YouTube introduced video chapters for mobile devices in 2020. The feature allowed creators to manually divide a video into sections with individual preview, context, and info. This year, it has launched AI-generated automatic video chapters for eligible videos.
As these automatically created chapters are a source of metadata for search, it can be a critical addition to any effective YouTube SEO strategy. Here are 4 things that marketers and video creators should know about automatic video chapters-
1. What is the New Automatic Video Chapter Featgoofure on YouTube?
YouTube has been experimenting with automatic video chapters since the launch of manual chapters in 2020. Recently, it has rolled out this feature for eligible videos on its mobile platform.
If the channel has not already created manual chapters, the new feature will use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify significant moments of the video to break them down into chapters. As these chapters have individual info and context, they are being used as a source of metadata by YouTube’s search algorithm. In other words, it can also impact the ranking of your videos.
2. What Videos are Eligible for Automated Chapters?
Currently, YouTube has only rolled out this feature for eligible new uploads on its mobile platform. With time, it will be rolled out for more videos based on when they were uploaded. However, there is no clarity regarding the eligibility criteria. There is no information from YouTube regarding what makes a video eligible or ineligible for this new feature.
Moreover, YouTube has also mentioned that it is possible for eligible videos to not have automatically-generated chapters if there are no suitable chapters in the video.
3. Why Should Marketers and Creators Be Concerned About Automatic Chapters?
As mentioned above, the feature uses AI to detect significant moments in a video automatically. As AI is not always perfect, it can misinterpret a section of a video. The chapters are a source of metadata, and the misinterpreted sections can impact the results that are displayed when someone enters a query on YouTube.
So, if you don’t manually add chapters to your videos by adding timestamps to the video description, YouTube might generate the chapters automatically, and it can impact the ranking of your video.
4. How To Fix Incorrect Automated Video Chapters?
If YouTube has automatically generated sections for your video, you can check the same to ensure that all the sections are interpreted correctly. If not, you can always fix the error by manually adding the chapters. Manual chapters override the automated ones.
Alternatively, it is also possible to opt out of this feature if you don’t need chapters in your videos. You can do this for specific videos or the entire channel. For specific videos, it can be done during the upload process. For channel, you can opt-out of automatic chapters by logging in to YouTube Studio and navigating to Upload Defaults -> Advanced Settings -> Auto Chapters On/Off.
Using Video Chapters to Boost YouTube Rankings
Adding chapters to the videos can be an effective addition to your YouTube SEO strategy. The new automatic chapters feature from the platform can help save time while uploading videos as it eliminates the need to enter the chapters manually.
But as the chapters can impact video rankings, it’d be wise to cross-check the sections if they have been created automatically for your videos. Alternatively, you also have the option to add manual chapters and avoid any interpretation errors that could negatively impact video rankings.
