In this blog, you’ll learn how you can use YouTube hashtags to boost your views and what things you should avoid while using hashtags.
You must be acquainted with the use of hashtags on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Recently, YouTube has also started the use of hashtags to increase exposure and optimize content in a better way.
Related Blog: How much do YouTube ads cost?
Learning about YouTube SEO can help improve performance on the platform. Using the right keywords, optimizing the video based on the keywords, and linking content to other web pages and videos are all part of it. Along with this, you can also add hashtags to your videos and descriptions to improve your content’s discoverability.
Here is a comprehensive guide on YouTube hashtags and everything you need to know about them to be able to use them properly to increase your views.
What exactly are YouTube hashtags?
Hashtags on YouTube are used for category tagging and search purposes. They act like little discovery tags that help in finding your videos while also allowing you to categorize them without having to create different lists.
GOT YOUR CONTENT READY? GRAPHY IS ALL YOU NEED TO GET STARTED!
Hashtags are words or phrases with a hash (#-pound sign) preceding them that can be clicked on. They’re utilized to pinpoint a specific subject. You may find related YouTube videos with a hashtag by clicking on them. You won’t have to shift through pages of unrelated content that aren’t specialized enough to your topic if you use a hashtag.
Where to use hashtags on YouTube?
There are 3 different ways in which hashtags are generally displayed on YouTube
- In the Video description, You can use up to 15 hashtags in the description
- In the Video title, You can use hashtags in the title itself
- Above the title, The first 3 hashtags entered in the description are displayed here
On YouTube’s mobile app, you can also set location hashtags. However, these are not featured with a #-sign and get displayed above the title.
The Right way to use YouTube hashtags
It is important for you to know the specifics of YouTube hashtags and how to strategically implement them for better results.
GOT YOUR CONTENT READY? GRAPHY IS ALL YOU NEED TO GET STARTED!
Some of the practices one can implement for improved performance on YouTube include:
Using hashtags related to the topic
Adding popular and trending hashtags to your videos is lazy work. One needs to think smart and find out the hashtags that are relevant to the video.
Using hashtags that are not relevant for the sake of ranking might reduce watch hours and affect reach and subscription. Not to mention, the use of such hashtags can get your content marked as spam too. On the first search page, YouTube only rewards videos that are relevant to the viewer’s search property.
Use your own branded hashtags
Branded hashtags are the ones that are used to identify and find a brand’s content with ease. It can include brand names, slogans, and related phrases.
While YouTube encourages viewers to search for hashtags by presenting them prominently on your video, this can also lead to more viewers clicking on them and leaving your videos.
GOT YOUR CONTENT READY? GRAPHY IS ALL YOU NEED TO GET STARTED!
Therefore, branded hashtags create individuality. If a user clicks to see more videos, they’ll only be directed to your own.
Review your best and worst performing hashtags
Assess your best-performing video to look at the topic and key hashtag you used for that video.
YouTubers tend to make videos on the latest trends and topics very quickly, which isn’t necessarily a negative thing, but it isn’t always a sustainable option. Instead, seek for themes that seem to be performing particularly well and branch out by looking for related keywords or topics.
Also, look for hashtags that do not have much effect on the performance and prevent using them for the next videos.
Learn from competitor hashtag strategy
Having a smart SEO strategy planned and knowing what hashtags your competitors are using, will offer you a solid sense of what hashtags you should be looking into. Look at their most popular videos and channels, as well as their other social media accounts for a better idea.
GOT YOUR CONTENT READY? GRAPHY IS ALL YOU NEED TO GET STARTED!
Search and know your hashtags before adding
As already mentioned, not all hashtags will lead to quality search results. When selecting a hashtag, always do a short search to check what comes up to ensure that the content that shows is relevant to your own video. This will ensure that your hashtags do not lead to spammy or irrelevant videos.
Related Blog: 60+ Captivating Instagram Captions for Couples: Express Your Love
Tips to consider while using YouTube hashtags
Hashtags on YouTube aren’t quite the same as they are on other social media sites. However, if used correctly, they can help your YouTube channel become more discoverable.
There are several hashtag policies on the platform which, if not followed properly, can lead you to be penalized or banned.
- Over tagging. In a single video, the total number of hashtags that can be added is 15. YouTube will ignore all hashtags in a video if there are too many.
- Content that is deceptive. Never use hashtags that are misleading or unrelated to the topic of your video.
- Harassment. Never use any hashtag with the intention to harass, threaten, humiliate, intimidate, cyberbully, or otherwise harm any group or individual.
- Hate speech Never use hashtags that advocate violence or hatred toward any individual or any organization.
- Sexually explicit material. Your video will be removed if you use sexual or explicit hashtags or those that are intended to be sexually provocative.
- The use of vulgar language. Never include profanity or offensive terms in your hashtags; otherwise, your video may be subjected to age restrictions or be banned entirely.
- Non-Hashtags. If you utilize common descriptive tags or sentences in your video’s description, you risk receiving a penalty or having your video removed.
Related Blog: Hashtags for Instagram reels
These are some of the YouTube hashtag policies that you need to keep in mind. A more detailed description is provided in the YouTube Community Guidelines, and it is best to review it before you begin.
Conclusion
Most marketers don’t realize how different YouTube marketing is, and hashtags are just the beginning. Using hashtags in your YouTube videos can help you gain more views, likes, shares, comments, and YouTube subscribers, and improve your SEO.
GOT YOUR CONTENT READY? GRAPHY IS ALL YOU NEED TO GET STARTED!
If you are a creator and want to scale your online teaching business then using the right hashtag is a mandate. Graphy being a one-stop-solution provides you with rich multimedia features like:
So join Graphy and achieve your dream just like the other 40000+ creators.
