If you want your Twitch VODs and any Clips made after stream to be found in Search and Browse results for specific category, make sure the Category and Title edited appropriately after stream.
After stream, change the category of your VOD to the game you played that stream if you want it to be found in search results. Also any other clips made will be labeled that category and found in browse. If you played multiple games, change the VOD’s category before creating each clip.
I cannot speak on any suspicions of the algorithm, how such changes effect it, or the likelihood of people searching and finding those clips or vods. However, from the one stream I tested, each change I made resulted in finding or not finding the VODs and clips.
Title: Test A – Engaging Title
Game: AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!!: A Reckless Disregard for Gravity
Will refer to the game as Game in bold.
This game was chosen for the low results of searching for “AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA” or “Disregard for gravity” without quotes. This way it would be easier to find and know it is in the results.
Start with Just Chatting for 30 minutes then change to Game category for 1 hour. End stream.
Results:
Clips made during live stream (will refer to as Live Clips) will be labeled the current category in that moment.
Live stream was found in Live Channels of Search and Browse results for the Game.
Live stream was found in Channels of Search results for the Title
Live Clips were found in Browse Clips results for Game. (Search doesn’t show clips)
VOD was not found in Past Videos of Search or Browse results for Game while still live.
Clips made from VOD while still live or after stream were original category of Just Chatting and not found in Game Browse results.
Note:
VOD category can be edited after stream, thus all future clips made after stream will be that category.
However, VOD category cannot be changed during stream to affect the category of clips made from VOD while still live.
After Stream:
The VOD category is original Just Chatting with Chapters including the Game.
VOD was found in Past Videos Search results for Title
VOD was not found in Past Videos Search or Browsing Category for Game
Then, I put two games in the title. Both Game and the game Disruption. Both Search results had the VOD in Past Videos. Thus, if you play more than one game, consider putting some of the games in the title of VOD after stream. This will depend on what you want the VOD to be found under via Search.
I kept changing the VOD category prior to making more clips. Each clip was the category I chose each time. Thus each clip will be found under it’s appropriate category. It did not matter that the stream never had that category while live.
Note:
For a few minutes after stream, the channel was found offline in Channels section Search results of Game with a top clip and VOD. Then a few minutes later and also when checking the next day, the channel and VOD were no longer found in Search results of Game. This is because the VOD defaulted to original “go live” category of Just Chatting.