5 years ago, MrBeast ran an experiment...
His experiment proved that YouTube likes were a ranking factor, and he showed Before and After screenshots.
His video was called, "Why Do YouTubers Ask For Likes?"
And it's still a very common request in YouTube videos.
There are also plenty of services that sell fake likes...
So, YouTube likes must be important...right?
Well, it's surprisingly rare to find real scientific tests that prove likes are still a ranking factor.
Now, let's be clear...
There are plenty of scientific studies that show that likes and dislikes affect human psychology.
In fact, YouTube is testing a new design right now, that hides dislikes on videos.
When I see a video with a high dislike ratio, I assume something weird is going on.
So, likes and dislikes do affect viewer behavior.
But, I wanted to know if they directly affect the rank of a video...
In other words, does the YouTube algorithm factor in the number of likes to determine if the video should rank higher?
The "Do YouTube Likes Matter" Experiment...
Here's how I setup the scientific experiment that gives us the answer...
First, I created 9 videos so I could run 3 separate tests.
When you run a scientific test, you need to isolate as many variables as possible.
I uploaded the videos and waited for YouTube to index and rank each one.
After the videos were indexed, I did a search on YouTube to find the lowest ranked video for each of the 3 tests.
Then, I used a different computer, browser, location, and YouTube account to watch all 9 videos, giving a like to the lowest ranked video in each experiment.
Here's an example...
And I made sure the like was counted in the YouTube Creator Studio Analytics...
Analzying The YouTube Like Experiment Results
Finally, I checked back to see if the video that was in the #3 position had moved up to the #2 or #1 position.
But the videos that received a like didn't rank any higher.
I watched the videos randomly over the next week using different browsers, locations, computers, etc...just to make sure YouTube didn't need more data to factor in the likes.
Here were the final results...
That was surprising.
Before running this test, I thought that likes were an important ranking factor.
Do YouTube Likes Help You Rank Higher?
This test shows that YouTube likes are no longer a direct ranking factor...
I say “direct”, because indirectly they can affect Average Watch Duration.
(Note: In another experiment, we discovered that Average Watch Duration is a strong ranking factor in 2021.)
Viewers often look at likes and comments to try to figure out if they should stick around to watch the whole video.
You probably remember a time when you clicked a video, saw thousands of likes, and decided to stick around to see what was so special...
Consequently, you can also remember clicking a video, seeing no likes or lots of dislikes, and leaving to find another video.
In this test, I didn't watch the liked videos any longer than the unliked videos, because I wanted to isolate this single factor.
So, this experiment only proved that YouTube likes don't have a direct effect on the YouTube algorithm.
Now, what changed?
Here's my best guess...
When MrBeast ran his test in 2016, YouTube likes were still a direct ranking factor.
But, as with any powerful platform like YouTube, people started to abuse the system, and it got too easy to manipulate the rankings.
It takes a lot more effort to manipulate average watch duration, mouse movements, watch history, session length, and related video navigation...
Which is why YouTube relies on user signals much more in 2021.
That being said...
Likes are still a valuable form of feedback for a video creator...
But, to get more likes, skip the temptation to pull out your credit card, and focus on creating better videos that deliver real value.
More Ways To Rank Higher On YouTube In 2021...
Recently, I ran more tests and put the results in this new book, Decoding YouTube: 6 Scientific Experiments That Reveal How YouTube Really Works In 2021.
You'll see detailed scientific experiments that reveal how to get your videos to rank higher so you can get more clicks and sales.
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- The most important YouTube SEO ranking factor, and exactly where you should put your keyword to push your videos to the top of the search results (Hint: Adding more words just dilutes the power of this ranking factor)...
- The free Google A.I. tool that reveals how to setup your YouTube thumbnail correctly so you can rank for even more keywords...(Use this tool before you upload your video, so you can be sure you'll be able to rank for specific keywords)...
- How to create the best YouTube descriptions, so your videos are on the first page as soon as you upload them. (We found 3 really strong versions, but you'll see the ultimate winner on page 69)...
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If you have a question about this experiment, or an idea for additional experiments, I'd love to hear from you below...
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