YouTube SEO Ranking Factors (2026)
| Factor | Weight | What Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Title keyword match | HIGH | Primary keyword in first 60 chars |
| Watch time / retention | HIGHEST | Longer average view duration = higher rank |
| Tags (keywords) | MEDIUM | Relevant tags help YouTube understand topic |
| Description length | MEDIUM | 200+ chars with keywords in first 200 |
| CTR (thumbnail) | HIGH | Click-through rate is a major ranking signal |
| Engagement (likes/comments) | MEDIUM-HIGH | More engagement = YouTube promotes more |
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