How To Add Tags to YouTube Videos and Why It’s a Good Idea

After uploading a video to YouTube, the next step is reaching the right audience. That's where YouTube tags come into play — they categorize your content and tell YouTube what your video is about. This can help your video appear in search results and recommendations.

Keep reading to learn how to add tags on YouTube and uncover best practices that help your videos reach the right audience.

What Are YouTube Tags?

YouTube tags are descriptive keywords and phrases you can add to your video. They’re not visible to viewers — instead, they help the algorithm understand your video’s context. This increases its chances of appearing in searches and recommendations to interested viewers.

For example, if you're uploading a video tutorial called "How To Bake a Chocolate Cake," you can use tags like "baking tips" or "chocolate cake recipe.” These phrases tell YouTube that your content relates to baking and desserts. When someone searches for similar terms, YouTube's algorithm will suggest your video as something they might be interested in watching.

The Benefits of Using Tags on YouTube 

Here’s how YouTube tags improve your video’s performance and help you reach your target audience.

Increased Discoverability

Tags help your video appear in YouTube’s recommendations and “Up Next” sections, where people find content related to a video they just watched. Well-chosen terms help the YouTube algorithm understand the context of your video and recommend it alongside similar content, letting new audiences discover your channel while keeping existing subscribers engaged with fresh videos.

For example, you may add tags like “organization hacks” and “time management” to a video about planning a workday schedule. This may reach viewers who are already watching personal productivity videos.

Better Audience Targeting

Tags allow you to target specific audiences more effectively. More specific phrases tell YouTube to match your video with viewers who are more likely to enjoy and engage with it. Precise targeting increases the number of meaningful views and attracts people with a genuine interest in your content.

Say your target audience is beginner photographers. Using tags like “photography basics” and “camera settings for beginners" pushes the video to people searching for introductory content. 

Higher Content Relevance

Using keywords related to current events or popular trends helps the algorithm associate your video with timely content. If you want to create posts for the holiday season, tags like “holiday gift ideas” or “Christmas recipes” can surface your video as people search for festive content.

How To Add Tags to YouTube Videos

Including YouTube tags in your Shorts and long-form videos can make a real difference in reaching the right audience. Here’s a step-by-step guide to adding tags to new or existing posts.

Adding Tags to New Posts

1. Sign Into YouTube Studio

First, log into your YouTube account, and head to YouTube Studio. Click on your profile picture in the upper right corner and choose “YouTube Studio” from the dropdown menu. 

2. Upload Your Video

Click on the camera icon near your profile picture in the top right corner to upload a new video. Choose "Upload Video" from the dropdown menu, and follow the prompts to select your file and begin the import process. While your video uploads, you can start filling out details, including your tags.

3. Go to the "Details" Section

Once you're in the video editor, go to the "Details" tab to add important information about your video, from the title and description to tags and thumbnails. 

4. Add Your Tags

Scroll down to find the "Tags" box. Here, you can type in keywords that describe your video. For example, if you're uploading a tutorial on basic photography techniques, you can include terms like “intro to photography" or “beginner photography.” 

You can add up to 500 characters for all your tags, so be selective and choose phrases that genuinely capture your video's content. These terms also affect how YouTube's algorithm promotes your content.

Edit Tags in Existing Videos

If you have videos on your channel that could use an update, you can always go back and add or edit tags. Here's how:

• Access your video library — In YouTube Studio, go to "Content" to see all your uploaded videos. Find the post you want to update and click on it.
• Edit the tags — Select "Show More" to add, modify, or delete tags. This is a good practice if you notice changes in YouTube search trends or want to reengage subscribers with an older video.

YouTube Tags Best Practices

To improve your video's performance, you need more than just trending terms. Follow these best practices to make the most of your YouTube tags.

Combine Broad and Specific Tags

Using broad and specific tags can increase your video’s reach while targeting a particular audience. Broad terms, such as “photography” for a camera tutorial, tell the algorithm about your video’s general theme. Meanwhile, specific phrases like “DSLR settings for beginners” or “how to use a Canon camera” make it easier for niche audiences to find your content. Balancing both types caters to a broader audience while still reaching interested viewers.

Avoiding Tag Stuffing

While it's tempting to use as many tags as possible, overloading your video with keywords is a practice YouTube frowns on. The platform interprets tag stuffing as spam, and it doesn’t want to promote that type of content. Plus, too many irrelevant or loosely connected terms can confuse the platform's algorithm and hurt your video's chances of reaching the intended audience. 

Instead, focus on a select few keywords that represent your video's content. This keeps your video targeted and makes it easier for the algorithm to understand and promote.

Use Popular Tags

Adding trending tags can give your video an edge against similar creators. To find popular keywords, check tools like TubeRanker and Ahrefs to search your niche. These platforms will tell you stats like the term’s monthly search volume so you know how popular each phrase is.

However, only use trending tags if they genuinely fit your content and personal brand. Irrelevant terms might bring in views but can lead to high drop-off rates, which tells the platform that people aren’t interested in your channel.

Grow Your YouTube Presence With Captions

Tagging is an easy yet impactful way to make your YouTube videos more visible on the platform. The right keywords can help YouTube understand your content, making it more discoverable to people searching for similar topics.

Once people find your videos, you need to keep them engaged — that’s where Captions comes in. Our AI features help with the entire content creation process, from scripting to editing. You can automatically add effects, translate your videos into multiple languages, and insert royalty-free music into your videos.

Make standout YouTube videos that grow your brand with Captions.