Making a YouTube video is stressful enough, but making a video that doesn’t get watched can be demoralizing. And this is what a lot of creators on the platform have to deal with.
Most times it’s not even about the quality of their video. The video is simply not getting to the right audience.
Why? YouTube’s algorithm doesn’t understand the video well enough to show it to the correct audience. And this is where Tags come in.
Understanding how Tags work may be the difference between an evergreen or viral video and one that only reaches a few people. You need to know its importance to YouTubers and how the YouTube algorithm works.
Thankfully, you won’t need to go far to figure all that out as you’ll learn everything you need to get started right here in this guide.
You’ll see what these tags are, their benefits, and a comprehensive guide to using them even if you’re completely new to all these.
Ready to get started? Let’s begin with the basics.
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What are YouTube Tags?
YouTube tags are descriptive keywords you add to your video when uploading to the platform. They describe your video’s content to YouTube’s algorithm and help the system better categorize your video.
A tag is usually a word or phrase and is not visible to viewers. Its aim is to help the algorithm.
For instance if you’re making a video on “How to make money on YouTube”, your tags can be “make money on YouTube” and “YouTube monetization”.
Benefits of Using YouTube Tags
Now you know what tags are on YouTube but why is it so important? Is it even necessary to use it? Lets see some of the benefits of using tags on YouTube.
1. Better Audience Targeting
YouTube tags help you target specific audiences. You can use tags to show the algorithm who you want to see your videos. This way you get the right people watching it.
2. Helps Search Engines Index Your Video
These tags help search engines even outside of youtube find and index your video. So it shows up when people are searching related terms.
3. Helps People Find Your Video on YouTube
Tags make it easy for the right audience — those searching related keywords to find your video.
How to Add Tags To Your Videos?
Looking to add tags to your YouTube video for the first time or seeking a more effective way to do it? Here is a step-by-step guide to adding tags:
New Videos
- Sign in to YouTube Studios
- Click on Create >>> Upload video
- Tap Select Files and choose the video you’ll like to upload
- In the details section during upload open the advanced section and add tags
- Select Next and complete the upload
Uploaded Videos
- Sign in to YouTube Studio
- Tap Content from the left menu and choose the video
- Click Edits >>> Tags
- Add the tags and click Update videos
Mistakes To Avoid While Using Tags
Using YouTube tags might seem straightforward, but there are common pitfalls that could hurt your video’s performance. Here’s what to steer clear of:
- Stuffing Irrelevant Tags – Avoid adding tags that have nothing to do with your video just because they’re trending. Not only does this confuse the algorithm, but it also frustrates viewers who expect one thing and get another.
- Overloading Tags – Less is often more. Don’t cram in every keyword you can think of. Stick to 5–15 well-chosen tags that closely match your content. Quality over quantity always wins.
- Copying Tags from Others – It’s tempting to copy successful creators’ tags, but their audience and content might be completely different from yours. Focus on what’s unique about your video.
- Ignoring Long-Tail Keywords – Only using short, generic tags can limit your reach. Mix in long-tail keywords—phrases that match what your target audience might type into search.
- Skipping Research – Guesswork doesn’t cut it. Use tools or YouTube search suggestions to find the right tags. Doing the homework can significantly boost your video’s visibility.
By sidestepping these mistakes, you’ll use tags to their full potential and help your videos get discovered by the right audience.
Final Thoughts
Using these descriptive keywords called Tags for your YouTube video will help YouTube find and index it while ensuring the right audience sees it.
By making these additions, you can boost your video’s reach and ultimately grow your channel. You can see why it is important to you as a creator.
Start by finding the right keywords for your video using tools like YouTube search suggestions and VidIQ. Avoid stuffing too many tags to game the system as this is against YouTube rules.
Remember, the effects of the tags may not be immediately evident so don’t give up, keep tweaking to find what works for you.
