Possibly the greatest meta description I’ve ever written in my career:
Implement immediately actionable Video SEO. YouTube creator Tutorial: Blue Hashtags Internal Linking > “Suggested Videos” Hack 2024
I’m so excited to share my Video SEO knowledge with you today and spread the word that 2025 is going to be a Video Creator’s magic carpet ride to monetisation and online revenue streams. But how do you optimise for YouTube? Tik Tok’s audience are on average under 20 years old. Vanity figures of followers and views don’t mean diddly squat to your mortgage, right?
YouTube has been the most consistent video sharing platform in the history of the internet. I do believe it’s not going to change in the next half decade. Creator Scenario: So, I’ve just spent £3,000 on producing a video from my own pocket, how will I get it to rank and go viral and get it shared by thousands, if not millions of middle aged viewers who have the disposable income to spend their money with my online B2B business services?
Got a pen or a keyboard to take note, or CTRL+A, CTRL+C and CTRL+V on a keyboard?
Great, here’s what to do today, time yourself and see how long it takes. You’ve got to conduct competitor research, click around on YouTube suggested videos and understand the algorithm, so keep your search history clean alright?
Right, let’s start with YouTube Internal Linking – Why are they blue links?
YouTube’s use of hashtags in the description area is an interesting aspect of video optimisation that’s almost exactly mirrors a CMS like WordPress or Shopify. For the non-technical YouTube creators, it’s like a YouTube library. You’re not going to walk down the horror aisle looking for a local carpet cleaner for an example.
So, YouTube’s algorithm turns your hashtags blue. This is alike to both libraries and CMS systems which improves content discoverability – considerably.
Understanding YouTube Hashtags for Non-Technical Users
For non-technical users, using hashtags can seem confusing, but taking an intuitive approach makes it straightforward. Think about the main topics your video covers, who might want to watch it, and what other types of videos you would like yours to appear alongside. By choosing hashtags that reflect these considerations, such as #CookingTips or #FoodTutorials, you help YouTube better understand your content and improve its chances of appearing in the ‘suggested videos’ section.
Want to learn more about how to boost your visibility on YouTube? Check out my blow-by-blow guide on Video SEO for YouTube.
The Benefits of Using Hashtags
The benefits of using hashtags in this way are numerous, I use #SEOLady for my YouTube videos, but not in the top 3, the most important 3. They are either second down after 300 words of text, or at the bottom of the 5,000 character YouTube description. There’s also blue links to my website blog as I’m a verified YouTube account holder. In fact I’ve livestreamed! My account allowed me to DJ on the 12″ ones and twos as a test and it worked. Also, from BrightonSEO in 2024.
Hashtags increase your video’s visibility, making it more likely to be featured alongside related content. This, in turn, drives more traffic to your video as people discover it while watching similar videos. Additionally, by making your video easier to find when users search for specific topics, hashtags improve your overall engagement.
Hashtags don’t require technical expertise; it simply requires an intuitive understanding of your content and audience. Read more about simple SEO improvements you can make without technical knowledge in our SEO Basics for Beginners.
How YouTube Uses Hashtags
Let’s break down the benefits into short, easy-to-understand points:
- YouTube allows creators to add up to 3 hashtags in the video description. These hashtags appear above the video title and are clickable.
- Hashtags help categorise your video. This makes it easier for YouTube to understand what your video is about and to recommend it alongside similar videos.
- Hashtags are like tags in a blog. Much like blog tags, hashtags help users discover content. Discover how tagging improves SEO in our article about SEO Blog Writing Tips.
How Hashtags Affect Suggested Videos
YouTube’s algorithm uses hashtags to understand video content. Videos with similar hashtags are more likely to appear in the ‘Suggested Videos’ section. This is comparable to how libraries group books on similar topics on the same shelf.
When you’re creating YouTube videos, think of hashtags like a library classification system. By using relevant hashtags, your content will be grouped with similar videos, making it more discoverable to your target audience. Want to explore more about SEO and Google rankings? Dive into the details of Google Algorithm Changes that influence how your content gets recommended.
Use Relevant Hashtags, Just Like Keywords
Using relevant and specific hashtags is important. Place the most important hashtag first, and don’t overdo it—stick to three or fewer. This is much like choosing the right keywords for your content. Learn more about finding and using keywords effectively in our guide on Keyword and Search Phrase Rankings.
YouTube Optimisation Features vs. a CMS Blog
Much like a Content Management System (CMS), YouTube’s hashtags are a way to categorise and improve the visibility of your content. For example:
- Titles: These are like book titles or blog post headlines—essential for SEO.
- Descriptions: They act like summaries, giving context to your video (or blog).
- Hashtags: These work like tags in a blog but are much more visible and interactive.
Using hashtags properly will increase the chances of your video being featured in ‘Suggested Videos,’ much like how proper categorisation in a WordPress SEO blog boosts visibility.
