Content formats and their impact on video placement

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The research challenges some common YouTube video optimization strategies . For example, longer videos, which are often recommended, were not the most successful—videos that were 8-9 minutes long were the most likely to rank in the top positions, with a median length of 536 seconds. Video quality also plays a role—up to 90% of the top-ranked videos were in HD or 4K resolution (68% HD, 22% 4K), confirming that YouTube prioritizes higher-quality content . The study also suggests that description length can affect rankings, with the average description length of successful videos being 222 words. These findings suggest that YouTube optimization should focus more on content quality, video structure, and well-written descriptions than just video length.

Technical optimization factors
The data revealed several technical factors that have a strong correlation with high rankings on YouTube. The availability of transcripts and subtitles plays a key role, with 94% of the top-rated videos employment data featuring them, suggesting that YouTube favors content with better accessibility . Another important element is the timestamps in the description, which were featured in 63% of the top videos, making it easier for viewers and algorithms to navigate. The use of custom thumbnails also has a significant impact – 89% of successful videos used their own graphics instead of automatically generated images.


Surprisingly, however, hashtags did not prove to be a major factor, as only 37% of the top videos used them. On the contrary, the presence of external links in the description was common in 78% of the top videos, suggesting that YouTube positively perceives content linking to other relevant sources. This data shows that the right technical optimization can significantly affect the success of videos on the platform.