YouTube has the potential to get your content in front of millions of viewers, but with so much content competing for attention, it’s hard to get noticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a creator, the challenge is to stand out. The way to stand out is to understand YouTube and viewer behavior; to research, create, optimize, and promote your videos in a way that viewers love and that YouTube understands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Watch time is one of the most critical metrics that YouTube uses<\/a> to determine the value and relevance of a video.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is the primary factor that YouTube’s algorithm uses to rank videos in search results, recommendations, and the trending section. This means that the more watch time a video receives<\/a>, the higher it will rank on YouTube, resulting in more views, engagement, and subscribers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is watch time, and why is it so crucial? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Because it represents the level of engagement, a viewer has with a video. The longer a viewer watches a video, the more they are interested in the content, which means the video delivers value to the viewer. This results in increased engagement, such as likes, comments, shares, and subscriptions, all factors that YouTube’s algorithm considers when ranking videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Improving watch time<\/a> is essential for creators who want to grow their channels and reach a wider audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n So let\u2019s start out by understanding how YouTube works from a content creator perspective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n YouTube is the world’s largest video-sharing platform. It boasts billions of active users and millions of hours of video content. YouTube’s famous (or infamous?) machine learning algorithms selectively surface content to viewers. <\/p>\n\n\n\nUnderstanding How YouTube Works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n