You know what's funny about YouTube tags? Everyone thinks they're doing it right, but so few actually are! We learned this the hard way when I started my channel. After countless hours of research (and yeah, plenty of mistakes), we've cracked the code on finding tags that actually work.
Here's a story that might sound familiar: You spend hours picking the "perfect" tags, hit publish, and... it sucks! The problem isn't that you're not trying - it's that you're probably looking in the wrong places.
Most creators (including my past self!) make the mistake of copying competitors' tags without understanding why they work. Here's the thing - what works for a channel with 1M subscribers is not guaranteed to work for you. It's your video – play to your strengths!
Want to know my biggest "aha" moment? It happened when I stopped chasing trending tags and started studying viewer behavior instead. I noticed something fascinating in my analytics: the videos that performed best weren't the ones with the most tags - they were the ones that matched the news and trends people were searching for. One of my videos was about Sam Altman and OpenAI – guess what, when he got ousted as CEO – my videos POPPED! Be smart!
Here's exactly what works when researching tags for a new video.
Open YouTube in incognito mode - this gives you clean search results without your personal history affecting things.
Start typing slowly and watch those search suggestions. They're pure gold - actual phrases real people are searching for. I'll tell you more – since YouTube and Google are pretty tight, try auto-suggests on Google too.
You don't need to spend a fortune on fancy tools (though I'll share my favorites in a minute). Start with YouTube's search bar - it's literally showing you what people want to watch!
Then, check this helpful Free Youtube Tags Generator here
For everything else aside from tags, I strongly suggest you check Hipclip. Not only does it help with tag research, but it also turns your video into a whole content package - we're talking carousels, captions, blog posts, and reels. Pretty sweet for maximizing your reach!
Ready to find your winning tags? Here's your homework (don't worry, it's actually fun):
1. Pick your next video topic
2. Search it in incognito mode
3. Write down ALL the suggestions
4. Check view counts on top results
5. Look for gaps where you can shine
Great tag research isn't about finding the most popular tags - it's about finding the right tags for YOUR content and YOUR audience. Sometimes the best opportunities are hiding in plain sight!
Want to take this even further? That's where Hipclip comes in handy. Once you've found those perfect tags, use them across all your content formats. One video becomes a month of perfectly-tagged content - now that's working smarter!
Remember: The best time to start proper tag research was yesterday. The second best time? Right now!
Let's get those views rolling in.
