Do you use YouTube Hashtags? Most YouTube creators do. However, if you don’t use YouTube hashtags, you’re lagging behind your real growth! Did you know that YouTube’s algorithm comprises two algorithms, namely, the suggested videos algorithm and the home page algorithm?
Moreover, both these algorithms have some common ranking factors, such as your video’s essential components like YouTube hashtags, tags, thumbnail, title, description, etc. Hence, as a preliminary step to make your channel grow, you need to optimize these essential parts of your video. Today, let’s explore what YouTube hashtags exactly are. Besides these, we will also explore how you can use YouTube hashtags ideally for maximum optimization. This guide will brief you about every minute of crucial information about YouTube hashtags that you must know as a budding YouTube creator!
What Are YouTube Hashtags?
YouTube Hashtags, preceded by the “#” symbols are keywords or phrases that, when added to a video, indicate its category and topic. The “#” makes the keyword or phrase clickable, displaying a list of YouTube videos falling into the category. Not just do creators use YouTube hashtags to categorize their videos, but users use them to search a particular search query.
Why Should You Use YouTube Hashtags?
YouTube hashtags are essential not just for the users but also for Youtube creators. Let’s explore how.
1. Youtube Hashtags Inform YouTube What Your Video Is Based On
When you use keywords in your YouTube title and description, these keywords help YouTube understand what your video talks about. Your YouTube hashtags function similarly. YouTube hashtags provide even more information to YouTube in comparison to keywords. They provide an extra SEO benefit that helps you rank better on YouTube’s algorithm.
2. Hashtags Help YouTube Categorise Your Video
Brands often keep their products well organized on their website. For example, irrespective of their type, all the jeans are put under the category “Jeans.” Similarly, when you use a hashtag on your video, your video is categorized under that particular hashtag. The hashtag defines the niche of your video, thus making YouTube recognize the topic on which your content is based.
3. YouTube Hashtags Make Your Video More Searchable
Let’s look into the brand example once again but from the buyer’s point of view. Suppose a buyer visits a brand’s website and searches for “Jeans for women” all the jeans categorized under gender “women” will show up in the search results. Similarly, when a user searches for “#fitnesstips” on YouTube, all the videos listed under the hashtag will be displayed in the user’s search results. Thus, if you wish your video to gain visibility in users’ SERP results, thus making it more searchable, you must use YouTube hashtags.
Where Should You Use Your YouTube Hashtags?
Are you wondering where you should use your YouTube hashtags in your video? Here we are to rescue you! There are two places where you can add your YouTube hashtags for maximum optimization.
YouTube Title
An appropriate well-optimized YouTube title includes both keywords and hashtags. Don’t neglect one of these for the other. When you use hashtags in your title, it becomes clickable right when your YouTube video is displayed on the SERP results. When users click on the hashtags present in your video from the search results page, the user will automatically land at your video and not on the search results page of the hashtag. However, while using hashtags in YouTube titles, remember not to exceed the minimum characters limit and not to ignore the keywords.
YouTube Descriptions
You can also add your YouTube hashtags at the end of your description. If you closely analyze how YouTube displays hashtags added in your description, you’ll discover that the first three hashtags are always more noticeable and are present on the top. Thus, no matter how many hashtags you use, use the most important hashtags as the first one.
How Can You Find The Best YouTube Hashtags For Your Video?
Using relevant and highly searched hashtags are the key to making your video more searchable on YouTube. However, do you struggle to find the top hashtags? Do you struggle to find the best YouTube hashtags? Here we are to help you with various ways by which you can find the top-performing YouTube hashtags. Let’s explore.
YouTube Auto-Suggest
YouTube Auto-Suggest tool is a life savior. Just search and start searching for any hashtag in the search box. As you type, you’ll see a list of suggestions. Similarly, you can also search for hashtags and use the hashtags you find in the suggestion box. That’s the simplest way to grab some good-performing YouTube hashtags.
Trending Videos
One of the best ways to find hashtags is from trending videos. You can check out the trending videos category to know which videos perform the best. However, these videos may or may not be closely related to your niche. However, we have a trick!
Suppose you have a channel on fitness and health, search “fitness tips” on YouTube. You’ll find a list of videos popping up on the screen. This list contains both old and new videos. Now, use the filter option and filter out the videos published recently, like, say, within a week. Apply the filter, and now the search results page will display only those results published within a week.
You can analyze these videos and determine which hashtags they have used in their YouTube video titles and descriptions. After analyzing 5-10 videos, you can use the top-performing hashtags in your video.
Popular Competitor Videos
Competitor’s videos are another way of landing powerful hashtags. You can target some top-performing videos of your topic and then analyze them to find the hashtags they have used to be more visible. In this way, you can also analyze competitors’ videos and grab some powerful hashtags.
Use A Hashtag Finder
You can also use a hashtag finder tool to save time and effort. These hashtag finder tools will provide you with a list of top-performing hashtags within a few clicks. As you have stayed with us till here, we have another surprise for you. Did you know that you can actually use a hashtag finder tool for free? Yes, Vidtechy offers this opportunity to empower YouTube creators like you. Do you want to learn more about VidTechy’s free Hashtag Finder tool? Stay tuned and explore!
How To Use VidTechy To Find Hashtags?
Vidtechy has its own free Hashtag Finder tool, which you can use to find hashtags within a few clicks. Here’s how you can do it:
1.Open and refresh your browser.
2. Navigate to https://vidtechy.com/login . Log in using your appropriate login credentials.
3. In your dashboard, scroll down to the section “SEO tools.” Click on the “Hashtag Finder” tool under SEO tools.
4. On the next page, enter the keyword on which you want to find the hashtag. Next, enter the number of videos you wish to analyze to find hashtags. You can choose from an option of 10-50 videos. We take “SEO” as our keyword and analyze ten videos. Now, click on the “Suggest Hashtag” button.
5. You’ll find a list of “Suggested Hashtags” and “Hashtags From Videos,” which you can use on the next page. Firstly, you’ll find a list of suggested top-performing hashtags. Below it, you’ll find a list of hashtags that Vidtechy has extracted from top-performing videos.
6. You can also select the number of hashtags you want to see by selecting the number of entries from the “Show _ Entries” box. Moreover, you can also copy the list of hashtags by clicking on the copy option present beside the list. Isn’t this tool excellent? Let us know your experience in the comments section below.
4 Things You Should Know About YouTube Hashtags
Although YouTube hashtags help boost your SEO efforts and increase your video views, here are four things about YouTube hashtags that you should keep in mind.
1.YouTube Hashtags Don’t Guarantee Your YouTube Success
Even YouTube says that hashtags help elevate your video’s position in the SERP position. However, they are no sure shot promises for success. Many other factors add up to estimate your YouTube success. You should be well aware of the dos and don’ts of YouTube hashtags to make your video more searchable. However, also focus on optimizing other components of your video well.
2.Be Aware Of Youtube’s Rules For Hashtags
You should be pretty straightforward with the rules imposed by YouTube on how and where to use YouTube hashtags. The fundamental rule says that you should be very particular while choosing your hashtags. Choose only those hashtags which are directly related to your video.
Many creators often think they can increase views by adding the trending hashtags to their videos, even if they aren’t related to the video’s topic and content. However, this trick will never work out. Instead, you’ll end up pissing off users from your video who may otherwise report to YouTube complaining that your video is irrelevant to the topic. If you get many reports against your misleading video users, there are high chances of removal of your video.
Another important thing that you should keep in mind is there’s a particular limit on the maximum number of hashtags you can use in a video. Stuffing your YouTube description unnecessarily with lots of YouTube tags will do no good. According to YouTube’s algorithm, you shouldn’t use more than 15 hashtags in your video description. Moreover, YouTube also states that it will ignore all those posts which contain more than 15 hashtags.
Moreover, always be careful while typing your hashtags. Don’t give spaces between hashtags. Moreover, make sure that you enter the correct spelling. If you use a mis-spelled hashtag, you’ll end up not making it to the search results of the appropriate hashtag.
3.Follow The Guidelines Of the YouTube Community
Like other social media sites, YouTube also has its specific Community Guidelines to keep its users safe. These guidelines apply to all the content on YouTube, including their minute components, such as YouTube hashtags.
The three main guidelines are:
- Don’t publish or post any sensitive content.
- Your content shouldn’t be spam and shouldn’t involve the use of deceptive practices to rank on SERP results.
- Your content shouldn’t include any violent, dangerous, or sexual content.
Always make sure that your hashtags also follow these YouTube community guidelines. These guidelines will keep your content safe and unremoved from the platform and help you rank higher.
4. You Can’t Be The Owner Of A Hashtag
If you create a hashtag, you can’t apply or demand the ownership of that hashtag. Although, sometimes, you can apply for trademark hashtags. However, the rules and guidelines for trademark hashtags vary from one place to another. As a result, your trademark hashtag approval request may or may not be approved.
Moreover, even if you gain the trademark of a hashtag, you can rule over it exclusively. You can’t also stop other YouTube creators from using the hashtag.
4 Mistakes Which You Should Avoid While Using YouTube Hashtags
Despite the best efforts, it’s natural for humans to commit mistakes. Had I found this article earlier, I would have stayed away from some of the worst blunders regarding using hashtags. Let’s discover these mistakes which you should avoid.
1.Overtagging & Misleading
You’re well aware of the misleading policy of YouTube. Just like tags, you shouldn’t add too many hashtags. Too many tags indicate that you’re trying to mislead the visitors by using unnecessary tags. In such cases, your video is less likely to climb up the SERP results. Thus, use tags that are closely related to your video. Moreover, 3-5 tags are best. Choose the most appropriate tags and use the best ones.
2. Harassment & Hate Speech
Don’t use hashtags to intimidate, bully, harass, or threaten an individual or group on a public platform like YouTube. Also, try to avoid cyberbullying hashtags. Use of such hashtags will not just get your content banned but also possess the potential to land you in jail. Thus, you should strictly avoid hashtags that may harass, bully an individual or a group or promote violence.
3. Sexual Content & Vulgar Content
Don’t use hashtags that include explicit or sexual content or are sexually provocative. These are illegal, and both your content and you will land up being removed and banned from the platform. Also, stay away from hashtags that indicate offensive content.
4.Non-Hashtags
You should also try to avoid repetitive descriptive tags or other such hashtags.
A Word From VidTechy
YouTube hashtags are like identity cards that help YouTube and users identify you, thus putting you under the correct category. I hope we have provided you with all the necessary information related to YouTube hashtags and how you can grab some fantastic YouTube hashtags with minimal effort. Moreover, we would love it if you would go and check out Vidtechy’s “Hashtag Finder” tool. For any doubts, queries, comments, or suggestions, please drop them in the comments section below. We’ll reach out to you at the earliest. Happy reading!