Every successful YouTube strategy begins with choosing the right keywords, but most videos aren’t created this way. YouTube mixes a search engine and a social network, so you need to consider both aspects for each video.

When users search for videos on YouTube, the platform uses several signals to populate the search results. The most important ones are the video title, description, tags, and publishing channel.

Other ranking signals exist, such as video quality, which YouTube gauges from click-through rates, watch duration, and engagement. However, it all starts with the search term and how it matches the video’s text elements.

Keywords are especially crucial if you don’t have many subscribers, as you’ll rely heavily on YouTube or Google search behavior for users to find your content.

Even if you have thousands or millions of subscribers, keywords remain important for growth. So, whether you’re just starting out or already have a large following, it’s essential to carefully choose the keywords you want each video to rank for.