What-If Algorithm Simulator
Simulate how the algorithm responds to your strategy with advanced factors and visual projections.
Basic Settings
Understand how the algorithm decides what to promote
The recommendation algorithm is not magic — it is a feedback loop that rewards videos which keep viewers watching and coming back. Impressions lead to clicks, clicks lead to watch time, and strong watch time earns more impressions. Break any link in that chain and your reach stalls, no matter how good the content is.
This simulator lets you see how changes to click-through rate, average view duration and early engagement ripple through that loop, so you can understand where your videos actually leak reach and what to fix first.
How to use this tool
- 1
Enter your metrics
Input realistic click-through rate, watch time and engagement figures for a video.
- 2
See the projected reach
The simulator models how the algorithm would likely respond to those signals.
- 3
Test improvements
Adjust one metric at a time to see which lever moves your reach the most.
- 4
Prioritise the weak link
Focus your next video on fixing whichever signal is dragging performance down.
Tips & best practices
- ✓Click-through rate and watch time compound — improving both together multiplies reach, not just adds to it.
- ✓The first hour after publishing sets the tone; strong early engagement signals the algorithm to push wider.
- ✓A high CTR with low retention tells the algorithm your title over-promised — align them.
- ✓Session time matters: videos that keep viewers on the platform afterwards get favoured.
- ✓Consistency of uploads trains the algorithm to expect and distribute your content.
Frequently asked questions
Can anyone really predict the algorithm?+
No tool predicts it exactly, but the core signals — click-through rate, watch time, engagement and session duration — are well understood. This simulator models those relationships so you can reason about cause and effect.
What matters most for reach?+
For most channels, the combination of click-through rate and average view duration. A great title gets the click; strong retention convinces the algorithm to keep recommending.
Why did my video stop getting views?+
Usually a weak link in the loop — often retention. If viewers drop early, the algorithm stops promoting even a video with a strong initial click-through rate.
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