YouTube Is Displaying Search Results Based On Segments Of Long-Form Videos That Are Most Relevant To Searches

YouTube

YouTube is updating its search experience on both desktop and mobile. It is beginning to display search results based on specific segments of long-form videos that are most relevant to user searches. When it presents one of these segments in the search results, the red progress bar will indicate where in the video the segment is located, and the video will start playing from that point.

Why It Matters: By being directed to the segments that cover topics or answer questions, viewers will have an easier time and spend less time finding the specific topics they're interested in. However, there's also potential for a negative impact on creators, such as a decrease in watch time due to "segmented watching" becoming more prevalent. In this scenario, viewers jump directly to specific segments of videos and then leave after watching those parts.

Additionally, this could influence how creators and brands partner for integrations since viewers will be pushed to watch videos at segments that relate to their searches, leaving the opportunity for integrations to be skipped over. Because of this, creators and brands should focus on making their integrations search-friendly by ensuring they provide value, whether giving insight into a topic or answering a question.

YouTube has always been used as a search engine, thanks to its parent company Google, but the emergence of TikTok and Instagram as search vehicles is driving it to invest more in search experiences.