Hashtags are clickable keywords or phrases preceded by the # symbol that creators add to YouTube video titles or descriptions to categorize content and connect it with related topics. When viewers click a hashtag, YouTube displays a results page containing other public videos that use the same hashtag. Hashtags help organize content around common themes and can improve content discoverability for relevant audiences, but they are only one of many signals YouTube uses for search and recommendations.
Why It Matters
Hashtags help creators organize videos around specific topics, events, or communities, making it easier for viewers to explore related content. They also provide additional context about a video's subject, particularly for trending topics, recurring series, and niche communities.
Brands, agencies, and businesses use hashtags to group campaigns, improve content organization, and increase visibility across related videos. However, hashtags should complement—not replace—strong titles, descriptions, thumbnails, and relevant content.
How It Works
Creating Hashtags
A hashtag consists of the # symbol followed by a word or phrase without spaces.
Examples include:
#YouTubeSEO
#Photography
#CookingTips
#Shorts
If multiple words are used, they are written together without spaces, such as #ContentMarketing.
Placement
Creators can add hashtags to:
Video descriptions
Video titles
When multiple hashtags appear in the description, YouTube may display a limited number above the video title, depending on its current interface.
Clickable Navigation
Viewers can click a hashtag to open a dedicated page showing other public YouTube videos using the same hashtag. This allows users to discover additional content related to that topic.
Content Categorization
Hashtags help identify the subject of a video, making them useful for:
Recurring content series
Events
Challenges
Educational topics
Product launches
Community discussions
Using accurate hashtags improves topical organization.
Best Practices
Creators generally achieve better results by using a small number of highly relevant hashtags instead of adding many unrelated ones. Overusing hashtags or using misleading tags may reduce clarity and should follow YouTube's spam policies.
Relationship to Search
Hashtags can support content discovery, but they are not a primary ranking factor. YouTube's search and recommendation systems consider many additional signals, including relevance, viewer satisfaction, watch time, audience retention, engagement, titles, descriptions, and overall content quality.
Example
A creator uploads a tutorial explaining video editing techniques and includes #VideoEditing, #YouTubeTips, and #PremierePro in the description. Viewers interested in those topics can click one of the hashtags to browse related public videos, potentially discovering the creator's content alongside similar tutorials.
Hashtags vs Tags
Hashtags are public, clickable keywords displayed on YouTube that help categorize content and allow viewers to browse related videos. Tags are metadata added by creators behind the scenes to help YouTube understand a video's topic, though their influence on discovery is much smaller than in YouTube's early years. Hashtags are visible to viewers, while tags are generally not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are Hashtags on YouTube?
Hashtags are clickable keywords preceded by the # symbol that creators add to video titles or descriptions to categorize content and help viewers discover related videos.
Q: Do Hashtags improve YouTube rankings?
Hashtags can support content discovery by providing additional context, but they are only one of many signals YouTube considers. High-quality content, audience satisfaction, watch time, and relevance have a much greater influence on search and recommendations.
Q: Where should creators add Hashtags?
Creators can add hashtags to video descriptions or titles. Most creators place them in the description to keep titles clean while still making the hashtags available for discovery.
Q: How many Hashtags should a YouTube video use?
There is no required number, but using a small number of highly relevant hashtags is generally more effective than adding many unrelated or repetitive ones. Creators should also follow YouTube's spam policies.
Q: Are Hashtags the same as YouTube tags?
No. Hashtags are public, clickable labels that viewers can use to browse related content. Tags are creator metadata used primarily to provide context to YouTube and are not normally visible to viewers.