithm matters for a lot. Here is how to structure your channel and videos to work with it.
Optimize your video description with keywords
Contrary to popular belief, that 5000-character section underneath your video isn’t for links to your socials alone and helps the algorithm surface your video when users are searching for your topic. Thus, ensure you text-load the first sentence with a clear, keyword-focused description of your video. Make sure you use natural language, not keyword salad, and focus on one or two keywords and repeat them in your description and title.
Publish Often
Quantity of videos and frequency of upload is a crucial factor for the algorithm, and YouTube’s home screen. If you can increase the number of videos you upload without jeopardizing quality, go for it. The more content you publish, the better chance you’ll have of hitting the right nerve. You can turn that one big hit into a series, or you introduce a new, low-effort weekly feature that fits into your brand’s established niche, like a Tuesday reaction video or a Wednesday study with me session or a Thursday Twitch stream.
Make your videos public when your audience is watching.
Recency is another vital ranking factor for most social media algorithms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and YouTube is no exception. YouTube’s notifications feature alerts your subscribers when you upload a video, and it is most effective if that occurs when they’re looking for something new to watch. Generally, it is recommended that you evaluate your YouTube analytics to select the optimal time of day or week to drop your newest masterpiece. This could also mean scheduling your YouTube videos ahead of time.
Keep viewers hooked throughout the whole video.
One key performance metric for the algorithm is view duration or audience retention. You might come across posts that advocate for making your videos shorter or longer to increase view duration, but really, put more effort into making them as interesting and fun to watch as you possibly can. Once you’ve gotten people to watch through to the end, you can then go ahead and use end cards or playlists to suggest that they watch your next video because you don’t need a recommendation algorithm if people trust your recommendations.
Buy, Buy and Buy
What are you buying? Likes, views, comments, subscribers, and other factors that influence engagement and reach of videos. Evidence suggests that videos with massive engagement – a huge number of views, comments, and likes – attract more organic engagement than those with little engagement. One of the reasons is that YouTube algorithm favors videos with high participation. When you buy high retention views, you increase your audience retention rates and thus force YouTube to push you higher on their rankings. However, you must make sure you buy these products from a trustworthy provider like YouTubeView.Shop. Failure to do so may lead to your channel being blocked or banned.
Conclusion
YouTube algorithms play a crucial role in determining who sees your videos. Therefore it is crucial to tailor your videos to work with it. No matter how brilliant your content is or how good the quality of your videos are, if you don’t adapt them to play along with the algorithm, you might struggle to reach and meaningful engagement.