{"id":5840,"date":"2021-06-30T11:15:07","date_gmt":"2021-06-30T11:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viralmango.com\/?p=5840"},"modified":"2021-06-30T11:15:07","modified_gmt":"2021-06-30T11:15:07","slug":"social-media-algorithms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viralmango.com\/blog\/social-media-algorithms\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Social Media Algorithms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We live in an age where the number of likes, views, and comments on social media are worth gold–Literally. Content creators spend hours of their lives everyday, learning to master the tricks and tips to get the most attention on a platform\u2026 Meanwhile the algorithm tracks how much users care about these creators and uses this data to create a perceived understanding of every user’s personality. 
Everything you do on social media, and the internet as a whole is tracked in a similar way. From your watch time, to searches, to how many times you skip a certain type of video, or even how long you thought about that specific video, your usage habits are calculated and stored for future personalization. This, and much more, is what makes the algorithm genius- and that is what scares people. This is because algorithms have become incredibly advanced, especially in an effort to improve online marketing campaigns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The millions of lines of code scattered across every platform\u2019s database have become so complex that not even the creators of the program can fully understand the extent of the inner processes that the algorithm carries out automatically. It is this futuristic constant omniscience which must be understood- even a little bit, in order to succeed in the social media world as a creator; and that is just what we will look into today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What exactly is an Algorithm?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An algorithm is a set of instructions in programming that is often written in function format, allowing different conditions and exceptions to automate certain results. The beauty of algorithms is that they allow us to skip through and collect data quickly, completely expediting processes which would otherwise take hours of manual labor. They are also capable of learning and updating themselves. In advanced cases, the algorithm collects data and uses this information automatically to improve its functionality without requiring a specific program software. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we take a completely bare example of pseudo-code to represent the SEO process on YouTube, we could organize the statement as such:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. If <\/em><\/strong>video has relevant keywords to match query<\/li>
  2. And <\/em><\/strong>CTR (click-through-rate)< 5-10%<\/li>
  3. And <\/em><\/strong>ARR (<\/em><\/strong>audience retention rate)> 40-50%<\/li>
  4. Then <\/em><\/strong>rank video higher in SEO <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    This is definitely not how the code is written for YouTube\u2019s algorithm, but from this, you can gain a basic understanding of how an algorithm begins to process information. The concept is this; create a set of conditions and quantifiable ranges that must be satisfied in order to acquire a specific desired outcome, set exceptions to these qualifications, elaborate\u2026. And there you have a kind-of-sort-of-BS algorithm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now let’s take a further look into the above pseudocode in relation to YouTube\u2019s reasoning for their algorithm…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    YouTube\u2019s Algorithm<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    One of the reasons why so many people rely on YouTube for informative videos, news, music, and so much more, is because YouTube is reliable and consistent in providing relevant suggested content for every user. But do you ever wonder exactly how YouTube is able to draw you in for so long after you watch just one video? That secret lies in understanding the algorithm; knowing just how YouTube deems certain content worthy of watching versus others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Tips and Logic to keep in mind<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The reasoning for the system ultimately works like this: the longer you watch a certain video, the more it connected with you or what you wanted to see, therefore, the more videos you will watch similar to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Target CTR and ARR- Make videos informative and keep people watching.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    Following this watch time logic, YouTube\u2019s system also calculates the audience retention rate and click through rate of videos, so the longer the ARR and the lower the CTR, the more likely it is that the videos is relevant, quality content to captivate viewers attention for a longer duration of a video. Generally, successful YouTube creators aim to have a CTR between 5-10% and an audience retention rate ARR of at least 40-50%. These ranges are not an exact science, however, they aim to improve the ranking of your video in the millions of content meant to be organized in the SEO programming.. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Description Box and Metadata<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    It is recommended that the content in your description box be at least 200 words. This text should provide viewers with the most useful information in your video, including backlinks and references mentioned in your video. This data helps YouTube scan your videos’ relevance during searches, and give your audience the most accurate result they were looking for which will help increase your CTR and ARR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Keywords, keywords, pick the proper keywords!!!<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    As we have talked about many times in our other articles, keyword optimization research is essential for successfully matching your audience\u2019s desired results when they make a search. When publishing content and looking for the most views, keywords must be relevant and attainable, this means that if you pick a keyword that is too competitive, it is going to be harder to improve your SEO among thousands of videos with the same, or similar title. On the other hand, if you pick a keyword with less competition, the demand for that video will be less, and won\u2019t be as effective for the virality and success of your video<\/a> or your channel. This is why it’s so important to find that happy middle ground in your keyword research, where you will still be likely to get a decent amount of views and attention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    One tool that can help with ensuring you title your video correctly, and have the appropriate keywords listed in your transcript and metadata is TubeBuddy<\/a>. This is a free chrome extension that allows you to test out certain keywords as possible titles, and the site lets you know how competitive the keywords are, how much it gets searched, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"keyword<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    It also allows you to switch to a weighted feature which links your YouTube account to TubeBuddy and tells you your chances of success when using that keyword, specifically referencing your account. If the rating is not optimal for that keyword, the extension also gives you other options for keywords that can better improve your SEO.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Once you have gotten your keywords figured out, it is recommended that you use these keywords in around 1-2% of your total content and avoid keyword stuffing. Google notices if you are trying to use a keyword artificially in order to boost your SEO and will penalize you for it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What we must mention throughout this article though, is the YouTube Algorithm, just like all adaptive and automated social media platforms. is not set in stone. You can never be sure that your video is going to go viral, but following these SEO tips can definitely help you be a few steps closer to cracking the algorithm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Instagram\u2019s Algorithm:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The next mysterious, mystical algorithm award goes to Instagram. Influencers and businesses everywhere depend on Instagram to post their \u201cperfect\u201d pictures and gain loyal fans. So when the algorithm stopped working chronologically in 2021, many of the \u201cperfect\u201d people went crazy since they didn\u2019t know why their content was becoming so irrelevant suddenly. That\u2019s because after the update, Instagram\u2019s algorithm shifted to a personalized structure that aims to understand these key questions about each user by collecting data about them, and using it to get the most usage, and profit from their app:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Algorithm: <\/p>\n\n\n\n