Browse features
Home feed and subscription feed traffic source, the largest single source on YouTube.
Browse features is YouTube's name for traffic that comes from the home feed, the subscription feed, and the mobile home screen. It is the dominant traffic source for most established channels and the primary lane through which videos go viral.
Browse features distribution is granted by the algorithm based on a combination of CTR, watch time, and audience overlap with subscribers and lookalike audiences. New channels usually start with low browse features traffic and grow into it as the algorithm learns who their audience is.
When a video 'pops', what usually pops first is the browse features percentage of its traffic mix.
Why it matters
Browse features traffic is leveraged. A 10 percent CTR improvement on browse traffic can 3x channel-level reach because browse expands as you succeed in it. Search and suggested are linear by comparison.
How to improve it
- 01Design thumbnails that read at home feed sizes, not Studio preview sizes.
- 02Match the visual style of the videos that already overperform on your channel.
- 03Topical consistency helps the algorithm cluster you with subscribers' likely interests.
See your own browse features in seconds.
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