Do hashtags help YouTube Shorts get more views?

The short answer

Not directly. YouTube describes hashtags as a way to connect your video to a results page of other videos with the same hashtag, not as a views boost, and it warns that a video with more than 60 hashtags will have all of them ignored (YouTube Help). A few relevant hashtags can help people find you. The video still has to hold them.

What YouTube says about hashtags

You might think piling on trending hashtags pushes a Short to more people. YouTube's help page describes something narrower:

• They link to a results page. Hashtags in the title and description link to a page featuring other videos that share the hashtag.
• Up to three show by the title. Out of the hashtags in your description, up to three that YouTube considers most engaging appear by your video title.
• Shorts get suggestions. When you add text to a Short and start a hashtag, YouTube suggests ones based on signals like your past uploads.
• More isn't better. YouTube says the more tags you add, the less relevant they become. Over 60, it ignores every hashtag on the video, and over-tagging can get a video removed from your uploads or from search.
• They have to be related. Misleading or unrelated hashtags can get a video removed, and hashtags must follow the Community Guidelines.

None of that says a hashtag will raise your views. It's a labeling tool.

How we'd tag a Short

This is our recommendation, not a YouTube rule. Pick two or three hashtags a customer would actually tap: what the video shows, where you are and, if it fits, your business type. Skip trending tags that have nothing to do with the video.

As a hypothetical example only, a Livingston dealership's walkaround of a pickup might use the model name, the town and a tag like #walkaround. Then the work that matters more is the video itself. See what to show in a car dealership walkaround video and how to hook viewers in the first 2 seconds.

If you run a business around Lake Livingston, see what we do locally on our Livingston, TX page.

This article is general information. YouTube's policies can change, so check its help pages before you post.

Bottom line

Hashtags help label a Short and link it to related videos, but YouTube doesn't present them as a way to get more views. Use a few that fit, and spend your effort on the first seconds.

Want help with your Shorts?

Our video production and social media services cover planning, filming and editing short-form. If you'd like a second look at your channel, get in touch.