In today’s digital content world, competition for viewers’ attention is fiercer than ever. Every minute, hundreds of hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube, making it difficult for your content to stand out among the massive flood of videos.
But there’s a simple and effective secret that can make a huge difference in your channel’s performance: choosing strong keywords. 👇
In this article, we’ll go step by step into how to choose powerful keywords that can boost your views and improve your video ranking in search results—whether you’re a beginner or an experienced content creator. 👇👇
What Are YouTube Keywords?
Keywords are the words or phrases that users type into the search bar when they want to watch a video about a specific topic.
For example, if someone types “how to make money on YouTube for beginners,” that phrase is considered a keyword.
Choosing the right keywords helps YouTube understand your video content and connect it with interested viewers, increasing the chances of your video appearing in search results and suggested videos.
Why Are Keywords Important?
- Improve Search Visibility
When you use the right keywords in your title, description, and tags, YouTube can better understand your video’s topic and show it to the right audience. - Increase Views
Strong keywords attract the right viewers—people who are already searching for content like yours. - Boost Click-Through Rate (CTR)
If your keyword is appealing and paired with an engaging title, it increases the likelihood of people clicking on your video. - Improve Channel Ranking
Using consistent and related keywords across your videos helps build topical authority for your channel in a specific niche.
Types of Keywords
Before you start searching, it’s essential to understand the different types of keywords so you can choose the best fit for your strategy:
1. Broad Keywords
Example: “Make money on YouTube” — These are highly competitive but attract a wide audience.
2. Long-Tail Keywords
Example: “How to make money on YouTube without showing your face” — These are more specific, less competitive, and usually attract a highly targeted audience.
3. Trending Keywords
These are related to currently popular topics, like “AI money-making 2025.”
They can drive a lot of views in a short period.
4. Evergreen Keywords
Topics people search for continuously, such as “how to increase YouTube subscribers” or “best free video editing software.”
These keywords generate consistent long-term views.
Steps to Choose Strong Keywords
Step 1: Define Your Video Topic Clearly
Before searching for keywords, ask yourself:
- What’s the main idea of my video?
- What problem does it solve?
- Who is my target audience?
The clearer you are, the better your chances of finding strong keywords.
Step 2: Use Keyword Research Tools
Fortunately, there are several free and paid tools that help you find the most-searched keywords on YouTube, such as:
- TubeBuddy – Suggests and rates keyword strength.
- vidIQ – Shows search volume, competition, and expected results.
- Google Trends – Tracks keyword popularity over time.
- Keyword Tool (for YouTube) – Generates hundreds of related keyword ideas.
Step 3: Analyze Your Competitors
Search for the top videos ranking for your target keyword, and observe:
- What title do they use?
- How does their description start?
- What tags are included?
- What’s the content style (educational, motivational, entertainment…)?
Take notes and try to use similar ideas, but with your own unique and improved approach.
Step 4: Use the Keyword Strategically
Once you’ve selected the right keyword, place it in specific areas of your video:
- Title
Try to include the keyword at the beginning.
Example:
✅ “Make Money on YouTube for Beginners 2025 | Realistic Steps to Succeed” - Description
Naturally use the keyword several times within the first 200 words, clearly explaining what your video is about. - Tags
Add your main keyword and related variations or synonyms. - File Name
Rename your video file before uploading it, e.g.:
earning-from-youtube.mp4 - Captions
YouTube uses captions to understand your video, so make sure they’re accurate.
Step 5: Analyze Performance and Update Keywords
After publishing your video, go to YouTube Studio → Analytics → Reach to track your keyword performance:
- Where are your views coming from?
- What keywords are users searching before watching your video?
- Is your CTR high or low?
Based on this data, you can adjust your title, description, or even update your keywords for future videos.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Keyword Stuffing
Don’t repeat the same keyword too many times—it can hurt your ranking instead of improving it.
❌ Using Overly Broad Keywords
Words like “money” or “profit” are too general and won’t help you rank effectively.
❌ Ignoring Competition
Using high-competition keywords for a small channel can make your video disappear among the results.
❌ Ignoring User Intent
Your keyword must match what the viewer actually wants—are they trying to learn, buy, or just watch?
Extra Tips to Maximize Keyword Effectiveness
- Mention your keyword in the video’s spoken audio—YouTube detects and indexes it.
- Make your title attractive as well as keyword-optimized.
- Use smart hashtags in your description, like:
#MakeMoneyOnYouTube, #IncreaseViews - Focus on long-tail and niche keywords at the beginning to build a targeted audience.
- Track which keywords perform best and reuse them in future videos.
Conclusion
Choosing strong keywords isn’t just a technical step—it’s an art and a strategy that requires deep understanding of both your audience and your content.
By combining research tools, observation, and experimentation, you can build an effective plan that helps your videos rank higher and gain more views over time.
Remember, the goal isn’t just to bring in views—it’s to attract the right viewers who genuinely care about your content. They are the ones who will subscribe and become part of your loyal community. 🌸🎧
💡 Quick Summary:
- Use keyword research tools.
- Target long-tail and specific keywords.
- Include keywords in titles, descriptions, and tags.
- Analyze competitors and refine your strategy.
- Don’t stuff keywords—use them wisely.
