A new research project by Adilo examined what makes YouTube videos rank high in search results. The team reviewed over 1.6 million videos and focused on 300 that appeared in the top three spots for competitive keywords across ten different industries. The study authors, Chinasa Ferderick and Felix Johnson, wanted to help businesses show up better when people search on YouTube.
Videos that rank highest grab viewers' attention much better than average ones. The top videos had engagement rates of 2.65%, way higher than the normal YouTube rate of just 0.09%. Channels hosting these popular videos engaged their audience at 4.46%. First-place videos typically reached 358,000 views, with second—and third-place videos earning 303,000 and 292,000 views, respectively.
The research challenges what many creators believe about making videos. Shorter videos between 8 and 9 minutes performed best, not the longer ones many experts recommend. Almost all top videos (90%) were in high definition, with 68% in HD and 22% in 4K quality. These videos typically included descriptions around 222 words long.
Most successful videos shared several technical features. Nearly all (94%) provided full transcripts and closed captions for viewers. About two-thirds added helpful timestamps in their descriptions. Custom thumbnails appeared in 89% of top videos rather than auto-generated ones. Surprisingly, only 37% used hashtags, but 78% included at least one external link.
The way the creators handled keywords surprised researchers. Just 6% of top videos matched exact search terms in their titles. Three-quarters used related keywords that addressed what viewers wanted instead. Some videos (12%) used almost-exact keyword matches, and 7% included all search words but arranged them differently. YouTube seems to care more about relevant content than exact keyword matching.
Videos from established channels ranked higher overall. The average top-ranking video came from a channel about nine years old (111 months). These successful channels typically had around 520,000 subscribers. Brand or organizational channels created 63% of top videos, compared to 37% from personal channels. Just over half (54%) came from verified channels.
YouTube allows multiple videos from the same channel to rank for identical keywords, unlike Google. The study found that 19% of channels placed more than one video in the top three positions for the same search terms. This means creators can target important keywords with several different videos.
Age and location significantly affected ranking. Most top videos had been online for about 29 months, with only 9% newer than six months. American channels dominated the results, with 59% of top videos. Channels hiding their location (15%) performed better than those clearly based outside America (26%). This suggests that YouTube might favor U.S. content.
Smart creators can improve their rankings by watching how viewers engage with their videos. Make your videos around 8-9 minutes long with high-quality resolution. Always add transcripts and closed captions to help more people understand your content. Create eye-catching custom thumbnails and add helpful timestamps in your descriptions.
Building channel authority matters for search success. Post videos consistently and focus on growing your subscriber base. Consider making multiple videos about important topics rather than trying to cover everything in one video. Write titles that match what people actually search for instead of forcing exact keywords into awkward phrases.
Videos that rank highest grab viewers' attention much better than average ones. The top videos had engagement rates of 2.65%, way higher than the normal YouTube rate of just 0.09%. Channels hosting these popular videos engaged their audience at 4.46%. First-place videos typically reached 358,000 views, with second—and third-place videos earning 303,000 and 292,000 views, respectively.
The research challenges what many creators believe about making videos. Shorter videos between 8 and 9 minutes performed best, not the longer ones many experts recommend. Almost all top videos (90%) were in high definition, with 68% in HD and 22% in 4K quality. These videos typically included descriptions around 222 words long.
Most successful videos shared several technical features. Nearly all (94%) provided full transcripts and closed captions for viewers. About two-thirds added helpful timestamps in their descriptions. Custom thumbnails appeared in 89% of top videos rather than auto-generated ones. Surprisingly, only 37% used hashtags, but 78% included at least one external link.
The way the creators handled keywords surprised researchers. Just 6% of top videos matched exact search terms in their titles. Three-quarters used related keywords that addressed what viewers wanted instead. Some videos (12%) used almost-exact keyword matches, and 7% included all search words but arranged them differently. YouTube seems to care more about relevant content than exact keyword matching.
Videos from established channels ranked higher overall. The average top-ranking video came from a channel about nine years old (111 months). These successful channels typically had around 520,000 subscribers. Brand or organizational channels created 63% of top videos, compared to 37% from personal channels. Just over half (54%) came from verified channels.
YouTube allows multiple videos from the same channel to rank for identical keywords, unlike Google. The study found that 19% of channels placed more than one video in the top three positions for the same search terms. This means creators can target important keywords with several different videos.
Age and location significantly affected ranking. Most top videos had been online for about 29 months, with only 9% newer than six months. American channels dominated the results, with 59% of top videos. Channels hiding their location (15%) performed better than those clearly based outside America (26%). This suggests that YouTube might favor U.S. content.
Smart creators can improve their rankings by watching how viewers engage with their videos. Make your videos around 8-9 minutes long with high-quality resolution. Always add transcripts and closed captions to help more people understand your content. Create eye-catching custom thumbnails and add helpful timestamps in your descriptions.
Building channel authority matters for search success. Post videos consistently and focus on growing your subscriber base. Consider making multiple videos about important topics rather than trying to cover everything in one video. Write titles that match what people actually search for instead of forcing exact keywords into awkward phrases.
