Almost anyone who uses YouTube regularly has seen a video with either 301 or 301+ views, according to the player. Why is this? Well, Google automatically checks videos crossing this threshold of views to see if the visitors are legitimate or just bots designed to pump up the number. From now on, they are tweaking the method to count "real" views in real time and only holding off on adding those that YouTube is unsure about.

Screen capture originally posted at Business Insider.

Stopping at a low-ish number like 301 kept a video with fake views from looking too popular. The process of checking for spam could take a long time, though, unfairly penalizing good YouTube citizens for as long as a day or more.

The new anti-bot method will identify views that are definitely legitimate and count them instantly, no matter what. For visits that YouTube is less sure about for various reasons like IP address, lack of user account, and certain behaviors, Google will still review them before they affect the counter. Importantly, there will be no artificial barrier at the number 301.

The YouTube Creators account at Google+ shared this handy infographic to explain the changes.

The change should apply very soon if it hasn't already. Sayonara, 301+!

Source: YouTube Creators (Google+)