Member Avatar for canadafred

I started playing around with ranking videos on Youtube.

I noticed that in the Youtube search results the keywords from the search are bolded in the Title and Description. I would magine the name of the video files is another factor. I also surmise that the newer videos get preference.

Are there any other ranking factors?

Popularity of video seems irrelevant.

Thanks.

Edited by canadafred because: spelink
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Thread contributors have touched on title/metadata, subscribers and topical targeting (, , , ). The next layer to look at is viewer behavior and channel-level signals rather than simple keyword matches. These are the things that actually move a video up in YouTube’s search and suggested results over time.

Important signals to watch (short descriptions):

  • Watch time and average view duration — how long viewers stay on the video.
  • Audience retention and specific drop-off points — where viewers leave inside a video.
  • Session time (total time viewers spend on YouTube after watching) and subscriptions gained from a video.
  • Impressions click-through rate (CTR) for thumbnails/titles and early view velocity.
  • Engagement that indicates interest (comments, shares, playlist adds) and how often the video is surfaced again.
  • Channel consistency/authority and recent upload activity.

Actionable steps that build on ’s supply/demand idea:

  • Improve the first 10–20 seconds to secure retention; use analytics to find the exact timestamp where viewers drop off and edit future videos to remove that gap.
  • Treat thumbnails and titles as experiments: change one variable at a time and monitor CTR and retention. Use playlists and end screens to extend session time across multiple videos.
  • Add accurate transcripts/closed captions and localized titles/descriptions to help indexing and reach non-native audiences.
  • Use end screens/cards to drive viewers to another video or a playlist (adds to session time), and track changes in the Analytics reports: Average View Duration, Audience Retention, Impressions CTR, and Traffic Sources.

Cautions and measurement:

  • Avoid misleading thumbnails/titles or artificial view inflation — those damage long-term performance and can trigger penalties.
  • Optimization is iterative: test, wait for statistically meaningful change, and then iterate. Official guidance and technical details are in the YouTube Help and Creator Academy resources: and YouTube Creator Academy.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for jay 11

Consider the # and type of subscribers.

Member Avatar for mitz

So you want to turn up in google search or search on Youtube? I do both, and carefully name my videos..I have uploaded around 150 and have experimented with what works the best... This is what you have to do...Supply and Demand...If you see a title that is popular then keep making similar videos...Go with the flow......

Member Avatar for StefanCP

How do you monetize youtube videos? Watermarking? If yes, do you use full video watermarking?
Further trying to find answers for my curiosity, what kind of products or services do you advertise?
I have never tried tube websites yet.

About supply and demand, there was a website or something that gave you the highest grow in searches for different terms. I know that one was at a point swine flu. A good marketing should involve checking growing terms, and advertising them. And since movies are a big part of the searching terms, i guess a good seo campaign could use future movies ( check what movie appears in 6 months time, we are talking about good movies, and prepare a blog or something with various articles regarding the movie, and the subject of the movie, and i guess you will have something built when the wave comes ).

Cheers

Member Avatar for sitant

Normally, I used to add more tags as well as used to get more backlinks to the videos, As the result, for those keyword searches in Youtube, I used to be on first page (most of the cases). so, I assume that those(tags, backlinks, description) are the main factors on determining the search results on Youtube

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