Search history

Every query a signed-in viewer types gets stored against their Google account, and YouTube uses that record to shape what they see later. It sits alongside watch history, subscriptions, likes and survey responses among the signals behind Home and Up Next, so two people searching identical words can be shown different videos in a different order. Viewers can pause or clear it whenever they like.

For creators the practical consequence is that your own results are a bad guide to anyone else's. Your history has trained YouTube to show you your own work and the topics you research all day. Check where a video actually ranks in a private window or a signed-out session before you conclude anything.