Have you ever struggled to get views on your YouTube videos? Using the right tags can make a huge difference. Tags are keywords and phrases that help viewers find your content through YouTube search and suggested videos. In this beginner‘s guide, we‘ll go over everything you need to start optimizing tags for higher rankings and more views.
What Are Tags and Why Do They Matter?
YouTube allows creators to add tags or keywords to each video. Tags tell YouTube what your video is about so it can show it to interested viewers. Adding accurate, high-quality tags makes it more likely to appear when viewers search for related topics.
Better tags lead to more impressions and traffic through browse, search, and suggested videos. More visibility means more viewers, subscribers and momentum for your channel.
Step-by-Step Guide to YouTube Tag Generators
Tag generators are tools that automatically create effective tag recommendations for your videos by analyzing titles and topics. They save you research time and help surface good ideas you may have missed.
Here is how most generators work in just three simple steps:
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Enter your video title or topic. This helps the tag tool brainstorm closely related keywords.
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Generate tag recommendations. The generator will instantly suggest many relevant tags to use.
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Review and export tags. Look through the tags and pick the best ones to add to your video.
Check out this screenshot example from the popular VidIQ tag generator:
[insert image showing video title being entered and tags generated in VidIQ]Couldn‘t be easier, right? The best part is it‘s completely free to start optimizing tags.
Comparing the Best Free YouTube Tag Generators
There are many great tag generators to choose from, including free and paid versions. I recommend starting out with these top free options:
VidIQ
- Simple 3-step tag generator
- Provides search volume data
- Browser extensions available
- 3 tags per search for free users
TubeBuddy
- Easy-to-use interface
- Hundreds of tags in seconds
- Useful keyword research tools
- Limited without paid upgrade
KeywordTool.io
- Analyzes search volume trends
- Filters by location and language
- Exports CSV data
- Free version has limited searches
Test out a few generators to see which user interface you prefer. They all offer similar core functions but some stand out when it comes to particular features or integrations.
Pro Tips for Choosing the Best Tags
While tag generators do the hard work of researching and suggesting keywords, you still want to carefully review the tags before adding them. Here are some pro tips:
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Put primary keyword first. The first tag gets extra weight in YouTube‘s algorithm according to some experts.
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Check search volume data. Look for tags that are frequently searched but have lower competition. This helps get ranked.
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Review competitor tags. See what popular creators in your niche use to get video ideas.
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Use a rank tracker. These tools show your video‘s rankings for certain tags over time so you can see what works.
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Set benchmarks. Start tracking daily search impressions and click-through-rate. This helps you measure tag optimization progress.
Be patient and keep testing out new tags and arrangements over multiple videos to see which move the needle for your channel.
Additional Tools to Boost Discoverability
Optimizing tags is one piece of ranking videos and growing your channel. You may also want to try these complementary tools:
- Thumbnail generators to create clickable preview images
- Title optimizers to A/B test video titles
- Metadata editors to refine descriptions and tags in bulk
- Rank trackers to monitor video performance over time
I recommend the free browser extensions from VidIQ or TubeBuddy to access many of those tools in one dashboard.
Tips for Beginners Just Starting Out
As a beginner, tag optimization may seem confusing but just remember these basics when getting started:
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Focus on long-tail, low competition tags in your niche. Leave the most popular tags to established creators.
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Use tag generators and take advantage of automation to simplify the process.
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Study larger channels in your niche for inspiration on finding good tags.
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Start tracking daily views and clicks on each video to see which tags deliver traffic.
Be consistent about optimizing and analyzing tags across multiple videos, and you will slowly but surely gain more viewers over time.
I hope this beginner‘s guide to YouTube tag generators was helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments.
