SEO Tip - Click-through Rate

DavidTurnbull

DavidTurnbull

Member
So I just skimmed the SEO-related threads in this section and thought I'd throw out an SEO detail that I don't see mentioned a lot. It sort of ties in with what people teach anyway, but I think it helps to understand the why instead of just the how.

Anyway, when you search for anything in Google, the algorithm tracks the click-through rate (CTR) of the listings. So, if 100 people search for "how to unicycle" in Google,and 10 people click on the first result, then that would be a 10% CTR.

If, however, the algorithm notices that the second result has a 15% CTR, that's a suggestion that, "Well, maybe the second result is more relevant and therefore should be ranked higher."

I can't be positive that YouTube has this same system implemented, but I'd imagine the ranking algorithms between YouTube and Google are only going to converge over the coming years (or maybe that's already happened).

With this in mind, you might want to consider exactly what YouTube users see when they stumble across your videos while searching YouTube:
  • Title
  • Thumbnail
  • Description
  • Age
  • Views
  • "HD" Symbol (if applicable)
...and how these can be optimised for a higher click-through rate.
A few quick tips include:
  • Using capital letters for video titles. This looks tacky, but it does work. To avoid annoying subscribers, maybe change them to all capitals a week after uploading a video.
  • Following the thumbnail suggestions in the YouTube Creator Playbook. Adding a face to the thumbnail is one of the most effective tips.
  • Writing titles so they're supremely clear and relevant. Don't try to be clever. The user should "get" them straight away.
This advice isn't new, of course, but as YouTube evolves over the next few years, I always think it helps to be completely aware of the underlying metrics that'll affect rankings.

CTR matters, basically.

:)
 
I wanted to chime in here a bit:

First, I want to make it clear that no one knows if Google or YouTube actually does anything with this, and if it has any impact on rankings. People speculate that it does, including your bounce rate (for websites, this is how often people leave without clicking another link in your site), I think it matters too, but it is pure speculation.

That said, my own tests point towards this being true on YouTube, including YouTube "trial testing" new videos in the rankings to see how they perform.
 
Philip Zeplin said:
I wanted to chime in here a bit:

First, I want to make it clear that no one knows if Google or YouTube actually does anything with this, and if it has any impact on rankings. People speculate that it does, including your bounce rate ??? what does this mean please
Click to expand...
 
The speculation part revolved primarily around questionable marketing tactics. I don't believe that Google values CTR highly at all because it merely encourages a very appealing thumbnail or website description/title which they've tried to distance themselves from. Instead with the advent of Audience Retention affecting the search rank, if the second video has a substantially higher retention, you may see it move to position 1 for a particular search term. All other things being equal. It is a wide range that determines position, not any one stat.

It doesn't matter that you managed to convince someone to click on the link if the content doesn't keep them viewing. Google "YouTube Reply Girl" for the drama that made YouTube value the Audience Retention stat.
 
Tarmack said:
It is a wide range that determines position, not any one stat.
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone is arguing that it's the only stat that matter? I think you're the only one that even brought that up as a point!

That said, many do believe that CTR is part of the algorithm, and it makes sense that it is. Obviously (and I do mean obviously) it's not the only stat of importance, and I don't think I've ever heard anyone claim that it is.
 
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