What's more impactful: consistent uploads of mediocre content or infrequent uploads of high-quality content, in the YouTube algorithm's eyes?

Infrequent uploads of high-quality content are generally more impactful than consistent uploads of mediocre content in the YouTube algorithm's eyes. While consistency is important, the algorithm prioritizes videos that viewers watch for longer periods, engage with more actively, and find more valuable overall. High-quality content tends to have better audience retention, higher engagement rates (likes, comments, shares), and a greater likelihood of being recommended to other viewers. These factors signal to the algorithm that the video is valuable and deserving of increased visibility, outweighing the benefits of frequent uploads of lower-quality content that may not perform as well. While a balance of quality and consistency is ideal, prioritizing quality over quantity generally yields better long-term results.