Over 79% of internet users have a YouTube account.
That’s a staggering number of people you won’t reach if you do not have a YouTube video marketing strategy.
However, to do well on YouTube, you need to understand how the YouTube algorithm works in 2021. Take a look at our guide and learn how to get the most views on your YouTube videos.
How the YouTube Algorithm Works
The purpose of the YouTube algorithm is to keep users engaged on the site as long as possible. This maximizes the chances of them seeing their ads which is how YouTube makes its revenue.
There are five main sections that YouTube analyzes users’ watch habits and that the algorithm manages by making personalized recommendations to a user. They are home, search, suggested videos, subscriptions, and trending.
User engagement is tracked closely rather than the more shallow vanity metrics such as views and clicks. YouTube wants to understand what their users enjoy and what makes them stay.
A key engagement metric that YouTube measures is watch time. The longer a viewer stays on a video, the higher YouTube ranks it in the search results.
Each section of YouTube does have a slightly different effect on the algorithm and how a video will rank. You need to consider each section in your YouTube marketing strategy and prepare your content accordingly.
The Search Algorithm
Here you will be measured against relevance, much like when a user searches for a Google search web page.
YouTube will assess how well your video’s metadata, such as title and descriptions, match with the terms used in the search.
The Home Page and Suggested Videos Algorithms
Here YouTube is trying to suggest what they think the users will find most interesting based on their previous watching habits. There will be a greater range of video diversity available, although along the lines of a topic that the users enjoy.
The algorithm picks videos based on engagement and satisfaction metrics such as likes and comments.
Trending Page Algorithm
The Trending Page is based on the most popular videos within a country. It shows both popular videos and ones that are new but from popular creators.
Here the algorithm is quite simple and looks at the view count of a video. To get onto the trending page, you need to get more YouTube views as the view count needs to be in the millions.
Subscriptions Algorithm
Here viewers can see all the videos that they have subscribed to as they release. But the order of the videos is not by date published. Something else is going on behind the scenes.
Instead, the algorithm looks a the speed at which your viewers watch your newest videos. If you get lots of views the moment you publish, they will promote your video higher on your subscription feed than others.
Can You Beat the YouTube Algorithm?
The YouTube algorithm will always be changing. If you want to stay on top of the rankings, you have to flex and move with it. However, above all else, think of your audience.
What your audience wants is what YouTube wants. Meet their needs and work on your craft, and you will find that you start to rank better on YouTube.
If you enjoyed this article, please check out some more ranking tips on our blog.
