So, here are the latest answers to the first question about the algorithms for the eight platforms that you should be considering today.<\/p>\n
Spoiler alert: This update contains some surprising shifts in the latest data on monthly unique visitors, monthly visits, and monthly average visit duration from SimilarWeb<\/a>.<\/p>\n YouTube got 1.953 billion<\/strong> unique visitors<\/strong> worldwide in May 2022. The platform received 35.083 billion monthly visits<\/strong> that month with an average visit duration of 21:41<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Now, some social media marketers may be shocked, shocked to find YouTube ranking ahead of Facebook.<\/p>\n But, SimilarWeb\u2019s data above is only for desktop and mobile web channels. It doesn\u2019t include data for connected TVs, which became the fastest-growing screen among YouTube viewers in 2020.<\/p>\n This makes it imperative to know how YouTube\u2019s algorithm<\/a> works.<\/p>\n YouTube\u2019s algorithm tries to match each viewer to the videos they\u2019re most likely to watch and enjoy. But, with over 500 hours of video content uploaded every minute, this is a Herculean task.<\/p>\n YouTube\u2019s search and discovery systems tackle this challenge by paying close attention to:<\/p>\n Next, you need to learn that YouTube has multiple algorithms, including ones for:<\/p>\n So, what should you do next?<\/p>\n First, read my column, How To Optimize YouTube Videos To Help Ukraine<\/a>, which provides tips on keyword research, title optimization, writing descriptions, custom thumbnails, and other video SEO best practices.<\/p>\n Next, read Jon Clark\u2019s article, 13 Key Elements Of Successful YouTube Videos<\/a>. He focuses on how to make a great video.<\/p>\n Why is that important? Because YouTube\u2019s search and discovery system \u201cfinds\u201d videos for each viewer and their varying interests in order to get them to watch more videos that they\u2019ll enjoy so they\u2019ll come back to YouTube regularly.<\/p>\n Facebook got only 1.620 billion unique visitors<\/strong> worldwide in May. The platform received 19.739 billion visits<\/strong> that month with an average session duration of 10:05<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Now, Facebook\u2019s unique visitors started dipping worldwide in February 2022.<\/p>\n But, as you can see in the chart below, there was a substantial drop in unique visitors in Russia in early March, after Russia blocked Facebook in an effort to control the spread of information on the invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n This had a negative impact on Facebook\u2019s total unique visitors worldwide, which were already losing momentum. Nevertheless, the platform is still too big to ignore.<\/p>\n So, how does Facebook\u2019s algorithm<\/a> work today?<\/p>\n Well, we knew how Facebook\u2019s News Feed ranking process worked<\/a> in December 2021 when Anna Stepanov, Head of Facebook App Integrity, wrote a post that said:<\/p>\n \u201cNews Feed uses personalized ranking, which takes into account thousands of unique signals to understand what\u2019s most meaningful to you. Our aim isn\u2019t to keep you scrolling on Facebook for hours on end, but to give you an enjoyable experience that you want to return to.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n And she summarized half a dozen of the biggest changes Facebook had made in 2021 to give users more control over, and insight into, how content appears in their News Feed.<\/p>\n This included publishing a new series of Widely Viewed Content Reports to share what content is seen by the most people in News Feed in the U.S.<\/p>\n Ironically, Facebook\u2019s latest Widely Viewed Content Report<\/a> showed the top four domains in Q4 2021:<\/p>\n But, then in February 2022, Matt G. Southern reported Facebook Shifts Focus To Short-Form Video After Stock Plunge<\/a>. And on June 16, 2022, Southern reported Facebook To Restructure Main Feed Around Video Conten<\/a>t<\/a>.<\/p>\n So, what should you do next? First, read Southern\u2019s stories and learn why Tom Alison, head of Facebook, plans to turn its main feed into a \u201cdiscovery engine\u201d for video content.<\/p>\n According to Alison, the main tab in the Facebook app will become a mix of Stories and Reels at the top, followed by posts that its discovery engine will recommend from across both Facebook and Instagram.<\/p>\n Next, follow Southern\u2019s expert, authoritative, and trustworthy advice:<\/p>\n \u201cThe best way to prepare for this change, if Facebook is a priority for you and your business, is to get comfortable with creating and publishing more short form video. While Facebook will continue to surface text and photo posts, they\u2019ll be ancillary to the main attractions of Reels and Stories.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Instagram got 1.050 billion unique visitors<\/strong> worldwide in May. The platform received 6.497 billion visits<\/strong> that month with an average session duration of 07:51<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Russia has also banned Instagram, but the growth in unique visitors from other countries around the world has offset that.<\/p>\n So, you still need to know how Instagram\u2019s algorithms<\/a> work.<\/p>\n In June 2021, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, wrote a post entitled, Shedding More Light On How Instagram Works<\/a>. He revealed:<\/p>\n \u201cInstagram doesn\u2019t have one algorithm that oversees what people do and don\u2019t see on the app. We use a variety of algorithms, classifiers, and processes, each with its own purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n For the Feed<\/strong> and Stories, <\/strong>the key ranking signals are:<\/p>\n For Explore, <\/strong>the key ranking signals are:<\/p>\n For Reels, <\/strong>the key ranking signals are:<\/p>\n So, each part of the app uses similar ranking signals, but their order of importance varies. Mosseri explained:<\/p>\n \u201cPeople tend to look for their closest friends in Stories, but they want to discover something entirely new in Explore. We rank things differently in different parts of the app, based on how people use them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n For more tips and advice, read the article by Shelley Walsh entitled, 22 Ways To Get More Instagram Followers Right Now<\/a>. Then, read Amanda DiSilvestro\u2019s article, How To Use Instagram Reels For Business<\/a>.<\/p>\n Twitter got 979 million unique visitors<\/strong> worldwide in May. The platform received 7.056 billion visits<\/strong> that month with an average session duration of 10.39<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This data does not screen for fake or spam accounts. Nevertheless, it\u2019s worth investing the time and effort to keep up with how Twitter\u2019s algorithm works.<\/p>\n Like most social media platforms, Twitter has multiple algorithms.<\/p>\n Twitter says its \u201calgorithmic Home timeline<\/a> displays a stream of Tweets from accounts you have chosen to follow on Twitter, as well as recommendations of other content we think you might be interested in based on accounts you interact with frequently, Tweets you engage with, and more.\u201d<\/p>\n If users want to, they can click on the star symbol to see the latest Tweets as they happen. But, few people choose to drink water from a firehose.<\/p>\n If they want to, users can click on \u201cExplore\u201d and see Trending tweets or ones about COVID-19, News, Sports, and Entertainment.<\/p>\n If users want to, they can click on \u201cMore\u201d to see the Topics that Twitter thinks they\u2019re interested in.<\/p>\n Like most social media platforms, Twitter\u2019s algorithms use machine learning<\/a> to sort content based on different ranking signals.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s worth noting that Twitter is currently involved in analyzing the results of its algorithms as part of its \u201cresponsible machine learning initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what Twitter has said publicly about its Home timeline, Trends, and Topics ranking signals:<\/p>\n Relevance<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Engagement<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Recency<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Rich Media<\/strong>:<\/p>\n For more advice and tips, read Lisa Buyer\u2019s article, 8 Terrific Tips To Optimize A Twitter Business Or Brand Profile<\/a>. Then, read the article by Julia McCoy entitled, How To Be A Top Tweeter: 10 Tips That Will Get Your Tweets<\/a> Noticed<\/a>.<\/p>\n TikTok got 690 million monthly visitors<\/strong> worldwide in May. The platform received 1.766 billion visits<\/strong> that month with an average session duration of 03:48<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This data doesn\u2019t include Douyin.com, which is counted separately. But, as the chart below illustrates, TikTok.com gets about 98% of the unique visitors worldwide for both of the ByteDance apps.<\/p>\n So, you should probably learn how TikTok\u2019s algorithm works ASAP.<\/p>\n In June 2020, TikTok revealed how its recommendation system selected videos in a post entitled, How TikTok recommends videos #ForYou<\/a>.<\/p>\n Little has fundamentally changed since then, except the U.S. government is no longer trying to ban the social media platform.<\/p>\n TikTok\u2019s For You feed presents a stream of videos curated to each user\u2019s interests, making it easy for a user to find content and creators they love.<\/p>\n In other words, there isn\u2019t one For You feed for over one billion monthly active TikTok users. There are a billion For You feeds tailored to what each user watches, likes, and shares.<\/p>\n TikTok added, \u201cThis feed is powered by a recommendation system that delivers content to each user that is likely to be of interest to that particular user.\u201d<\/p>\n And recommendations are based on a number of factors, including:<\/p>\n TikTok also revealed:<\/p>\n \u201cAll these factors are processed by our recommendation system and weighted based on their value to a user. A strong indicator of interest, such as whether a user finishes watching a longer video from beginning to end, would receive greater weight than a weak indicator, such as whether the video\u2019s viewer and creator are both in the same country.<\/p>\n Videos are then ranked to determine the likelihood of a user\u2019s interest in a piece of content, and delivered to each unique For You feed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n On the other hand, TikTok said:<\/p>\n \u201cWhile a video is likely to receive more views if posted by an account that has more followers, by virtue of that account having built up a larger follower base, neither follower count nor whether the account has had previous high-performing videos are direct factors in the recommendation system.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n So, what should you do next? First, read Miranda Miller\u2019s article, 40+ TikTok Stats Digital Marketers Need To Know<\/a>. Then, read my column, How TikTok\u2019s Search Algorithms Power Content Discovery.<\/p>\n Pinterest got 409 million unique visitors<\/strong> worldwide in May. The platform received 945 million visits<\/strong> that month with an average session duration of 05:29<\/strong>.<\/p>\n With Instagram declaring it is \u201cno longer just a square photo-sharing app<\/a>,\u201d this is the time to learn how Pinterest\u2019s algorithm works.<\/p>\n The ranking factors on Pinterest relate more to engagement metrics and social shares, but it also involves keywords.<\/p>\n And Pinterest autocomplete provides ideas by automatically suggesting semantically related modifiers to a core keyword.<\/p>\n Pinterest\u2019s search feature then curates a user\u2019s \u201cfeed\u201d based on what they\u2019re searching for and how those key terms are used in the Pins being shared by content creators.<\/p>\n Pinterest also categorizes and sub-categorizes topics to make it easy to find keywords for your particular niche.<\/p>\n To optimize your Pins:<\/p>\n Then, optimize your boards. Boards provide a great opportunity to tell Pinterest\u2019s search engine how you categorize your products and\/or organize your content, which will only aid visibility.<\/p>\n Finally, aim for engagement, which can increase your Pin\u2019s (and your profile\u2019s) visibility in search, increasing your traffic.<\/p>\n For additional information and advice, read Southern\u2019s story, Pinterest Updates Algorithm To Surface More Content Types<\/a>. Then, read Jessica Foster\u2019s article, 12 Pinterest SEO Tips For High-Traffic Success<\/a>.<\/p>\n LinkedIn got 306 million<\/strong> unique visitors<\/strong> worldwide in May. The platform received 1.479 billion visits<\/strong> that month with an average session duration of 07:32<\/strong>.<\/p>\n So, social media marketers \u2013 especially ones at B2B organizations \u2013 need to know how LinkedIn\u2019s algorithm works.<\/p>\n In June 2019, Pete Davies, Senior Director of Product Management at LinkedIn, wrote a post entitled, What\u2019s in your LinkedIn Feed: People You Know, Talking about Things You Care About<\/a>. He explained, \u201cThe more valuable the conversation, the higher in your feed the post will be.\u201d<\/p>\n How does LinkedIn\u2019s algorithm know if a conversation is valuable? It uses the following framework:<\/p>\n So, what should you do next? First, read Jessica Foster\u2019s article, How The LinkedIn Algorithm Works & Optimizing For It<\/a>. Then, read Matt G. Southern\u2019s article, LinkedIn Debunks Algorithm Myths In New Video Series<\/a>.<\/p>\n Reddit got 237 million<\/strong> unique visitors<\/strong> worldwide in May. The platform received 1.669 billion visits <\/strong>that month with an average session duration of 09:59<\/strong>.<\/p>\n With Facebook setting its sights on video to regain its momentum, this is a good time to learn how Reddit\u2019s algorithm works.<\/p>\n In June 2021, the official blog for Reddit posted Evolving the Best Sort for Reddit\u2019s Home Feed<\/a>. It provided insights into how Reddit determines which relevant posts to show users.<\/p>\n The post revealed that:<\/p>\n \u201cReddit\u2019s systems build a list of potential candidate posts from multiple sources, pass the posts through multiple filtering steps, then rank the posts according to the specified sorting method. Over the years, we\u2019ve built many options to choose from when it comes to sorting your Home feed.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Here\u2019s how each sort option recommends content:<\/p>\n For more tips and information, read the article by Brent Csutoras entitled, A Beginner\u2019s Guide To Reddit: How To Get Started & Be Successful<\/a>. Then, read Southern\u2019s story, Reddit Makes Comments Searchable<\/a>.<\/p>\n The latest data from SimilarWeb indicates that you should continue asking \u201cWhich social media platforms have the most users?\u201d as well as \u201cHow do social media algorithms work?\u201d<\/p>\n Things change too quickly and frequently in this particular arena for anyone to think that past performance is even remotely indicative of future results.<\/p>\n More Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n Featured Image: Rawpixel.com\/Shutterstock<\/em><\/p>\nHow Does The YouTube Algorithm Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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How Does The Facebook Algorithm Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Screenshot courtesy of Similarweb, June 2022<\/span><\/div>\n\n
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How Does The Instagram Algorithm Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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How Does The Twitter Algorithm Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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How Does The TikTok Algorithm Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Screenshot courtesy of Similarweb, June 2022<\/span><\/div>\n\n
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How Does The Pinterest Algorithm Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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How Does The LinkedIn Algorithm Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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How Does The Reddit Algorithm Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Why Should You Keep Asking Questions?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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