Tags and hashtags sound similar and get lumped together constantly, but they are completely different features that do different jobs. Knowing what each one actually does, and how little some of them matter, will save you a lot of wasted effort on every upload.
Tags: hidden context
Tags are keywords you add in the video's upload settings. Viewers never see them. Their purpose is to give YouTube extra context about your content, and YouTube has publicly stated that tags play a minimal role in discovery, mostly helping when your topic is commonly misspelled.
Hashtags: visible topic links
Hashtags are clickable links you add in the title or description. They group your video with others using the same hashtag, and YouTube displays up to three of them above your title. Unlike tags, hashtags are part of the viewer-facing package.
| Tags | Hashtags | |
|---|---|---|
| Visible to viewers | No | Yes |
| Where they live | Upload settings | Title or description |
| Clickable | No | Yes, leads to a hashtag page |
| Impact on discovery | Minimal | Modest, helps topical grouping |
| How many to use | A focused handful | 2 to 3 relevant ones |
The rules that trip people up
- Tags share a 500-character total limit. Keep them relevant rather than stuffing.
- Add more than 15 hashtags and YouTube ignores all of them on the video.
- Hashtags must follow the rules; misleading or excessive hashtags can cause issues.
What to actually do per upload
Add a small set of accurate tags with the tag generator, include two or three relevant hashtags using the hashtag generator, and then spend the rest of your energy where it counts: the title, thumbnail, and the first lines of your description. See YouTube SEO guide.
Generate tags and hashtags in seconds
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