On its Creators blog, YouTube announced the decision to merge the Feed and Videos tabs on the platform’s Channels into a Browse Videos tool. For marketers, the streamlined site navigation will likely help drive visibility for video content marketing since users can see all videos by clicking on a single button.
Within the Browse Videos tab, users can sort video content as they choose to find the spots that most interest them. Moreover, they can see playlists and comments created by the owner of the Channel or other users. According to YouTube, it tested this move in recent months and found a direct correlation between streamlined navigation and users finding the content the wanted more easily.
Early responses from to YouTube’s announcement are not be particularly favorable, with some users. But this is often the case when a site makes an adjustment to something users are long accustomed to.
As one commenter put it, “Please add an option for us die-hard ‘rebels’ who just want the old YouTube layout back.”
For marketers, YouTube’s value as a platform for hosting and sharing video content is growing, as the site continues to attract more users. Brafton recently highlighted a report from market research firm comScore that found YouTube was the No. 1 platform for viewing video content in July 2012. Americans watched more than 1.5 billion video ads on the platform, as well as 156 million videos for entertainment, education or otherwise.
