Primary Hashtags (use these first)
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YouTube Hashtag Generator
Generate trending and relevant hashtags for your YouTube videos.
Instant hashtags
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Enter your keyword and click "Generate Hashtags"
What Is a YouTube Hashtag Generator?
A YouTube hashtag generator is a tool that creates relevant hashtags for your video from a main keyword, niche, and video type. Hashtags are clickable words preceded by the # symbol that you add to your video title or description. When a viewer clicks a hashtag, YouTube shows other videos using the same hashtag — creating an additional path for people to discover your content.
Coming up with good hashtags manually means thinking about your topic, your niche, your video format, and which hashtag variations are actually used by your audience. A hashtag generator does this instantly, producing organized sets you can review and pick from rather than guessing.
SEOLark's YouTube Hashtag Generator creates three groups — primary, secondary, and related hashtags — based on your keyword, niche, and video type. It also reminds you of YouTube's recommendation to use only 3–5 hashtags per video, so you avoid the over-tagging that causes YouTube to ignore all your hashtags.
Do YouTube Hashtags Matter?
Hashtags help with discovery, but in a focused way. They are most useful for connecting your video to a specific topic or trend and for giving viewers another way to find related content. Like tags, they are a supporting signal — not a replacement for a strong title, thumbnail, and description.
Visible Above the Title
The first three hashtags in your description appear as clickable links above your video title on the watch page — giving them real visibility to viewers.
Hashtag Search Pages
Each hashtag has its own page on YouTube showing videos that use it. Relevant hashtags can surface your video to people browsing that topic.
Topic Context
Hashtags give YouTube an additional signal about your video's topic, which can help with categorization and related-video recommendations.
Useful for Shorts
Hashtags like #Shorts help YouTube identify and categorize short-form vertical videos, supporting their reach in the Shorts feed.
Because hashtags are a minor signal, do not over-invest in them. Focus first on your title and description using the YouTube Title Optimizer and YouTube Description Optimizer.
How SEOLark YouTube Hashtag Generator Works
The generator builds three hashtag groups from your inputs and your selected video type. Here is the process step by step:
1
Enter Your Keyword
Type your main keyword — the core topic of your video. This is required and forms the basis of your primary hashtags.
2
Add Niche and Video Type
Optionally add your niche and choose the video type — tutorial, review, tips, vlog, news, or comparison. These shape the related hashtag set.
3
Generate Hashtags
Click Generate Hashtags. The tool produces primary, secondary, and related hashtag groups — colour-coded and ready to scan.
4
Pick the Best 3–5
YouTube recommends only 3–5 hashtags per video. The tool warns you if the total set is large — choose the most relevant few from the primary group.
5
Copy and Place
Click any hashtag to copy it, or use Copy All. Place your chosen 3–5 hashtags at the end of your video description.
What This Tool Can Generate
The YouTube Hashtag Generator produces three groups of hashtags from your inputs. Here is what each group contains and how to use it:
| Hashtag Group | What It Contains | How to Use It |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Your main keyword as a hashtag, niche hashtag, and keyword variations | Use these first — they are the most relevant. Pick 2–3 of these for your final set |
| Secondary | Broader YouTube and video marketing hashtags like #YouTubeSEO, #ContentCreator | Add 1–2 of these for broader category context — but they are more competitive |
| Related / Niche | Video-type hashtags (tutorial, review, tips) plus niche and year variations | Pick one that best matches your video format and audience |
| Count Warning | An alert that appears when the generated set exceeds 10 hashtags | Reminds you to trim down to YouTube's recommended 3–5 hashtags |
Hashtags and tags serve different purposes. To generate hidden metadata tags for the YouTube Studio tags field, use the YouTube Tags Generator.
Topic, Niche, Branded, and Shorts Hashtags Explained
Different hashtag types serve different goals. A balanced hashtag set combines a topic hashtag, a niche hashtag, and where relevant a format hashtag like #Shorts. Understanding each type helps you choose the right few rather than padding your description with weak hashtags. Here are the four main types:
The Four Types of YouTube Hashtags
Topic Hashtags
#youtubeseo #videomarketing
Directly describe what your video is about. These are the most important — always include one or two topic hashtags that match your main keyword.
Niche Hashtags
#digitalmarketing #contentcreator
Connect your video to your broader niche community. They help YouTube place your content alongside related videos in the same category.
Branded Hashtags
#yourchannelname #yourseriesname
Your own channel or content series hashtag. Helps build a body of content under a unique tag and lets fans find all videos in a series.
Shorts / Format
#shorts #tutorial #review
Identify the video format. #Shorts helps YouTube categorize vertical short-form videos. Format hashtags signal the content style to viewers.
Where to place hashtags: Add your 3–5 chosen hashtags at the very end of your video description. The first three appear as clickable links above your video title. You can also place one or two hashtags in the title itself, but keep the title clean and readable — do not stuff it with hashtags.
To find the keyword behind your topic hashtags, check search demand with the Keyword Checker before deciding which hashtags to feature.
Common YouTube Hashtag Mistakes
Hashtag mistakes can actually hurt your video's reach. Here are the most common errors to avoid:
- Using too many hashtags: YouTube recommends 3–5 hashtags per video. If you add more than 15 hashtags to a video, YouTube will ignore all of them and may treat the video as spam. More hashtags do not mean more reach — focus on a few highly relevant ones.
- Adding irrelevant hashtags: Using popular but unrelated hashtags to chase reach violates YouTube's policies. Every hashtag must genuinely relate to your video's content. Irrelevant hashtags can result in your video being removed from search or your hashtags being stripped.
- Using misleading hashtags: Hashtags that imply the video is about something it is not — to ride a trend or controversy — break YouTube's metadata policies and damage viewer trust. Only use hashtags that accurately reflect your content.
- Stuffing hashtags into the title: A title cluttered with hashtags looks spammy and reduces readability. Keep your title clean — place hashtags in the description instead, with at most one or two in the title if they fit naturally.
- Using only generic hashtags: Hashtags like #YouTube or #video are so broad that your content is instantly buried among millions of videos. Mix specific topic and niche hashtags with broader ones so you have a realistic chance of being discovered.
- Ignoring hashtags entirely: While hashtags are a minor signal, skipping them means missing the clickable links above your title and the hashtag search pages. Since adding 3–5 relevant hashtags takes seconds, there is no reason to skip this finishing step.
How to Use YouTube Hashtags Correctly
Using hashtags well takes just a moment per video once you follow a few simple rules. Here is how to apply your generated hashtags effectively:
Use Only 3–5 Hashtags
Pick the 3–5 most relevant hashtags from the generated set. This matches YouTube's recommendation and ensures all your hashtags are counted. A focused set of relevant hashtags outperforms a long list of weak ones every time.
Lead with Topic Hashtags
Make your most relevant topic hashtags the first ones — these are the three that appear above your video title. Choose hashtags that precisely describe your video's content so the clickable links make sense to viewers.
Place Them in the Description
Add your chosen hashtags at the end of your video description. The first three become clickable links above your title automatically. Keep them grouped together on their own line for a clean appearance.
Mix Specific and Broad
Combine specific topic hashtags with one or two broader niche hashtags. The specific ones give you a realistic chance of being found; the broader ones provide category context. Avoid using only ultra-broad hashtags.
Add #Shorts for Short Videos
If you are publishing a vertical short-form video, include #Shorts in your title or description. This helps YouTube identify and categorize the video correctly for the Shorts feed and the dedicated Shorts shelf.
Pair with a Strong Description
Hashtags are the finishing touch on a well-written description. Generate your full description first, then add hashtags at the end. Use the YouTube Description Generator to build the description, then optimize it with the Description Optimizer.
Generate Relevant YouTube Hashtags — Free
Get organized primary, secondary, and related hashtags from your keyword in seconds. Pick the best 3–5 and place them in your description for extra discoverability.
Frequently Asked Questions
A YouTube hashtag generator is a tool that creates relevant hashtags for your video from a main keyword, niche, and video type. It produces organized groups — primary, secondary, and related hashtags — so you can quickly pick the best 3–5 to add to your video description instead of brainstorming them manually.
Hashtags help with discovery in a focused way. The first three hashtags in your description appear as clickable links above your video title, and each hashtag has its own search page on YouTube. They also give YouTube extra context about your topic. However, hashtags are a minor signal compared with your title, thumbnail, and description — useful, but not a primary ranking factor.
YouTube recommends using 3–5 hashtags per video. This is the sweet spot — enough to provide topic context without looking spammy. Critically, if you add more than 15 hashtags to a single video, YouTube ignores all of them and may treat the video as spam. Always stay well under 15, and aim for 3–5 highly relevant hashtags.
Add hashtags in your video description, typically at the end. The first three hashtags from your description automatically appear as clickable links above your video title on the watch page. You can also include one or two hashtags directly in your video title, but keep the title clean and readable — avoid stuffing it with hashtags.
Yes. YouTube has a specific policy: if a video has more than 15 hashtags, YouTube ignores all hashtags on that video. Over-tagging can also be treated as a spam signal. Additionally, using irrelevant or misleading hashtags violates YouTube's metadata policies and can result in your video being removed from search results. Stick to 3–5 genuinely relevant hashtags.
Yes. For YouTube Shorts, including #Shorts in your title or description helps YouTube identify and categorize the video as short-form vertical content, which supports its reach in the Shorts feed. Beyond #Shorts, add 2–4 relevant topic and niche hashtags just as you would for a regular video. Keep the total within YouTube's recommended range.
Hashtags are visible, clickable links starting with the # symbol that you add to your title or description — viewers can see and click them. Tags are hidden metadata added in the YouTube Studio tags field that viewers never see. Both help YouTube understand your video, but they work in different places. Use this tool for hashtags, and the YouTube Tags Generator for hidden tags.