Up until recently, Youtube’s search rankings were based on the number of clicks a video received; the more hits your video got, the higher it ranked. Now, its search algorithms are programmed to rank videos based on “time watched,” which should reward those Youtube superstars that create engaging content and keep you watching to the very end. I personally really like this new change, given that i’m one of those Youtube freaks that can watch video after video for hours on end. This new feature will make searching for interesting and relevant videos that much easier and hopefully will provide a more enjoyable overall experience while on the site. Recent data backs up this notion, as they’ve found people are doing more watching and less clicking, which translates to higher engagement.

To help video creators adjust to the new ranking system, YouTube has added a ‘time watched’ metric to YouTube analytics. Youtuber’s now have the ability to track which of their videos are getting the most attention and be able to make improvements based on the collected data. Not only do viewers benefit, but the video creators as well – sounds like  a win-win situation to me.