Hashtags are no more limited to Instagram or LinkedIn.
That’s right, now you can even use YouTube hashtags to increase views and subscribers.
So how do you incorporate YouTube hashtags into your videos?
Well! Building a strategy around it could be the deal-breaker for you.
In this article, we’ll cover everything about YouTube hashtags and how to build a full-proof hashtag strategy to skyrocket your channel views and subscribers in no time.
What Are YouTube Hashtags?
In 2018, YouTube initially made it possible to search the content using hashtags. But it wasn’t a full-fleged move.
In the past, a hashtag search would return both contents that contained the hashtag and related stuff that didn’t.
But over time, the platform improved on the use of hashtags. Now users get a dedicated page with videos explicit to that hashtag.
Simply put, the algorithm got better and better from user search experiences over time.
But there’s more to the story.
Using hashtags, you can easily group your videos with other content that uses similar hashtags. Moreover, you can also use hashtags to search for related videos in the YouTube search bar.
But for the most part, hashtags increase your video’s reach and visibility, benefiting end-users and content creators.
There are four primary categories of hashtags on YouTube:
- Title Hashtags
- Description Hashtags
- Branded Hashtags
- Location Hashtags
How Do They Help Your YouTube Channel?
Hashtags allow YouTube’s algorithm to grasp your videos’ context and content in a better way. Thereby assisting the platform in linking your videos to articles that investigate related topics or are similar to your videos. Therefore, hashtags aid in increasing the platform’s capacity to find your content and free channel promotion.
Besides, YouTube hashtags can increase your video views in many different ways.
#1. Increases Video Visibility
As we just discussed, even if your visitors are not subscribed to your channel, clicking a hashtag will take them to your videos that contain that particular hashtag. Results?
- Increase in views
- Channel Awareness
- Better discovery
And many more.
#2. Organize Your Videos Into Categories Without Creating Playlists
A unique way to utilise YouTube hashtags is using them to categorise your videos. Just the way you create a playlist!
For example, Ankur Warikoo categorised the videos using the #warikoo hashtag. So now, whenever you search with this hashtag, you get all warikoo’s videos that contain the hashtag.
The best part is you can create infinite hashtags and playlists so and when you like, hassle-free.
#3. Assists YouTube SEO
YouTube SEO allows your videos to appear higher in YouTube search results. Like keywords, adding pertinent hashtags to your videos will assist YouTube in comprehending the content of the video. The more signs of relevance you can offer, the better.
6 Best Practices For a Perfect YouTube Hashtag Strategy
#1. Don’t Go Overboard
Using irrelevant or simply overusing hashtags won’t help you go up the trajectory.
In fact, YouTube rejects all hashtags if you use more than 15 (what it refers to as “over-tagging”) on a single video. Our advice?
Keep your hashtag usage to 3–4 per video.
Bonus: Using irrelevant hashtags increases the risk of being penalised for YouTube’s “misleading metadata” guidelines. While it may be tempting to use a popular hashtag, remember that each hashtag should be directly relevant to the subject matter of your video.
#2. Take Inspiration From Your Competitors
The best place to look for relevant YouTube hashtags is your top competitors.
First of all, they share your interest in the same subjects. Additionally, they can have a lot and lots of videos that have had an enormous amount of views and interaction.
Now all you need to do is discover which hashtags those top-performing videos use so you can use them for your videos.
Bonus: Remember that every channel has its USP, and so does yours. And so, replicating competitors’ strategies won’t do any good. Instead, understand how they’re doing it, make tweaks considering your channel, and then executive them for better results.
#3. Create Your Own Branded Hashtag
As the name implies, a branded hashtag includes your company’s name within the hashtag, such as #ShobaSays, #warikoo, and more.
For example, Tanmay Bhat, a famous YouTuber, uses his full name as a hashtag in his videos. We doubt you would find any other YouTuber using this hashtag.
That’s the power of branding hashtags.
Bonus: Be mindful that any other YouTuber could use your brand’s hashtag in a video that disparages your company or in a video that doesn’t adhere to your company’s principles.
#4. Make Use Of A Hashtag Generator
Use a hashtag generator for youtube to get AI-assistance in getting relevant hashtags for your videos.
Maybe, YouTube Help tags can help you.
It helps content creators select the appropriate hashtags for YouTube. The generator asks for your video topic, and it returns a variety of choices.
Bonus: Some of the most famous are RapidTags, KeywordTool.io, and YTube Tool are some of the most famous. You can also take suggestions from the YouTube “Trending” section.
#5. Add location-based hashtags to local videos
Use location-based hashtags to increase your reach in a certain region. Make sure the hashtags you use are precise. For instance, the hashtag “#YouthCafe” could refer to various eatery places; if you’re talking about the state capital, think about using “#YouthCafeDelhi.”
#6. Adhere To The Rules Of The YouTube Hashtag Policy
Again, don’t try to befool the algorithm. Using any black hat SEO practices or wrongly-meant hashtags may result in suspending or removing videos featuring abusive or deceptive hashtags.
Bonus: If you wish to make two specific hashtags. As an illustration, use #cookingrecipes rather than #cooking recipes or #cooking #recipes to make the word “cooking recipes” into a single hashtag.
And that’s it! You’ve a powerful YouTube hashtag strategy in place.
Wrapping Up: Are You Ready To Use Hashtags In Your YouTube Strategy?
Hashtags on YouTube can be a simple and straightforward technique to increase the number of visitors who see your videos.
You’ll improve your chances of success by doing the proper keyword research, adhering to YouTube optimisation, and monitoring hashtag performance to ensure you’re utilising the right ones.
To see if hashtags impact your YouTube video analytics, experiment with the type and number of hashtags you use.
P.S. Don’t just rely on hashtag power to help your YouTube video rank higher; instead, concentrate on the video’s actual content.
