A Complete Guide to Using Hashtags on YouTube
Published on 11.04.2026 by Chizoba T
Hashtags have proven useful for grouping content on YouTube and other social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. This feature helps users navigate the millions of YouTube videos, making it easy to find the content they are looking for. However, for hashtags to be effective, you need to use the right ones that describe your content category.
You also need to ensure that the competition for the hashtags you are using isn’t too stiff, or you will struggle to gain visibility. On the other hand, using hashtags that no one uses will make your videos harder to find. That is why you need to understand how to use hashtags on YouTube and check whether you are using them well when auditing your YouTube channel.
What Are YouTube Hashtags?
YouTube hashtags are clickable keywords that start with the “#” symbol. When used on platforms like YouTube, they categorize your videos. When people search for content using those hashtags, YouTube recommends your videos alongside others that use the same hashtags.YouTube usually displays the first three seconds of a video in the video description, prominently above the video title, making the tool a strong driver of visibility.
Why Use YouTube Hashtags?
Strategically adding relevant trending hashtags can expand your video’s reach beyond your current subscribers. Here are some great reasons to add YouTube hashtags:
Enable Better Video Categorization
When you use relevant keywords on YouTube, you provide YouTube with better context for your video, making it a good strategy for better categorization. The platform can better recommend the video to other users who are searching for videos on that topic or are showing interest in the related content.
Hashtags are, therefore, basically signals to help YouTube place your videos in the correct search results and even the suggested video feeds. This increases the likelihood that your video will be seen by the right audience.
Hashtags Expand the Reach of Your Videos
Hashtags also serve as a bridge, helping your video reach a larger YouTube audience. When you add relevant hashtags to the video title and description, you help the YouTube algorithm find people who are already looking for or interested in that niche.
In simple terms, you are casting a wider net to reach potential viewers who might not have stumbled upon the content. This increased visibility can help you drive more engagement, views, and subscribers.
Better Content Categorization
Hashtags can help you categorize your videos more effectively. When you have a consistent hashtag strategy with specific series and themes on your channel, you enable visitors to easily find and explore related content. This can encourage them to watch more of your videos, boosting your YouTube watch time.
How to Find the Right YouTube Hashtags
When using YouTube hashtags, ensure you use only relevant ones. Also, conduct a quick search to see what appears when you use a hashtag related to your videos. Here are the top ways for finding the right hashtags to use:
Check Trending Hashtags
Consider your video's theme. For instance, you can search for “homeworktips” and see the hashtags that the top videos are using. While it’s not necessary to use their branded hashtags, you can get ideas for the kind of hashtags to use.
Analyze the Top-Performing Videos
Check the hashtags your main competitors are using and the number of views each video gets. These hashtags can provide insights into which hashtags you should use and topic ideas for your future videos.
YouTube Autosuggest
In the same way, the Google search bar gives hints about your search; YouTube can also give hashtag suggestions as soon as you start typing. Even when you search for a broad topic without considering the hashtags, you will get ideas for your future topics and the relevant hashtags to add to your YouTube description. When you find the top hashtags that will be relevant for your videos, you can include a phrase or keyword to add some more relevant results.
Use YouTube Hashtag Generators
There are third-party tools that let you enter your primary keywords and have the keyword generator recommend hashtags. Others, such as SproutSocial, track conversations across social media platforms to identify hashtags that are gaining momentum and resonating with your target audience.
Tips for Using YouTube Hashtags
When adding YouTube hashtags, keep the following tips in mind:
- Limit to five. At times, you will come across so many hashtags that you are confused about which one to use and which one to ignore. No matter the template, stick to 3 to 5 hashtags per video, as this range tends to yield better results. This ensures that your message remains clear and doesn’t overwhelm your target viewers.
- Mix General with specific. Combine the broad hashtags with niche ones. For instance, #workout with # homeworkouttipsforbeginners. This can be a good strategy for maximizing visibility while reaching your target audience.
- Keep track of trending hashtags. Analyze platforms that track trending YouTube topics, so you can keep your content fresh and align with users’ interests.
- Keep experimenting and analyzing. Try a combination of hashtags across different videos, focusing on the ones driving the highest engagement, to refine for future posts.
- Describe the hashtags wisely. While adding hashtags to your title can help you grab attention, adding them organically to your description can improve discoverability.
How to Add Hashtags to YouTube videos
There are two areas where you should add your hashtags. These are:
YouTube Video Title
Start by conducting keyword research before adding a hashtag to your YouTube video. Using a title with the right keywords will also improve the video’s discoverability, just as hashtags do. The advantage of adding a hashtag to the title is that it remains clickable. When users click on the hashtag in the search result, they are taken directly to your video.
Video Description
Another great place to add the hashtag is in the video description. After the relevant keywords, you can also add a free hashtag at the bottom of the video. This is a great place to add hashtags that would look awkward in the video titles.
In Conclusion
A good YouTube hashtag strategy should involve more than researching and adding a couple of hashtags to your videos. You also need to incorporate them correctly. If you are wondering how to do that, our steps above will prove helpful. We recommend you read our guide on whether it's too late to start a YouTube channel.