What’s YouTube Creative Commons and How to Use CC to Make Video

What’s YouTube Creative Commons and How to Use it to Make Video

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization internationally active in providing free licenses that creators can use in order to make their work available to the public. With the creative commons (CC) licenses, the creator has basically given others permission in order to use their work but under specific conditions.

Whenever a work is created, an article or a photograph was taken, there is a copyright that protects it so that it cannot be used in certain ways. On the other hand, the CC licenses allow the creator to choose how they would want others to use their creativity.

---

If you are new to the video editing world, and want to make your YouTube videos more beautiful, here I recommend an easy-to-use video editing software - Wondershare Filmora which not only allows you cut, crop, rotate, and split your videos in minutes, but also simplify the advanced video editing like green screen effect and PIP. You can also find over 300 video effects

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

• Part 1: What is YouTube Commons
• Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos
• Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit
• Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

Part 1: What is YouTube Creative Commons

YouTube utilizes CC licenses in its content. With it, the content creators can grant others to use their work as sort of a standard. YouTube users can use the Creative Commons CC BY license in marking their videos. When they use the CC By license, the system will generate a signature to the video automatically. This indicates that you are using Creative Commons content and will show the source video’s titles below the video player. The creator retains the copyright of the video while others can reuse your video but under the terms of the license.

You May Also Like: Standard YouTube License vs. Creative Commons>>

Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos

If you are looking for Creative Commons licensed videos, there are different ways or rather, different websites you can go to. These websites are the best place you can find CC-licensed videos and ensure that what you are sharing is legal.

• **YouTube **– YouTube is one of the most common websites you can find CC licensed videos. The easy way to search for CC licensed videos on YouTube is simply to search ‘creative commons’ to the end of the search term you are going for.

• Vimeo – This site offers different licenses complete with an explanation for each in the right side of the main page. Underneath each license, you can find a link to browse all the videos of the specific type of license you chose. You can also search using the Advance Option to find the right video you are looking for.
• SpinXpress – Lets you search for CC licensed videos using just a search term and the kind of Creative Commons license you are looking for. As long as it’s one of the sources they use, you can also specify the media source of the video.

Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit

Many people are asking that can I edit creative commons videos? Well, this is a tricky question because it really depends on what creative commons license is used. If the video is CC-BY, it is no doubt that you can download and edit it. CC-BY-SA means you can edit video under the condition of you also allow others to edit it after you upload it to YouTube. If it is non-commercial, you are definitely not allowed to edit it.

Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

YouTube Creative Commons provides you a simple way of using creative works to make your own videos. All you simply need is the YouTube Video Editor and the expanded library of Creative Commons videos o YouTube. There you can choose what videos to edit and then incorporate in your own projects. To find what videos to use, you simply have to search in the YouTube search bar from YouTube Video Editor.

Visit youtube.com/editor and then select CC tab to get started. In order to mark your video with CC license, select the ‘Creative Commons Attribution license’ on the Video Description page or upload page. When using a Creative Commons content to incorporate in your video, you will see the source title of the videos underneath your video player. With that a well, any or all of the videos you used with Creative Commons license, others will be able to share and remix your own creation as long as they give credit for your work.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization internationally active in providing free licenses that creators can use in order to make their work available to the public. With the creative commons (CC) licenses, the creator has basically given others permission in order to use their work but under specific conditions.

Whenever a work is created, an article or a photograph was taken, there is a copyright that protects it so that it cannot be used in certain ways. On the other hand, the CC licenses allow the creator to choose how they would want others to use their creativity.

---

If you are new to the video editing world, and want to make your YouTube videos more beautiful, here I recommend an easy-to-use video editing software - Wondershare Filmora which not only allows you cut, crop, rotate, and split your videos in minutes, but also simplify the advanced video editing like green screen effect and PIP. You can also find over 300 video effects

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

• Part 1: What is YouTube Commons
• Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos
• Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit
• Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

Part 1: What is YouTube Creative Commons

YouTube utilizes CC licenses in its content. With it, the content creators can grant others to use their work as sort of a standard. YouTube users can use the Creative Commons CC BY license in marking their videos. When they use the CC By license, the system will generate a signature to the video automatically. This indicates that you are using Creative Commons content and will show the source video’s titles below the video player. The creator retains the copyright of the video while others can reuse your video but under the terms of the license.

You May Also Like: Standard YouTube License vs. Creative Commons>>

Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos

If you are looking for Creative Commons licensed videos, there are different ways or rather, different websites you can go to. These websites are the best place you can find CC-licensed videos and ensure that what you are sharing is legal.

• **YouTube **– YouTube is one of the most common websites you can find CC licensed videos. The easy way to search for CC licensed videos on YouTube is simply to search ‘creative commons’ to the end of the search term you are going for.

• Vimeo – This site offers different licenses complete with an explanation for each in the right side of the main page. Underneath each license, you can find a link to browse all the videos of the specific type of license you chose. You can also search using the Advance Option to find the right video you are looking for.
• SpinXpress – Lets you search for CC licensed videos using just a search term and the kind of Creative Commons license you are looking for. As long as it’s one of the sources they use, you can also specify the media source of the video.

Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit

Many people are asking that can I edit creative commons videos? Well, this is a tricky question because it really depends on what creative commons license is used. If the video is CC-BY, it is no doubt that you can download and edit it. CC-BY-SA means you can edit video under the condition of you also allow others to edit it after you upload it to YouTube. If it is non-commercial, you are definitely not allowed to edit it.

Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

YouTube Creative Commons provides you a simple way of using creative works to make your own videos. All you simply need is the YouTube Video Editor and the expanded library of Creative Commons videos o YouTube. There you can choose what videos to edit and then incorporate in your own projects. To find what videos to use, you simply have to search in the YouTube search bar from YouTube Video Editor.

Visit youtube.com/editor and then select CC tab to get started. In order to mark your video with CC license, select the ‘Creative Commons Attribution license’ on the Video Description page or upload page. When using a Creative Commons content to incorporate in your video, you will see the source title of the videos underneath your video player. With that a well, any or all of the videos you used with Creative Commons license, others will be able to share and remix your own creation as long as they give credit for your work.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization internationally active in providing free licenses that creators can use in order to make their work available to the public. With the creative commons (CC) licenses, the creator has basically given others permission in order to use their work but under specific conditions.

Whenever a work is created, an article or a photograph was taken, there is a copyright that protects it so that it cannot be used in certain ways. On the other hand, the CC licenses allow the creator to choose how they would want others to use their creativity.

---

If you are new to the video editing world, and want to make your YouTube videos more beautiful, here I recommend an easy-to-use video editing software - Wondershare Filmora which not only allows you cut, crop, rotate, and split your videos in minutes, but also simplify the advanced video editing like green screen effect and PIP. You can also find over 300 video effects

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

• Part 1: What is YouTube Commons
• Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos
• Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit
• Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

Part 1: What is YouTube Creative Commons

YouTube utilizes CC licenses in its content. With it, the content creators can grant others to use their work as sort of a standard. YouTube users can use the Creative Commons CC BY license in marking their videos. When they use the CC By license, the system will generate a signature to the video automatically. This indicates that you are using Creative Commons content and will show the source video’s titles below the video player. The creator retains the copyright of the video while others can reuse your video but under the terms of the license.

You May Also Like: Standard YouTube License vs. Creative Commons>>

Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos

If you are looking for Creative Commons licensed videos, there are different ways or rather, different websites you can go to. These websites are the best place you can find CC-licensed videos and ensure that what you are sharing is legal.

• **YouTube **– YouTube is one of the most common websites you can find CC licensed videos. The easy way to search for CC licensed videos on YouTube is simply to search ‘creative commons’ to the end of the search term you are going for.

• Vimeo – This site offers different licenses complete with an explanation for each in the right side of the main page. Underneath each license, you can find a link to browse all the videos of the specific type of license you chose. You can also search using the Advance Option to find the right video you are looking for.
• SpinXpress – Lets you search for CC licensed videos using just a search term and the kind of Creative Commons license you are looking for. As long as it’s one of the sources they use, you can also specify the media source of the video.

Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit

Many people are asking that can I edit creative commons videos? Well, this is a tricky question because it really depends on what creative commons license is used. If the video is CC-BY, it is no doubt that you can download and edit it. CC-BY-SA means you can edit video under the condition of you also allow others to edit it after you upload it to YouTube. If it is non-commercial, you are definitely not allowed to edit it.

Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

YouTube Creative Commons provides you a simple way of using creative works to make your own videos. All you simply need is the YouTube Video Editor and the expanded library of Creative Commons videos o YouTube. There you can choose what videos to edit and then incorporate in your own projects. To find what videos to use, you simply have to search in the YouTube search bar from YouTube Video Editor.

Visit youtube.com/editor and then select CC tab to get started. In order to mark your video with CC license, select the ‘Creative Commons Attribution license’ on the Video Description page or upload page. When using a Creative Commons content to incorporate in your video, you will see the source title of the videos underneath your video player. With that a well, any or all of the videos you used with Creative Commons license, others will be able to share and remix your own creation as long as they give credit for your work.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization internationally active in providing free licenses that creators can use in order to make their work available to the public. With the creative commons (CC) licenses, the creator has basically given others permission in order to use their work but under specific conditions.

Whenever a work is created, an article or a photograph was taken, there is a copyright that protects it so that it cannot be used in certain ways. On the other hand, the CC licenses allow the creator to choose how they would want others to use their creativity.

---

If you are new to the video editing world, and want to make your YouTube videos more beautiful, here I recommend an easy-to-use video editing software - Wondershare Filmora which not only allows you cut, crop, rotate, and split your videos in minutes, but also simplify the advanced video editing like green screen effect and PIP. You can also find over 300 video effects

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

• Part 1: What is YouTube Commons
• Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos
• Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit
• Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

Part 1: What is YouTube Creative Commons

YouTube utilizes CC licenses in its content. With it, the content creators can grant others to use their work as sort of a standard. YouTube users can use the Creative Commons CC BY license in marking their videos. When they use the CC By license, the system will generate a signature to the video automatically. This indicates that you are using Creative Commons content and will show the source video’s titles below the video player. The creator retains the copyright of the video while others can reuse your video but under the terms of the license.

You May Also Like: Standard YouTube License vs. Creative Commons>>

Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos

If you are looking for Creative Commons licensed videos, there are different ways or rather, different websites you can go to. These websites are the best place you can find CC-licensed videos and ensure that what you are sharing is legal.

• **YouTube **– YouTube is one of the most common websites you can find CC licensed videos. The easy way to search for CC licensed videos on YouTube is simply to search ‘creative commons’ to the end of the search term you are going for.

• Vimeo – This site offers different licenses complete with an explanation for each in the right side of the main page. Underneath each license, you can find a link to browse all the videos of the specific type of license you chose. You can also search using the Advance Option to find the right video you are looking for.
• SpinXpress – Lets you search for CC licensed videos using just a search term and the kind of Creative Commons license you are looking for. As long as it’s one of the sources they use, you can also specify the media source of the video.

Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit

Many people are asking that can I edit creative commons videos? Well, this is a tricky question because it really depends on what creative commons license is used. If the video is CC-BY, it is no doubt that you can download and edit it. CC-BY-SA means you can edit video under the condition of you also allow others to edit it after you upload it to YouTube. If it is non-commercial, you are definitely not allowed to edit it.

Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

YouTube Creative Commons provides you a simple way of using creative works to make your own videos. All you simply need is the YouTube Video Editor and the expanded library of Creative Commons videos o YouTube. There you can choose what videos to edit and then incorporate in your own projects. To find what videos to use, you simply have to search in the YouTube search bar from YouTube Video Editor.

Visit youtube.com/editor and then select CC tab to get started. In order to mark your video with CC license, select the ‘Creative Commons Attribution license’ on the Video Description page or upload page. When using a Creative Commons content to incorporate in your video, you will see the source title of the videos underneath your video player. With that a well, any or all of the videos you used with Creative Commons license, others will be able to share and remix your own creation as long as they give credit for your work.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Inhibit Surprise YouTube Recommendations

YouTube Recommended Videos - Block the Videos I Don’t Like

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube is forever recommending videos for you whether it’s in your dashboard or next to the video you’re already watching. In theory, these recommendations are based on your viewing habits and you’re only directed to videos you’re interested in.

Except we all know that’s not always what happens.

YouTube’s recommendations are based on more than just what you’ve watched and searched for, and sometimes even the data on that can get skewed over time. Not all your searches reflect your real tastes, and as your search history builds up the algorithm can start having trouble with all that data.

Here’s what you can do about it:

1. Manage Your Watch History
2. Tell YouTube You Aren’t Interested
3. But Why Does It Recommend Stuff I Don’t Like?

Manage Your Watch History

Scroll to the bottom of any page on YouTube and you will see a button marked History with an hourglass icon. To access this feature using a mobile device, go to the Account tab and tap History.

You will be able to completely clear your watch history, remove specific videos from it, or pause your history while you look at videos you don’t want a record of you visiting. By taking control of your history, you can make sure nothing you looked up on a random whim is reflected in your recommendations.

If you are being recommended more things you aren’t interested in than things you are, you might want to clear your history completely and start fresh. Maybe your tastes have changed since YouTube started keeping track of them.

Tell YouTube You Aren’t Interested

Based on your watch history, YouTube knows what you like. However, they have no way of automatically collecting data on what kinds of videos you’d rather not see.

What they do have is a system for you to flag recommendations you don’t like.

Hover over the thumbnail of a video you don’t want to be recommended to you and a small icon that looks like three stacked dots will appear next to the title. Click on that, and then click Not Interested.

When you tell YouTube you aren’t interested in certain videos they use that data to adjust what they recommend for you.

But Why Does It Recommend Stuff I Don’t Like?

Your search/watch history is not the only thing that determines what YouTube recommends for you. Nobody outside of Google knows exactly how the algorithm works, but we do know one of the major factors influencing it is to watch time.

Watch time refers to how a video effects the session time of a viewer. If a video has proven it can keep viewers on YouTube for longer it is more likely to get recommended, even if it isn’t closely related to the interests of individual viewers. The ultimate goal of the algorithm is to keep you on the site longer. Part of that is recommending things, surely, you’ll be interested in, and part of that is trying to get you interested in things that’ll keep you around.

A video that is simply watched for longer, because it is engaging and can hold viewers’ attention for a long time, will have a high watch time. So will a video that is short, but which leads into a playlist which holds peoples’ attention. If a video is a frequent session starter – people see it outside of YouTube (i.e. in a Google search) and get to the site through it – then its watch time will be high because it is given credit for all of the time viewers are spending on YouTube watching other videos after they get there.

The only way to stop certain types of videos from being recommended for you is to take advantage of the ‘not interested’ feature.

Are you usually happy with YouTube’s recommended videos?

What video editing software did YouTube suggested videos are used?

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube is forever recommending videos for you whether it’s in your dashboard or next to the video you’re already watching. In theory, these recommendations are based on your viewing habits and you’re only directed to videos you’re interested in.

Except we all know that’s not always what happens.

YouTube’s recommendations are based on more than just what you’ve watched and searched for, and sometimes even the data on that can get skewed over time. Not all your searches reflect your real tastes, and as your search history builds up the algorithm can start having trouble with all that data.

Here’s what you can do about it:

1. Manage Your Watch History
2. Tell YouTube You Aren’t Interested
3. But Why Does It Recommend Stuff I Don’t Like?

Manage Your Watch History

Scroll to the bottom of any page on YouTube and you will see a button marked History with an hourglass icon. To access this feature using a mobile device, go to the Account tab and tap History.

You will be able to completely clear your watch history, remove specific videos from it, or pause your history while you look at videos you don’t want a record of you visiting. By taking control of your history, you can make sure nothing you looked up on a random whim is reflected in your recommendations.

If you are being recommended more things you aren’t interested in than things you are, you might want to clear your history completely and start fresh. Maybe your tastes have changed since YouTube started keeping track of them.

Tell YouTube You Aren’t Interested

Based on your watch history, YouTube knows what you like. However, they have no way of automatically collecting data on what kinds of videos you’d rather not see.

What they do have is a system for you to flag recommendations you don’t like.

Hover over the thumbnail of a video you don’t want to be recommended to you and a small icon that looks like three stacked dots will appear next to the title. Click on that, and then click Not Interested.

When you tell YouTube you aren’t interested in certain videos they use that data to adjust what they recommend for you.

But Why Does It Recommend Stuff I Don’t Like?

Your search/watch history is not the only thing that determines what YouTube recommends for you. Nobody outside of Google knows exactly how the algorithm works, but we do know one of the major factors influencing it is to watch time.

Watch time refers to how a video effects the session time of a viewer. If a video has proven it can keep viewers on YouTube for longer it is more likely to get recommended, even if it isn’t closely related to the interests of individual viewers. The ultimate goal of the algorithm is to keep you on the site longer. Part of that is recommending things, surely, you’ll be interested in, and part of that is trying to get you interested in things that’ll keep you around.

A video that is simply watched for longer, because it is engaging and can hold viewers’ attention for a long time, will have a high watch time. So will a video that is short, but which leads into a playlist which holds peoples’ attention. If a video is a frequent session starter – people see it outside of YouTube (i.e. in a Google search) and get to the site through it – then its watch time will be high because it is given credit for all of the time viewers are spending on YouTube watching other videos after they get there.

The only way to stop certain types of videos from being recommended for you is to take advantage of the ‘not interested’ feature.

Are you usually happy with YouTube’s recommended videos?

What video editing software did YouTube suggested videos are used?

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube is forever recommending videos for you whether it’s in your dashboard or next to the video you’re already watching. In theory, these recommendations are based on your viewing habits and you’re only directed to videos you’re interested in.

Except we all know that’s not always what happens.

YouTube’s recommendations are based on more than just what you’ve watched and searched for, and sometimes even the data on that can get skewed over time. Not all your searches reflect your real tastes, and as your search history builds up the algorithm can start having trouble with all that data.

Here’s what you can do about it:

1. Manage Your Watch History
2. Tell YouTube You Aren’t Interested
3. But Why Does It Recommend Stuff I Don’t Like?

Manage Your Watch History

Scroll to the bottom of any page on YouTube and you will see a button marked History with an hourglass icon. To access this feature using a mobile device, go to the Account tab and tap History.

You will be able to completely clear your watch history, remove specific videos from it, or pause your history while you look at videos you don’t want a record of you visiting. By taking control of your history, you can make sure nothing you looked up on a random whim is reflected in your recommendations.

If you are being recommended more things you aren’t interested in than things you are, you might want to clear your history completely and start fresh. Maybe your tastes have changed since YouTube started keeping track of them.

Tell YouTube You Aren’t Interested

Based on your watch history, YouTube knows what you like. However, they have no way of automatically collecting data on what kinds of videos you’d rather not see.

What they do have is a system for you to flag recommendations you don’t like.

Hover over the thumbnail of a video you don’t want to be recommended to you and a small icon that looks like three stacked dots will appear next to the title. Click on that, and then click Not Interested.

When you tell YouTube you aren’t interested in certain videos they use that data to adjust what they recommend for you.

But Why Does It Recommend Stuff I Don’t Like?

Your search/watch history is not the only thing that determines what YouTube recommends for you. Nobody outside of Google knows exactly how the algorithm works, but we do know one of the major factors influencing it is to watch time.

Watch time refers to how a video effects the session time of a viewer. If a video has proven it can keep viewers on YouTube for longer it is more likely to get recommended, even if it isn’t closely related to the interests of individual viewers. The ultimate goal of the algorithm is to keep you on the site longer. Part of that is recommending things, surely, you’ll be interested in, and part of that is trying to get you interested in things that’ll keep you around.

A video that is simply watched for longer, because it is engaging and can hold viewers’ attention for a long time, will have a high watch time. So will a video that is short, but which leads into a playlist which holds peoples’ attention. If a video is a frequent session starter – people see it outside of YouTube (i.e. in a Google search) and get to the site through it – then its watch time will be high because it is given credit for all of the time viewers are spending on YouTube watching other videos after they get there.

The only way to stop certain types of videos from being recommended for you is to take advantage of the ‘not interested’ feature.

Are you usually happy with YouTube’s recommended videos?

What video editing software did YouTube suggested videos are used?

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube is forever recommending videos for you whether it’s in your dashboard or next to the video you’re already watching. In theory, these recommendations are based on your viewing habits and you’re only directed to videos you’re interested in.

Except we all know that’s not always what happens.

YouTube’s recommendations are based on more than just what you’ve watched and searched for, and sometimes even the data on that can get skewed over time. Not all your searches reflect your real tastes, and as your search history builds up the algorithm can start having trouble with all that data.

Here’s what you can do about it:

1. Manage Your Watch History
2. Tell YouTube You Aren’t Interested
3. But Why Does It Recommend Stuff I Don’t Like?

Manage Your Watch History

Scroll to the bottom of any page on YouTube and you will see a button marked History with an hourglass icon. To access this feature using a mobile device, go to the Account tab and tap History.

You will be able to completely clear your watch history, remove specific videos from it, or pause your history while you look at videos you don’t want a record of you visiting. By taking control of your history, you can make sure nothing you looked up on a random whim is reflected in your recommendations.

If you are being recommended more things you aren’t interested in than things you are, you might want to clear your history completely and start fresh. Maybe your tastes have changed since YouTube started keeping track of them.

Tell YouTube You Aren’t Interested

Based on your watch history, YouTube knows what you like. However, they have no way of automatically collecting data on what kinds of videos you’d rather not see.

What they do have is a system for you to flag recommendations you don’t like.

Hover over the thumbnail of a video you don’t want to be recommended to you and a small icon that looks like three stacked dots will appear next to the title. Click on that, and then click Not Interested.

When you tell YouTube you aren’t interested in certain videos they use that data to adjust what they recommend for you.

But Why Does It Recommend Stuff I Don’t Like?

Your search/watch history is not the only thing that determines what YouTube recommends for you. Nobody outside of Google knows exactly how the algorithm works, but we do know one of the major factors influencing it is to watch time.

Watch time refers to how a video effects the session time of a viewer. If a video has proven it can keep viewers on YouTube for longer it is more likely to get recommended, even if it isn’t closely related to the interests of individual viewers. The ultimate goal of the algorithm is to keep you on the site longer. Part of that is recommending things, surely, you’ll be interested in, and part of that is trying to get you interested in things that’ll keep you around.

A video that is simply watched for longer, because it is engaging and can hold viewers’ attention for a long time, will have a high watch time. So will a video that is short, but which leads into a playlist which holds peoples’ attention. If a video is a frequent session starter – people see it outside of YouTube (i.e. in a Google search) and get to the site through it – then its watch time will be high because it is given credit for all of the time viewers are spending on YouTube watching other videos after they get there.

The only way to stop certain types of videos from being recommended for you is to take advantage of the ‘not interested’ feature.

Are you usually happy with YouTube’s recommended videos?

What video editing software did YouTube suggested videos are used?

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

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