Do YouTube tags matter? What to add and what to skip

YouTube tags matter a little, mostly when people misspell what your video is about. YouTube says tags play a minimal role in discovery, and that your title, thumbnail, and description matter more.

So add a few accurate tags, cover common misspellings, and move on. Here's how I'd pick them.

What tags are good for

The clearest use is a name people misspell. Here's what that looks like for a GoPro video: I'd tag the topic, the camera model, and any name people often spell wrong. I wouldn't add every camera brand I can think of.

Are YouTube tags the same as hashtags?

No. Tags go in YouTube Studio's tag field. Hashtags start with # and go in your title or description.

YouTube's hashtag rules say hashtags can't have spaces. Up to 3 of the hashtags in your description can show by your title, and YouTube picks the ones it considers most engaging.

If you add more than 60, YouTube ignores all of them on that video. That rule is only for hashtags.

I'd keep hashtags to a few that describe the video.

How to add tags in YouTube Studio

From the same YouTube tags page:

1. Open YouTube Studio and select Content.
2. Select the video.
3. Click Show more and add your tags.
4. Click Save.

Keep them in the tag field. Don't paste them below your description.

How the 500-character tag limit counts

The limit is 500 characters for the whole tag list, not per tag. YouTube spells out how it counts in its developer reference for video tags:

• The commas between tags count.
• A tag with a space in it counts as if it had quotes around it, so it uses two extra characters.

So espresso is 8 characters. home espresso is 13 characters but counts as 15. With the comma, the two tags use 24 characters.

You don't type the quotes yourself. That's just how YouTube's API counts, so the limit works out a little different from adding up the visible letters alone.

Which tags are worth adding?

Do this after your title, thumbnail, and description are done. It should only take a couple of minutes.

1. Name the exact subject. For a beginner espresso video, espresso basics beats popular videos.
2. Add the identifying detail. The product model, software, guest, or location if it's central to the video. Skip gear that's just in the background.
3. Add real misspellings. If viewers keep misspelling something in your comments, tag it. Keep the correct spelling in your title and description, and don't invent dozens of random typos.
4. Add common alternate spellings. An AeroPress video could have both AeroPress tutorial and Aero Press tutorial.
5. Delete anything you can't justify. Duplicates, unrelated names, and broad filler. Then save and stop.

For an AeroPress lesson, a starting list might be AeroPress, Aero Press, AeroPress tutorial, AeroPress recipe, and coffee brewing.

If you're stuck, my free tag generator can give you ideas. Treat the results as options, not a list to paste in. Keep only the tags that fit your video.

What to avoid with tags

Don't add misleading tags to borrow interest from an unrelated creator, product, or event. YouTube's spam and deceptive practices policy doesn't allow tags, titles, or descriptions meant to mislead viewers.

Other things I'd skip:

• Copying another video's tag list. Their guests, places, and products probably aren't in your video.
• Pasting tags into the description. YouTube's tags page says too many tags in a description goes against its spam policies.
• Using the same list on every video. Check each tag against the video it's on.
• Changing tags every time views are slow. Views moving after an edit doesn't mean the tags did it.

Your description is a better use of that time. I put together a few YouTube description templates you can copy.

FAQs about YouTube tags

Should I add misspellings to my title too?

No. Keep your title readable and spelled right. Misspellings belong in the tag field.

Should I update tags on old videos?

I'd fix obvious mistakes or unrelated tags, but I wouldn't rewrite tags across your whole channel. The things that matter more are in my guide on how to get more views on YouTube.

How many YouTube tags should I use?

YouTube doesn't give a magic number. Add the relevant name, topic, and spelling variants. Once the tags describe the video and cover the obvious misspellings, save them and move on. You don't need to fill all 500 characters.