YouTube is implementing a series of changes to the search system to improve user experience, the most notable of which is the addition of a filter that allows completely hiding short short videos Shorts from search results.
This move is seen as a direct response to users' prolonged complaints about short videos overwhelming long content during the search process.
According to Google, this update focuses on simplifying and rearranging search filters to make them more intuitive and easy to use.
Some options that were assessed as ineffective or confusing have been removed, giving way to new filters that are more suitable for actual search behavior.
YouTube has added the "Short Videos" filter to the "Type" section.
When activated, users can completely remove Shorts videos from the search results, thereby only displaying traditional long videos.
This is especially useful for users searching for instructive content, in-depth analysis or long-term videos.
In addition, YouTube also adjusted the results arrangement.
The "Order by" item was renamed "Priority", while the "Number of views" option was replaced by "Popularity".
Not only based on views, this new filter also takes into account other factors such as viewing time and interaction level, in order to more accurately reflect the actual level of viewers' interest in each video.
Along with the addition and renaming, YouTube has removed two old filters, "Upload Day - Previous Hour" and "Ranking".
Google said these options are not as effective as expected and have caused many complaints.
Users can still find new videos through other upload date filters, as well as explore the content that is watched a lot thanks to the "Popularity" option.
Currently, new search filters are only deployed for a limited group of users, showing that YouTube is applying a phased trial roadmap.
It will take more time before these changes are widely applied to all users on the platform.
