How The YouTube Shorts Algorithm Works (so you can get more views)

Recently I was skiing the slopes at Liberty Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania when I crashed after losing my balance. Just like learning how to ski. , once you know how the shorts algorithm works, you’ll be able to successfully make shorts videos that generate lots of views and subscribers.

In the video below, you’ll learn how the shorts algorithm works, so you can create high quality shorts videos that resonate with your audience.

Get My New Shorts Course: Mastering YouTube Shorts: The Complete Guide
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How does the Shorts recommendation system choose which videos to promote?

Let’s hear from someone that works at YouTube…
The Shorts recommendation system’s goal is to match viewers with content they will love and find valuable.

So if you’ve been watching a lot of martial arts videos, you’re probably going to see shorts videos related to martial arts on the shorts feed.

What signals does YouTube use to select the right shorts to show on the shorts feed?

When viewers scroll their shorts feed, our systems include videos based on many different signals personal to each user, such as watch history, videos from channels they follow, videos watched by similar viewers and more.

This means the shorts videos that I see when scrolling the YouTube app on my phone are going to be different than the Shorts videos that you see because I have a different watch history or I’ve subscribed to different channels.

How are Shorts videos ranked?

These videos are then ranked based on their performance and relevance to that individual viewer. How many impressions your videos get is based on how your video ranks against all other shorts, or the user may watch and how many videos that viewer watched from their feed.

So if you upload a Shorts video, it may initially get a lot of views, but then you’ll see a decrease in views over time. This is because you’re competing with other creators that are making Shorts videos on similar topics. Keep in mind the performance of a short is dictated by whether or not people are choosing to watch that video or skip it, when scrolling the shorts feed.

How long does it take for a YouTube Short to hit the algorithm?

It usually takes a few days to get a decent amount of views if it’s a good video and viewers engage with it. For example, this Shorts video from Bakkersfeeling Adventures, received 2.2 thousand views within the first 24 hours but it received. 2.2 million views sent was published. 

Bastiaan the Creator says, “the interesting thing here is that it didn’t do all that well the first 24 hours. Well, it did for me in comparison to previous uploads. It didn’t pick up until day 5”

The video itself is currently still receiving over 50,000 views per day after 28 days.

Keep in mind, if your shorts flop, it won’t affect your long form videos because they’re two separate algorithms. If viewers don’t engage with it, it sends a signal to the YouTube algorithm not to promote this video to a wider .audience. As a result, you’ll see a decrease in views from the shorts feed.

On the other hand, if a shorts video goes viral, it may increase the traffic on other videos on your channel because viewers see the other videos and engage with them.

How long does YouTube recommend long-form videos to Shorts viewers?

The YouTube algorithm now considers recent long form videos when recommending content to YouTube shorts viewers. This means you can use Shorts videos to promote long form content. For example, you can edit the long form video into a short, and you get a link back to the original video at the end of your short.

If you want to know how to make a short from your existing videos on YouTube using the YouTube app, click here to watch this video.

How do Shorts get discovered in Search?

The beauty of YouTube shorts is that they can be discovered in Google search as well as YouTube search leading to evergreen traffic.

For example, this shorts video titled “How to Add a Subscribe Button to YouTube video in 60 Seconds” currently ranks number one on Google search out of 111 million results. It also dominates the first page by showing a large custom thumbnail.

It also appears on the first page of YouTube search. As you can see, it’s got over 12,000 views since it was published and still receives 104 views every 48 hours.

If you want to get your Shorts videos to rank on the first page of Google or YouTube search, make Shorts videos based upon how-to topics. For example, I titled this Shorts video, “How to Add a Subscribe Button to YouTube video in 60 Seconds” 

Here’s what Gary Vee recommends on how to attract traffic from search using YouTube shorts

“Right now, YouTube shorts for everybody here, should be their number one obsession. So being great at YouTube shorts is a something I highly recommend. Lots of virality, but YouTube has something which is search. So when you make it, you title it, it can go viral, but then it sits on the number two search engine in the world, which is YouTube.”

Do you struggle to get your shorts seen on YouTube? 

If so, watch this video titled “YouTube shorts not showing how to fix it” You’ll discover 5  places where viewers can find your shorts and the best ways to optimize them to get more views.

Mastering YouTube Shorts: The Complete Guide
Discover how to take your YouTube Shorts to the next level so you can get more views and grow your channel fast.
Click here for more info

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