Google has announced changes to the search functionality of YouTube, adding new filters and renaming some options for the sake of clarity.
One of the biggest changes is the new option to choose the type of content which should be included in results. For anyone who is more interested in seeking out long-form videos, this is extremely significant as it provides a way to avoid YouTube Shorts by opting to exclude them.
While Google does not say that the changes are a way to avoid having to sift through AI slop, it would certainly seem to be a side effect of them. The company is framing the new options and redesign as a way of “improv[ing] content discovery”, and it is a change that is likely to be well-received – especially considering the fact that Google says the changes are being introduced in response to user feedback.
The option to search for content by type is undoubtedly the headline here, but the renaming of a couple of sorting options also helps to improve usability.
The full support text reads:
We’ve heard your feedback and are enhancing the search experience by updating our filters to make them more effective and intuitive for everyone. Our goal is to equip you with more effective advanced search tools, ensuring you can consistently and efficiently locate the content you love.
Here is a breakdown of what is changing:
New Filters and Renaming
We have made some key additions and renames to ensure our sorting options align better with your expectations:
- Dedicated Content Types: We’ve added a new Shorts filter to the ‘Type’ menu. This gives viewers more control over whether they see Shorts or VODs (long-form videos) in their search results, so you can find exactly what you’re looking for, regardless of format.
- ‘Prioritize’ Menu: The ‘Sort By’ menu has been renamed to ‘Prioritize’. This refined sorting menu aims to maximize utility.
- ‘Popularity’ Filter: The ‘View count’ sort option has been renamed to ‘Popularity’. This filter allows you to easily locate popular videos related to your search queries. Our systems assess a video’s view count and other relevance signals, such as watch time, to determine its popularity for that specific query.
Simplified Filter Options
We are simplifying and reorganizing the filter menu to make it more intuitive and improve the overall search experience. This includes removing some options that were not working as expected and had contributed to user complaints.
The two filters we’re removing are ‘Upload Date – Last Hour’ and ‘Sort by Rating.’ However, you can still find the most recent search results in one of our ‘Upload Date’ filters, and explore popular, highly-viewed videos using the new ‘Popularity’ filter option.
More information is available here.
Image credit: bilalulker / depositphotos
