Best YouTube Shorts Tags to Boost Your Visibility

Did you know that the symbol that we know as the “hashtag” today was first used to denote weight in pounds? It soon became a shorthand for “lb” and “lbs”, but the digital world had other plans for the octothorpe (yep, that’s the technical term for a #).

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In 1988, the symbol was used on the Internet Relay Chat to categorize messages. But it wasn’t until 2007 that the hashtag dramatically changed the way people communicate on a larger scale. The symbol was brought to Twitter by Chris Messina who suggested the use of the hashtag to create conversations and groups. Today, hashtags have become one of the main ways to monitor trends and follow the topics you’re interested in. 

Though you might have seen plenty of creators say that hashtags ‘stopped working’ that is not true. If used correctly, the YouTube Shorts tags will help you make your content visible to hundreds of thousands of people. How can you use this magic wand the right way? Here is everything you need to know!

What Are YouTube Shorts Tags?

Tags—or hashtags—are clickable keywords that start with the "#" symbol. They help categorize and organize content. 

They're key pieces of information that YouTube's algorithm needs to understand your content's context, so it can show it to people who are likely to want to watch it. You can think of them as digital signposts that help guide potential viewers to your content.

The Importance of Tags

Is it worth adding tags to YouTube Shorts? Definitely! Tags are super important in four main areas:

1. Search visibility
2. Content categorization
3. Algorithmic recommendations
4. Trend participation

When people look for certain things on YouTube, the platform's algorithm looks at different factors, including tags, to figure out which content to show. Using good tags can really help you show up in relevant searches and suggested videos.

How to Take Advantage of YouTube Shorts Tags

The Placement

Where you place your tags is just as important as the tags themselves. 

Put your main tags in the video title and description, with the most essential ones at the top. For Shorts, use the "#shorts" tag first, as this helps YouTube identify your content as a Short.

The Right Number

While YouTube lets you use multiple tags, you'll have a better result if you focus on quality rather than quantity. 

The best number of tags for your YouTube Shorts is usually between three and five per video. This gives you enough context without looking spammy or diluting the focus of your content.

Best YouTube Shorts Tags

While general tags are good for getting your name out there, niche-specific tags are the way to really connect with your target audience.

To make sure your videos reach the right people, you need to use a mix of broad and highly specific tags. The goal is to find a balance between making your videos easy to find and relevant to your target audience.

90 Most Trending YouTube Shorts Hashtags

General Tags (always add at least 1 or 2)

1. #shorts
2. #youtubeshorts
3. #viral
4. #trending
5. #explore
6. #fyp
7. #foryou
8. #viralvideo
9. #newtrend
10. #popular

The Best Way to Use Good YouTube Shorts Hashtags for Views

Combining Tags Effectively

• Primary Tags: Include 1-2 universal tags
• Niche Tags: Add 2-3 category-specific tags
• Micro-Niche Tags: Include 1-2 highly specific tags

Tag Placement Optimization

1. Title: Include the most important tag
2. The first line of description: Place 2-3 primary tags
3. End of description: Add remaining relevant tags

Track How the Tags Are Doing

Pay extra attention to these metrics when trying out a new combination of tags: 

• View-through rate (VTR)
• Audience retention
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• Engagement rate
• Channel subscriber conversion

Examples of Helpful Tools

What hashtags to use on YouTube Shorts? Here are some great tools that can help you figure out whether the tags you’re using are actually effective. 

• YouTube Analytics

YouTube Analytics is an awesome tool that is built right into the platform. It gives you a full dashboard with all kinds of details like views, impressions, click-through rates, audience demographics, and engagement metrics.

• Browser Extensions

TubeBuddy is another handy tool for tracking the performance of your Shorts. It's a browser extension that works perfectly with the platform. 

• Third-Party Platforms 

It's also worth checking out third-party analytics tools like Vidiq and Socialblade. They can give you a lot of useful insights, from detailed analytics to competitive data and trend analysis. That means you can compare your videos with other content in your industry and spot ways to make them better.

Advanced Tag Testing Strategy

If you want to go the extra mile when looking for the best YouTube Shorts tags, you might want to conduct these tests as well. 

1. A/B Testing: Try out a couple of different tag combinations to see what works best.
2. Time-Based Analysis: Keep an eye on how your posts with the same hashtags do at different times of day.
3. Trend Correlation: Keep tabs on which tags are performing the best during specific trends.
4. Audience Overlap: Take a look at the different tag combinations and see which viewer demographics they attract.

It's important to keep your tagging strategy up to date with the latest performance data and trends in your niche.

How to Use a Hashtag Correctly

Do YouTube Shorts need hashtags? They certainly do, but are you sure you're typing your tags correctly?

1. No spaces: Don't use spaces between words in your hashtags. Instead, use CamelCase or underscores to connect multiple words. For example, write #SocialMedia or "#social_media.", not “#social media.
2. Start with the # symbol: You'll always want to kick things off with the # symbol. This is what makes the word or phrase into a clickable hashtag. 

As a quick aside, #SocialMedia, #social_media, and #socialmedia are all basically the same thing. They all work in a similar way and will categorize your content under the broad topic of "social media." The only real difference is the stylistic choices you make. 

The trick is to choose a format and stick with it. That way, your audience will recognize and remember your hashtags more easily. 

How to Research and Select Popular Hashtags for YouTube Shorts

To pick the right tags, you've got to do some digging to understand your target audience. You can start by checking out successful videos in your niche and noting how tags are used.

Tools for Tag Research

• YouTube's autocomplete function

You can get a lot of good info from YouTube's autocomplete feature. It shows you related tags and keywords that people are searching for. Just enter a phrase or topic that's relevant to you and the autocomplete feature will show you a bunch of related terms and phrases that people commonly search for. 

• Competitor analysis

Competitor analysis is another key move in the tag research strategy. Checking out what YouTube Shorts tags people in your industry are using can give you a better feel for the space, and show you where you could set your content apart. Looking at tags used on popular channels or posts similar to yours can show you what topics, keywords, and niche areas are trending.

• Trending sections

Checking out the trending sections on social media and video-sharing sites is also worth it. These sections show you the most popular and engaging content, so you can see what your target audience is interested in right now. 

• Analytics insights

Leveraging analytics insights can be a total game-changer in your tag research process. You can identify the exact tags and keywords that are performing well for your content simply by analyzing search queries, impressions, clicks, and engagement metrics. 

The Most Common Tagging Mistakes to Avoid

What are tags on YouTube Shorts? Now that you know that it’s one of the easiest and most effective ways to get your content seen by more people, there are a few things that you need to be aware of: 

• Using irrelevant trending tags
• Overloading with too many tags
• Neglecting niche-specific tags
• Using outdated or deprecated tags

Outdated hashtags simply won’t get the job done, as well as forgetting about niche-specific hashtags. If you use too many tags or include irrelevant hashtags, you run the risk of annoying your viewers. This could ultimately lead to you getting on the 'black list' of the mighty algorithm.

Bonus: Advanced Tagging Strategies

If you're a creator looking to level up your content, advanced tagging strategies could give you a competitive edge in the ever-crowded Shorts space.

Seasonal and Event-Based Tags

How to viral YouTube Shorts tag? Timing your content to match seasonal events and trends can really give you a boost in visibility! 

Think about creating content that's in line with:

• Major holidays
• Cultural events
• Industry conferences
• Global celebrations

Examples:

#SpringtimeVibes #SummerFun #AutumnLeaves #WinterWonderland #HalloweenSpooktacular #ChristmasCountdown #NewYearsEve2024 #ValentinesDay #EarthDay #MothersDay #FathersDay #BackToSchool #Thanksgiving #BlackFriday #CyberMonday #GiftIdeas #HolidayDeals #SummerSale #SpringCleaningTips #AutumnHarvest

Geographic and Language-Specific Tags

Knowing where your audience is and what language they speak can help you target content more effectively. Think about using location-specific tags when it makes sense for your content and your target audience.

Examples: 

#NewYorkCity #LosAngeles #London #Paris #Tokyo #Sydney #BuenosAires #DubaiLife #MadridTravel #CanadianPride #AustralianOutback #BrazilianCulture #GermanEngineering #ItalianStyle #JapaneseAesthetics #SpanishFiesta #FrenchChic #IndiaTravelGuide #MexicanFiesta #SouthAfricanSafari

YouTube Success Awaits!

Are tags good for YouTube Shorts? Oh yes, they are. But creating engaging content on the regular, while keeping track of all those tags, can be tough. That's where AI-powered solutions like BigMotion come in. The platform makes the whole content creation process easier, from writing the script to getting it out there, and includes picking the best tags for maximum visibility.

BigMotion offers a comprehensive solution that helps you:

• Generate engaging video content automatically
• Create unique, AI-powered visuals
• Implement effective tagging strategies
• Maintain consistent posting schedules
• Track performance metrics

With BigMotion's one-stop platform, you can focus on growing your channel while AI takes care of the technical bits and pieces of content creation and optimization.