• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, November 18, 2024

AI-based algorithms on YouTube are important because it is what determines how a video responds to viewers and why it loses or gains momentum, impressions, and more.

Google has always been reluctant to provide details. I remember that around 2008, the talk at the MediaPost Search Insider Summit centered around how the company had begun to take away data from advertisers and marketers, and the lack of transparency.

After all the antitrust lawsuits in the United States and elsewhere in the world, the industry is experiencing a reversal of fortune.

How the algorithm works has been a secret at Google, but Rene Richie, YouTube Liaison, recently shed some insight.

Richie thinks creators need to get over the idea that YouTube pushes out viewers, because it’s the other way around. “The algorithm pulls videos for viewers,” Richie said during an interview with Think Media Podcast, where he explained how the YouTube algorithm works.

Someone will open the YouTube app on their phone or laptop and within a few milliseconds the algorithm will try to figure out the videos that the viewer is most likely to click on and watch.

“Try not to think about the algorithm too much, because the algorithm’s job is to follow the audience,” he said. “If you have questions about the algorithm, replace it with the word audience and almost always you will get a way better answer.”

Getting more views on the video has everything to do with impressions and the thumbnail served or shown to a viewer.

The video will rank based on performance and then rank again based on personalization.

Opening an incognito video will rank the video differently. Search on YouTube becomes a source of impressions -- which may vary greatly, because the site does understand that viewers want to watch a variety of topics.

Uploading videos close together can have an immediate impact, but if they are not time-sensitive they will likely do just as well.

Richie said it's important to get a sense of where traffic comes from and nurture those types of videos and was asked whether uploading a new video will kill the momentum of a recent or last video -- especially if it is uploaded a day after.

The rhythm of the channel makes a difference. Richie said it depends on the creator or the audience. With breaking news channels that continually update content -- perhaps 10 videos daily -- the audience will pick and choose which ones to watch. Creators who produce a how-to video and post infrequently will have less impact.

It’s unlikely that the site will have two recommendations for the same creator, Richie said, which means the engine will choose the one that is most likely the viewer will click on.  

Each traffic source is important, Richie said, but it's crucial to know your viewers. “If you upload a video and your subscribers are not into it, there’s no algorithm in the subscription feed, so it doesn’t matter,” he said. “Check to see how many subscribers watch the home feed rather than the subscription feed.”

Another question asked is how YouTube determines impressions and how a creator can trigger more impressions. It seems simple, but Richie recommends looking at the “market potential” of the topic.

Views may not be important to some creators, as some make "enormous" amounts of money from very few views.