YouTube Keyword Research: How to Find Keywords for Your Videos

Updated October 31, 2026

YouTube keyword research means finding the phrases viewers type into YouTube search and matching your title, description and script to them. You can do it for free with autocomplete, competitor videos and comments.

Open the free YouTube keyword generator

What is YouTube keyword research?

YouTube keyword research is the process of finding the phrases people type into YouTube search so you can match your title, description and script to them. It is the same idea as long-tail keyword research, but the phrases come from video searches, which often sound more practical and more specific: "how to", "tutorial", "for beginners", "review".

How to do YouTube keyword research, step by step

1. Start with a topic, not a title. Write the subject of the video in one or two words, such as "sourdough bread".
2. Collect YouTube autocomplete suggestions. Type the topic into YouTube search and note what it completes. To collect them faster, run the seed through the free YouTube keyword generator, which reads the same suggestions without an account.
3. Add the alphabet. Add a, b, c and so on after the seed to uncover phrases you would never think of. This method is explained in our guide to alphabet soup keyword research.
4. Read the results page. Search your best phrase and look at the top videos: their titles, lengths and what they promise. If every result is a ten-minute tutorial, a three-minute answer may stand out.
5. Mine comments and questions. Comments under popular videos show the exact questions viewers still have. Each unanswered question is a possible video.
6. Check YouTube Studio. In your channel's analytics, the Research tab (when available for your channel) shows what viewers search for on YouTube, and your own Traffic source report shows the searches that already bring people to your videos.
7. Choose one main phrase per video. Pick the clearest phrase with real demand and a result page you can improve on.

How to find the keywords of a YouTube video

YouTube does not display a video's tags to viewers. The reliable way to see what a video targets is to read its title, description and spoken script: the main phrase is almost always in the title and the first lines of the description. Browser extensions can show tags, but tags matter little, so the visible fields tell you more.

How to find keywords in YouTube comments

Open the most-commented videos on your topic, sort comments by top and read them for repeated questions, problems and wording. Copy phrases exactly as people write them, then run them through autocomplete to see whether other people search for the same thing.

Where to put the keyword

• Title: put the main phrase near the start, written as a human title.
• Description: mention the phrase in the first two lines and describe what the video covers.
• Spoken script: say the phrase naturally in the first sentences; YouTube also reads captions.
• Thumbnail and chapters: make them match the promise of the title. Clicks and watch time matter more than a keyword.

Not sure what to do with tags? Read about the difference between YouTube hashtags and tags.

Frequently asked questions

Related tools and guides

• Free YouTube keyword generator
• Long-tail keyword tool: back to the main LongTailLab tool
• Next guide: YouTube hashtags vs tags
• All keyword research guides