In the past, YouTube tags played a significant role in helping the platform’s algorithm understand the content of videos and surface them in relevant searches.
But with YouTube’s algorithm constantly undergoing updates, many creators wonder: Do YouTube tags still matter in 2024?
Like its parent company, Google, YouTube relies heavily on keywords to determine which videos are most relevant to a user’s search query.
One way these keywords are incorporated into the platform is through tags. The video creator chooses these YouTube tags to categorize the video’s content.
In this section, we want to know whether the tags are still working on YouTube. But first, let’s see what YouTube tags are and how they are used.
YouTube Tags: What Are They & How Do They Work?
If you want to optimize YouTube videos for ranking, the tags are your saviors! Understanding the role of YouTube tags, also known as YouTube video tags, is a crucial step for creators seeking to optimize their content to get discovered more.
These keywords act as signposts, guiding viewers toward your video content, but also help the YouTube algorithm grasp the video’s context.
While technically optional, incorporating relevant and strategic tags can significantly enhance your video’s visibility, but it depends on several factors.
So, as you see, using YouTube tags has two benefits:
· One of them is informing the algorithm
- By matching your video with relevant searches
- Recommend your video to viewers
· And the other one is for Viewers
- Guides the viewers on the platform to find relevant videos based on their search.
- Viewers can discover videos based on their search within a channel.
However, some users believe that the tags will not work in 2024! They state that it has been a couple of years since the YouTube tags have been functional, and they wonder whether to use them.
Let’s clarify it.
Should I Use YouTube Tags In 2024?
YouTube creators wonder how much weight YouTube tags have. And do they still matter? To answer that, you must know that YouTube tags were once crucial for video discoverability, but their importance has significantly diminished in recent years.
Do you want to know why tags are no longer a primary focus for creators? In the following section, we mention what aspects currently hold greater weight for video optimization. So, pay close attention.
The Rise of Machine Learning
Around 2015, YouTube adopted advanced video analysis algorithms similar to those used by its parent company, Google.
These algorithms can automatically analyze video content, including visuals, audio, and even facial recognition, to understand the video’s subject matter.
This is the first reason creators no longer rely solely on YouTube tags to convey video content.
Ø Search Engine Integration
As you might have seen, Google Search often displays relevant YouTube videos in search results. This capability suggests that search engines prioritize their analysis over manually added tags.
For example:
Imagine searching for “how to change a tire” on Google. You might see YouTube videos displayed in the search results.
When you click on a relevant video, Google might highlight a specific section focusing on changing the tire, even though the creator might not have included the phrase “changing the tire” in the YouTube tags.
This suggests that Google, through its advanced algorithms, can understand the content within different parts of the video.
Ø Signals from YouTube
- Upload interface: As a creator, the upload process prioritizes title, thumbnail, and description over tags.
- YouTube staff statements: Several YouTube representatives have downplayed the importance of tags, advising creators to focus on titles, thumbnails, and descriptions.
- Official Google documentation: Google’s official documentation states that tags are only helpful in addressing common misspellings, indicating their minimal role in discovery.
Although the YouTube tags are not useless, they hold minimal weight compared to their past worth.
As we mentioned above, the creators should:
- Prioritize clear and concise titles
- Engaging thumbnails
- Informative descriptions
So they can optimize their YouTube videos for better discoverability.
If you want to know how you can add tags to your video content, look at the steps below:
How to add tags to YouTube videos:
- Navigate to YouTube and tap on your profile picture. From the dropdown menu, select YouTube Studio.
- On the left-hand menu, choose “Content”.
- To modify a video, click on the “Details” option.
- Scroll down to find and click on “Show More.”
- Within the “Tags” section, add relevant tags.
(Remember to keep the total character count under 500.)
- Finally, click “Save” in the top right corner of your screen.
Now that you know all the critical updates about YouTube tags and their importance in 2024, it is up to you to use them. Let’s wrap it up!
Bringing This To A Close
Do YouTube tags still matter in 2024? Well, we cannot say a definite NO! But other important factors are more significant and help you better get your video discovered on YouTube, and tags are the final step!
In this article, you can find all your answers about YouTube tags and their function in recent years so you can better decide how to use them and what to prioritize.
However, YouTube tags can still support your overall SEO strategy on this platform.
Do you have any questions or insights about the evolving role of YouTube tags in 2024? Please write your thoughts in the comments below and start a conversation.