For some, it might come as a shock, but yes! Hashtags are not only available on YouTube, but they can also impact the ranking of your content. Without the proper knowledge of how to use hashtags on YouTube, you might fail to give the boost your videos need to reach the audience.
Before we get any further into this topic, let’s just take a look at why hashtags are so essential on YouTube these days. Actually, the YouTube algorithm has now started using hashtags to classify content in respective categories like social media platforms.
Also, adding hashtags to your video can help increase its searchability and make it appear in the search results against specific keywords and tags. So, it would be safe to say that it’s crucial to have a full grasp of how hashtags are used and how they impact your YouTube videos.
In this post, we have addressed all possible concepts you need to know to use YouTube hashtags effectively. We’ll discuss the role of hashtags, how they can help increase views, and some trending hashtags you can use to improve your video rankings.
What are YouTube Hashtags?
YouTube hashtags are just like regular hashtags that are embedded in video titles and descriptions to emphasize their topic or genre. Hashtags can be easily identified due to their spectacular blue color and the “#” symbol next to them. You can even click on a hashtag embedded in video content to see other videos relevant to it on YouTube.
It means that you can make it easier for the audience to browse content by adding hashtags to your videos. But the question is if you upload a video after embedding hashtags, will it get more views? Well, let’s find the answer to this question in the next heading.
Can YouTube Hashtags Help to Get More Views?
In a word, yes! YouTube hashtags can definitely help your videos get more views. How is that possible? Let’s look into that. According to the guidelines of the YouTube creator academy, hashtags increase the searchability of a video, which means they can enhance the odds of your video getting discovered by the audience, thus increasing your view count.
Let’s take an example to understand this concept. Say your video has a #Gaming tag in its title and in the description section. Here’s how it will come into play in boosting your view count:
First, the viewers will be able to instantly identify your video’s genre and click on it to see what it’s about.
Second, if you have covered all the Youtube SEO elements in your video, the viewers will be able to see your video in the list after clicking on the “#Gaming Tag.”
Lastly, it will increase the searchability of Your video, making it easier for the viewers to find your content.
So, it’s true that hashtags can actually boost video views, but if you still need more reasons to use them, this next heading might convince you.
Why Use Hashtags on YouTube?
You should use hashtags in your content because they are an important SEO element and help the YouTube algorithm find your video on the platform. It’s perhaps the single most convincing reason to include hashtags, but if you still need a push, here are some other aspects too.
1. Understand What Your Videos is About
Not only do the hashtags help the YouTube algorithm find your video, but they also help the audience understand what your video is about. A video with #Fashion and #Trend tags in its title clearly shows that it’s a video related to the fashion or modeling industry.
Therefore, if you want your audience to have the right idea about your content in a single look, add hashtags that highlight the main theme of your video.
2. Help to Categorize Videos
Hashtags are an excellent way of categorizing videos. If you’re working on a different type of content, make sure to add hashtags in the title of your videos, so you can identify them easily just by throwing a glance.
Also, this categorization will help the YouTube algorithm find your video in the massive archives of the platform and present it in front of an interested audience.
3. Gain More Visibility
Your videos can only get more engagement when they have more eyes on them, and hashtags can make that possible. As mentioned earlier, hashtags improve the searchability of a video, improving its odds of getting discovered, which means more engagement for your content.
Thus, adding hashtags to your content can boost engagement and views, likes, shares, comments, etc. We hope you found all these reasons pretty convincing, and now you want to look for a crash course on embedding YouTube hashtags. Well, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered.
How to Add Hashtags on YouTube Video?
Adding hashtags to a YouTube video is a piece of cake. All you got to do is find the appropriate hashtags for your video and follow these steps:
- To add the hashtags to video titles, copy the hashtags and paste them at the end of the title. Remember that hashtags should only be added to highlight certain elements, and if your title already has numerous keywords in it, you can skip adding hashtags.
- You can add the hashtags in your description by copying the hashtags and placing them either at the top or at the end of the description section. You can also do both for maximum impact.
Well, that was easy, right? But as you might’ve noticed in this section, to add the hashtags, you first need to find the appropriate ones. In the next heading, we’ll talk about the hashtag searching techniques on YouTube.
How to Find Hashtags on YouTube?
There are several tactics you can use to find appropriate hashtags for your YouTube videos. Some are easy, and some require you to observe consistently. Here we have compiled the list of techniques that you can use easily and find hashtags quickly.
1. Check Trending Videos
Since the main purpose of hashtags is to increase the visibility and searchability of a video, keep an eye on the trending videos of your niche and note the hashtags used on them. Later, you can use those hashtags in your own videos to be a part of the trend and get positive engagement.
2. Research the Competitors’ Videos
If you feel like your competitors’ videos are performing better than your content, you can observe what kind of hashtags they use. After taking inspiration from them, forge some hashtags relevant to hose to get the audience’s attention and take the lead in the competition.
3. Search on YouTube
The direct way to look for hashtags is by going to the YouTube search bar and searching for your main hashtag. For example, if your niche is gaming, search for #gaming in the search bar, and you’ll automatically get the content relevant to it.
From the search results, you can identify trending sub-categories of gaming and copy their hashtags to embed in your videos.
4. Use a Hashtag Generator
There are dozens of hashtag generators on the web that you can use to find appropriate hashtags for your mother category. All you have to do is enter the main keyword for your niche, and the generator will give you the best hashtags against that niche for the current time.
After that, you can simply copy those hashtags and paste them into your video where necessary.
Best Practices to Use Hashtags on YouTube
Hashtags sure are good for your videos, but it doesn’t mean that you can apply them blindly and expect good results. So, here are some best practices that will teach you what to do and what not to do while adding hashtags to your YouTube videos.
1. Use Relevant Hashtags
Always embed hashtags in your videos that are relevant to your content. If you add #fashion in a gaming video, it will mislead the audience and the YouTube algorithm, resulting in the loss of your views and engagement.
You can find recommended hashtags on YouTube while searching for the ones to add to your content. Make sure to add them to maintain relevancy and improve visibility.
2. Don’t Do Over Tagging
YouTube community guidelines allow creators to add up to 15 hashtags in their description, but we can all agree that it’s overkill! Adding this many hashtags will not only distract the audience but also make it harder for the algorithm to identify the genre of your content.
That’s why experts always recommend adding only 3 to 5 hashtags that are most relevant to your content and are highly searched.
3. Create a Branded Hashtag
You can rise in the ranks and stand out from your competition by creating a branded hashtag. Make a hashtag specially forged for your channel so people get reminded of you whenever they see that hashtag anywhere.
For example, famous Youtubers like Gary Vee use their own hashtags. You can go to his channel and see the hashtag #AskGaryVee which represents his Q&A session. This is a simple example of branded hashtags, so go make your own to be unique in your niche.
4. Use Location-Based Hashtags
To increase your content’s relevance and to spread your content to the audience of a specific city or country, you should use location-based hashtags. They are best to share the origin of your content and even help in the promotion of your own business.
In fact, using location-based hashtags is a great way to promote your business on the platform. By adding the hashtag of your business location in your videos, you can help potential customers discover your brand and even drive traffic to your physical location.
If you’re looking to use YouTube for business purposes, incorporating location-based hashtags into your video strategy can be a powerful way to grow your audience and promote your brand.
5. Use Hashtags with No Spaces
No matter how long a hashtag is, remember to never give a space in it. Why? Because if you give space to a hashtag, it will no longer remain a hashtag anymore.
Let’s say your hashtag is BlackLivesMatter Now if you put it like this, #Black lives matter, only #black will become a hashtag, and the rest of the content won’t get highlighted. So, keep this factor in mind while adding hashtags.
6. Non-Hashtags
YouTube is pretty sensitive about hashtags and has a strict policy regarding them. If you add non-hashtags (hashtags that are trivial or repeated) in your video, it will be considered a violation of community guidelines and might result in the removal of your video.
To uphold this policy, always try to find authentic hashtags that describe your video, and avoid using them repeatedly, or the consequence will be disastrous.
Best Hashtags for YouTube
It is always recommended to add hashtags in your videos that are relevant to your niche, but here are 15 evergreen hashtags you can use to give your content a little boost.
- #shorts#tiktok
- #music
- #gaming
- #fortnite
- #howto
- #Trending
- #movies
- #lifestyle
- #motivation
- #Q&A
- #PUBG
- #kpop
- #fashion
Again, these hashtags are generic, so if you’re planning to use them, make sure they are somehow related to your niche, or it might not work out well for you.
Conclusion
YouTube hashtags are an excellent way of increasing content’s visibility and searchability, so it’s a good idea to focus on them, but keep in mind that they aren’t the only SEO element you need to be focusing on.
Always keep optimizing your YouTube channel if you want to get more traffic and engagement on it. We hope you liked today’s article and for more content on YouTube, check out our blog, where we have covered lots of topics that can help you take your channel to the next level.
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