Chapters

Videos can be divided into sections or segments displayed on the timeline, called chapters. They help the viewer skip to different sections of the video faster. Moreover, it also improves the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of the video by showing a "suggested clip" on Google search results.
==Overview==
Video chapters were first launched on May 28, 2020 for desktop and Android and later on for iOS, though specific creators were enabled to the feature for beta testing on April the same year. The sections or segments show a different permanent preview each when hovering or swiping over the timeline. Chapters can be set up by putting on a list of timestamps in the video's description in two formats.
==Enabling==
To enable the feature, sign in to YouTube Studio and edit the video description viewers want to add chapters to. Then add the following at any point in the description:
0:00 [Chapter name]
Replace [Chapter name] with whatever viewers want the chapter's name to be. It must start from 0:00 for chapters to be enabled. Then following the same format on a new line, enter the timestamp where the current chapter ends and the next starts. For example:
0:00 Chapter 10:10 Chapter 2
Make sure that all the chapters are longer than ten seconds and they do not overlap, so that they appear on the timeline. The same format can be followed for all timings, and if the video is longer than one hour, the format to be used after 59 minutes is HH:MM:SS. Currently, milliseconds are not supported. An alternative format for displaying timestamps is by putting a hyphen between the timestamp and the chapter name. It only affects its look on the video description.
==Effects==
*Using chapters greatly boosts SEO ranking.
*It provides benefit to viewers as they can save time by skipping to the actual content.
*Chapters are known to reduce watchtime, due to viewers abandoning the video after watching what they require.
*Even though it affects watchtime in a miniscule way, it also entrusts viewers with what they get in the videos, allowing for increasing traffic depending on the content. Deceptive advertising through chapters should be avoided.
==References==
Category:History of YouTube