Choosing the Metrics That Show Whether YouTube Search Is Working

You are the product manager for search on YouTube. How would you decide whether search is succeeding, and which metrics would you use to track it? ```hint Split the reasons people search Before listing metrics, separate the different reasons viewers type a query and ask what a good outcome looks like for each one. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Does "search" cover only the search box and results page, or also autocomplete, voice search and search on TVs and other devices? - Are we judging search as it works today, or evaluating a particular change to it? - Should success be judged only for viewers, or also for the creators and advertisers whose videos appear in results? - Is there a platform, region or format, such as Shorts or music, that the team cares about most? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - The goal of search within YouTube's mission and business, and how its job differs from recommendations - The user groups and search intents, and how success looks different for each - One north-star metric with a precise definition and the reason it beats the alternatives - Supporting metrics across the search journey, plus guardrails and counter-metrics - How the metrics would be validated and used: segmentation, experiments and checks against what users report ### Follow-up Questions - Your north star improves, but total watch time on YouTube stays flat. What might explain it, and is search still succeeding? - Searches per user fall after a recommendations update. How would you tell whether that is good or bad news for search? - How would you keep your metrics from rewarding clickbait titles and thumbnails in results?