How YouTube Pioneered Search Personalisation
Today on the web, personalisation dominates every entertainment platform. Algorithms that understand your interests are what gives online content so much leverage over traditional entertainment such as TV and radio. This trend has grown so far that now Google is applying their approach to personalised search on the Google search engine.
Personalisation allows the service to find content that is meaningful to you, without you ever even knowing you wanted to view that before it got recommended. Flicking through TV channels to find a new show you like is something that is so broad when you look at how detailed and accurate personalised content is.
The power of being able to find anything you want when you want is a huge appeal to viewing online content. However, being able to find new content without actively looking for something takes online discovery to the next level.
Personalisation allows the service to find content that is meaningful to you, without you ever even knowing you wanted to view that before it got recommended. Flicking through TV channels to find a new show you like is something that is so broad when you look at how detailed and accurate personalised content is.
The power of being able to find anything you want when you want is a huge appeal to viewing online content. However, being able to find new content without actively looking for something takes online discovery to the next level.
Personalised vs Static ads
Paid advertising online is far more lucrative to businesses now with the ability of ‘targeted ads’. Machine learning that understands your online habits and the demographic you fall in allows businesses to target very specific relevant types of audiences. Their marketing budget is spent on users that are more likely to engage and buy.
Ads on TV are merely ads that show to everyone who is watching. The closest an advertiser can get to relevant targeting is by targeting ads based on the type of TV show/content. So typically, during the ad break of a football match, male-orientated ads show and typically gambling ads show. This is a very broad way of targeting and essentially painting everyone who watches football with the same brush. That’s all they can play with for TV.
Online Ads offer far more ability to target huge varieties of users and more specific users. With various Google tools, types of users can be studied and advertisers can take much more calculated and strategic decisions.
Ads on TV are merely ads that show to everyone who is watching. The closest an advertiser can get to relevant targeting is by targeting ads based on the type of TV show/content. So typically, during the ad break of a football match, male-orientated ads show and typically gambling ads show. This is a very broad way of targeting and essentially painting everyone who watches football with the same brush. That’s all they can play with for TV.
Online Ads offer far more ability to target huge varieties of users and more specific users. With various Google tools, types of users can be studied and advertisers can take much more calculated and strategic decisions.
YouTube Personalisation
Still to this day, the YouTube algorithm is fantastic at recognising the videos you like and suggesting relevant music/videos in relation to what you’re listening/watching right now or what you have watched. I spent hours digging deep into new types of music because of how great the algorithm is.
In fact, it was so ahead of its time, I believe that a huge reason for YouTube’s success in all fields of entertainment was because of how smart the algorithm was. 10 years ago there really wasn’t any other platform that not only gave you the freedom to find any content you was looking for with its search engine, the algorithm would send you down a deep rabbit hole into interesting topics and videos you never even knew you would like or want to watch. I spent countless late nights watching random documentaries without ever searching for one.
In fact, it was so ahead of its time, I believe that a huge reason for YouTube’s success in all fields of entertainment was because of how smart the algorithm was. 10 years ago there really wasn’t any other platform that not only gave you the freedom to find any content you was looking for with its search engine, the algorithm would send you down a deep rabbit hole into interesting topics and videos you never even knew you would like or want to watch. I spent countless late nights watching random documentaries without ever searching for one.
The Kings of keeping you seated
With a never-ending pool of content on YouTube, having the ability to search for absolutely anything, whenever you want is what brings you to YouTube. Having a constant stream of the next content to watch, is what prevents you from wanting to leave the site.
By creating a constant stream of related and recommended videos, YouTube created opportunities for users to spend far greater time there than planned. Not only that but by opening new doors of discovery for users, it could lead to users finding new channels to follow thus making them further enticed to return to the platform the next day.
You could search for one video, and then there would be a list of related videos or recommended videos based on either the topic of the video or your interests. One quick 10-minute video turns into a 2 hour YouTube session late at night.
Before you know it, you may start subscribing to channels and returning to the site regularly to enjoy new content from followed channels
By creating a constant stream of related and recommended videos, YouTube created opportunities for users to spend far greater time there than planned. Not only that but by opening new doors of discovery for users, it could lead to users finding new channels to follow thus making them further enticed to return to the platform the next day.
You could search for one video, and then there would be a list of related videos or recommended videos based on either the topic of the video or your interests. One quick 10-minute video turns into a 2 hour YouTube session late at night.
Before you know it, you may start subscribing to channels and returning to the site regularly to enjoy new content from followed channels
You just couldn’t do this anywhere else. With TV you were stuck with what was scheduled on TV. When the likes of BBC iPlayer launched, it was primitive in terms of how much personalisation YouTube had. Netflix wasn’t a thing, and it’s also only been effective at recommending things you might enjoy in the last few years. Social media didn’t have videos with algorithms like YouTube.
Now the likes of Spotify, Instagram and Facebook have algorithms and the technology on other platforms has caught up with YouTube. But YouTube is a testament to how they pioneered the whole landscape of personalised recommendation and the ability to discover new content without even searching.
Personalisation creates a better user experience, but the number one outcome from this trend is keeping you on their platform. Is it really a surprise now (according to Search Engine Land) that thanks to this formula, US residents aged 18-34 watch more videos on mobile devices than they do on any TV broadcast or cable network?
The accuracy of personalised search is making it effortless to find the content you like, and more of a chore to watch content in a traditional non-personalised way like TV.
Now the likes of Spotify, Instagram and Facebook have algorithms and the technology on other platforms has caught up with YouTube. But YouTube is a testament to how they pioneered the whole landscape of personalised recommendation and the ability to discover new content without even searching.
Personalisation creates a better user experience, but the number one outcome from this trend is keeping you on their platform. Is it really a surprise now (according to Search Engine Land) that thanks to this formula, US residents aged 18-34 watch more videos on mobile devices than they do on any TV broadcast or cable network?
The accuracy of personalised search is making it effortless to find the content you like, and more of a chore to watch content in a traditional non-personalised way like TV.
The Google Landscape
Google is now adopting a personalised approach to your searches. They’ve launched the discover feature, they are allowing you to organise blog content in clusters that act a bit like YouTube playlists. They have activity cards that recommend new searches and content that are related to searches you’ve conducted recently.
They are adopting the best things that YouTube has done so well. YouTube’s algorithms made it a fantastic platform to find endless amounts of content. On the web, there are endless amounts of content, but you don’t always know what you are looking for, and that’s why Google’s emphasis on Discover could have a huge impact on search and could change the way we use Google forever. Currently, these updates are for mobile, but it could be an experiment, and if it is a success, it will surely make its way to desktop too. If Google has really learnt anything from the success of YouTube, it has the real potential to be a game changer.
They are adopting the best things that YouTube has done so well. YouTube’s algorithms made it a fantastic platform to find endless amounts of content. On the web, there are endless amounts of content, but you don’t always know what you are looking for, and that’s why Google’s emphasis on Discover could have a huge impact on search and could change the way we use Google forever. Currently, these updates are for mobile, but it could be an experiment, and if it is a success, it will surely make its way to desktop too. If Google has really learnt anything from the success of YouTube, it has the real potential to be a game changer.