YouTube Just Made Another Huge Update That’s Affecting Creators

In this video, I discuss the news that YouTube just made another huge update that's affecting creators.

They edited their algorithm in a way that's been taking away lots of traffic from channels. I'll tell you what it is and what to do about it.

Enjoy the video and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Here's what YouTube did and what to do about it:

What YouTube did

YouTube updated its algorithm to remove the automatic 4 suggested videos we usually get next to our video that is being played.

This means that most creators took a huge hit on suggested video traffic which, for a long time, was the primary or second biggest source of traffic on YouTube.

What to do about it

1. Focus more on keywords

Keywords are very helpful for channels that want to last a long time and survive any present or future updates to the YouTube algorithm. This is what you use to rank videos in search results.

Helpful resources:

• If you go to YouTube and just use the search bar to look up keywords, you will see suggestions popup, telling you what people are searching for the most.
• I recommend creating a free Google Adwords account so you can get access to the Keyword Planner for researching specific video topics.

2. Make sure you use playlists to group related videos

People don't take advantage of playlists enough with their video channels. Grouping videos into playlists is one of the best ways we can affect how YouTube determines whether it should suggest our videos or not.

Helpful resources:

• For an example of how I group videos into related playlists, go here.

3. Focus on watch time

Watch time is pretty much the most important analytic on YouTube these days. Used to, you could focus on just getting more views, but spammers took advantage of the system and changes were made.

Now, with watch time, YouTube can give more traffic to videos likely to keep people on the website longer, resulting in more revenue.

Helpful resources:

• Use your YouTube Analytics to see what videos get the best average watch time so you can duplicate the same principles in future videos.

4. Upload on a schedule so fans come on YouTube to see your content

One way to get people to come back to YouTube over-and-over to watch you videos is to publish on a set schedule. For instance, you might do Monday-Friday, at 4:00 P.M. and stick to it.

Helpful resources:

• To make sure your subscribers know when you schedule is, you might post it on your channel cover photo. You could get one created for $5 on Fiverr.

5. Freelance your skills

YouTube Cards are something I haven't used a lot myself for a long time, but now they have more value than ever. Use these cards to promote a similar video, so you can keep people viewing your content and ultimately improve your chances of getting in the suggested videos section.

Just go to the video editing screen after publishing it and go to “cards” to apply one. I recommend making it show up when you mention another video in the current one or at your average watch time.

Conclusion

Not too long ago the YouTube ad boycott began and hurt creators. Now, we have another algorithm change hurting creators. Does this mean we should give up on YouTube? No.

The fact is, people won't stop using the platform. It's too popular (second largest website in the world in terms of traffic. Plus, most consumers don't even realize what creators deal with, they just watch the videos.

So, as a creator, you just have to learn to be good at adapting. There are two things to think about when planning the direction of your channel:

1. What does YouTube ultimately want?
2. What do consumers on YouTube ultimately want?

Please both sides and you have a recipe for success.