What You Need to Know About How YouTube Ranks Videos

YouTube’s algorithm prioritizes high-quality videos by ranking them higher in views ‘suggested videos.’ When your video is ranked higher, this can drastically increase the amount of foot traffic that checks out your content because your videos are easier to find. 

YouTube takes the following factors into account when determining how to rank videos:

 1.      Audience Retention 

This is the amount of time viewers spend watching your video. You want all your viewers to watch the entirety of your video without clicking away early. If this variable is low, this signals to the YouTube algorithm that viewers don’t think watching your entire video is worth their time. To avoid this, make sure your videos are engaging for the entire duration and offer your viewers something of value that will be revealed at the end of the video.  

2.     Length of Videos 

This may seem counterinitiative compared to other social media platforms, but research shows that longer videos rank significantly better on YouTube, as the platform’s algorithm is known to reward longer videos and, in turn, rank them higher. This is likely because longer videos encourage viewers to watch longer and spend more time on the site, as well as view more ads (Medium). So, don’t be afraid to make in-depth videos. 

3.     Comments 

Similarly to other social media platforms, comments represent viewer engagement, as they have spent the time to write a custom comment in response to your content. Therefore, the number of comments a video gets strongly correlate with its ranking on YouTube. To increase the amount of comments your video gets, trying to engage with your viewers by asking them questions in your videos that they can respond to by leaving a comment. 

4.     Shares 

Shares, similar to likes and comments, also reflect viewer engagement. But, when viewers share a video, it means that they found your content so valuable that they want someone to benefit from this value as well. And they are essentially promoting your channel for free. An easy way to increase share is to ask your viewers if your video reminds them of someone in their life or if they know someone who could use the information you’ve provided and share the video with them. 

 5.     Subscribers 

The number of subscribers an account has important to its ranking, but even more crucial, is the number of people who subscribe to your channel immediately after watching one of your videos. This is because if someone watches a video and feels positive enough to take action right after, this means that they want to see more videos like this in the future. To achieve this, try simply asking your viewers to subscribe at the end of each of your videos.  

Written By: Leah Ross, AMR Digital Marketing, Copywriter