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YouTube Algorithm: 6 Questions Answered

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youtube algorithm 6 questions answered via mattgsouthern

YouTube is sharing more details about how its search and recommendation algorithms work in a new video where the company answers questions from users.

The YouTube team published a similar video earlier this month, though its newest video answers an all-new set of questions.

There’s quite a bit of material to go over so let’s get right into it.

Impact of Changing Titles & Thumbnails

If a video isn’t performing well, would it help to change the title and thumbnail? Or would that make the algorithm lose confidence in the video?

YouTube absolutely recommends changing the way a title or thumbnail looks, as it can be an effective way to get more views.

That’s generally because the video looks different to viewers and that’s going to change how people interact with it when it’s offered in their recommendations. YouTube’s algorithm then responds to the change in user behavior, not the act of changing the title or thumbnail.

The act of changing a title or thumbnail does not inherently trigger YouTube to increase the impressions for a video. It’s all about how users respond to the change.

In general, making changes to a video is only recommended when it has both a lower click-through rate and it’s receiving fewer views and impressions than usual.

Algorithm Response to Old/Inactive Subscribers

Can old/inactive subscribers negatively affect the performance of a video? The concern is this could lead to a lower CTR, which may result in the video not being recommended as much.

YouTube’s recommendation algorithm doesn’t focus on the subscription feed as a primary signal. The algorithm is focused on how well a video performs in the context it’s shown in.

Ranking on the home page, for example, is based on how well that video performed when shown on other users’ home pages.

YouTube’s algorithm understands which viewers have not watched a channel’s content in a long time, and will avoid showing content from that channel to inactive subscribers.

So inactive subscribers are not something channel owners should be worried about.

How is a total subscriber count relevant if YouTube won’t push out content to all subscribers based on their inactivity/lack of engagement on the channel. Shouldn’t videos be pushed out to someone unless they unsubscribe?

YouTube’s recommendation system does not push videos out to anyone. What it does is pull videos in and ranks them for users based on what they’re most likely to watch.

Subscribers are one of many signals used to rank videos for users. It testing, YouTube found prioritizing content from channels a user subscribes to dramatically reduces how many videos users watch and how often they come back to YouTube.

That’s why YouTube’s recommendation algorithm is designed to recommend content users are likely to watch, regardless of whether it’s published by channels a user subscribes to.

Related: YouTube Reveals New Details About its Algorithm

YouTube Search Results

How does YouTube rank search results?

Just like Google’s search engine, search on YouTube has a similar goal where it wants to show users the most relevant results for their queries.

Videos are ranked in YouTube search according to a variety of factors, but the most important factors are relevance and performance.

Relevance is how well the title, description, and content of a video match the user’s query.

Performance is related to which videos users chose to watch after conducting similar queries.

YouTube’s algorithm also considers engagement metrics such as how long and how much of a video users choose to watch.

To clarify, YouTube’s search results are not a list of the most viewed results for a given query. It’s more about which videos are the most relevant and which videos a user is most likely to watch.

Related: Google Explains How YouTube Search Works

Multiple Languages on the Same Channel

Can uploading videos in two different languages on the same channel affect how videos from that channel are recommended by YouTube?

Uploading in different languages on the same channel can be confusing to viewers. For that reason, YouTube recommends creating separate channels for each language.

However, if the channel specifically caters to an audience that speaks multiple languages, then keeping all content on the same channel makes sense.

Importance of Watch-Time

Does it take a certain amount of hours of watch-time before a video is recommended by YouTube’s algorithm?

There’s no particular threshold a video needs to meet before it starts getting recommended.

Channels may notice some of their videos gaining momentum months after being published because it’s common for users to show interest in old videos. This could be because a particular topic is rising in popularity, or new viewers of a channel may be going back and watching previous videos.

Most users do not watch videos in the order of most recent, or decide what they want to watch based on when it was published. So a user’s home page will often contain videos published weeks, months, or even years ago.

See YouTube’s full Q&A video below:

Searchenginejournal

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GOOGLE

Google Warns About Misuse of Its Indexing API

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Google Warns About Misuse of Its Indexing API

Google has updated its Indexing API documentation with a clear warning about spam detection and the possible consequences of misuse.

Warning Against API Misuse The new message in the guide says:

“All submissions through the Indexing API are checked for spam. Any misuse, like using multiple accounts or going over the usage limits, could lead to access being taken away.”

This warning is aimed at people trying to abuse the system by exceeding the API’s limits or breaking Google’s rules.

What Is the Indexing API? The Indexing API allows websites to tell Google when job posting or livestream video pages are added or removed. It helps websites with fast-changing content get their pages crawled and indexed quickly.

But it seems some users have been trying to abuse this by using multiple accounts to get more access.

Impact of the Update Google is now closely watching how people use the Indexing API. If someone breaks the rules, they might lose access to the tool, which could make it harder for them to keep their search results updated for time-sensitive content.

How To Stay Compliant To use the Indexing API properly, follow these rules:

  • Don’t go over the usage limits, and if you need more, ask Google instead of using multiple accounts.
  • Use the API only for job postings or livestream videos, and make sure your data is correct.
  • Follow all of Google’s API guidelines and spam policies.
  • Use sitemaps along with the API, not as a replacement.

Remember, the Indexing API isn’t a shortcut to faster indexing. Follow the rules to keep your access.

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GOOGLE

This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

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This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update

Here’s what happened in the world of Google and search engines this week:

1. Google’s June 2024 Spam Update

Google finished rolling out its June 2024 spam update over a period of seven days. This update aims to reduce spammy content in search results.

2. Changes to Google Search Interface

Google has removed the continuous scroll feature for search results. Instead, it’s back to the old system of pages.

3. New Features and Tests

  • Link Cards: Google is testing link cards at the top of AI-generated overviews.
  • Health Overviews: There are more AI-generated health overviews showing up in search results.
  • Local Panels: Google is testing AI overviews in local information panels.

4. Search Rankings and Quality

  • Improving Rankings: Google said it can improve its search ranking system but will only do so on a large scale.
  • Measuring Quality: Google’s Elizabeth Tucker shared how they measure search quality.

5. Advice for Content Creators

  • Brand Names in Reviews: Google advises not to avoid mentioning brand names in review content.
  • Fixing 404 Pages: Google explained when it’s important to fix 404 error pages.

6. New Search Features in Google Chrome

Google Chrome for mobile devices has added several new search features to enhance user experience.

7. New Tests and Features in Google Search

  • Credit Card Widget: Google is testing a new widget for credit card information in search results.
  • Sliding Search Results: When making a new search query, the results might slide to the right.

8. Bing’s New Feature

Bing is now using AI to write “People Also Ask” questions in search results.

9. Local Search Ranking Factors

Menu items and popular times might be factors that influence local search rankings on Google.

10. Google Ads Updates

  • Query Matching and Brand Controls: Google Ads updated its query matching and brand controls, and advertisers are happy with these changes.
  • Lead Credits: Google will automate lead credits for Local Service Ads. Google says this is a good change, but some advertisers are worried.
  • tROAS Insights Box: Google Ads is testing a new insights box for tROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend) in Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns.
  • WordPress Tag Code: There is a new conversion code for Google Ads on WordPress sites.

These updates highlight how Google and other search engines are continuously evolving to improve user experience and provide better advertising tools.

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AI

Exploring the Evolution of Language Translation: A Comparative Analysis of AI Chatbots and Google Translate

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A Comparative Analysis of AI Chatbots and Google Translate

According to an article on PCMag, while Google Translate makes translating sentences into over 100 languages easy, regular users acknowledge that there’s still room for improvement.

In theory, large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT are expected to bring about a new era in language translation. These models consume vast amounts of text-based training data and real-time feedback from users worldwide, enabling them to quickly learn to generate coherent, human-like sentences in a wide range of languages.

However, despite the anticipation that ChatGPT would revolutionize translation, previous experiences have shown that such expectations are often inaccurate, posing challenges for translation accuracy. To put these claims to the test, PCMag conducted a blind test, asking fluent speakers of eight non-English languages to evaluate the translation results from various AI services.

The test compared ChatGPT (both the free and paid versions) to Google Translate, as well as to other competing chatbots such as Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini. The evaluation involved comparing the translation quality for two test paragraphs across different languages, including Polish, French, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Tagalog, and Amharic.

In the first test conducted in June 2023, participants consistently favored AI chatbots over Google Translate. ChatGPT, Google Bard (now Gemini), and Microsoft Bing outperformed Google Translate, with ChatGPT receiving the highest praise. ChatGPT demonstrated superior performance in converting colloquialisms, while Google Translate often provided literal translations that lacked cultural nuance.

For instance, ChatGPT accurately translated colloquial expressions like “blow off steam,” whereas Google Translate produced more literal translations that failed to resonate across cultures. Participants appreciated ChatGPT’s ability to maintain consistent levels of formality and its consideration of gender options in translations.

The success of AI chatbots like ChatGPT can be attributed to reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF), which allows these models to learn from human preferences and produce culturally appropriate translations, particularly for non-native speakers. However, it’s essential to note that while AI chatbots outperformed Google Translate, they still had limitations and occasional inaccuracies.

In a subsequent test, PCMag evaluated different versions of ChatGPT, including the free and paid versions, as well as language-specific AI agents from OpenAI’s GPTStore. The paid version of ChatGPT, known as ChatGPT Plus, consistently delivered the best translations across various languages. However, Google Translate also showed improvement, performing surprisingly well compared to previous tests.

Overall, while ChatGPT Plus emerged as the preferred choice for translation, Google Translate demonstrated notable improvement, challenging the notion that AI chatbots are always superior to traditional translation tools.


Source: https://www.pcmag.com/articles/google-translate-vs-chatgpt-which-is-the-best-language-translator

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