Extract Tags from YouTube Videos with View and Copy Video Tags

When you extract tags from YouTube videos, you can build out your own highly targeted tag list. 

Maybe you want to use some of the same video tags as your main competitor on YouTube, or maybe you’re looking to mine your own videos to ensure you’re using tags consistently. Whatever the case, TubeBuddy View and Copy Video Tags is the best way to extract tags from YouTube videos. 

With TubeBuddy View and Copy Video Tags, creators can easily optimize their YouTube video tags, extract video tags from YouTube videos and save them to a list, and even see which tags competitors are using and ranking for. 

Why YouTube Video Tags are Important

Tags are an important part of SEO; optimizing your YouTube videos to be found by The Algorithm. Tags are not the most important factor; YouTube looks at title, then description, then tags in that order. Still, top three. Tags are key to how videos are categorized on YouTube and optimizing YouTube video tags for your content is important.

Tagged videos are more likely to be recommended to viewers when they watch a video with similar tags. Whether you’re creating #makeup tutorials, #speedruns of your favorite game, or spending a #survival weekend in the forest, you have to tag your videos. 

Moreover, viewers can click on tags to explore related content. These are high intent viewers who are looking for something specific. Properly tagging your videos ensures you show up in searches, and increases your chances of adding a subscriber if your channel is the one that gives them what they’re looking for.

Tags are also cumulative; they build your brand as a creator. By consistently using relevant tags across your videos, you position yourself as an expert in your field or topic.

So yes, YouTube tags are important. YouTube gives creators up to 500 characters to use for tagging. For creators, the more relevant tags you include, the better.

The Ideal Tags for Your Videos

The ideal tags for your video are high volume terms that are relevant to your content. High volume meaning a lot of people are looking for videos on the topic. Relevant meaning your video relates to the topic. 

It can be tempting to stuff in the most searched tags in the hopes of showing up in more searches. That is not a winning strategy. Using wildly irrelevant tags can actually fall afoul of YouTube Community Guidelines around deceptive practices.

Extract Tags from YouTube Videos

With the TubeBuddy extension installed, opening any YouTube video will display the Videolytics view to the right. If it’s your video, you’ll see the tags you’re currently targeting. If it’s a competitor’s video, you’ll see the tags they use. 

In either case, click on “Copy To” to save these tags to a new list in TubeBuddy. 

The best practice is to have a few different tag groups for the different topics you cover in your content. There can certainly be cross-over between these tag lists. For example, if your channel topic is camping and outdoors, you might have a tag list that relates to gear reviews, or survival tips, or camping recipes. You’ll want your top-level tags (e.g. #outdoors, #camping, etc.) in all your tag lists. Add more topic-specific tags (e.g. #camping recipe, #smores etc.) below.

Choosing the Right Tags for Your Videos

TubeBuddy SEO Studio offers a ton of YouTube SEO optimization tools that increase your chances of ranking in relevant searches. 

When creating a new video on YouTube, you’ll see Recommended Tags appear below the video description field. Here, you can sort by:

• Relevance (relative to your other videos, video title, description, etc.)
• Keyword Score (how popular the search term, color coded)
• Search Traffic (how many views this tag has gotten you)

With TubeBuddy Tag Tools, you can easily extract tags from YouTube videos and save them to a list. Use your tag list to apply tags consistently across all your videos to build credibility and subject matter expertise.

Tip: Add a Target Keyword in TubeBuddy Tag Tools to make Recommended Tags more relevant 

Optimize Existing Video Tags

Uploading new videos and including relevant tags is important. However, a little time spent optimizing tags (as well as titles and descriptions) for older videos can pay dividends. 

Open any of your existing videos in YouTube Studio and go down to the Tags section. Here you’ll see which tags you have applied to your video. Under Recommended Tags, highlighting Search Traffic will show you how many views a given tag has received. Sort by Relevance, Keyword Score, and Search Traffic, and add high-performing, high-search tags to your video by clicking Copy under Tag Tools. If you run out of space (YouTube allows 500 characters for tags), remove low performing or less relevant tags and replace them with better ones. 

Video Tags is one small but important part of the YouTube search engine optimization tools available in TubeBuddy. Paired with Keyword Explorer, SEO Studio, Click Magnet, and other TubeBuddy tools, you give your videos the best chance of being found. You drive that all-important watch time. With quality content, you turn viewers into subscribers.

And that’s what it’s all about. Right?

Looking for more tips on how to stand out as a YouTube creator? Check out our free playbook, The Complete Guide to Getting your YouTube Videos Discovered, for more tips on getting to the top of your YouTube creator game.