In this video we’re going to be discussing keywords vs tags, and how this one common
misunderstanding can change how you see Optimizing your Videos on YouTube!
[Tips & Tricks]
Hello TubeBuddies, when it comes to YouTube the words tags and keywords get thrown around
interchangeably. Infact in YouTube’s own definition of tags they say tags are “Descriptive
keywords you can add to your video to help viewers find your content.”
However, while Keywords and tags are similar they’re not the same thing when it comes
to YouTube. Now if we look at what merriam webster says a keyword is, it says that a
keyword is “a significant word from a title or document used especially as an index to
content.”
Now this can seem like a vocab lesson if we’re not really careful, so we’re going to make
sure we have a good balance of what these terms ARE and practical examples. So if I
use the word Metadata which is a set of data that describes and gives information about
other data. Then the practical example is Keywords and Tags are examples of Metadata!
See, practical examples AND we got through another one. Metadata… How META wait is
that a mouse? Stacy don’t--
[Screen Blacks]
Alright I promised my editor Stacy, not to do too many more dumb jokes. Anyway we now
know that Keywords and tags are forms of Metadata.
This matters for YouTube because it’s a search engine, and uses metadata to INDEX
videos or helps find search results based on what KEYWORD is in your title and if we
look closer in the description too.
We know that when things are similar it can get confusing, so to simplify it for YouTube’s
sake, the Keyword is the TOPIC of the video or what the video is truly about.
Tags are used AROUND that keyword to help viewers find your content. So Keyword = Topic,
and tags = a way that people can find your content around a topic.
When doing KEYWORD research it’s that. You’re looking for video topics, and the TAGS support
the keyword in your videos title. That’s why WE changed our tools name from Tag explorer
to Keyword Explorer.
Keywords make up the TOPIC of the video. When people ask “Does TubeBuddy have a title
helper tool?” That’s what our keyword explorer is here to do! Let’s say we want
to make a video around hiking. Our Keyword is hiking, and when we do keyword research
we want to see what people are looking for around Hiking. This isn’t TAG research,
it's video TOPIC research based thus why it’s called Keyword Explorer. We’re exploring
KEYWORDS not just tags.
One of the things we see is hiking backpack well if we want to make a video about that,
we can change our keyword to be “hiking backpack” which is MORE specific, than hiking
and makes the topic of our video focused around the backpack.
Again see how we now have the TOPIC and so when we know we want to make a video around
hiking backpacks. We need METADATA such as our title, description, and TAGS to match
our target keyword. In this case since our Keyword is Hiking Backpack.
OUR TAGS SHOULD SUPPORT THAT. So tags could be “hiking backpack” “hiking backpack
review” “hiking backpack recommendations” we can see what people are searching for in
those, and that’s another way people can find your content.
These can not only be TAGS but things people can search for to find our YouTube videos.
When it comes to Keywords Vs Tags. Keywords are what the video is about, and tags SUPPORT
the target keyword. They’re similar in that they’re both metadata, but understanding
the difference helps you understand YouTube Search Engine Optimization.
Want to learn how to use the Keyword Explorer then check out that playlist on screen to
learn more! If you have more questions, then you can join
our Search Engine Optimization channel, or SEO, help channel on Discord linked in the
description down below. I’m Andrew Kan from TubeBuddy, now let’s go out and do more
Keyword Research!